Pandemic might not be over, but with travel back in action and some semblance of normalcy returning, it’s about time we can eat, ‘gram, shop like it’s 2019. One of my favourite countries to visit since I was a teen, Italy has a ton of great destinations to visit over and over again. From Milan to Capri, the boot shaped nation has a lot to offer with its diverse food, shopping, culture and landscape.
As the first destination I went to last year, I felt compelled to return again in May, where I’ve learned more new tips and tricks that can help you make the most out of your wallet and time.
Who knew that POSB, DBS and AmEx can help you make a booking for your hotel and flights? Rather than pay full price, you can get a better rate with your credit card company for flights and hotel stays.
If you are a POSB/DBS member, you can use Agoda to help you secure a booking at the hotel of your choice for up to 20 per cent off. But, the deal only works if you are staying in Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence and Naples. If you want to save money for the flight and hotel stay, you can also take Agoda’s bundle deal.
Shall you need travel insurance, POSB offers TravellerShield. It provides coverage for covid, pre-existing medical issues, medical expenses (during the journey and after you return to SG), journey cancellation and loss/damage to personal property. If you want complimentary travel insurance with covid coverage, DBS offers it.
If you are an AmEx member, you have more options for destinations. AmEx’s Fine Hotels + Resorts page allows you to make bookings in Capri, Taormina, Tuscany, Portofino, Sorrento, Siena, Ravello, Porto Cervo, Ischia and Capri. If you have points, you can use it to pay for your hotel stay, car rental, vacation package or flight. The best benefit is that you can gain insurance with your PPS Club, PPS Solitaire, KrisFlyer Ascend and KrisFlyer cards.
In Italy, Visa, AmEx and Mastercard are accepted. But based on my experience, AmEx is the best as there are no limits compared to Visa, which has a spending limit. In addition, I was able to obtain more points with AmEx compared to Mastercard and Visa.
Remember how Anna Delvey hustled her way to NYC? She counted on concierge girl Neff Davis to help her book reservations at the hottest restaurants in NYC. While scamming isn’t chic, channel your inner Anna by corresponding with the hotel’s concierge to help you secure reservations. From restaurants to museums, you have to make advanced bookings as waiting in line anywhere is worse than the waitlist at Burnt Ends.
Although being at your beck and call is their job, the hotel’s concierge will do anything to help you get what you need. The concierge will also help you secure a boat, car or bus if you need to get around for a day trip. What’s great about the hotel’s concierge is that you aren’t being charged for using their services.
Since Italy gets booked up quickly, I advise that you liaise with your hotel’s concierge to book the hotspots months in advance. Before I arrived to Praiano in May, I asked Casa Angelina’s (where my I and my family were staying) concierge to help me secure hard to book Positano hotspots as early as February. Thanks to them, I was able to secure a table at La Sponda in Le Sirenuse, where you could see the view of Positano from the hotel. Perhaps the most difficult one to secure was Da Adolfo, a seafood restaurant by the beach, since the owner lives off the grid at sea.
If you wish to use a concierge service, you can use AmEx’ concierge (if you are an AmEx premium card member). Their concierge services are for travel, hotel, medicine, lifestyle and shopping. Extra benefits are extended if you have senior citizen family members and/or pets as AmEx will provide care for them.
For non-AmEx members, Carli & Co. is best known for customised itineraries. Founded by Michelle Carli, her company organises tours (for tastings and museum attractions), excursions, city walking tours, etc. If you need extra help on where to shop, Carli & Co. will also gives you great shopping locations.
The further south you go in Italy, the less you need a plane or car. The preferred method to get around the Amalfi Coast is by boat. Since this is peak season, my top tip if you’re on a budget is to stay in places that are nearby Capri and/or Positano, where you can book a boat to get there. While boats are an efficient method, the only con is that you have a limited period of time if you are in Capri as you are only given eight hours to stay in the island. If you choose to stay in Capri, you can also book a boat to take a day trip to Positano, Sardinia, Ravello or Sorrento.
If you have to book a boat, my dad and I selected Samima Charters, which toured in Capri to Amalfi Coast. Since I stayed on the Amalfi Coast, we booked the boat to go to Capri at 9 a.m. and leave at 5 p.m. But if you must use a night boat to see the sunset, Amalfi Mare will help you check off your bucket list with a Capri sunset tour. Prices are not listed upfront as the companies prefer you to e-mail them in advance so that you can pay the quote via PayPal.
If you get seasick, you can enjoy a nice road trip with scenic views. Services that offer car rental are Avis, Hertz or Europcar. Though rental is perfect for day trips, you have to pay a hefty price for insurance. If you struggle to speak Italian, the hotel’s concierge can help you secure a car rental via one of the aforementioned companies. In this case, my family and I rented an Audi A8 for our Lake Como stay as we wanted to see Villa del Balbianello, Villa Carlotta and Como. Thankfully, Villa d’Este’s magnificent concierge helped us secure our rental car with Europcar when we arrived. However, we ended up having to pay approximately $1.5K SGD for two days.
Although driving around the narrow streets of Lake Como was hell, it was truly worth the money as we managed to see Como, Villa del Balbianello and Villa Carlotta within three days!
As the land of olive oil, wine and balsamic vinegar, nothing beats the motherland. Whenever you go to grocery stores, some prices are just too high for your liking. Rather than spending more money at the store, you can visit a farm and do a tasting at the factory.
After we went outlet shopping at The Mall, my family and I went to Tenuta Casanova, an 800-year-old farm and vineyard in Chianti for lunch. Famous for their organic wines, Tenuta Casanova served us prosecco, white and red wines paired with bite-sized portions of bread and pasta. I loved the taste and freshness of the organic wine that I wanted to buy a bottle on the spot, but it was too troublesome for me to haul it back to Singapore.
If you are on the hunt for great balsamic vinegar, stop by Modena. As the go-to area of vinegar, Modena has great balsamic vinegar factories where you can visit. We went to Acetaia Malpighi, where we tried vinegars aged 5 to 150. Though it was close to closing time, the sales associate was graceful and attentive to our needs. After spending an hour, we walked out with a box of balsamic vinegar.
Capri is Italy’s answer to Bali, where you can eat, party and shop. When I was in Capri, I never thought that I’d go shopping. But when my dad explored some shops, he told me that some stores have a “Capri special”, the local lingo for exclusive items only sold on the island. Since certain goods are not sold in Milan or any other part of Italy, I knew that it was my chance to test this concept.
An escape from the crowds and sweltering heat, I went inside a GCDS store at the Piazzetta. In the shop, there was an array of Euphoria-friendly two pieces, snakeskin print tops, Greek Key swimsuits, logo printed activewear from their Wolford collab and slinky party dresses. I asked the sales team which pieces were Capri exclusives. They recommended that I try on the Greek Key one piece, bikini, gold lurex knit dress and slinky white chain strap party dress.
Out of all the pieces I tried on, I only walked out with a Greek Key one piece. As much as I wanted to cop all Capri exclusives, I felt that they were meant to be worn on the island only. At least it was a souvenir that wasn’t problematic (*cough* Italian Blackamoor ceramic figurines) or cliché ( *eye roll* lemon themed jugs). But if you are unable to fly to Capri, GCDS has its Capri selections for you online!
Tax refund is a nightmare dressed like a daydream. With long queues often lasting for an hour at the airport, it’s no fun when you have to miss out on duty free shopping. Instead of queuing at the airport, you can get your cash and/or credit card refund earlier by going to a Global Blue Lounge if you’re in Rome or Milan. The CS at Global Blue will help you to double check your tax free form as stores with non-English speaking employees are bound to make errors. If the form is correct, you will receive your cash and credit card refund on the spot.
If you are in a city that doesn’t have a Global Blue Lounge, you can get a porter to help you process the Global Blue forms at the counter in the airport.
Watch out, Bicester: a new shopping outlet is ready to take over. Located in Leccio, The Mall is a designer outlet for Loro Piana, GCDS, TOD’S, Versace, Tom Ford, Roberto Cavalli, Prada, etc. If you missed your chance to buy something you really wanted years ago, your prayers will be answered at The Mall. With great prices and service, The Mall is a perfect day trip if you need to burn some extra cardio. Approximately an hour away from Florence, Leccio is a great excuse to rest your eyes from looking at art all day.
Another outlet in Italy that’s highly recommended is Serravalle Designer Outlet, an hour away from Milan. If you are into streetwear, you can find some gems at Diesel, Off-White and Nike. If you want some designer gear, Givenchy and Gucci are highly recommended by the outlet’s website. Trust me, you will never regret taking that day trip away from the hustle and bustle of Milan.
If you want to save more money, both outlets can give you tax free forms. If you want to get your tax refund immediately, Serravalle has a Global Blue office that can help you fulfill that.
If you’re on a gluten-free diet, going senza glutine in the land of pasta is not as difficult as it was before. While some restaurants don’t have gluten-free options, the majority have gluten-free options. Although gluten-free pasta isn’t always the tastiest nor bounciest, you’ll be surprised to see how it’ll taste like the real thing!
In Milan, you can visit Bice and Bistrò (where you can order pumpkin ravioli) for wheat-free pastas. Shall you need to go on a hunt for gluten-free goodies, go to Villa Dalla Spiga, where it’s run by the same people who founded Bistrò. Run to Eataly if you want some gluten-free biscotti and biscuits (like yours truly).
In Florence, Ristorante Quinoa has all things gluten-free and you can get your vegan fix, too. Shall you cave into your carbo loading fixation, head down to Trattoria da Garbardi, where its gluten-free menu has an array of pizzas and bread (including fried pizza dough). Shall you find some wheat-free pastries for breakfast, head down to Bottega Aritgiana.
In Positano, I had some luck with finding great gluten-free spots after walking up the city’s famous hill. Italy’s version of Open Farm Community, Casa e Bottega specialises in mouth-watering juices and gluten-free desserts. If you want a nice casual brunch or lunch, head to Ohimà, where its menu will indicate gluten-free (and dairy-free) options. If you want to have a five star dinner with a view and have tummy-friendly pasta, La Sponda will make it gluten-free for you.
With the rise of vegan diets, you can also stumble upon vegan food in Italy – mainly in Milan. Though the majority of the country is not gluten-free, vegan iterations of the classics (think croissants) are becoming more common across cafés and restaurants. Even stores like Venchi offer vegan gelato for the lactose intolerant. Like #10, don’t be afraid to ask your waiter for vegan or vegetarian options.
If you want vegan options, there are plenty in Rome. For breakfast, there is Col Cavolo, a 10-minute walk near the Villa Borghese. If you want tummy-friendly desserts, Grezzo Raw Chocolate is the best place for gelato, superfood energy balls, cookies, and spreads. If you want the full vegan Italian experience, go to Rifugio Romano. The restaurant’s main specialty dish is the dairy-free cacio e pepe.
Compared to Rome, Milan also has vegan and vegetarian options. If you need to take a break from pasta and pizza, you can treat yourself to a burger craving at Flower Burger. Over there, you can find vegan patties, and dairy and egg-free sauces that will be kind to your tummy. The best thing about Flower Burger is that the ingredients are broken down for you online and there are zero harmful ingredients (compared to most fake meats). If you are not ready to give up the pastries, stop by Bar Mirabello for a vegan croissant. Last but not least, treat yourself to almond milk coffee at Four Season’s Zelo.