THE 3 GOLDEN RULES:

Plan for complications.  Give yourself extra time.  Relax. 

Like Dorothy stepping into the Land of Oz, you are not in Kansas anymore! Italy is a foreign country with a different culture. You may be surprised at how different a lot of things are. As wonderful as it is, Italy can require a lot of patience at times. Keep your eyes and your mind open, and above all maintain some good humour. Your time in Italy will be much more enjoyable if you can roll with the punches and not get too attached to any carefully laid plans. Even the most sublime experiences here are usually sprinkled with a bit of the ridiculous (which hopefully will make for good stories later).

If you a North American traveling in Italy, manage your expectations by keeping the following in mind: 

Things frequently do not run on time
Cancellations of trains, buses and flights are not uncommon
Train strikes are quite common
Most businesses are closed for riposo (nap time) in the afternoon
There are many, many holidays in Italy that will bring a halt to normal activity

For more, select one of the Travel Tips in the menu bar to the left,
or flip through them using the links toward the top right of the page.

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