Maybe your trip to Italy coincides with a national holiday, and you're wondering what to put on the itinerary that day. Maybe you're in Italy as you're reading this, ran behind schedule this morning, and hit the middle-of-the-day pausa, when (seemingly) everything closes for 4 hours. Whatever the reason, it's somewhat likely that during your Italy vacation you'll have planned to do something, you'll show up, and it will be closed. So, what to do?
1. Visit stores which have orario continuato, meaning they do not close for the lunch time pausa. Big department stores like La Rinascente or Coin are good candidates here. Or, visit an outlet mall, which have orario continuato and many are even open on holidays.
2. Walk into any high-end hotel and ask the concierge for suggestions. I've done this many times, and have always found them pretty helpful. It doesn't matter whether you're staying at the hotel. Or more accurately: no need to mention you aren't.
3. Sit and observe: pay attention to detail. People-watch, ideally sitting in one of the main squares of the city.
4. Ride public transportation: trams, buses and trains can give a unique perspective on a city. This is particularly a good one for kids.
5. Window shop in bakeries to decide what you're going to try later.
6. Get lost. This is an activity I recommend for small Italian towns (and for Venice, Florence and Bologna in particular) even when things are open. Explore small Italian streets and soak up the atmosphere. Then use your map to get found again.
7. Visit a park.
8. Do a walking (or wandering) tour to admire outdoor architecture, fountains, sculptures, and squares in the city, using recommendations from your guidebook and a map. Do a Rick Steeves walking tour or purchase an audio tour of Rome, Venice or Florence from LoDingo.
9. Take photos (or help the photographer you're traveling with.)
Do you have any other suggestions for how to spend time in Italy when everything appears to be closed? I'd love to hear them!
Photo by Sanjay
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great post, especially for Sundays and Mondays, holidays.. I also like to find the best restaurant in town and/or a really kitsch "old man" bar cum- restaurant and settle into a 3 hour non-hurried lunch, asking the sommelier/ waiter to make wine pairings of all local wines throughout the meal.
Posted by: Genevieve McCarthy | January 22, 2010 at 05:03 AM
Great suggestions...I love the wander around and get lost part! :) I had a day in Rome so instead of jamming it with sites we just lost ourselves in the beauty around us! It was amazing!
Posted by: LuLu B | January 22, 2010 at 06:34 AM
Genevieve, I agree with the long lunch! I often try to find one of those local cafes with all the local older men sitting out front, and sometimes there's a bocci game going on nearby.
Lulu - sounds like you made the best of Rome. So many people get overwhelmed - brava. :)
Posted by: Madeline | January 22, 2010 at 04:23 PM