Yeah, when I used to live there the thing in Giardini Margherita was run by the guys from Sodapops. I used to have a lot of fun there, was even allowed to go behind the bar and pour my own drinks!

BUMP, are you still here ajrees? I has questions.

I don't think he's actually been in Italy for a while. He still has mad info about traveling there though.

I booked my ticket for the 14th (May). I'm going to go to Bari for the weekend to visit some friends and then start language classes in Bologna on the 18th.

Yes still here. Have been back in Sydney since the end of December, my job in Italy fell through

Fire away with questions.

Awesome man, hope you have a good time.

Send me a PM or post in the thread if you want any specific advice about Bologna once you get there.

Holla, I had no idea fellow Thailander and world famous actor WillyT was doing the Italy thing as well. Anyways...

I've been thinking about spending some time in Italy and learning the language. From what I gather it looks like Bologna is the place to be. Just some general standard questions I guess:

- Internet semi reliable?
- Any visa issues I need to worry about?
- Easy to find a place month to month?
- Safe? I know this might be a dumb question but is the whole mafia/crime scene really that bad?
- How long does it take to become "proficient" in Italian assuming you know only English?
- Decent partying in Bologna?

ty in advance.

Oh, and one last thing but it's ok if you can't answer me too well:

what's the racism level like in Italy? I am a Chinese guy who USUALLY doesn't have to put up with THAT much. Although I hear Europe can be a bit sketchy. By the way, fear of racism is probably the sole reason I haven't been to AUS yet. I've heard it's pretty bad there.

Yes.

I think you're from Canada or US, so that gets you 3 months max.

Depends on your budget.

The only real problems are in south italy.

If you only know english it's hard to know your language learning abilities. Italian is kinda different from your accent though.

Sorta, but if you want BKK like partying go to Milano but expect to pay out of your ass for an apartment.

You shouldn't have any problems in any major euro city, aside from moscow / st. petersburg which has a kinda big neo nazi scene these days.

Aren't there tons of asians in melbourne?

I'll take a crack at your questions and ajrees can correct me where ever I go wrong. I've spent a few months in Italy total so my experience is much more limited than his.

1. Yeah, a friend of mine has confirmed that the internet is super reliable. The mobile internet is available month to month and is very good. For more permanent services you might need to sign a contract for more than a few months afaik.

2. That's a good question and I didn't think about it much. I never worried about a visa in Europe for all the times I've been.

3. That's going to depend on where you are and how much you are willing to spend. There will always be vacation rentals available on a month to month basis and it'll be pretty pricey. The language school in Bologna, www.culturaitaliana.it, can take care of housing if you attend there and it's fairly reasonable and you'll get a roommate or two that should help in learning the language and getting to know the city. Outside of those options I don't know much. I plan to travel around and stay with friends for a month or so after I finish the language course.

4. It's certainly safe but, just like anywhere else, you can't be a moran and expect to not be beaten up. The mafia definitely exists and is more prevalent in southern Italy. It won't be thrown in your face all the time though. It'll mostly be a guy asking for a euro or two to make sure your car doesn't get stolen or something like that. They're mostly too organized to **** with you individually.

5. I probably can't answer this objectively as I studied Spanish in high school, but on my first visit when I went for a month I was able to communicate about most of whatever I wanted (in the present tense). I'd guess if you went to a school after 10ish weeks you'd be well enough off to be able to communicate sufficiently to live decently well. It's not a hard language as everything is extremely phonetic and there is a lot of overlap with English.

6. I sure hope so! aj mentioned catching Tiesto (I think) in an underground club there once. In my experience the Italians don't have an extremely popularized partying scene but there is a lot going on 'underground' and if you meet a few people you get find out what's going on. Outside of that Italians, in my experience, are extremely social and love to hang out and eat and drink and whatever, but I'd guess the club scene there isn't quite as big as it is in BKK.


On the note of racism....well, in my experience (and, you know, I'm white...) it does exist there but is more likely to be aimed towards immigrants rather than tourists.


When are you thinking of going?

Hey ... Im in Florence right now and am leaving tomorrow but I cant decide where to go. Im heading to Rome but want to check out at least one, maybe all three of these towns along the way: Siena, Perugia, Orvieto. What do you think? Are any of these must-see's? Are any > others? Thanks a lot!

1. Yes, Internet is decent.

2. Generally you can stay anywhere in the Schengen Zone for up to 90 days (3 months) without a visa if you are a citizen of the Us, Canada, Australia, NZ and similar countries. The Schengen zone includes pretty much all of Western Europe. If you want to stay for longer than that, you will need to look at getting a Working Holiday Visa (WHV) which is generally for 1 year.

3. If you arrive at the start or end of the uni semester it is generally pretty easy to find a student apartment in Bologna. There are usually lots of fliers and ads placed all over the city. However, after the first few weeks of term it can be difficult. If money isn't a huge deal you can organise accommodation through the italian school and it will cost around 120 euros per week including utlities. Probably a good option, actually. That's what i did.

4. Yes, i found it to be very safe in Italy and didn't really see any crime. It is comparable to any major European city or American city. You just have to be smart and exercise caution at night. Pickpocketing can be a problem in major cities like Napoli, Rome or Palermo but you just have to keep your stuff secure and you will be fine. As for the mafia, you probably wouldn't even know they were around, even in the heart of mafia territory in somewhere like Sicily or Calabria. Don't worry about it.

5. Very difficult to say how long it takes. Depends a lot on how much you apply yourself and your natural flair for languages. I picked it up pretty quickly but it is different for every person. Italian is a fairly easy language to learn as far as languages go and there are a lot of similarities with English. The hardest part is probably learning and memorizing the different grammar structures.

6. Yes, good nightlife every night of the week, although its obviously bigger on the weekends. Students make up 100,000 of the 400,000 total population of BO so that helps. One great think about the city is that people are allowed to drink alcohol on the street! Most of the students like to just hang out in a piazza drinking cheap beer/wine. However, i must say that there is definitely not the same drinking culture in Italy as there is in countries like England, Australia and the US. They like to just chill out with a couple of drinks, not get hammered like us.

It's disappointing to read that you have that impression of Australia. Hopefully one day you come down here and find it to be untrue. I definitely don't agree that Australia is a racist country, at least no more than anywhere else (including America and Canada). Generally, people are more tolerant in major cities like Sydney and Melbourne as we are exposed to people from a variety of different backgrounds on a daily basis. Since Australia is very close to Asia, it actually has a lot of influence on our culture and food. There are large asian populations in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and i don't really think there is much racism, seriously.

People of asian decent are generally viewed as being hard-working and decent citizens. If anything, the stereotype of Chinese here is that they are really smart and good at mathematics, lol....

IN ITALY:

Let me put it this way: you will stand out. In Australia, there are asian faces everywhere and you really wouldn't stand out much. In Italy, there are very few people of asian background so this immediately makes you "different". You might hear a few racist remarks, but i don't think you should really worry. I had a lot of Japanese friends at my language school and they didn;t have any problems.

In some parts of southern Italy you might get some stares, but this is generally the same for all "outsiders". The Romas (gypsies) and people from Africa are much more likely to be targets of racism in Italy than other ethnicities i think.

Orvieto is my favourite, it's a pretty great little town. Very picturesque! Siena is worth a visit too in my opinion.

okay so im down to two i have to hit before Rome, only problem is i have yet to find a hostel in either of these two towns. fml. Also, tonight is my last night in Florence, anything I need to experience at night here in your opinion?

Hi,
I'd like to live in Italy for 3 months with one of my friends. We'd like to be right near a really nice beach. We want to stay in a house, preferably with a backyard, maybe a Villa. We want to get a sailing boat while we're there, so being on the coast is a huge priority. We are both fairly financial but don't want to spend unlimited. We definitely plan to learn Italian while we are there.

Definitely want to be within 1-1.5 hours from a reasonably major city however, we will still be planning to party a bit now and then but mainly just chill out and sail / go to the beach / drink red wine / eat pasta.

Any recommendations?

LOL you are insane. If you go downtown in Melbourne there are more asian people than white people.

anything good around the area of Pisa? I heard liverno (or somthen like that) is good that is close, anythign else or that is worth doing via day trip from florence? I actuallly decided to just kick it here for a few more days

Few different places I would recommend:

* San Remo
* The Amalfi Coast (Sorrento, Positano etc)
* Taormina, Sicily
* Portofino

There are also some great islands that are awesome, but not sure if you would want to live on an island:

* Isola D'Elba
* Lipari
* Capri

Do a Day Trip to Bologna, Modena or Parma. Only about an hour on the train from Florence.

Bologna: the food capital of Italy and home of tortellini, lasagna, mortadella (known as Bologna in the US) and much more. Definitely worth a visit to have a nice lunch and explore the city. There are some cool things to do like climb to the top of the "two towers", visit Piazza Maggiore or visit the street markets on Fridays and Saturdays.

Modena: Famous for being the home of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, "Aceto Balsamic Tradizionale di Modena" (Balsamic Vinegar ) and Luciano Pavarotti. If you are into cars you might want to visit the Ferrari factory or something like that.

Parma - the home of two of Italy's most famous food exports - prosciutto and parmiggiano reggiano cheese. Some pretty cool architecture and churches too.

If you are still in Florence for a couple more nights, definitely head out! I went to a couple of really cool clubs while I was there.

Space Electronica is more popular with American college kids and tourists but it is a great spot to party. I went there and loved it.

Central Park is supposed to be epic with numerous different dancefloors both indoor and outdoor.

There is a bar where you can get 5 shots for 5 euros, can't remember the name though.

tytyty ur my hero

I did the 5 shots for 5 euros last night... the shots were pretty weak though. It must have been waterd down imo. Then we went to Space Electronica and it had a 16euro cover... 10 for students... but i said "well let me check it out first" so i did... it was empty... so we left for some irish pub that was actually kinda cool. Thanks a ton for the info though!

Anything u like about naples err, napoli, or the area around here that not many people know? Just got here from Rome ... staying in

Welcome inn
Website: http://www.welcomeinn.it

best hostel iv been in so far and its 15 ****en euros per night... no cerfew no lockeout time free wireless free breakfast... iv been here like 1hour andi dont wanna leavelol

The archaelogical museum is really worth seeing. All of the valuable art from Pompeii was transferred there in ~1800 by order of the King. I definately recommend that. Some amazing sculptures and mosaics there.

Also, go get some authentic pizza from one of the famous pizzerias. There is one with a red awning that is awesome, they only serve Margherita and Marinara pizza but it is ****ing fantastic and really cheap. Naples is the home of pizza so make sure you go there!!!!

I'm pretty drunk right now and just got home from a night out so i cant think of anything else right now, if i do i will let you know

BUMP!!!

Hey AJ, hope all is well with you. I have some more questions for you when you get a minute. I figure I'll go ahead and post them here in case the answers can help anyone else out.

I had such a good time in Bologna that I'm looking to go back again quite soon. Probably the beginning of October. There's also a young lady who would like to join me but would be interested in getting a job while there. Like you, she has an Italian passport and one Italian parent. I know you had worked out a job at a ski resort or something. What does one need and how does one go about finding work in your/her situation? Just about any job should suffice. Ideas?

Also, I'd like to do some skiing (ahem, learning to ski/snowboard) this winter. I'll likely sign up for language classes until December and then hope to do some skiing somewhere before heading home for Christmas. Any suggestions on that? (I saw you posted in the whistler thread about maybe going there around Xmas. sounds neat and I'm looking at places there as well for skiing)

Cheers!