For the next two weeks, Jim and I will be on an adventure to Italy. It should be quite an interesting trip, since we won’t be on a tour, and we’ll be driving a rental car in a country known for its crazy driving conditions–narrow streets, mountainous terrain, speed limits like we never see in the states, and drivers who want to get where they’re going in a hurry.
Over the past few years, Jim has been quite interested in his roots, and has been desirous of seeing the land from which all of his grandparents emigrated in the first half of the twentieth century. Since they all came from tiny villages, a conventional tour would not be appropriate.
Jim’s cousin, Virginia, is a travel agent who lives in Connecticut and works for a travel agency. She has also been to Italy almost a dozen times, so she was able to create an itinerary for us that takes us on the geneological circuit but also hits some of the traditional tourist spots that you really shouldn’t leave the country without seeing. You know, places like the Vatican, cathedrals, Tuscany, etc. In another post, I’ll go through the itinerary.
We should have some interesting experiences ahead which might make some interesting blog posts.
I’ve already mentioned the driving, but another big one is the language barrier, which creates a whole set of of sub challenges. For instance, if we have to ask for directions, how will we understand the answer that we’re given? I can barely get it when an American gives me directions. That being said, we do have a new GPS programmed for Italy.
The second concern is menus. We don’t know enough of the language to order intelligently, and since I don’t eat meat, how will I know what to order? Will I be able to ask the waiter for guidance?
I’ve heard that hand gestures work well and so does pointing. I just asked Jim if we brought our tiny Italian-American dictionary, and since we’re already on the plane to Philadelphia, I guess we’re not going back for it. We have a bit of a layover, so maybe we’ll find a nice Italian-American dictionary on the Philly airport.
To round out my concerns for the week, is the fear of the mountaneous roads we’ll encounter. If you get a chance to view my Route 66 blog, you’ll see how much I love switchbacks and S curves. Still, I am very much excited about the trip and excited and will blog as much as possible along the way.
Comments on “We’re Off to Italy!
Ellen How fun and exciting. I can’t wait to read about it!
- Ann Silverthorn Thanks Ellen!
Mjsailaway I’m going to read about this trip while we drive to Florida for our annual Jan/Feb adventure. This will be fun!
