re: European Travelers of the Board

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'll also be in Venice, Italy for all of September, so hopefully wm stops by this thread. I'd love to hear any advice on Italian tickets/games and other things to do/see.

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As far as going to matches, I'd buy tickets in person (you need a passport) when you get into whatever town at either an official club store in larger cities and / or at "Tabacchi" (state stores where they sell cigarettes, all kinds of tickets, lotto, bus passes etc).

In most cities there's a place very near the train station to buy them if you ask or google before you arrive when you decide where you're going.


Off the top of my head --and thinking of quick trips near Venezia-- Verona would be a good place to see a match since the city itself is so amazing and both Chievo and Hellas will be in Serie A. . .

Travel wise, of course you'll want to see a lot of famous things in big cities, however, in my opinion, among the best places to visit in Italy are the extremely numerous small medieval towns and cities throughout every region including but not limited to more widely known ones in Toscana.

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Couldn't agree more. If you ever get the chance to visit Siena, its unreal. By the way, Milan is shite. Don't bother unless you like looking at concrete and scantly clothed men's cologne and purse ads.

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I absolutely love Siena. When I had a record shop, I used to sell at the record fair there twice a year and always stay for a few extra days. All the medieval mountain top villages in that area and south toward Roma (Orvieto, Todi, Narni, Viterbo etc) are beautiful and, while there are tourists, it's not so overrun that you lose things like the quaint, family style restaurants and just the general feel of "difference".

I honestly haven't traveled all that much to smaller towns in the northeast since I lived in Roma and Cagliari and Genoa for a short while but based on the few I've spent time in (like Bolzano about an hour and half north of Venice and the "vacation-y" Ravenna/Cesena on the coast a bit south, I think it's hard to go wrong off the beaten track.



Also agree about Milan. Great city if you're trying to get exposure for the new leisure wear line you're designing but otherwise kind of a large, gray city that has some beautiful buildings but not worth missing almost any other place in Italy to see.

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I absolutely love Siena. When I had a record shop, I used to sell at the record fair there twice a year and always stay for a few extra days. All the medieval mountain top villages in that area and south toward Roma (Orvieto, Todi, Narni, Viterbo etc) are beautiful and, while there are tourists, it's not so overrun that you lose things like the quaint, family style restaurants and just the general feel of "difference".

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My dream trip is a week in Siena for the palio. Definitely number one on my bucket list for things to do before I die.

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I honestly haven't traveled all that much to smaller towns in the northeast since I lived in Roma and Cagliari and Genoa for a short while but based on the few I've spent time in (like Bolzano about an hour and half north of Venice and the "vacation-y" Ravenna/Cesena on the coast a bit south, I think it's hard to go wrong off the beaten track.

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I spent two weeks with my girlfriend's family in Udine. The north side of the city is beautiful, especially into the mountains. The city itself is very small and you get that local feel - no skyscrapers or large office buildings. Ravenna is wonderful and so is Trieste even though both are very touristy. If you want touristy, but not overbearing and still get the small town feel you can't go wrong with Cinque Terre.

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Also agree about Milan. Great city if you're trying to get exposure for the new leisure wear line you're designing but otherwise kind of a large, gray city that has some beautiful buildings but not worth missing almost any other place in Italy to see.

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The cathedral will take your breath away. Other than that it reminds me of a metrosexual mid-west America, but with bigger buildings and more pavement.

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wm72

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You covered a lot of points, so I am just going to say thanks for the advice. I definitely appreciate the pointers. Siena will be a priority for me, along with Florence. Thanks for the incite on the other towns, it's nice to know where I can skip and what I should be on the lookout for.

Also, thanks to everyone who has chipped in, it may seem insignificant to you, but for me it helps to figure out what I want to do in the short amount of time I have.

I'm heading to Belgium in early August. Missing a chance to see Anderlecht, though. Was going to find some $3 Sacha Kljestan jersey and wear nothing but that while storming the pitch.

Where in the country are you heading? Just Montpellier and Paris, or other regions as well?

Have you been to either place before?

How much time will you have there?

Will you be renting a car at any point?

Are you interested in history or are you looking more for beaches and the like?

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You´re avoiding the oenologist question......

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I don't want everyone to know I'm a wine-o!

But to answer your question, I am more of an enthusiast than an expert. I think the process, or should I say art, is fascinating. Most people have no idea what goes into making a good wine, and fewer too are able to taste the differences in good wine.

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I'll be staying in Bordeaux for a month. I'll have time on the weekdays to do some short trips and weekends I will be free.

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Go to Mont St. Michel in Normandie. I've done a lot of traveling in my life and it is by far one of the coolest places I've ever been. Stay there the night if you can.

Go to the military cemeteries in the north, near where the D-Day beaches were. Take a guided tour in the area if you're interested in WWII history.

In Paris go to the catacombs and go early in the morning (like right when it opens) or else you'll be waiting forever. Obviously there is the Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, Arc de Triomphe, etc.

Go to Monaco just to see it, but it's really not all that great. The aquarium is nice I guess but it's really just a lot of looking around at big boats and fancy cars and nice houses that 99.999 percent of the population can't even dream of owning. But other than that there is not a lot to do.

Bordeaux has the best food in France. Eat a lot there. The French do duck really well, btw. Make a day trip to Montpellier and to Toulouse if you can.

Try to see the cote d'azur. Make a trip to Menton if you want to try the world's best limoncello and see some nice beaches (I saw the nicest pair of tits in my entire life there), Villefranche Sur Mer is even more picturesque and one of my favorite places in France, and also Nice is cool. You also have Cassis and areas like that that are really picturesque. Just google some other places and see if they look nice to you, rent a car, and go.

I've heard Lyon is nice but I've never been there. The trains are fast and cheap so it might be worth it. Also, if you are planning on doing A LOT of traveling by train and want to save some money, you can pay 50 euros for a train pass (assuming you are 26 or under) that will get you about 50 percent off of all of your trains if you buy them far enough in advance.

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Come to Spain.

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I have friends that live an hour or so outside Valencia. I might just have to do that.