Last update: August 30, 2022
Welcome!
Forte dei Marmi & Firenze: Sept 23 - 30, 2022
Roma: Sept 30 - Oct 3, 2022
Bookmark this page ( www.divoradestinations.com/tuscanyrome2022 ) for future reference
Ciao friends!
Your adventure in Tuscany and Rome is about to come true! Thank you for choosing me as your trusted Italian Vacation Planner and Guide! I cannot wait to see you in Italy soon… And thank you for your patience navigating through these incredibly tough Pandemic times while sticking with me over these 2-3 years. We are FINALLY going to Italy!
Please read through our Tuscany & Rome Travel Guide (the pdf link is here) and keep it handy. Download and save it onto your phone so you may access it from Italy as well. It contains important information about your lodging addresses, various contact information, as well as general information about where we will be. This page is yours, and it is the digital (concise) version of the much more detailed pdf.
Keep in mind that these continue to be dynamic times, as and such, some of the activities/reservations may be changed or swapped around, depending on last minute changes imposed onto me. As of right now, this timeline is valid as listed WOOHOO!
GRAZIE!
See you soon!
~ Alice
Itinerary:
the calendar of events for tuscany & Rome is HERE!
Click this link to view the pdf. You should save the file to your phone for offline access
(It is tentative and may change… but just very very very slightly, if at all)
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:
* Order Euro currency at your local bank *
I recommend you order around 500EURO currency at your local bank. It takes a week or so for your bak to get it, make sure it's well before your departure date. Your bank will exchange your Dollars into Euro at the current rate with minimal to no surcharge. There are airport money exchange kiosks in Italy, but I don’t recommend them as their fees are high. You will need it for personal expenses, admission tickets, tipping your guides, drivers, servers and for your own meals and shopping. You can always use your bank card to take more cash our of a bank ATM while in Italy later on. Make sure you set a Travel Advisory up with your US bank.
* Your luggage should have room for an empty bag *
That’s right! I predict you’ll find gorgeous clothes, bags, items, food, olive oils, etc… along the way, that you will most likely want to bring back to the US with you. I always have a foldable duffle bag inside my actual luggage, so that I may return to Portland with twice as many clothes as I had on my way to Italy. Having no issue with luggage space, is key to a fabulous shopping spree in Rome! ;)
* Remember any medication you may need *
While we do have stocked pharmacies here in Italy, it is your responsibility to bring your prescription meds or even off the shelf ones such as allergy pills or Advil for your journey. Brand name differ here from the ones in the US (which may create confusion) and some of our off the shelf meds are prescription only here. So come prepared :)
TRAVEL INSURANCE:
* Please purchase Travel Insurance *
This is so very important and required as it covers any emergency expenses you might need while abroad. I am your organizer, but there is only so much I can do in case of major emergencies (or if airlines lose your luggage). In this Covid-19 day and age, it if your responsibility to be safe, wear a mask, be vaccinated and have a way to cover any emergency via your own travel insurance.
Use our Travel Insurance Comparison Tool, choose the coverage that best suits you, and click to purchase it. It is well worth it, and more affordable than you might think!
PHONE & INTERNET IN ITALY:
Please contact your mobile phone provider to activate an international plan for data and voice. AT&T, Verizon, TMobile, etc… all have a “travel to Italy” phone option. It is important that you can contact me anytime from anywhere, in case anything happens. Also, you will need Google Maps to navigate during your free time. So please get internet and phone on your mobile devices before traveling to Italy.
Please download WHATSAPP for all communication while abroad. This is the only reliable, efficient and free mode of communication among people outside of the USA. The app is free to download and use. Simply enter my number in a new message within WhatsApp, send it to me and we’ll be set! :) WhatsApp is great for free texting, video calls, voice calls, voice messages and group communication.
Dates in TUSCANY:
CHECK IN Forte dei Marmi: Sept 23, 2022 around 4pm
CHECK IN Firenze: Sept 26, 2022
CHECK IN Roma: Sept 30, 2022
ON INSTAGRAM:
As you document your adventure with us on your smartphone, please tag your images with your hashtag #Divora2022 and please link/tag @DivoraDestinations as well.
Your images will appear in the Instagram section below and we’ll be able to look each other’s images up via the hashtag, as a group! So fun!
LODGING INFORMATION IS DETAILED BELOW
GROUP TEXTING IN ROME:
* WhatsApp is the way to communicate abroad as a group
* Download the WHATSAPP app on your phone
* Enter my USA number in the app: (503) 989-8968
* Send me a WhatsApp message to confirm
MY CONTACT INFORMATION:
* My email address: Alice@DivoraDestinations.com
* My Italian mobile number (WHATSAPP) is: +39 333 7678 522
* The USA Embassy number is: +39 06 46741
* INSTAGAM: @DivoraDestinations
LODGING IN
FORTE DEI MARMI:
Address:
HOTEL ST MAURITIUS:
Via XX Settembre, 28, 55042 Forte dei Marmi
(Google Map Link for HOTEL ST MAURITIUS)
CHECK IN: September 23 (around 4:00pm)
LODGING IN
FIRENZE:
Address:
HOTEL LA SCALETTA:
Via de' Guicciardini, 13, 50125 Firenze
(Google Map Link for HOTEL LA SCALETTA)
CHECK IN: September 26 (around 4pm)
Archaeology, History & Activities
Forte dei Marmi:
Go shopping! Luxury stores abound here, with street side cafes for libations between Gucci, Prada, Versace and more ;) Lots of [beautiful] people watching too! We will move around by cruiser bikes, which is how forte visitors and locals alike move around
Beach time! This is where Italian (and foreign) VIPs come to rest and relax in the sun, sand and fresh clean Mediterranean air. Late September is the end of the beach season in Forte, which means we will be enjoying more peace and tranquillity than we would in full summer. Milder temperatures but sunny days (and fewer crowds renting the many beach clubs along the coast)
Wine and dine well in Forte’s many delicious privately owned restaurants along the beaches and in the village itself (fish is plentiful here, fresh and in season, from crudo (raw) to grilled lobsters and more)
Florence:
So much to see in Firenze on foot! The birthplace of the renaissance movement (and the house of designers such as Ferragamo), offers beautiful architecture, great dining, fabulous shipping (including vintage/used shops to rummage through), and incredible museums
Nearby (about one hour away by car) is the Chianti region with its castles and world renowned wines
The Mall is an actual outlet mall, well manicured and perfectly organized for us to enjoy for a few hours for when we want to fill up our suitcases with much less than retail priced high fashion garments
The viewpoint most famous among visitors is Piazzale Michelangelo which is high above the city (to the south) with sweeping views of Florence, the river Arno, the central Duomo and more… especially worth the walk to it run time for sunset!
Bistecca Fiorentina is the most well known and eaten dish here in Firenze, which is a per-pound bone in steak from a specific white cow that lives in the hills of Tuscany, flash cooked on very high flames in an open pit wood oven. Always served medium rare to rare
Rome:
The Eternal City is an open air museum. You don’t have to take any archaeological/historical tours with guides to be amazed at the layers of history and beauty here (just walk around and look!) :) Though I highly recommend guided hour or two tours with an expert guide for things like the Colosseum, the Vatican, the Domus Aurea, the Castel Sant’ Angelo, the Catacombs and more… so that you may learn lots of the history of each place
The most known typical foods of Rome are the “recent” dishes (from one hundred or so years ago) known the world over: Carbonara, Cacio e Pepe, Amatriciana and Gricia… But Roma has so much more culinary delight to offer! We are known for our “poor man’s food cuisine” which utilizes (since Roman times), ox tails, tripe, tongue and other not so fancy meats. We have grown to perfect cooking them into delicious typical Roman dishes which you are welcome to try :)
Rome’s wine region is a 20 minute train ride to the east called Castelli Romani (with the main village on the hill called Frascati). Ancient Romans have been growing Cesanese grapes here and have been making wine (for 2000+ years). We will be enjoying a cooking class here AND the family’s wine too
Follow us and contribute
to our Instagram @DivoraDESTINATIONS
Use hashtag #Divora2022 to see the images collected below!
US EMBASSY CONSULATE CONTACT INFORMATION:
* The US has its main Embassy in Rome:
Mailing address: Consular Section (ACS) via Sallustiana 49 – 00187 Roma
Physical address: Via Vittorio Veneto, 121 – 00187 Roma
Telephone (switchboard): (+39) 06-46741
U.S. Citizen Services:
Emergency Services Monday through Friday 8:30am – 12:00pm (walk-in)
For general inquiries, please e-mail: uscitizensrome@state.gov or fax (+39) 06-4674-2244
Itinerary:
Download the Sicily Travel Guide here!
Click this link to view the pdf. You should save the file to your phone for offline access
(It is tentative and may change… but just very very very slightly, if at all)