TRAVEL TIPS FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS

Dear guest, we want you to have a great holiday.  Here are our family's suggestions for a carefree visit...

Keeping in Touch. Villa Aquilea has telephones for local and international calls.  We’ll also provide you two cellular/mobile phones to use so your group can keep in touch as you travel through Tuscany.  After you book, we’ll send you the phone numbers at which your friends and family can reach you. To call Italian phone numbers from the U.S. or Canada, dial 011, then 39 (Italy’s country code), then the number.  Italian phone numbers can start with any digit, including zero.  And they can be any length, too.

The villa has a computer with always-on ADSL modem so you can send/receive emails and use the internet as much as you like.  Also, the villa has a Wi-Fi wireless internet network, so if you bring your laptop computer you can log onto the internet.

Passports. Don’t forget that Italy requires a valid, unexpired passport for everyone traveling, including children.  If you have a U.S. passport, you do not need a visa for a short visit to Italy. 

Money. Italy uses the euro.  The exchange rate varies, and in recent months has been about 1 euro = U.S. $1.45.  Many U.S. and English banks will sell euros, and you might want to buy a few euros before you leave. 

Once in Italy, the simplest way to obtain euros is to withdraw them directly from your home account with your ATM card and password at an ATM machine.  These machines, labeled “Bancomat” in Italy, are located all over Italy (including in the Pisa and Florence airports and near Villa Aquilea).  ATM machines give the absolute best exchange rate and the withdrawal fees are minor compared with exchanging at a bank -- the only limit being about a 250 euro daily withdrawal limit. 

Credit cards are also useful and generally accepted in Italy (except for small purchases at bars/restaurants and at open air markets) and credit card companies give outstanding exchange rates.  Before you leave, we recommend calling your credit card company with your travel dates so they don't block the card when they see charges from Italy.

We recommend packing a separate sheet of paper with your credit card and ATM card information and customer service numbers, in case the cards get lost.  Also bring a photocopy of the first pages of all passports.

We don't recommend bringing a lot of cash to exchange for euros because exchanging it is usually inconvenient and expensive – waiting in a slow line at a currency exchange or a bank where they charge high fees and give poor exchange rates. 

Most guests find that traveler’s checks are also inconvenient and expensive, because many Italian businesses are confused by them, and exchanging them at a bank usually means a long line, high fees, and a poor exchange rate.

Jet Lag and Traveling with Young Children. If coming from the U.S. or Canada, adults generally find the transition easy, but younger children need two or three days to adjust to the time difference, since Italy is 6-9 hours ahead of North America.  People expend a lot of money and effort to get here, and it can be frustrating when the children fall asleep at 2:00 in the afternoon, and you’re just ready to explore the town.  We suggest acclimating beforehand, by waking the children an hour earlier, each day, for four days before your departure. This four-hour difference will eliminate almost all the jet lag. 

If traveling with an infant, you might want to pick an airline which offers a bassinette seat — a small cradle-like bed which attaches on the bulkhead. For toddlers, bring the car seat on the plane with the carry-on luggage since toddlers sleep better in their own seats.  We suggest wrapping little surprises to reward children as you get through travel stress points - alittle bribery works wonders. Wrap candy, play dough, coloring books, playing cards — things they can use on the plane.

Electrical Current. Villa Aquilea has two fully equipped kitchens, hairdryers in every bathroom, and irons.  If you need to bring other electrical appliances, make sure they support the 220 volt system used in Italy, as well as the unique shape of the Italian wall plug.  The villa has a 50watt transformer with American plug inlet, which works fine for small appliances like electric shavers.  Otherwise, transformers (to change 110 volts to the 220 volts used in Europe) and converters (to convert plugs to the shape that fits Italian wall outlets) are sold at travel stores.  Most laptop computers can already support 220 volts without need of a transformer.

SEE YOU SOON IN TUSCANY ITALY!