Planning a Solo Trip to Italy

When I decided to travel to Italy, my initial desire was to go to a tennis camp in Tuscany through Tennis Italia.  I found out about Tennis Italia through a brochure I spotted at a tennis club in Charlotte.  It was one of those random sheets where you tear off a tiny piece (like people do when advertising for a roommate).  I tore off the small sliver of paper with the website address and kept it in my wallet for awhile. At first it was just a dream.

Once I knew that I would be unemployed come April 2008, I started the process of making my dream a reality.  First, I contacted Kevin at Tennis Italia to ask questions and secure my reservation.  Pictured below is myself and Kevin.

   
Kevin lives in Maine and takes groups to Italy for tennis several times per year.  In 2013, he is planning two trips to Tuscany, one to Sicily, and one to Piedmont.  

Now that I had gotten my feet wet with solo travel by spending 5 days at The Essex, I was feeling particularly brave and adventurous.  It seemed a shame to go all the way to Italy for just 7 days of tennis camp.  Since I was able to use frequent flier miles for the plane ticket, i decided to stay for 10 additional days and divide my time between Rome, Florence and Venice.  

The starting point for Tennis Italia is Florence.  Kevin provides transportation from Florence to the villa in Tuscany and then back to Florence at the end of the camp. It seemed best for me to fly into Rome and spend my first four nights there.  Then I planned to take the train to Florence and spend one night in Florence before the camp.  After the camp, I planned two more nights in Florence and then travel by train to Venice, where I would spend my last 3 nights before flying back from Venice to Charlotte.  

My next step was to secure hotel reservations.  I used Venere.com and I was very pleased with all 3 places that I chose.  It is fun to read through the testimonials and the information is very helpful.  I chose to stay in Bed & Breakfasts in Rome and Florence.  In Venice, I chose a very small hotel that could also be classified as a B&B.  I think I chose at least one place that was referenced in Rick Steve's travel guide.  If you make a reservation for a place referenced by Rick Steve you can request a discount.  The dollar was very weak in spring of 2008 so I tried to keep my room cost to around $100 per night.  Here is where I stayed in Rome, Florence, and Venice.  The room in Florence was particularly lovely with fresco ceilings.  You can read more about it in my Letters from Italy (coming soon). And of course, the highlight was Villa IL Leccio in Tuscany.

The most valuable preparation I made for my solo time in Italy was attending a free weekly seminar done by Nada Vergili.  Nada is, well, I'll let her introduce herself to you:

I learned so much from Nada.  She is an invaluable resource here in the Charlotte area for all things Italian.  From Italian phrases to tips on using the train and cultural tips like never ask for a doggie bag from an Italian restaurant--it is considered extremely rude.  Who knew?  Also, buy hard sided luggage and bring along rolls of bubble wrap for the wine and olive oil that you will want to pack in your suitcase. Make sure to bring two suitcases.

Here is one more sample of Nada's wisdom and practical help:

Thank you Nada from the bottom of my heart for giving me the confidence to navigate Rome, Florence, and Venice solo!  

I hope to take one of Nada's tours one day.  Read about them here.

While I was in Italy, I looked for internet kiosks and I spent an hour here and there writing home to friends and family.  I call this travel diary "Letters from Italy." I will be sharing my letters on this blog along with pictures from my travels, so stay tuned for more posts.  Ciao for now!