Travel
Hotel
Villa Olimpia
We will stay here Friday May 29th through Tuesday June 2nd. Check in is at 3pm, checkout at 10am. We have already assigned rooms to everyone and will let you know which room you will be staying in. We will have the entire villa and the villa next door to ourselves.
Travel Note
Travel recommendations
We recommend flying into Rome as it is cheaper. There is a 1.5 hour speed train from Rome to Florence for 20-30€. Adam and I will be staying in Florence for a few days prior. We will then rent a car for the drive to the villa. It would be beneficial for a few people to rent a car to make travel easier. In Italy they drive on the same side of the road as in the US. Otherwise we can try to arrange travel with the Villa host. We will be spending a full day in Florence on Saturday May 30th. The plan is to have a nice dinner that evening with the group. The following day is the wedding on Sunday, May 31st. Our last full day together, on Monday June 1st, we will visit either Lucca or Volterra. *it is a good idea to download “WhatsApp” to make texting easier while in Italy
Travel Note
Car rental
Car rental places are near the train station in Florence which would probably be the best option. It is fairly inexpensive to rent a car. It’s better to rent an SUV/5 person car to fit luggage and split cost amongst groups. Make sure to select AUTOMATIC car as they have a lot of manual. 🚘 - you need to get an international driving permit (IDP) if you will be renting. It’s about 20-30 dollars and easy to get through AAA. apply online (https://www.aaa-idp.com/step-1) or in person at a AAA branch (call ahead to ensure IDP services are available at the specific branch). When renting a car make sure to get insurance which is not much extra cost. There’s also ZTL zones for cities like Florence. This helps limit traffic to help preserve older cities. There will be signs with a red circle on them signaling you cannot enter that area without access- this is monitored by cameras and you’ll be ticketed.
Travel Note
Euro
Italy uses euro. Its a good idea to have some cash on hand as some places dont accept credit card. When purchasing lower cost items -it charges local shops a fee for using cards so its better to just use cash. When making a credit card purchase always select "euro" and not "US dollar" when making the payment so it charges less, same when withdrawing from ATMs.
Travel Note
Travel Cautiously
There are unfortunately pick-pockets in Italy. Be very aware of your belongings and do not keep anything in pockets and do not have backpacks, purses, etc easily accessible to people. Be aware of your luggage at all times when traveling, even on trains.