DOLCE VITA (Sweet Life)- A family Road trip through the Italian countryside.
May 30th, 2019, 01:11 PM
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DOLCE VITA (Sweet Life)- A family Road trip through the Italian countryside.
DOLCE VITA (Sweet Life)
A family Road trip through the Italian countryside.
Just returned bodily from a wonderful 15 days family road trip in Italy.
We are a family of 4 from Mumbai, India. Wife Poonam 53 & myself 54, both architects, our 2 young daughters; Priyanka 25 Doctor studying to be an eye surgeon and Poorva 22 who just completed a grueling 5 years Architecture degree course. This trip was a reward for both of them for doing very well in their respective careers and also a 25th birthday celebration for Priyanka. We are also completing our 30 years of marriage next month.
The 2 of us have been to various parts of Italy 3 times earlier in 1986, 1999, 2009.
Have been to Venice, Rome, Milan, Florence, Pisa, Como Amalfi coast( Sorrento, Capri, Positano, Amalfi), Italian Riviera ( Cinque Terre- hugely over hyped by Rick Steve’s and Co. Its run down, crowded and a bit ugly) Santa Margharita Ligure , Portofino.( Prettiest picture post card but expensive village)
I am besotted by Italy and was dying to visit Tuscany. This time we wanted to repeat some main attractions for our daughters and some remaining off beat places. Tuscany, Dolomites and Italian Lake District was my main agenda, along with the usual touristy places Venice, Rome, Florence, Pisa. Most people want to visit the places on the Thomas cook brochure. I prefer the lesser known quaint charming villages and countryside.
What we still could not see despite 4 trips were Brescia, Verona, Padua, Bologna, Trieste(We drove through it in 2017 from Slovenia), the North east coast, Turin, Genoa, Breath taking roads to French and Swiss border, Umbria, Puglia region on the south east coast, Sicily and Sardinia.
Before we started this trip, I thought, this is probably my last trip to Italy. There are so many other interesting places too, in the world to experience. After coming back, my heart still lingers on. I am not sure. May be….
We had a limit of 17 days including travel dates as Priyanka had to join her hospital duty ASAP.
Will try to give some details which I tried to research before the trip and found difficult to procure. They can be as a driver, photographer or planner. Some of them can be irrelevant or boring for some. Please pardon me for that. But if they help even on person on a road trip or a photographer, its well worth the efforts. I hope and pray that I complete this trip report.
Deciding the itinerary was a major part. Fodorites helped me a lot in customizing. Thanks a lot for that.
We like to travel in spring, especially May as it’s a shoulder season and has comfortable weather.
AIR-TICKETS:
In mid Feb, I booked our air tickets. Mumbai-Milan-Mumbai ON Saudi Airlines which gave me a good deal. An ideal way of Open jaw ticket Mumbai-Milan & Rome Mumbai plus One way pick up charge of the rental car was turning out expensive.
ITINERARY:
With a lot of rejig, my broad itinerary starting 13th May 2019 was
Land at 7 am at Milan Malpensa Airport. Rent a car and drive in a clockwise direction.
2 days- Dolomites
1 day- Venice
1 day- Orvieto ( as a stopover between Rome n Venice)
3 Days- Rome
6 Days- Tuscany (which after a detail study to avoid a lot of traveling-I split into)
1 N- South Tuscany- Val D’Orcia
3 N- Central Tuscany- Near San Gimigniano
2 N- Florence
2 Days- Lake Maggiore (to explore Maggiore and Como lakes) & be close to Milan Malpensa airport
Drive and drop the car at Milan Malpensa Airport and take an 11 am flight back home on 29th may 2019.
Despite a lot of research, I did not find any place where we could find an Italian Folk Show, a Folk Village or a local festival in which we can also participate, during our travel time, where we could see their Folk dances, traditional music and clothes. We could get that in many European countries like Switzerland, Croatia, Austria, Spain, Russia, Sweden.
TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS:
Renting a car was one exercise which kept me busy. I booked and cancelled several cars from various vendors, as all bookings were fully refundable. Also read a lot of reviews about the Rental companies and additional insurance. Almost all the offers were an add on top up Insurance cover that gives full refund. Which means, in case of an accident or theft, I would have to pay around 2000 Euros first and then ask for a refund after a tedious paperwork. There is also a risk of some commission being cut in the fine print. A boot with 4 bags also was a criteria.
Finally, I booked a Mercedes A Class (Automatic) directly from Goldcar, Milan Malpensa at 390 Euros for 15 days, unlimited km, Full to Full fuel, Key n Go insurance package which doesn’t require anything to be paid in case of an accident or theft. There was no hold on credit card, express delivery of the car. As a special offer I got an additional driver insurance (worth 125 Euros) free.
Goldcar had a lot of adverse reviews on internet. Some of the worst ratings. But after carefully studying I gathered that their prices were the cheapest. Sometimes half of Sixt or Alamo. People who gave best ratings got the car very cheap and did not meet with even a minor accident. The guys who rated it worst were the ones who met with some kind of accident, got the car very cheap, did not take the additional top up insurance from Goldcar and tried to save money by using their existing car insurance some way.
People don’t understand that the insurance companies thrive on the fine print.
I shall write a separate report on the experience and research of renting, driving and returning a car.
ACCOMMODATION:
I kept on booking several apartments on Booking.com which offered free cancellation and after studying at micro level, kept cancelling the ones that didn’t suit me, till I got a perfect package everywhere. This was time consuming, but was essential and fruitful.
All of them except one were self-catering apartments, mostly 2 bedroom, Liv-Dining and kitchen and toilet. Since I was driving everywhere, car parking was important issue. Anyone travelling in June, July, August must ensure that there is an air-conditioner in the apartment.
FOOD:
We carried some ready to eat food. Bought fruit, milk, eggs, bread (Pane), yogurt, juices, beer and wine locally. Did our breakfast at the apartment. Lunches with beer in the restaurants. Dinner with wine at the apartment. This sorted our problem of driving back home at night after drinking wine and saved some money.
TELEPHONE and DATA:
I opted for an international roaming with 5 GB data on my India Airtel mobile number for worth 50 Euros. This saved some time and hassle of buying a slightly cheaper local TIM MOBILE card. We had WIFI in all the apartments. Other 3 family members used data on my HOTSPOT while traveling if required.
NAVIGATION:
We all had Google maps offline map of Italy downloaded on our mobiles. I had HERE MAPS, VIA MICHELIN downloaded on my mobiles. We had a great built in navigation in our Mercedes A Class.
Most important- the person next to the driver has to be extra alert and an expert in reading navigation who must always warn the driver and also look for markings on the road, speed limits and overtaking trucks.
REFERENCES & BOOKS:
My best options normally are Lonely Planet and DK Eyewitness Guide. This is the 1st time that I did not carry any books or Hard copies, printouts with me. I researched and downloaded information from Internet. Carried all the information in my laptop for reference. But mostly what we used were the Apps that I downloaded for every place for info on attractions and walking tours.
I carried only my notebook with notes and hand drawn maps.
MONEY:
We carried 2 preloaded Euro Currency cards from Master card from Thomas cook. This was the best option. We were not charged any extra service charge on it. We also carried some cash in Euros equally distributed between me and my wife. We had them in waist pouches inside our jeans for safety. In remote locations, only cash works. Keep it handy.
SAFETY- DANGERS AND ANNOYANCES:
We were paranoid about a few things.
a. Pickpockets- We have read and heard a lot of stories about them. Some east European gangs apparently were responsible. Our past experience and Rick Steve’s tips from “Outsmarting the Thieves” video.
b. Car theft- Have read a lot of stories bout this too. Mostly of thieves breaking window glasses to flick handbags and valuables from inside. Even Rick Steve’s car has been broken 4-5 times in past few years. Also the car itself being stolen was a fear.
To overcome this, we cancelled all our plans of seeing some attractions enroute by parking the car in a parking lot. We travelled from hotel to hotel, transferred the bags in the room and then left for sightseeing. All apartments offered overnight private parking (free or paid) except in Rome and Florence. In those 2 cities, we were lucky to get parking just below our apartments. In almost all small towns, we parked in designated parking lots with a parking ticket.
DRIVING & PARKING:
a. So called aggressive Italian drivers- I had read quotes like“ Not all, but only half of them drive like a MAD MONKEY KUNG FU. The other half are just aggressive 😉” & “Italy produces Europe's most reckless drivers, according to a survey”- I found this as an exaggerated myth. All of them respected lanes, speed limits, avoided overtaking at wrong places and speeding on blind turns. In fact, I have seen that Exceeding the Speed limit is a common offence in many other countries. It’s not just an opinion from a guy who drives in Mumbai, India but I am saying this from my experience of driving in more than 18 countries.
b. Fear of Driving in ZTL or Bus lanes- or a traffic offence because of some unknown local law that we don’t know and conversing with Italian Cops was a nightmare. We carefully studied and planned. Stayed away from ZTL (Zona Traffic Limited) which is only for locals. Penalty is 200 Euros only for each camera picture.
c. Parking at a wrong place- Blue Lines is for visitors’ pay and Park. White lines are free parking for Locals. We did park in white lines for free at times where our landlord assured us that there is no problem. Yellow lines are reserved or handicapped parking and are a strict NO. We also planned and saved future parking locations at some places to avoid problems.
d. Left hand drive cars- In India, we drive Right Hand drive cars like in the UK. We sorted out this issue by booking an automatic car. Automatic cars are still not common in Europe and come at a heavy premium. They are manual by default, unless otherwise specified. Driving on the correct track wasn’t an issue, as we are used to driving in many countries. You also follow the traffic so that problem was non-existent for us.
ROADS & TOLL:
a. Italian Auto-Strada are excellent, adhering to the EU standards. Speed limit is usually 110-130 km/hr. They have long tunnels (upto 9 km) which save you from going on curvy roads. Lighting in tunnels was very poor in terms of illumination levels and not being continuous. I used to almost hold my breath through the long tunnels. The intermittent lighting always makes the driver restless.
b. Regional roads are not great. They are narrow and have pot holes. In Tuscany, the last leg of road to our Villas were unpaved.
c. Dolomite Road is a Non Toll road and is excellent despite snow and 46 hairpin turns. Within Tuscany were non Toll roads. We chose to take a non toll road between Lake Maggiore and Bellagio on Lake Como as the difference was only 20 minutes.
d. Tolls are hefty. We chose toll roads almost everywhere, especially for long journeys. The difference in time to reach can be 4 hours vis-à-vis 7.30 hours between Florence and Lake Maggiore. You can get the exact toll amount and travel time on VIA MICHELIN app. We paid toll by pre-paid Euro card. Made life easier.
e. Diesel price ranged from 1.47 to 1.58 Euros. Petro/ gas/ benzene was 1.6 to 1.7. Pumps on Auto Stradas are slightly more expensive. Pumps on inner roads are slightly cheaper. It didn’t make much of difference anyways.
f. We drove approx. 2500 Km in 15 days. Paid 92 Eros as toll. Paid 172 Euros for Diesel. Our Mercedes A class was very fuel efficient. It returned efficiency of 2.5 to 4 Litres/ 100 km.
Cruise control was very useful and it made sure that we never exceeded speed limit.
PACKING:
We always travel light. This time it was even lighter.
As we had booked a Mercedes A class with 340 Litres of boot instead of an Opel Astra Stationwagon or Dacia/ Renault Duster with a 475 Litres of boot space; our luggage had to shrink.
We carried 2 nos of 26”/ 680 mm hard top strolleys, 1 no of 20”/500 mm hard top strolley as check in luggage. We had 4 hand bag/ medium haversacks as day bags. In the boot, we could easily fit in 3 hard top bags, one 16” haversack.
VISA:
Italian consulate in India is the worst anywhere in the world. From our past experiences, we submitted our applications on 18th March 19 for a travel on 13th May 19 to an outsourced entity called VFS. Approx. time estimated was 15 working days (about 19 days including 2 weekends)
We have several Schengen/ UK visas in the past and a valid USA visa on our passports.
We didn’t get any information or our Visas till 9th May 19 which was 51st day. The consulate doesn’t reply to any emails. The VFS doesn’t reply either. They only ask you to wait and watch. We had to also get International Driving Licence which takes 2 working days. This was too tight. We finally went to the Italian Consulate in Mumbai. Bribed the arrogant guard Rs. 2000/- Our visas were already dispatched by then. We realised that they are overburdened with the very little amount of visa applications and issued visas only 1 or 2 days prior to the departure. VFS knows everything but doesn’t tell you. This part is specially for any Indian tourist planning a trip to Italy. Try and avoid Italian consulate. If you must, you may try and submit the application directly to the consulate. You have to procure an appointment on email. This may work faster. VFS or Google will never give you this information as they lose their commission.
After the Visa, International driving licence application and payment was online. One still has to take all the printouts personally to the local RTO. This happened quickly and smoothly.
We packed our bags only after the visa in last 4 days.
JOURNEY BEGINS:
We were excited and eager and were looking forward to this coveted road trip. This was our family vacation after 2 years. Last road trip was to Croatia, Slovenia and Austria in 2017.
Not only that Italy is one of the most enchanting destinations, but we always love the family time together. It’s the best for family bonding. We try to live like locals, at least for some time. Buying grocery from the local bakery, interacting with the locals (Google Translate app on phone came handy here) We divide work and everyone’s role is decided. We do things that we don’t normally do back home in India, like cleaning, washing utensils and clothes, cooking etc. We love it.
I could manage not to move out on the last 2 days which were Sunday and Monday. Poorva did the Web check in 24 hours prior and managed to get us good seats.
Day 1- Flight to Italy- Monday, 13th May 2019-
We left at 5 pm and reached by 6 pm by Uber cab to Mumbai Airport for our 9 pm flight. Baggage drop and security was done quickly. We had enough time to sit in the Master Card Airport Lounge. I had 3 glasses of red wine with some light dinner. Saudi Airlines doesn’t serve alcohol. We were ready to go and sleep in the flight. The flight was full and took off on time. I liked the leisurely way things happened without any tensions. After a bit of tension by Italian consulate and a few months of meticulous planning, we were finally off to experience the “Dolce Vita” .. Sweet Life.
A family Road trip through the Italian countryside.
Just returned bodily from a wonderful 15 days family road trip in Italy.
We are a family of 4 from Mumbai, India. Wife Poonam 53 & myself 54, both architects, our 2 young daughters; Priyanka 25 Doctor studying to be an eye surgeon and Poorva 22 who just completed a grueling 5 years Architecture degree course. This trip was a reward for both of them for doing very well in their respective careers and also a 25th birthday celebration for Priyanka. We are also completing our 30 years of marriage next month.
The 2 of us have been to various parts of Italy 3 times earlier in 1986, 1999, 2009.
Have been to Venice, Rome, Milan, Florence, Pisa, Como Amalfi coast( Sorrento, Capri, Positano, Amalfi), Italian Riviera ( Cinque Terre- hugely over hyped by Rick Steve’s and Co. Its run down, crowded and a bit ugly) Santa Margharita Ligure , Portofino.( Prettiest picture post card but expensive village)
I am besotted by Italy and was dying to visit Tuscany. This time we wanted to repeat some main attractions for our daughters and some remaining off beat places. Tuscany, Dolomites and Italian Lake District was my main agenda, along with the usual touristy places Venice, Rome, Florence, Pisa. Most people want to visit the places on the Thomas cook brochure. I prefer the lesser known quaint charming villages and countryside.
What we still could not see despite 4 trips were Brescia, Verona, Padua, Bologna, Trieste(We drove through it in 2017 from Slovenia), the North east coast, Turin, Genoa, Breath taking roads to French and Swiss border, Umbria, Puglia region on the south east coast, Sicily and Sardinia.
Before we started this trip, I thought, this is probably my last trip to Italy. There are so many other interesting places too, in the world to experience. After coming back, my heart still lingers on. I am not sure. May be….
We had a limit of 17 days including travel dates as Priyanka had to join her hospital duty ASAP.
Will try to give some details which I tried to research before the trip and found difficult to procure. They can be as a driver, photographer or planner. Some of them can be irrelevant or boring for some. Please pardon me for that. But if they help even on person on a road trip or a photographer, its well worth the efforts. I hope and pray that I complete this trip report.
Deciding the itinerary was a major part. Fodorites helped me a lot in customizing. Thanks a lot for that.
We like to travel in spring, especially May as it’s a shoulder season and has comfortable weather.
AIR-TICKETS:
In mid Feb, I booked our air tickets. Mumbai-Milan-Mumbai ON Saudi Airlines which gave me a good deal. An ideal way of Open jaw ticket Mumbai-Milan & Rome Mumbai plus One way pick up charge of the rental car was turning out expensive.
ITINERARY:
With a lot of rejig, my broad itinerary starting 13th May 2019 was
Land at 7 am at Milan Malpensa Airport. Rent a car and drive in a clockwise direction.
2 days- Dolomites
1 day- Venice
1 day- Orvieto ( as a stopover between Rome n Venice)
3 Days- Rome
6 Days- Tuscany (which after a detail study to avoid a lot of traveling-I split into)
1 N- South Tuscany- Val D’Orcia
3 N- Central Tuscany- Near San Gimigniano
2 N- Florence
2 Days- Lake Maggiore (to explore Maggiore and Como lakes) & be close to Milan Malpensa airport
Drive and drop the car at Milan Malpensa Airport and take an 11 am flight back home on 29th may 2019.
Despite a lot of research, I did not find any place where we could find an Italian Folk Show, a Folk Village or a local festival in which we can also participate, during our travel time, where we could see their Folk dances, traditional music and clothes. We could get that in many European countries like Switzerland, Croatia, Austria, Spain, Russia, Sweden.
TRANSPORT & LOGISTICS:
Renting a car was one exercise which kept me busy. I booked and cancelled several cars from various vendors, as all bookings were fully refundable. Also read a lot of reviews about the Rental companies and additional insurance. Almost all the offers were an add on top up Insurance cover that gives full refund. Which means, in case of an accident or theft, I would have to pay around 2000 Euros first and then ask for a refund after a tedious paperwork. There is also a risk of some commission being cut in the fine print. A boot with 4 bags also was a criteria.
Finally, I booked a Mercedes A Class (Automatic) directly from Goldcar, Milan Malpensa at 390 Euros for 15 days, unlimited km, Full to Full fuel, Key n Go insurance package which doesn’t require anything to be paid in case of an accident or theft. There was no hold on credit card, express delivery of the car. As a special offer I got an additional driver insurance (worth 125 Euros) free.
Goldcar had a lot of adverse reviews on internet. Some of the worst ratings. But after carefully studying I gathered that their prices were the cheapest. Sometimes half of Sixt or Alamo. People who gave best ratings got the car very cheap and did not meet with even a minor accident. The guys who rated it worst were the ones who met with some kind of accident, got the car very cheap, did not take the additional top up insurance from Goldcar and tried to save money by using their existing car insurance some way.
People don’t understand that the insurance companies thrive on the fine print.
I shall write a separate report on the experience and research of renting, driving and returning a car.
ACCOMMODATION:
I kept on booking several apartments on Booking.com which offered free cancellation and after studying at micro level, kept cancelling the ones that didn’t suit me, till I got a perfect package everywhere. This was time consuming, but was essential and fruitful.
All of them except one were self-catering apartments, mostly 2 bedroom, Liv-Dining and kitchen and toilet. Since I was driving everywhere, car parking was important issue. Anyone travelling in June, July, August must ensure that there is an air-conditioner in the apartment.
FOOD:
We carried some ready to eat food. Bought fruit, milk, eggs, bread (Pane), yogurt, juices, beer and wine locally. Did our breakfast at the apartment. Lunches with beer in the restaurants. Dinner with wine at the apartment. This sorted our problem of driving back home at night after drinking wine and saved some money.
TELEPHONE and DATA:
I opted for an international roaming with 5 GB data on my India Airtel mobile number for worth 50 Euros. This saved some time and hassle of buying a slightly cheaper local TIM MOBILE card. We had WIFI in all the apartments. Other 3 family members used data on my HOTSPOT while traveling if required.
NAVIGATION:
We all had Google maps offline map of Italy downloaded on our mobiles. I had HERE MAPS, VIA MICHELIN downloaded on my mobiles. We had a great built in navigation in our Mercedes A Class.
Most important- the person next to the driver has to be extra alert and an expert in reading navigation who must always warn the driver and also look for markings on the road, speed limits and overtaking trucks.
REFERENCES & BOOKS:
My best options normally are Lonely Planet and DK Eyewitness Guide. This is the 1st time that I did not carry any books or Hard copies, printouts with me. I researched and downloaded information from Internet. Carried all the information in my laptop for reference. But mostly what we used were the Apps that I downloaded for every place for info on attractions and walking tours.
I carried only my notebook with notes and hand drawn maps.
MONEY:
We carried 2 preloaded Euro Currency cards from Master card from Thomas cook. This was the best option. We were not charged any extra service charge on it. We also carried some cash in Euros equally distributed between me and my wife. We had them in waist pouches inside our jeans for safety. In remote locations, only cash works. Keep it handy.
SAFETY- DANGERS AND ANNOYANCES:
We were paranoid about a few things.
a. Pickpockets- We have read and heard a lot of stories about them. Some east European gangs apparently were responsible. Our past experience and Rick Steve’s tips from “Outsmarting the Thieves” video.
b. Car theft- Have read a lot of stories bout this too. Mostly of thieves breaking window glasses to flick handbags and valuables from inside. Even Rick Steve’s car has been broken 4-5 times in past few years. Also the car itself being stolen was a fear.
To overcome this, we cancelled all our plans of seeing some attractions enroute by parking the car in a parking lot. We travelled from hotel to hotel, transferred the bags in the room and then left for sightseeing. All apartments offered overnight private parking (free or paid) except in Rome and Florence. In those 2 cities, we were lucky to get parking just below our apartments. In almost all small towns, we parked in designated parking lots with a parking ticket.
DRIVING & PARKING:
a. So called aggressive Italian drivers- I had read quotes like“ Not all, but only half of them drive like a MAD MONKEY KUNG FU. The other half are just aggressive 😉” & “Italy produces Europe's most reckless drivers, according to a survey”- I found this as an exaggerated myth. All of them respected lanes, speed limits, avoided overtaking at wrong places and speeding on blind turns. In fact, I have seen that Exceeding the Speed limit is a common offence in many other countries. It’s not just an opinion from a guy who drives in Mumbai, India but I am saying this from my experience of driving in more than 18 countries.
b. Fear of Driving in ZTL or Bus lanes- or a traffic offence because of some unknown local law that we don’t know and conversing with Italian Cops was a nightmare. We carefully studied and planned. Stayed away from ZTL (Zona Traffic Limited) which is only for locals. Penalty is 200 Euros only for each camera picture.
c. Parking at a wrong place- Blue Lines is for visitors’ pay and Park. White lines are free parking for Locals. We did park in white lines for free at times where our landlord assured us that there is no problem. Yellow lines are reserved or handicapped parking and are a strict NO. We also planned and saved future parking locations at some places to avoid problems.
d. Left hand drive cars- In India, we drive Right Hand drive cars like in the UK. We sorted out this issue by booking an automatic car. Automatic cars are still not common in Europe and come at a heavy premium. They are manual by default, unless otherwise specified. Driving on the correct track wasn’t an issue, as we are used to driving in many countries. You also follow the traffic so that problem was non-existent for us.
ROADS & TOLL:
a. Italian Auto-Strada are excellent, adhering to the EU standards. Speed limit is usually 110-130 km/hr. They have long tunnels (upto 9 km) which save you from going on curvy roads. Lighting in tunnels was very poor in terms of illumination levels and not being continuous. I used to almost hold my breath through the long tunnels. The intermittent lighting always makes the driver restless.
b. Regional roads are not great. They are narrow and have pot holes. In Tuscany, the last leg of road to our Villas were unpaved.
c. Dolomite Road is a Non Toll road and is excellent despite snow and 46 hairpin turns. Within Tuscany were non Toll roads. We chose to take a non toll road between Lake Maggiore and Bellagio on Lake Como as the difference was only 20 minutes.
d. Tolls are hefty. We chose toll roads almost everywhere, especially for long journeys. The difference in time to reach can be 4 hours vis-à-vis 7.30 hours between Florence and Lake Maggiore. You can get the exact toll amount and travel time on VIA MICHELIN app. We paid toll by pre-paid Euro card. Made life easier.
e. Diesel price ranged from 1.47 to 1.58 Euros. Petro/ gas/ benzene was 1.6 to 1.7. Pumps on Auto Stradas are slightly more expensive. Pumps on inner roads are slightly cheaper. It didn’t make much of difference anyways.
f. We drove approx. 2500 Km in 15 days. Paid 92 Eros as toll. Paid 172 Euros for Diesel. Our Mercedes A class was very fuel efficient. It returned efficiency of 2.5 to 4 Litres/ 100 km.
Cruise control was very useful and it made sure that we never exceeded speed limit.
PACKING:
We always travel light. This time it was even lighter.
As we had booked a Mercedes A class with 340 Litres of boot instead of an Opel Astra Stationwagon or Dacia/ Renault Duster with a 475 Litres of boot space; our luggage had to shrink.
We carried 2 nos of 26”/ 680 mm hard top strolleys, 1 no of 20”/500 mm hard top strolley as check in luggage. We had 4 hand bag/ medium haversacks as day bags. In the boot, we could easily fit in 3 hard top bags, one 16” haversack.
VISA:
Italian consulate in India is the worst anywhere in the world. From our past experiences, we submitted our applications on 18th March 19 for a travel on 13th May 19 to an outsourced entity called VFS. Approx. time estimated was 15 working days (about 19 days including 2 weekends)
We have several Schengen/ UK visas in the past and a valid USA visa on our passports.
We didn’t get any information or our Visas till 9th May 19 which was 51st day. The consulate doesn’t reply to any emails. The VFS doesn’t reply either. They only ask you to wait and watch. We had to also get International Driving Licence which takes 2 working days. This was too tight. We finally went to the Italian Consulate in Mumbai. Bribed the arrogant guard Rs. 2000/- Our visas were already dispatched by then. We realised that they are overburdened with the very little amount of visa applications and issued visas only 1 or 2 days prior to the departure. VFS knows everything but doesn’t tell you. This part is specially for any Indian tourist planning a trip to Italy. Try and avoid Italian consulate. If you must, you may try and submit the application directly to the consulate. You have to procure an appointment on email. This may work faster. VFS or Google will never give you this information as they lose their commission.
After the Visa, International driving licence application and payment was online. One still has to take all the printouts personally to the local RTO. This happened quickly and smoothly.
We packed our bags only after the visa in last 4 days.
JOURNEY BEGINS:
We were excited and eager and were looking forward to this coveted road trip. This was our family vacation after 2 years. Last road trip was to Croatia, Slovenia and Austria in 2017.
Not only that Italy is one of the most enchanting destinations, but we always love the family time together. It’s the best for family bonding. We try to live like locals, at least for some time. Buying grocery from the local bakery, interacting with the locals (Google Translate app on phone came handy here) We divide work and everyone’s role is decided. We do things that we don’t normally do back home in India, like cleaning, washing utensils and clothes, cooking etc. We love it.
I could manage not to move out on the last 2 days which were Sunday and Monday. Poorva did the Web check in 24 hours prior and managed to get us good seats.
Day 1- Flight to Italy- Monday, 13th May 2019-
We left at 5 pm and reached by 6 pm by Uber cab to Mumbai Airport for our 9 pm flight. Baggage drop and security was done quickly. We had enough time to sit in the Master Card Airport Lounge. I had 3 glasses of red wine with some light dinner. Saudi Airlines doesn’t serve alcohol. We were ready to go and sleep in the flight. The flight was full and took off on time. I liked the leisurely way things happened without any tensions. After a bit of tension by Italian consulate and a few months of meticulous planning, we were finally off to experience the “Dolce Vita” .. Sweet Life.
May 30th, 2019, 01:47 PM
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Paragkash, I remember your planning this trip sometime last year and wondering whether to include Venice in your itinerary. Thanks for taking the time to write a detailed TR, waiting for further installments of your slice of dolce vita...
May 31st, 2019, 12:01 AM
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Great start so far! I appreciate all of your crisp details.
We did a trip to Great Britain and my husband drove on the opposite side of the road. You are very right, following the cars in front of you helps a lot. The problem is when you don't have someone right in front of you. This was especially stressful on the round-abouts.
We did a trip to Great Britain and my husband drove on the opposite side of the road. You are very right, following the cars in front of you helps a lot. The problem is when you don't have someone right in front of you. This was especially stressful on the round-abouts.
May 31st, 2019, 10:25 AM
#5
Looking forward to reading about your trip. I hope you enjoyed everything, especially the Dolomites and hope you had good weather there!
re: tolls. "We paid toll by pre-paid Euro card. Made life easier."
I've rented cars in Italy before, most recently three years ago but remember nothing about the toll roads. Am in Venice now and will pick up a car on Monday for a road trip. Do they sell you something for the tolls at the rental place? I know I should remember this, but apparently my brain no longer retains any useful information.
re: tolls. "We paid toll by pre-paid Euro card. Made life easier."
I've rented cars in Italy before, most recently three years ago but remember nothing about the toll roads. Am in Venice now and will pick up a car on Monday for a road trip. Do they sell you something for the tolls at the rental place? I know I should remember this, but apparently my brain no longer retains any useful information.
May 31st, 2019, 04:09 PM
#6
Leely, we were just in Italy and rented a toll road transponder. I think it was 3 euro a day but enabled us to use the yellow lane in the toll roads. The transponder was on our dash and would beep to open the gate and beep again when through. It made it so easy because we did not have to pay and hold up a line. 
. Eurocar charged us the toll fees when we returned the car. I am happy that we got it. We traveled through Tuscany and then down to Rome. Hope this helps. -Janice
. Eurocar charged us the toll fees when we returned the car. I am happy that we got it. We traveled through Tuscany and then down to Rome. Hope this helps. -Janice
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Jun 2nd, 2019, 11:58 AM
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re: tolls. "We paid toll by pre-paid Euro card. Made life easier."
Leely2, we purchased 2 foreign currency debit cards from Thomas Cook which are co branded Master cards. Loaded 1000 Euros each. Used them as debit cards. We didn't have to pay Euro conversion each time. We used these cards to manually pay at the toll booths.
There is also something called Telepass (yellow sign) and Carte( blue sign) lanes. Telepass is a sticker with a sensor on your windshield. Locals use it. I dont know if a touriat can purchase it. If you load it, how to get the refund? Paying by debit or credit cards is the best way. You may also pay by Banknotes..cash Euros.
Leely2, we purchased 2 foreign currency debit cards from Thomas Cook which are co branded Master cards. Loaded 1000 Euros each. Used them as debit cards. We didn't have to pay Euro conversion each time. We used these cards to manually pay at the toll booths.
There is also something called Telepass (yellow sign) and Carte( blue sign) lanes. Telepass is a sticker with a sensor on your windshield. Locals use it. I dont know if a touriat can purchase it. If you load it, how to get the refund? Paying by debit or credit cards is the best way. You may also pay by Banknotes..cash Euros.
Jun 2nd, 2019, 01:58 PM
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Not sure if your young ones will enjoy the dolomites, we visited on our own only after visiting other notable sites. Your route is difficult drive from Milan. we did it to Milan. Extremely busy route with trucks and aggressive drivers . Its main highway for Italy. Make certain you rent the most powerful car or you will get run over, no joke. Get the big car! If I could only choice the most phenomenal sites in the world, it would be Florence, Rome and Tuscany. Verona perhaps. but a smaller area will be more enjoyable and most likely more enjoyable.
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