I'm going to be in Italy next month, and I want to visit the towns my grandparents came from, which are both in the Abruzzo region: Bugnara and Giulianova. Hopefully our resident Italian PDMLers can help me with these questions about the region:
- I'm hoping I can travel around Abruzzo by train and/or bus rather than rent a car. Is this feasible? I normally use Google Maps for getting around, but it doesn't show mass transit options in Italy and I'm not sure where to look for accurate maps and timetables. - How difficult is it to find hostels in the cities and towns of Abruzzo? - My parents visited the region a couple decades ago and said there was a big problem with pickpocketing and bag slashing. Is this still the case? What can I do to protect myself and my belongings? - My parents knew some Italian and were able to converse with people when necessary. I don't know any Italian. Will this be a big problem? I know a little Spanish, but I doubt that will help at all... - I'm told I have distant cousins in Giulianova and Bugnara, but none of them speak English. Would it be worth trying to meet them, or would it just be awkward because of the language barrier? - What are some hidden gems to see in Abruzzo? I'm thinking churches/cathedrals, museums, historical sites, beautiful landscapes, local landmarks, bars/restaurants, and other things like those. My itinerary starts in Milan, and then I'm probably going to go to Venice and Florence for a couple days each before heading south. After Abruzzo I'll head to Rome to fly home. Grazie, John -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
