Venice was our final stop on my family’s two-week visit to Italy, and as tourists we were in for one touristy ride here. It amazes me that people actually live in Venice and make a living here outside of the hospitality industry. This city, historic though it is, feels much more like a theme park [...]
With the keys to an Opel Zafira and a few fistfuls of euros left after Rome, the Weill family reconnects with distant cousins and the distant past in Tuscany.
In between jaunts on tiny electric buses and superfast expressways, we got to see a nice little chunk of Italy during our stay. We spent time in Rome, Siena, Prato, Florence, Lucca, and Venice. Rome is an impressive place: it’s an undeniably historic city and yet there’s a strange balance between tourist attractions and day-to-day [...]
If you’re thinking about traveling to Italy and renting a car, here’s a tip: don’t. Take buses and trains. They’re cheaper and they involve less yelling. You might even ride for free. We traveled on public transport about a dozen times and were asked to show valid tickets maybe twice. The payment process on most [...]
As I returned the rental car to take a taxi to the Amtrak train to the Long Island Rail Road to the AirTrain, I thought, “this is no way to earn 13,000 frequent flyer miles.” Last month I flew out to Providence for my friend Meg’s wedding. (Congratulations to Mike as well, married the same [...]