Parking Meters

Why I love Italy

Posted on June 5, 2017 by georgefebish

This is a different VLOG for me. In this one I talk about the reasons I love Italy and give tips to both first time travelers to Italy well as experienced Italian travelers.

The video covers several sections:

  • Why I love Italy
  • Top Reasons I love Italy
  • Museums
  • What to do in Italy
  • Finding Places to Eat
  • The Metro (Subway)
  • Time to go
  • Hotels
  • Currency (Euros)
  • Airfares
  • Hopper App
  • Driving in Italy
  • Put Italy on your Bucket List

If Italy is not on your bucket list, it should be. Watch the video below and see why so many people love and go to Italy.

– George

Categories: Air Fares, Autostrada, Beach Resorts, Beaches, BLOG, Church, Cooking, Dolce, Dolce far niente, Driving in Italy, Duomo, Eating, Eating Italian, Espresso, Europe, Exchange Rates, Ferries, Flights, Food, Gelato, General Travel, Italian Facts, Italian language, Italy, Italy BLOGs, Metro Travel, Money, Museums, Parking Garage, Parking Meters, Passegiata, Pasta, Pastry, Pizza, Planning a vacation, Romance, Shopping, Small Towns, Towns, Trains, Travel Guides, Traveling without a tour, VLOG, Walking, Weather in Europe, Wine, YouTube | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pisciotta, Italy

Posted on March 27, 2017 by georgefebish

Pisciotta is a small mountain town in southern Campania. It is high above its marina on the sea. This town is very small but beautiful with only about 3,000 people living there. The views of the sea are amazing.We walked around this town from the main piazza up the many stairs to see the views. We were rewarded by discovering a wonderful restaurant with the most amazing views. The owner allowed us to come out on their balcony and photograph the sea. Later we returned for a magnificent romantic lunch. The people at the restaurant, I Tre Gufi (the three owls), were so friendly and the food and wine was delicious.

As we entered the town we found a parking garage but there were no ticket machines to pay for parking. We had to leave the garage and go to the main piazza to find a bar that sold parking tickets (biglietto). After placing the biglietto in the car we were free to explore. At lunch we realized our parking tickets were about to expire. As I prepared to go buy another ticket, a man told me not to worry, the police were eating lunch as well and would not be issuing parking tickets. Italy is all about basic human needs like food. We love it.

Click on the YouTube video below and walk around Pisciotta with us. If you enjoy it, LIKE and SUBSCRIBE on YouTube. Thank you…

– George

Categories: Bars, Beach Resorts, Beaches, BLOG, Campania, Driving in Italy, Europe, Food, General Travel, Italian Facts, Italy, Italy BLOGs, Mountain Towns, Mountains, Parking Garage, Parking Meters, Passegiata, Pisciotta, Ristorante, Romance, Small Towns, Tyrrhenian Sea, VLOG, Walking, Wine, YouTube | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Assisi and Saint Francis

Posted on June 16, 2015 by georgefebish

If you know the story of Saint Francis, he was a kind person that rejected his father’s riches and lived a simple life helping people and animals. He was ordained in a very small church outside of Assisi. Today a huge cathedral was built around it. Inside you can still see the original small church.

IMG_1597

Most visitors never see this church. They know the two-story cathedral in Assisi with the massive lawn in front.

IMG_1659

Assisi is built high on a mountain and this church is at one end overlooking the valley below. Saint Francis’ remains are in this church. Assisi is a typical small Italian town with lots of charm. It has the typical small streets and paths that turn into stairs … lots of stairs.

If you drive, there are several parking lots outside of town. We chose the central parking lot (nearest the main piazza). There are stairs up to the city. These are easy lots to get in and out of. Parking payment is at a machine in the garage. You get a ticket and leave it on your dashboard.

There are other churches and piazzas as well. One even had a merry-go-round.

IMG_1616

The streets and friendly people are a welcome to any visitor. Here you will see Franciscan Monks walking as well.

IMG_1633 IMG_1641 IMG_1644

While enjoying an afternoon wine and snack in a piazza, we saw a bride on the way to her wedding with mom & dad close by.

IMG_2426

Assisi is a tourist town but you can sit back, enjoy it and watch life go on around you. In Italy never miss these moments to stop being a tourist and observe life and fun around you. It’s there, you just have to look.

Tomorrow we are off to Cortona (Under the Tuscan Sun).

George & Jo Anne

 

Categories: Assisi, Driving in Italy, Europe, General Travel, Italy, Parking Garage, Parking Meters, Romance, Tuscany, Wine | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

How to Park your Car in Italy

Posted on October 1, 2014 by georgefebish

OK you have rented a car and now you enter a city. What are the parking rules? Many cities have free parking. Resorts and big cities require you to pay for parking. There are signs, like here, that give the hours (remember Europe is on military time so 1 means 1 am not pm. 1 pm is 13:00). Usually there are meters near where you park. They are easy to read and operate. They will say, for example, 1 E per ora (1 Euro per hour). Put in an amount and press the button (usually green) that says Biglietti or ticket). A ticket is printed that you put on your dashboard. Most of these cities have police that monitor the cars so don’t be late.

Some cities have parking garages without toll booths. In these cases there is usually a Tabacchi store (tobacco) or Bar near by that sells Parking Tickets (Posteggio Biglietti). You pay the person in the bar or store and get a ticket to display in your window. Some require you to fill-in information like start time and date. Once parked remember where your car is. Most smartphones have apps that remember where your car is but you have to set them at the car before leaving. You can also use your favorite map program to set a favorite location at the car. Then when you are on the other side of the city and lost, you can simply plot a walking course to the car. Remember to use walk mode not drive mode. Many Italian cities have one way streets and restricted driving zones. It may take a lot longer to walk the drive course than the walking one. Once back to your car you can delete the favorite from the map app. When we were in Rome we had this problem. I set the map to the place we wanted to go but forgot to press the walk button. The result was 5 miles. The route went out of old Rome and back in at another location. When I changed it to Walk mode, it was less than a mile.

Driving is a means of getting around. Use it to get to these wonderful small towns and then park the car and walk. Walking allows you to see everything and be part of the experience. Stop at a bar and enjoy something to eat and a coffee or a glass of wine. Enjoy it!

George & Jo Anne

 

 

Categories: Euro, Europe, Italy, Mountain Towns, Parking Garage, Parking Meters, Small Towns | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Blog at WordPress.com.

%d bloggers like this: