A CXI Regional Manager's Travel Experience in Italy

Getting There

We traveled to Rome, Florence, and Venice, for a total of nine days. To save money, we packaged airfare and hotel stays using a web service. For the airfare, we paid $3,500 total round trip for two people.

Getting Around

Once settled, we booked a tour with locals. The tour cost us under $300 USD for two. We walked through the cities and used public transportation for less than $5 USD a day

What to Do

The most memorable moments were visiting the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, and going to the Tuscan Wine Region. The entrance to the Coliseum was about $5 USD, and opted out for the self-guided tour. At the Trevi Fountain, we were not able to throw a coin in as it was under construction, but they had kiddie pools in front that you could throw coins into!

Where to Stay

We stayed in hotels as part of the package that we booked. The hotels were mostly in the city center, about five minutes from the locations we most wanted to visit. In Rome and Florence, the hotels were considered 3-star hotels, and in Venice, we splurged on a 5-star hotel.

A little-known fact that I discovered while researching the trip in Italy: all hotel rooms are usually provided with two twin beds, so we brought a twin bed strap kit to make the two beds into a single Cal King bed! In addition, we brought the European plug adapters for cell phone chargers, laptops, cameras, etc.

Where to Eat?

For food, we budgeted about $50 a day and splurged occasionally on a nicer dinner. My personal favorite was La Gallina Blanca in Rome; they had the best spaghetti bolognese. We tried mulled warm wine for the first time in Venice, and OMG it was so good! You at first think "warm wine?!", but it piques your interest when you see other people walking around with it in their cups. It smells so good, it is honestly the best thing ever for walking around in the colder evenings.

Travel Tips

In Italy, they do not believe in tipping. We did tip a few times, but we first asked the waitstaff if it was okay, as we really enjoyed the food and dining experience. Some were okay with us leaving a tip, but others did say no, and we respected their decision. If you are getting a coffee to go, it typically costs you about 2  Euros, but if you are drinking your coffee in the cafe, it costs you 4 Euros (2 Euros are considered a service fee). Caffe da portar via!

Be aware of riposino. Most Italian shops will close for lunch, between the hours of 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm in Italy. You might find shops open in the big cities like Rome, Milan or Venice, but in smaller cities, everything is closed.