The title might surprise you, but you’ll understand my point of view.

1/ MEAL STRUCTURE I’m talking about the standard meal, not the one for those who have to budget for financial reasons (generally fewer in northern and central Italy than in France, but more in the south, which makes up 35% of Italy—Eurostat figures), nor for those (mostly women) watching their figure.

The tradition (once the meal of the well-off, widespread among the general population in the 1950s) starts with soup or pasta (or rice, gnocchi, ravioli, lasagna)—this is the *primo piatto*.

Next comes meat or another animal-based product (fish, cured meats, eggs, etc.)—the *secondo piatto*, which can be replaced by cooked vegetables (the only known example in France: eggplant parmesan).

If the meat dish doesn’t already include vegetables, one is served. Salads, whether green or tomato-based, are side dishes, not starters.

The meal ends with dessert—no difference from French habits: cheese, fruit, or sweets.

*Antipasti* (appetizers) are reserved for festive meals or receptions and are served *in addition* to the main courses at the start.

4 practices unknown in France: - If the menu includes pasta and ham, you start with the pasta. - If the menu includes pasta with a meat sauce and fish, you start with the pasta too. - Pasta is never a side dish for meat. - It’s not unusual for Italians to start with pasta in a meat sauce and then have a meat dish—most do this several times a week.

Modern adaptations: - People eat pasta less often (on average 5 times a week, according to recent figures) and soups, which are being replaced by *antipasti*. - The main meal is now mostly dinner, so it’s much heartier, while lunch isn’t usually eaten at home.

2/ THE CUISINE What do we know in France? Pizza, pasta Bolognese, carbonara, arrabbiata, ravioli, and lasagna. Fried scampi, Milanese or Bolognese cutlets, carpaccio, and finally tiramisu.

In short, a few basic dishes, but nothing of the gastronomy—whether regional traditions or high-end restaurants.

2 anecdotes: **Bolognese sauce** In Italy, the most common homemade sauce is a meat-and-tomato-based sauce called *ragù* (pronounced *ragoo*). Every region, even every town and family, as well as every restaurant, has its own recipe. *Ragù alla bolognese* is just one of these countless *ragù*—and no one in France knows the real recipe (I can share it with those interested). The name *bolognese* given abroad to any *ragù* comes from a canned sauce manufacturer who once branded their product that way. Until the early 1960s, it was called *sauce à la viande* (meat sauce).

**Pizza** Before World War II, it was practically unknown north of Rome. Today, Italy is one of the countries where it’s eaten the least (twice as much in France, four times as much in Germany).

It was the start of winter; I was freezing, and the mood wasn’t exactly joyful—Ukraine, 49.3... So I self-medicated: a week in Italy to hear laughter and that melodic language, and of course, to immerse myself in beauty for a while. I was looking for a destination: Florence. The choice was biased because I wanted to revisit *Primavera* and *The Birth of Venus*. Then came the choice of airline: Vueling flies directly to Florence, but you’ve got to know how to handle Vueling—sometimes you make it to your destination, sometimes you’re left at the gate. It’s not expensive, but that’s about all it’s worth. Best to know their rules of the game. Plus, Vueling leaves from Orly, which is super easy to get to by metro. The gods were with me that day—Vueling actually got me to Florence. On arrival, the temperature was better than forecast, and I knew the days were slightly longer in Italy (and shorter in Stockholm). And the Italian language was floating in the air... I took the new tram that takes you to the heart of the city, near the great "cheesecake" that’s said to mark the superiority of the Renaissance over Europe’s sublime Gothic cathedrals. I walked around the big pastry and turned onto *my* street, Via dei Servi. Along the way, I stewed over my guilt for not admiring the sublime *Duomo*; I hoped no police had detected my rebellious, deviant mindset. I’d chosen a hotel on the stunning Piazza della Santissima Annunziata—I’ll even share its name, that’s the VF spirit: it’s the Hotel Due Fontane. And that’s the real point of this post: until Easter, you can treat yourself to a room in a very charming hotel for around 60 €, breakfast buffet included! To do this, book on Booking.com and make it clear you’ll return the next day with a new reservation at that price. You’ll have left your things in the luggage room to move into a new room in the evening. I didn’t have to play that game since the reception gave me a long-term stay at a reduced rate. The next day, the kind barista drew a perfect, beautiful flower on my cappuccino. That man was the smile and good cheer of Italy. Florence had more to offer, and this time I wasn’t being picky like I was with the big white pastry: I had a date with *Primavera* and Venus. Off to the Uffizi; the weather was decent, much warmer than Paris, and the girls were laughing. Arriving at the Uffizi: had I bought a skip-the-line ticket? What for? I walked in subito and even got the winter discount rate. You’ll agree that when visiting a museum, it doesn’t matter if it’s hot or not. When I got to Botticelli’s room, I love being alone—I have the illusion of owning two of the most beautiful paintings in the world. There was one tourist there that day. We admired *Primavera* and *The Birth of Venus* without getting in each other’s way; those young women painted so long ago show such beauty and radiate such elegance, especially in their faces. I hesitated about going to the Accademia, but David is worth a revisit. If a skip-the-line ticket is ever needed, it’s here. But no! I walked in subito! Usually, women don’t openly show their attraction, but you might hear "He’s cute" about a man. Around David, it’s amusing to see they’re not immune to the sight. Off to the Medici Chapels; entrance subita. I felt humbled by the princes’ munificence and the master’s works. Then it was time for a stroll—maybe a Mannerist painting at Santa Felicita (oh, miracle, it was open), or playing the game of comparing the two crucifixes, including Donatello’s, sipping a Spritz in a little bar with a view of the Ponte Vecchio, wandering Via Roma in the evening among the cheerful crowd and shops decked out for Christmas. Seeing the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine for its frescoes and the Italian Pantheon at Santa Croce (Napoleon’s first girlfriend is buried there). Italy, land of frescoes! Every evening, until I exhausted my pasta card, I enjoyed spaghetti on *my* Via dei Servi.

The point of this post: you can visit Florence at a very low cost, without impossible queues, and without tourist pressure, in reasonably warm weather until Easter. In May, the Due Fontane charges 220 to 250 €! For the rest, I may have rambled a bit. PS: Vueling stranded me on the way back; my punishment was staying an extra day in this incredibly welcoming city.

So happy the forum reopened last October!!! I’ve started reading again (posts, travel journals) and chiming in on a few discussions. Now I’m stepping it up by writing a new travel journal—I’ve already posted a few between 2018 and 2020.

My latest trip was to Italy from August 27 to September 26, 2024. As the title says, it was a wander through Tuscany in parts of the region that aren’t the most visited. No Firenze-Siena-Pisa trilogy, no San Gimignano; there’ll be a quick detour into Siena, but I’ll skip the best-known sights. That choice, plus traveling in September, should help dodge overtourism. It worked out—crowds were light, sometimes very light, the whole way. Here’s the practical rundown: - a long trip outside peak season (ah, retirees!) - solo camping (caravan) - a mix of activities (hiking, mountain biking, sightseeing) in places that aren’t always packed with tourists. Still, I don’t feel like I ended up in some hidden-away spots. Not sure if this will draw any readers.

DAY 1: Tuesday, August 27, 2024 The heat was intense on the drive in across the plain; two big storms—more rain and hail than lightning and thunder—threw the weather off, the first near Imola, the second on the four-lane road up the Savio valley. I left the Cesena-Roma four-lane at the Verghereto exit and climbed up to Balze (1,100 meters). The campsite is even higher (1,200 meters), in the forest near the source of the Tevere (Tiber). Staying up here will cut down on driving for the first part of the trip: a route through the Appennino (Apennines) on the border between Toscana and Emilia-Romagna. The temperature was surprisingly mild for the altitude, the air thick with moisture by late afternoon. I drove back down from the campsite to Balze (2 km on the road) to grab groceries (it’s doable) and scout tomorrow’s hike. .

The endpoint of the planned hike is just a few meters from this sign (the trail crosses this road about 3 km from Balze). I realized Balze and the source of the Tevere (Tiber) are actually in Emilia-Romagna, not Toscana. I always thought the Tevere (Tiber), which flows toward Roma (Tyrrhenian side), started in Toscana! I’ll come back to this quirk in Day 3’s write-up.

I'm starting a new travel journal in Italy. It's about a month-long trip (from September 3, 2025, to October 4, 2025), or rather a part of it. This section matches the title: an opera festival in Verona (one evening) and the Dolomites in the Veneto region. I'm posting the part of the trip I think will interest French-speaking readers the most (since this is where I saw the most French travelers). Here’s a quick summary: - Trip in September 2025 - Solo travel with camping (caravan) - Small geographic area: besides Verona, the surroundings of the Marmolada massif and Cortina d'Ampezzo. - Main but not exclusive activity: hiking.

Since I have limited internet access where I am now, I’ll be writing slowly. Here we go!

Day 1: Thursday, September 4, 2025

I arrived in Veneto under the sun and with warm weather. I drove to Verona and tried to find a spot at the campsite (Verona Village) located south of the city. Unfortunately, it was full. Booking on the website was mandatory, but when I tried to reserve a few days ago, the site never moved from the "reservation" step to the "payment" step (I don’t know why—it’s always like that in these cases). I found another solution over the phone; the drive from southern Verona to the northeast was a bit long, but I finally settled at the "Oro Verde" campsite. It’s an "agricampeggio" (farm camping or rural campsite) on the outskirts of the city, and its name (green gold) suggests they produce olives there. Since it wasn’t late, I biked to the Adige River, following the recommended route into the city.

Since I didn’t have time to write a proper travel journal, I thought I’d share a few photos of Bologna—a really lovely city I discovered in 2017 while stopping on my way to Tuscany. Around Piazza Maggiore, which was packed with a stage and chairs for a show, stands the Basilica of San Petronio, massive and Gothic in style, with an unfinished façade (a common sight in Italy).





Another building near the square:

But Bologna’s real charm lies in its porticoes, which were added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2021: 62 km of arcades running along buildings, letting you walk sheltered from the sun or rain. Back in 1288, the city required houses to include private arcades for public use. In the city center, you can stroll under 32 km of porticoes in all sorts of styles—some plain, some ornate—with a strong presence of red tones.

Hello! What a pleasure to be back on Voyage Forum! We’ll be in Venice from March 20th to 24th, and I’m looking (for two couples) for a hotel close to St. Mark’s Square—my husband can’t walk long distances. For four nights with breakfast, our budget is around 1,400 € per couple. To avoid too much walking for him, I’d also prefer a hotel where we could potentially eat dinner in the evenings. If anyone has any recommendations, thank you in advance to those who reply!

I’ve just returned from a cruise on the COSTA DELIZIOSA and wanted to share my thoughts for anyone considering this cruise line.

**Boarding in VENICE:** AVOID – it took a total of 3 hours before we could finally board!

**CABINS:** Our group had booked cabins with portholes. These were on the first deck, around cabins 1230 to 1257, and they were fine—no complaints. BUT some of us had cabins in the 13xx range, and that was a completely different story. These were right next to the engines, with an UNBEARABLE noise level!!! Those guests had to fight to get their cabins changed. One couple, after two days of hassle and endless discussions, finally got a balcony cabin. However, another couple was DOWNGRADED to a tiny INTERIOR CABIN—even though they had originally booked a porthole cabin!

COSTA clearly doesn’t care about its customers. Of course, these guests are still pursuing compensation, but their cruise was ruined.

Now, let’s talk about meals, the MY DRINK package, and the shows.

**Self-service meals:** NOT GREAT AT ALL. The buffets were chaotic—no pizza buffets like on MSC (because if you want pizza, you have to pay for it!). No pasta buffets either, unlike MSC.

**Restaurant meals:** Overall, they were okay, but whatever you do, don’t order the "3 Chefs" dishes—you’ll be very disappointed! And if you dine at the 3 Chefs restaurant, the menu costs 59 €!

**MY DRINK package:** In theory, ALL DRINKS ARE INCLUDED except for certain alcohols. They leave a large bottle of mineral water in your cabin, but if you drink it, they charge you for it despite the package. And on top of that, you’re only allowed 7 small bottles of water, while the number of alcoholic or non-alcoholic cocktails is unlimited?????

**SHOWS:** HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT! They only lasted half an hour, with no elaborate costumes, no real choreography—just one or two singers or a juggler on stage performing the entire evening’s show.

And the sound system? UNBEARABLE—so loud!

We had dinner during the second seating—which we really didn’t appreciate—and since meals ended at 10:30 PM, we’d look for a quiet spot afterward, but there wasn’t one! Music was blasting everywhere, and it was WAY too loud!

Another issue: The satisfaction survey. **Would you recommend COSTA to your friends and family?** Then the presenter gives you this whole speech about how the staff works 24/7 and that if you say you’re not satisfied, you’re punishing the hardworking crew. It’s emotional blackmail—unbelievable!!!

The staff, though, was absolutely lovely—housekeeping, waiters, everyone was so kind!

**Final verdict:** NEVER AGAIN with COSTA. For them, it’s all about MAXIMIZING PROFITS. If I ever go on another cruise, it’ll be with MSC or another line.