Category Archives: Italy

November 24, 2014

Time, Italian Style

The numbers we use to understand time might be universal, but as a concept it’s culturally malleable.  For example, in Germany, a place where things are precise, an appointment for 2pm means you are expected there at 2pm.

In the US, a culture of eagerness and over-achievement, for that same appointment, one would expect someone to show up between 1:45 pm and 2 pm if they were serious about it. Maybe 2:05 pm if they weren’t.

In Italy, an appointment for 2pm really means anywhere from, say, 2:30pm to…  never.  

Being late in Italy doesn’t warrant an apology, nor does it have to actually be acknowledged.  One can even exercise their right to not show up at all and offer no explanation.

The concept of time is flexible and changes based on where you go, and in Italy it’s incredibly flexible.  There’s a whole vocabulary in Italian of vague terms that refer to how long things will take:  un’ oretta (a small hour), una decina di giorni (10-ish days), and there’s the different ways to interpret time too, such as “90 days” which could mean literally, 90 days from today, or it could mean 90 “working days” which can take 7 months or more.

It’s basically all meaningless unless, of course, we’re talking about food, in which case time is not so flexible.  

In many countries, we eat when we feel like it.  Breakfast for dinner, 24 hour restaurants, etc.  But in Italy, one doesn’t eat lunch at 11:30.  Ever.  Dinner at 5:00pm?  An Italian would think, “what the hell is that?”.  It makes no sense here to eat dinner that early.

Time in Italy revolves around food.  Think of the clock like this:

Generally speaking, the morning lasts until 12pm, when lunch time (pranzo) begins, lasting until 3pm.  Morning is also the only time one would have breakfast, which in itself is optional – although lunch is not!

Between those times you can have a merenda (a snack) or getting closer to dinner you can go for an aperitivo.  Coffee you can have anytime, but milky coffee drinks only in the morning – while a cappuccino is frowned upon in the afternoon, a caffè latte is tolerated.  And a milky coffee drink is not an apertivo or dessert.

Aperitivo time (what we call wine-o’clock) can be 6:00, maybe 6:30pm, and goes on either until dinner, or can even substitute for dinner depending where you have your aperitivo.

Dinner (cena) begins around 7, 7:30pm when restaurants re-open.  But if an Italian invites you to dinner at their home, they probably expect you there between 8 and 9pm.

All those other numbers that mark the non-food related times of the day?  When in Italy, don’t worry about them.
The moral here is twofold: when traveling in Italy, don’t stress too much about being late.  Go with the flow. Unless it comes to meal times, in which case plan exactly where you’ll be and when so you don’t get caught in that dead zone between 3pm and 7pm.

And remember, l’ora di pranzo è sacra (the lunch hour is sacred).


November 17, 2014

Family Activities in Rome during the Holiday Season

by Shannon Kenny of ItaliaKids and Elaia Travel

The Christmas holidays are a wonderful time to visit the city of Rome as a family, when the city is adorned festively on what seems like every corner and in every piazza, and the weather is typically still mild. The season in Italy runs from around December 22 to January 6 on the Feast of the Epiphany.

Lucky Italian kids will exchange gifts of sweets and handicrafts with family members and receive a visit from Father Christmas on Christmas Day, when they celebrate by feasting and playing games such as tombola with generations of relatives for good fortune in the New Year, and also on the eve of the Ephiphany, when La Befana, a legendary old lady who rides in on a broom, places treats and gifts in the stockings of good children, and leaves only coal for those who have misbehaved. The La Befana tradition is especially rooted in the history of Lazio, and during the holidays Piazza Navona is transformed into the La Befana Christmas market with lights and decorations, a carousel, and rows of stalls filled with traditional Christmas crafts, ornaments, candied nuts, and typical holiday sweets. Rumor has it La Befana herself occasionally makes an appearance, peering out from a window in the piazza at midnight on January 6…

Another holiday family favorite in Rome is the charming temporary ice rink set up adjacent to the play park next to Castel Sant’Angelo, arguably the best “rink with a view” around. There is also a seasonal outdoor rink at the Parco della Musica, which is transformed into a Christmas Village with music, entertainment, an antique carousel, market stalls, and…of course Santa is there as well. The Christmas markets throughout the city, at Parco della Musica, and in other locales such as the Villa Borghese and Villa Celimontana, play stage to puppet shows and traditional musical performances during the season. Check family event listings on Italiakids.com, Wanted in Rome, and In Rome Now for up-to-date information.

In addition to the live Nativity scenes throughout the city, most famously in St. Peter’s Square, which is revealed at midnight on Christmas Eve, Piazza del Popolo hosts an annual show of hundreds of antique Nativity scenes (presepi) at the Sale del Bramante in the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo. Or the kids can make their own Nativity scenes and learn how Rome has celebrated the season since antiquity at the Arte al Sole arts and cultural holiday workshops in English near Piazza Navona while you enjoy some grown-up time shopping or lingering over lunch.

As is the case with almost every season, many of your family’s memories will likely touch on food during your visit. Romans celebrate on Christmas Eve with a simple menu of fried fish and vegetables, and enjoy a long lingering lunch of roast meats the next day. Bakeries are filled with seasonal sweets and golden-hued cakes like panettone, pandoro, and the Roman pangiallo—so make sure to stop by the forno in Campo dei Fiori, not the least for the smell. Every dessert table will also likely be set with a welcoming bowl of juicy mandarins.

On New Year’s Eve the city is itself a spectacle of music, street performance, and fireworks lighting up iconic views in sites that have hosted such revelries for several millennia, a chance for your family to make new memories while experiencing living history through Roman traditions of celebration.

About the Author
Shannon Kenny is Editor-in-Chief of Italiakids.com, an online resource for families traveling in Italy, Director of the children’s cultural program Arte al Sole, with 6 locations in Italy, and Founding Partner of Elaia Travel, a specialty travel concierge with expertise in family travel to Europe.

November 12, 2014

Understanding Italian Strikes

Another general strike in Italy has been announced for this Friday, November 14th, that will affect almost all forms of travel and public transport throughout the country.  Such a strike seems like a crippling affair when reported by English news sources, one with the potential to ruin plans and strand travelers.  However, as with everything else in the Bel Paese, strikes are not the same as they are “back home” and the amount of fear and panic they induce is mostly unnecessary.

So how do strikes really work here?  Well, strikes work pretty much the way other stuff works here – that is to say, not very well.  In the US, a strike means the negotiations have failed and the result is a total shutdown until an accord can be reached.  The threat of a strike is powerful because if a strike comes there’s guaranteed to be serious losses.  It’s the end of the line.  And if the strike was ultimately carried out half-assed, then it would undermine the threat of future strikes.

Here that’s not the case.  Here, they are optional.  They’re flexible.  It means, maybe the bus will run, and maybe it won’t.

To understand strikes you have to understand Italian unions.  They operate with or without the support of the people they are calling to strike.  They are essentially independent entities who lobby government for laws that govern workers rights and will affect different categories of employment, but they don’t require employees to join the union in certain sectors to lobby for them.

When you see news about strikes, what you’re seeing is not a notice from organized workers themselves, whose collective voice is being expressed by a union official.  Instead, it’s the union which is calling the workers of that sector to strike – and whether they do or not is up to them.

I get up and I go on strike

A few important things to note, to get a better grasp of how severe a strike can be:

- the trains to the airport from Termini station, such as the Leonardo Express, cannot be affected by strikes.  This is guaranteed by law.

- often, the Freccie, or high speed trains, cannot be affected by strikes – only the regional ones.

- for public transportation, the buses and metro are obligated to run for a few hours that are crucial to get people to and from work – around 8-9am and from 5-6pm.

- workers don’t have to notify employers that they intend to strike, and can’t be reprimanded legally for participating, so companies have to operate in the grey area of not knowing how much a strike will affect them either.

To sum up: a transport strike doesn’t mean that there won’t be buses or that you won’t be able to get where you’re going. It means there will be delays and you can expect to waste some time and have to be a bit flexible and easy going about it.

But, wait, that’s what it’s always like here, isn’t it?

Updated news about the actual hours and the companies/unions involved can be found at this Italian website which is fairly easy to decipher and updated regularly:  http://www.mit.gov.it/mit/site.php?p=scioperi

July 7, 2014

Estate Romana: Roman Summer events

by Amy Knauff

Tourism tends to slow down in Rome during July and August, as travelers get scared off by the notorious hottest months of the year and would rather head to the seaside or more northern locales.

Despite the heat, I actually think July and August is a great time to visit the city. The crowds have thinned out, the summer sunlight makes the city look gorgeous, and it’s easy to do as the Romans do to avoid the hottest time of the day: get up early to do your sight-seeing, go back to your accommodations for a post-lunch siesta, then go out again in the late afternoon when it’s cooled down a bit, staying out until late at night enjoying the long days and cooler evening air. If you really aren’t used to the heat, consider booking a place with air-conditioning so you can get a good night’s sleep.

The best part of the Roman summer is the variety of festivals that are held in July and August. Many of the art exhibits at galleries and museums across the city are winding down in June or early July, but the outdoor music, dance, and theatre festivals are starting up. Here’s a rundown on the most interesting not-to-miss festivals in Rome:

LUGLIO SUONA BENE, 25 June – 2 August

This literally means “July sounds good.” It’s a series of concerts that take place almost every night, often in the Auditorium but also at other venues across the city. Some of this year’s biggest acts are Massive Attack, Robert Plant, James Blunt, Herbie Hancock, Simple Minds, Keith Jarrett, and Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club. http://www.auditorium.com/eventi/5707901

FESTIVAL DI CARACALLA, 24 June – 9 August

This is one of my personal favorites – the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma moves their opera and ballet performances outside to the Terme di Caracalla, with the stunning backdrop of the ruins of the ancient baths of Caracalla. This year the Terme will host ballets Swan Lake and Robert Bolle and Friends, and operas La Bohème and The Barber of Seville. www.operaroma.it/ita/caracalla.php

NOTTI D’ESTATE A CASTEL SANT’ANGELO, 1 July – 7 September

The Castel Sant’Angelo hosts jazz and classical music concerts on the outdoor terrace (with fabulous views of the city, by the way) on Wed and Fri-Sun. They also have guided evening tours (also in English) from Tues-Sun, where they show you normally “off-limits” parts of the castle, like the prisons and the Passetto di Borgo. http://www.castelsantangeloestate.it/

FESTIVAL MUSICALE DELLE NAZIONI, 4 June – 5 October

All summer long there are classical music performances (both solo musicians and ensembles) in the ancient Teatro di Marcello, an amphitheatre that looks like a smaller version of the Colosseum. http://www.tempietto.it/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

ESTATE ROMANA ON THE TIBER AND ISOLA DEL CINEMA, 21 June – 30 September

One of the Estate Romana’s most popular venues is along the lower river banks of the Tiber, where stalls selling artisanal goods, clothes, gourmet food, etc, are set up along with “pop-up” outdoor bars, restaurants, and pizzerias. It’s a fun spot for aperitivo or late-night drinks. On Tiber Island, an outdoor cinema has been set up with both mainstream films and independent films (all in Italian, though!). www.facebook.com/estateromanaturismo, http://www.isoladelcinema.com/

ROMA INCONTRA IL MONDO, 2 – 31 July

Rome Meets the World is a “world music” festival featuring international and Italian acts, held nightly in the lovely Villa Ada park in northern Rome. http://www.villaada.org/

I CONCERTI NEL PARCO, 6 – 31 July

In another big park, Villa Pamphili (between Trastevere and the Vatican area), outdoor concerts are held throughout July. There’s a variety of international and Italian musicians, with this year’s lineup including Mayra Andrade, the Tango Spleen Orquesta, and an orchestral version of Pink Floyd’s album The Dark Side of the Moon. www.iconcertinelparco.it/#

VILLA CELIMONTANA JAZZ FESTIVAL, JULY & AUGUST

This is a pretty important Italian outdoor jazz festival that takes place in Rome every year, but  unfortunately they still haven’t announced the dates or concert schedule for this year! I do know that it features concerts on a near-nightly basis and an outdoor restaurant/aperitivo area so you can eat or drink during the shows (you must book ahead). www.villacelimontanajazzfestival.com

GLOBE THEATRE, 8 JULY – 7 SEPTEMBER

Yes, Rome has a Globe Theatre – it’s a copy of the one in London, set up in Villa Borghese park. It opens every summer for performances of different Shakespeare plays (in Italian). This year’s plays will be Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Much Ado about Nothing. At the end of the season there will be a “Shakespeare Fest” with theatre, cinema, and music to celebrate the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth. http://www.globetheatreroma.com/

IL CENTRALE LIVE, 1 – 26 JULY

At the Foro Italico in northern Rome (near the Olympic Stadium), the smaller Stadio dei Marmi hosts a series of outdoor concerts of mostly Italian pop stars. Wildly popular (in Italy) Franco Battiato, Alex Britti, and Gigi d’Alessio will perform this summer. There’s also a bonus tango performance by Argentine dancer Miguel Angel Zotto. http://centralelive.it/

ROCK IN ROMA, 3 JUNE – 2 AUGUST

At the Capannelle Hippodrome in the south of Rome (it’s not well-connected by public transport so you’d be better off taking a taxi here) is a rock festival. The rest of this year’s lineup features important names like Franz Ferdinand, Placebo, and The Lumineers, plus some Italian favorites like Caparezza and Paolo Nutini. http://www.rockinroma.com/

¡FIESTA!, 13 JUNE – 24 JULY

Also at the Capannelle Hippodrome, the ¡Fiesta! is an “international festival of Latin American music and culture”. Remaining concerts will be held by Gente D’Zona and Eva Ayllon, and on the other nights of the festival (Wed-Sun) there are DJs, dancing, and Latin American food. http://www.fiesta.it/

September 30, 2013

Road Trip, European Style

by Steven Brenner

Every year around April, Linda and I start to stress about the upcoming summer holidays, a time when the temperatures can soar to over 100°F/38°C and there are three months of summer holiday looming ahead and the dilemma of what to do with bored kids who can barely go outside it’s so hot.  The beaches are crowded with escapees from the city, and rather than the natural refuge they should be, the beaches turn into a party scene filled to the brim with folding chairs, umbrellas and sellers of acquafantacocacolabirrasprite.  A nice getaway in the countryside with a pool is out of the question because of sky high prices.

Crowded beach in Italy from The Global Traveler

Despite the fact that we live in a destination that many people dream of, the idea of being in Italy with the heat, the lack of interesting activities for our kids and all their friends away on holidays can be a real punishment for working parents here who have no family to fall back on.

This summer we decided to take matters into our own hands and go on a road trip – a somewhat crazy idea for a family of 5 + dog with a tiny Toyota Yaris. We figured it would be fun to go with only a loose itinerary, and rather than focus on the destination, enjoy the adventure of getting there.  Saving money by not buying airfare for 5 was also an appealing factor.

The Yaris packed up and ready to go.

The day we discussed this idea, Linda and I were driving down the autostrada and at least 10 cars with Dutch plates passed us by.  So we thought we’d do the reverse and drive up to the Netherlands.  Surely we could find a Dutch family who would exchange apartments with us?  We put the word out on Facebook, and ended up being offered a place to stay by friends in Amsterdam who would be away on holiday themselves (the Dutch get around!).  We planned our initial route through Chamonix, where we have friends; Cologne, where we have other friends; and EuropaPark, an amusement park we would hit on the way for my middle daughter’s 11th birthday.  We figured we would wing it on the way back, maybe find another home exchange in Paris, or visit other friends who are in the Loire Valley, and come back to Italy by way of Ventimiglia, where a friend said we could couch surf.

In the direction of Florence, with Goji at the wheel

The trip lasted a little over of a month.  Driving around Europe is so different than taking the trains.  With 4-8 hour stretches you have plenty of time to think.  Here were some of my insights/observations about the trials and benefits of roadtripping in Europe.

Scenery in Val D’Aosta just before reaching France

1.  Not having a departure time is really great.  I hate the stress of trying to herd the cats kids and catch a plane on time, making sure you haven’t left a mess, or anything important, behind.  With the car, you leave when you leave.  You aren’t held to a tight schedule, and that can feel really good and very liberating.

The girls were thrilled to come across a children’s circus in Freiburg im Breisgau.

2.  You see how national identities change.  As you cross a border, the language, food, customs and architecture changes entirely.  Sometimes within the same country, like Switzerland, where you’re pretty much still in France at one point but keep driving and all of a sudden you feel like you’re in Germany, even though you’re still really in Switzerland.  The experience reminded me of traveling by train when there were border controls and different currencies.  It’s amazing to think how powerful this sense of national identity is – strong enough to have helped propel two world wars.

Pizza in Courmeyer, Italy. Cross 20 minutes through the Mont Blanc tunnel into France and the pizza is just not the same.

Wood fired pizza oven built out of an Airstream trailer in Les Houches, France.

3.  There are many small towns that are worthwhile stops. We used the Osterie d’Italia guide to find recommended restaurants along the way and planned our breaks there while we were still in Italy.  A quick google search would help us narrow it down.  We found a cute town in Piemonte called Vercelli – the oldest inhabited town in northern Italy, known for its risotto; and meandering in Germany we came to the very picturesque town of Cochem and had some delicious apple strudel.

Apple strudel in Cochem, Germany

4.  There might be savings, but it’s not cheap to drive!  You save on airfare and train tickets, but man do you get hit by gas prices, tolls and parking!  Filling up our small Yaris was about €60.   Just passing through the Mont Blanc tunnel is €50 (it’s much cheaper if you buy a multiple entry pass). And parking in Amsterdam center was €4/hour 24 hours a day – a slight discount at night, but not much. (We had to park outside the city for the cheap parking and even then had to move our car every few days).

Burg Eltz near Cologne, Germany

5.  Difficulties in finding a place to stay.  In this day and age, with smartphones, I imagined it would have been easier to just roll into town and find a good place to stay. Wrong.  We were using the Booking.com app, Tripadvisor app, and even Airbnb and just found the whole process to be a pain.  As much as I wanted to just wing it, I’m convinced there’s very little benefit not planning where you’re going to stay in advance and making a reservation especially when traveling with a family.

Dumpy, but fine for a night hotel, we were very lucky to find last minute in Arlon, Belgium

6.  Keeping sane.  We downloaded audio books for our girls and that kept them calm and occupied. Remember to stop every few hours.  I think 3-4 hours is a good time limit before having a decent lunch break and try to pack picnic style lunches if possible.  In France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands, we found nice, clean rest stops with picnic tables, benches, etc. Unfortunately, this was not the case in Italy where we found ourselves eating in hot and dirty Autogrill parking lots with many of the remoter areas of the stops smelling like urine.

Viola – 7 years old, listening to The Magic Treehouse Collection

7. How to use technology to your advantage.  The native map app for the iPhone actually keeps a GPS tracking signal even if you don’t have wifi or mobile network.  This is great news for people with roaming issues – that is until you get off the route and the phone wants to recalculate and can’t which can be a problem if you run into some road works that have detours.  We found connectivity issues in Germany, of all places, and some of the worst wifi I’ve ever endured in Amsterdam.  We had a USB charger in the car to keep the phones and iPods going, and would have to rotate between them because the GPS app was sucking them dry pretty quick.  It’s probably a good idea to have low-tech options as a back-up:  a good map and a decent guide book for each region you’ll be in!

Hiking in the French alps

We’ve been back now for over a month and every so often one of my girls will tell me about something from our trip they miss.  We traveled through 7 countries (but maybe Luxembourg, which you drive through in 30 minutes, doesn’t really count).  We visited old friends, made new ones, ate different foods, tried new things, and actually all got along well in the process.

Paloma, my little artist, tried to capture some of the trip by making this memorable art piece which she has hanging in her room: