Essential Travel Resources
City Information
Italian Tourism - General information on traveling to Italy.
Italian Highways - Information on highways in Italy.
Roma Turismo - General information on traveling to Rome.
Roma Pass - A practical and inexpensive way to move around Rome, as well as get tickets in advance to museums without having to wait in line.
Rome.info - Great information on Rome, hotels, itineraries, events, sites, and much more.
Go Porta Museum Tickets - Go Porta is a website where you can reserve your museum tickets in advance. You may have heard about the long lines that may await you, so you should get your visit times in advance, especially if you go in Spring, Summer, or Fall. You will receive e-mails to print out which you need to hand in at each place to pick and pay for your tickets. You are not purchasing your tickets but paying the service to reserve your times.
FlorenceArt.it - Another great website to purchase your museum tickets in Florence ahead of time, avoiding wasting time in line.
Venezia Turismo - General information on traveling to Venice.
Hello Venezia - Vaporetto (water bus) schedules, exhibits, events, guided tours, and more on Venice.
Ticketeria - A great website to purchase museum tickets in Rome ahead of time (to avoid lengthy lines..).
Italy by Train / Bus / Car / Organized Tours
Trenitalia - Official website for the Italian railway system. You can check on train routes, schedules, and even book your train ticket online.
Caf Tours - Company based in Florence that organized regular daily bus tours around Tuscany and other regions, as well as guided museum visits.
Site Seeings.com - A company based in Rome
that organized regular daily bus tours around Rome, Amalfi Coast, and other areas, as well as guided museum visits.
Walki Talki.com - A wonderful way to download audio information on
your iPod that you can listen to while you are in Italy! Almost (but not quite) like having your own guide telling you about the sites.
Driving in Italy - Information on driving in Italy.
Maps and directions in Italy - This is Mapquest's International site, just as useful for traveling abroad.
Michelin Road Guide - Get directions through Michelin's website.
Weather - Get information on weather anywhere on the planet.
Airports
Rome Airport - Need to check on flights to Rome? Here's the official website.
Florence Airport - Official website of Peretola Airport in Florence.
Milan Airport - Official website of Milan's Malpensa airport.
Passport Services and Information - What to do to apply for a passport.
US Customs - Know what you can and can't bring back home.
Italian Consulate - Getting married in Italy? Want to apply for citizenship? Start from here.
Exchange Rate & Money
Euro to Dollar Exchange Rate - Find out the exchange rate online, so you know if it's a good time to travel to Europe!
Global Refund - Learn how you can get a sales tax (VAT) refund from your purchases while in Italy and save about 13%!
Value Added Tax - Information on the European version of sales tax, included in the item price (is not added at register). As a non-resident, you can have it refunded before leaving Europe, usually in the airport of departure.
Cell Phone Rental
Planet Fone - Some wireless companies provide service overseas upon request (Cingular is one of them), but my recommendation is that you do bring a phone with you on your trip. If your wireless provider does not offer overseas coverage, you can rent a cell phone from various sites.
World Cellphone Rental - Same as above.
Other Useful Resources
Word Reference - On-line dictionary for instant word translation (English, Italian, and other languages).
