Journeywoman - Italy - Readers Tell Readers

In one of our newsletters we announced that we welcome members' female-friendly tips for our latest online cyberguide, GIRLTALK Italy. Your response was immediate and it was huge.

We now know that, without a doubt, Italy is one of your favorite destinations. Those who've been there enjoyed it so much that they can't wait to go again. Many other women wrote in to tell us that they are right in the midst of planning their dream Mediterranean holiday and can't wait to read other womens' tips.

Here is a sampling of the countless, helpful bits of advice we received. Don't fret if your contribution isn't here yet. These Journeywoman GIRLTALK guides are ever expanding -- works in progress -- we keep adding all the time.

Feel free to send your special tip -- tell us about your favorite Italian sightseeing secrets, restaurants, hotels, books, movies, safety tips, things that kiddies will enjoy, etc. Don't forget to include contact information for this advice so that others can easily make plans based on the data you provide. Also let us know your first name and the city you are writing from. We'd love to hear!

A tip about coffee...

Coffee in Italy is wonderfully strong, delicious espresso. Be aware, it costs much more to have a coffee sitting at a table rather than standing at the counter. I've learned, however, that IF the restaurant isn't busy, you can ask if you may sit AFTER you have ordered and paid. In my case, usually, the waiters said 'yes' to my request.
Heather, New Zealand

Ed. note: Thought you'd be interested in knowing a bit more about how to order your coffee in Italy...
Cafe coretto: espresso with a dash of spirit (often grappa).
Macchiato: espresso with a little milk.
Cafe Americano: weaker (than espresso) black coffee served in a large cup.
Latte macchiato: hot milk with a dash of espresso.
Cafe freddo: cold, black, sweetened coffee served in a long glass.
(Source: Fast facts, MetroToday)

Know before you go...

If you have the time or the inclination to click, click, click, please remember that every banner in this GirlTalk Italy Guide leads to a different woman-centered Italian adventure. There's walking tours in Rome, solo holidays to study Italian, cooking classes, biking and hiking trips, wine tasting excursions, trail riding in Tuscany, women's books, interesting travel products and lots more. As you visit each new page of our guide, glance up at the banner and if it interests you, we suggest you take a little side trip. It could be the first step to a wonderful journey!

Bonus tip ...

Looking for moderately priced Italian underwear in Rome? The cheapest underwear, believe it or not, is bought on the street at vendor's stalls -- an especially popular shopping place for this is Viale Trastevere. It's also available in the Sunday flea market at Porta Portese. Fun underwear tends to be expensive in stores. But there's a limitless number of underwear shops in Rome. Someone once told me that the only thing Rome has more of than churches is underwear stores. I guess we could say that there's underwear on every corner.
(Source: Laura Flusche, www.urban-iconography.org offering exciting women-friendly tour itineraries in Rome)