Guest article, not written by Fedyan :)
First part about Croatia
As I already said, from Prague it's easy to reach northern Italy or Croatia by car.
Why go to Croatia is clear - for crystal clear sea, wild beaches and picturesque landscapes. But with Italy it's not all that simple.
Definitely not for the sea
Last year we (no, I don't have split personality, when I write "we", I mean myself and my companion) vacationed by the sea in Lignano Sabbiadoro in northern Italy. So there everything was wonderful, except the sea :)
In this part of Italy beaches are sandy. As a result, you can't see the bottom even if the depth is only half a meter. It's quite shallow here, which is a big plus if you're vacationing with a child. But for an adult not much swimming. You have to go very far from shore. But that's scary even for me. So we went to beaches near the city of Trieste. There they're rocky, and there's practically no people, mostly locals.
This year on the way from Croatia we stopped here again:
Getting to know a new culture
In short, since last year we've had mixed feelings about Italians. Now I can say one thing for sure - they're different. The funniest thing is that even Austrians who happened to be at the same table with us at a bar in Prague agree with me. Why?
First, there's a slightly different rhythm of life here. For example, restaurants work from 10 to 12:30, and then from 18:00 to 23:00. At the same time, if you think you'll be able to eat at six in the evening, you're a bit naive. If the restaurant opens at six, they start cooking around seven.
But while the pizzaiolo is lighting the oven you can always order so-called vino de la casa (like draft/house wine). They'll bring it to you in a carafe, and for a liter you'll pay only 9-10 euros. Such wine is usually very good, so in restaurants we never order wine in bottles.
What you can order in restaurants I won't even describe. Delicious pasta, cheesy pizza and intoxicating tiramisu... In short, I'm never this satisfied in Czech restaurants.
The Italians themselves talk a lot, or so it seemed to me. For example, we arrived at the hotel and were waiting to check in. The girl at reception was talking with other guests for... attention... 20 minutes. I can't even imagine what can be discussed for 20 minutes. The only thing I understood is that for every statement from your interlocutor you must respond: "Si, si, allora, si, si, allora!" :)
And last thing. Before the trip I advise learning a few Italian phrases, because English can of course help you, but it's not certain :)
Treviso
This year we decided to stay in the city of Treviso. This is what our room looked like:
Cozy, but nowhere really to put things :)
Well in general, this thing cost 240 euros for 3 nights.
The city itself is small. One day or even half will be enough to see it.
We stayed in Treviso specifically because from there it's easy to get to Venice. Train tickets can be bought at the machine at the station (a ticket for two round trip cost us 13 euros), main thing is don't forget to validate them. We get on the train and 30 minutes later we're in Venice. By the way trains here are quite comfortable. But on the way back from Venice they cranked the air conditioning so much that we just froze.
Venice
I personally really liked Venice. Before going there I was extremely skeptical. I heard many times that the canals there stink, that there's nothing to see there, etc. People, don't believe it. Venice is a must visit. Of course I'll add a couple photos below, but they still won't convey the sensations:
So, for those interested in whether the canals stink - no, they don't stink. The water of course isn't crystal clear, but the color is very beautiful - azure. I didn't quite understand what's up with the sewage system there, but apparently the water in the canals itself renews twice a day due to tides and ebbs. But still you can't swim there.
When we were going to Venice, I had the idea to ride public transport - boats running through the canals, like buses in other cities. But this pleasure is also not cheap. A public transport ticket costs 7.5 euros. How much it costs to ride a gondola I can't even imagine.
But here we tried for the first time the so-called "free" walking tour - Free Walking Tour, which exists in most European cities. Why do I say "so-called free"? Because you'll pay for it anyway. Of course, you'll determine the price yourself, but I don't think anyone leaves without paying. Because from the very beginning the guide will make it clear that they live off tours and any work should be paid for. We gave the guide 15 euros for two.
So with this guide we walked through a tiny piece of Venice. The only thing I remembered from her story is that the huge number of churches in Venice is due to the fact that initially, on each little island there was a village, which of course had to have its own church. And to get to the neighboring village, people jumped from boat to boat. In short, I can't say the tour was mega educational, but in principle, for the first two hours in Venice it was not bad.
Oh yes, the guide also complained a lot that due to the influx of tourists the quality of life for Venetians is deteriorating. For example, everyone buys cheap plastic Venetian masks. As a result, people who make real papier-mâché masks go bankrupt. Or good family restaurants close because tourists go to places where the menu is translated into all the world's languages, and supplemented with pictures.
Wineries
Last year's experience showed that it's just a great idea to go on vacation to Italy by car and buy wine for at least six months ahead :). Last year we brought back about twenty bottles, this year - we were slightly less lucky and now I'll tell you why.
We buy wine not in stores, but directly at wineries. Their location is almost impossible to find in Google. That is, we found something of course, but the bulk aren't in Google maps. The only way to buy wine at them is to get in the car, drive along some small road and look for signs with inscriptions vendetta vino, cantina, agroturism. Something like this:
So last year we drove on this highway and there were shitloads of cantinas:
This year we tried to find at least something on the Treviso - Trento route and didn't find much :(