Begin planning your trip about six months to a year in
advance. This will not only give you
time to research and plan, it will also give you the time you need to learn
something about where you’re going and time to learn as much of the language as
you can.
Where do you want to go?
Is there a particular city you would like to see? If you have Italian heritage, would you like
to see your family’s hometown? I didn’t limit myself to the big cities or tourist destinations. There is so much
to see and do in Italy, even in the small towns. My husband and I love being away from the
crowds and blending in with everyday life in out of the way places.
Once you’ve decided where in Italy you’d like to be, begin learning
the local geography.
Google maps is a
big help.
Buy a
map of Italy or print
one you’ve found on your computer and post it in a place where you will see it
often.
Remember that city names can
often be different in Italian.
in English in Italian
Rome Roma
Venice Venezia
Florence Firenza
Milan Milano
Naples Napoli
All the time you spend planning and learning about Italy
will give you more confidence once you’re actually there. When I visited Bologna I was already knew the
major streets and piazzas (town squares).
I had seen the street view of the apartment we rented and virtually
walked to several locations.
Google street view has images for nearly all of Italy.
Walk the streets of
Bologna or float down the
canals of
Venice on Google Maps.
Go to Google Maps and search for a city in Italy. Look for the little yellow person in the lower
right corner of your screen.
Click and
drag this person onto any street that is highlighted in blue.
Navigate with your mouse or the arrow
keys.
Enjoy the process. It’s
a bit of Italy you don’t have to wait to see.
 |
Bologna, Italy
copyright 2018 Candace Borth |
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