When you're talking about visiting Venice, it's tempting to focus on its world famous canals. It's easy to understand why. From the birthplace of a pope, to the homes of Richard Wagner and Lord Byron, from the fictional homes of Othello and Desdemona, to Harry's Bar (and the invention of the Bellini) - just one gondola ride down the Grand Canal has enough historic star power for a lifetime.

But no trip to Venice is truly complete without a visit to the tiny and beautiful lagoon islands.

Venice sits on a kind of archipelago, made up of many small islets, jutting into what's known as the Venetian lagoon. The city of Venice is the largest settlement, but there are nearby islands, such as Murano, Burano, San Michele and Torcello, which are well worth experiencing.

Quiet canal on the small island of Burano

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For centuries, Murano has been the home of the world's best in stunning glassware. Burano is famous for its colorfully painted houses. San Michele is the final resting place of many famous names, and Torcello offers a once-in-a-lifetime look into the city's past. Each island can be reached by waterbus, or vaporetto, and is just a short ride from Venice.

Murano

Murano is famous for blown glass

Murano is known as the "glass island", because of its centuries-old glass production. The glass produced here is colorful and exquisite, and has been sought after around the world since the ninth century.

When you visit Murano, you can see the famous glass kilns lined up, and several are open to the public, so you can walk in and watch glass blowers creating their art. One of the oldest glassworks is Venini, whose works can be seen in museums around the world. If you want to learn more about the venerable tradition and see some wonderful historic pieces, check out the Glass Museum. Of course, no visit would be complete without out picking up a few stunning souvenirs of your own!

Burano
While Murano built an international reputation for its glass-making, neighboring Burano is famous for its lace work. The delicate pieces of art have been made here since the sixteenth century, and of course, there is a Lace Museum to find out how it's done. Burano is the prettiest of the lagoon islands, with all of its houses painted in vibrant blues, yellows, purples and greens. Make sure to visit a bakery and sample the local bussolai burnanelli, light and delicious round butter biscuits.

Small shrine on Torcello

Torcello
Torcello has an altogether different feel. In the 10th century, nearly 10,000 people lived and worked on the island. Today, it's home to only 20 people, but the ruins of the old buildings, churches and homes are still there, crumbling and overgrown. Its unique charm attracted Ernest Hemingway in the 1940s, and you can still have dinner at his favorite restaurant, Locanda Cipriani.

San Michele
San Michele also offers an interesting glimpse into the region's past. As you walk through the walled cemetery, you can see the graves of Igor Stravinsky and Ezra Pound, among thousands of others.

For centuries, Venice has attracted visitors from around the world with its unique architecture and city planning. When it's your turn to experience this incredible city, make sure to look past the obvious, and take the time to visit the lagoon islands for a truly wonderful glimpse into the region's varied and picturesque past.

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When you're planning your trip to Venice, you also need to decide what to take. Check out Adventurous Wench for an extensive selection of travel clothing, travel purses, travel accessories and more.
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As a frequent traveler, I've made just about all the mistakes a traveler can make. I've taken too much luggage and I've taken too little. I've been bored out of my wits with nothing to do while waiting for a plane or a bus. I've been pickpocketed because of my own stupidity, and I've even been stuck in a 3rd world country without a passport or money.

However, I've learned from my mistakes and now enjoy relatively smooth and hassle-free travel experiences. Spare yourself some of the traveler's learning curve while I share with you my 3 favorite travel accessories.

1. Money and Documents - Play It Safe

Number One on my list of favorite travel accessories is actually more of a necessity than an accessory. I always take an extra credit card or other cash withdrawal card. This can be in the form of a prepaid credit card, a credit card or any other form of plastic card. The important thing is that it works at an ATM or inside a bank, anywhere in the world.

Bad stuff happens. There are pickpockets in every interesting location in the world, including St. Peter's Basilica. ATMs eat credit cards for no particular reason. Wallets fall out of pockets when you're trekking. Purses get left behind at nightclubs at 3am when you've had a few too many. The list of possible mishaps is virtually endless.

Money pouches

It is simply foolhardy not to have at least one extra source of cash somewhere else besides on your person when you're traveling. I learned this the hard way a long time ago. More recently, when an ATM took my credit card and the bank manager wouldn't give it back to me until he got the OK from my bank by mail, it was a nuisance, but not a nightmare. I simply went back to my hotel room, got my credit card out of the safe and got a cash advance to tide me over until my debit card was replaced. It's not exactly an accessory, but while we're on the subject, I also carry a photocopy of my passport with me and stash the original in my hotel safe.

Whatever you do, never carry your passport, credit cards and cash all together. Split them up in different locations, so that even if one is lost or stolen, you've got a backup. You can carry enough money for the day in your wallet, and keep more in one of those nifty money belts, or money pouches that hang around your neck, hidden under your clothes. And when you're staying put in a city, it's good to use the hotel safe for valuables.

2. MP3 Player

Music to go

Now that we've got the most important stuff out of the way, we can move on to Number Two on my list of favorite travel accessories. MP3 players have to be the best invention ever. They are light and compact and hold tons of music, audio books, or videos.

Personally, I find it appalling to see people wandering around the Sistine Chapel bobbing their heads to music when they should be absorbing all the marvelous sights before them. However, there are many times when music is not only appropriate, but therapeutic - like when your flight has been delayed for 8 hours and you're stuck in an airport, or when your bus breaks down halfway along the Amalfi coast - beautiful scenery, but stuck none the less.

You can get even more mileage out of your iPod(r) or other MP3 player if you've got noise reduction headphones (perfect for listening on a noisy airplane), or miniature speakers (for tunes in your hotel room).

3. E-Reader

Books to go

Number Three on my list of favorite accessories is another technological wonder - the E-reader. Years ago, I would have said, "a good book." As a book lover, I love everything about "real" books, but as a reader, I love the portability of being able to carry the equivalent of dozens of books with me, all in one pocket-sized device. I finally purchased one just to take with me on my travels and I'm glad I did.  The Kindle is a well-known model, and there are others available as well.

There are plenty of other things I take with me when I travel, but without an extra credit card, an MP3 player and an E-reader, I feel somewhat bereft. If there's one thing that's missing from my list, it's my digital camera, but I consider that to be practically part of my body. If it's an accessory to you, then definitely put it on your list. Happy traveling!

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Having the right travel accessories for your trip to Italy can make your travels go a whole lot easier! You can find a good selection at www.AdventurousWench.com
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For those of you who are planning an exciting vacation to beautiful Italy, here's a tip - think about renting a timeshare from an owner. Maybe you'll be visiting Rome, or Tuscany - whatever your travel plans, check out timeshare rentals that have been listed by their owners on RedWeek.com.

Why a timeshare instead of a hotel? First, a timeshare rental is often up to 50% cheaper than a hotel, on a per person basis. So, immediately you'll notice that it's a great deal for any budget-minded traveler, and in this day and age who isn't?

Even in a city like Florence, timeshares are available

Second is the issue of space. You can stay in a small, cramped hotel room, or you can relax in spacious accommodations that include real bedrooms, a living room, a dining area, and a fully-equipped kitchen. If you're traveling with children, having a separate bedroom allows you to put them to bed while the rest of you stay up to watch television, play games or visit.

Also with separate bedrooms, if you are traveling with another couple (a great way to split the cost and save even more on your accommodations), everyone is free to retire for the night or stay up, knowing no one else will be disturbed.

The kitchen is a major money saver. You won't have to budget for eating every meal out in a cafe or restaurant. If you have children, the kitchen makes it convenient to feed those constantly hungry youngsters. It's easy to prepare as many meals as you want in your timeshare, especially with the abundance of fresh produce, fish, breads, and delicious cheeses available at the many outdoor markets throughout Italy. Then treat yourselves to a special meal at a special restaurant, knowing you can really afford it.

Staying in a timeshare rental is budget-friendly, convenient, and allows you all to relax in a home-like atmosphere, while you still get all of the services of a hotel such as management on duty, maintenance available, housekeeping and a concierge. You can't beat timeshare rentals as the best way to vacation, and once you try it you'll be hooked!

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This is a guest post by Joann Whetstine, who showed me just how many timeshare options there are available in Italy.  If you've got a travel tip for Italy you'd like to share with our readers, please contact us to discuss guest blogging opportunities.
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If you're planning a trip to Florence, you're probably wondering when is be the best time to go. After all, you don't want to arrive there when it's cold and raining, if you were hoping to spend your time lingering outside at the sidewalk cafes. So here's a guide to when it's the best time to visit Florence!

Summer

A lot of tourists choose summer (June-August) for their vacation trip to Florence, and if you have to plan around school vacation schedules, you might not have much leeway in this choice. If your time is more flexible, though, there are some downsides to summer that you'll want to consider. Weather-wise this time of year can be hot (up in the 90s Fahrenheit), and it often gets quite humid in Florence, too. Florence is also the most crowded with tourists in the summer. So if you love hot weather, and don't mind crowds, going to Florence in the summer may be right for you.

Summer crowd outside the duomo in Florence

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Autumn

Autumn (September-October) is a very pleasant time to visit Florence. There are less crowds than in the summer, and the weather isn't too cold (think 68F in mid-October). Autumn is a great time to see the deciduous trees turning color, so if you love nature's different seasons and fall color, then autumn may be one of the best times for you to visit Florence. If you're interested in wine and plan to tour the Chianti wine area around Florence, you might be able to see some harvesting in the fall, too.

Winter

Winter (November-February) can be chilly. It's often rainy, and there is an occasional chance of snow (unlikely but possible). Winter temperatures average about 50F in January. If you're mostly interested in indoor pursuits, however, you'll find the museums nicely uncrowded this time of year - a world of difference from the summertime! Because there are so few tourists, you'll also get to feel a bit more of the real local scene, rather than finding all the streets and restaurants crowded with international vacationers.

Spring

Spring (March-May) is a lovely season to visit. The weather is nice, but not too hot - averaging around 70F in April. Quite a few other people are catching on to the spring option, so the tourists are starting to arrive, though it won't be quite as crowded as it is in summer. It's a good time if you want to see flowers blooming, perhaps taking a stroll in the Boboli Garden.

Flowers in the Boboli Gardens, Florence

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Attractions

One of the most important tips for any tourist is to do your research in advance, and decide what attractions are on your must see list. Then you can check the website for those attractions. Find out the schedule for your "must see sights", and make sure whether they are closed at some times of year. It's possible for museums or restaurants to close down in January, or over Christmas, Easter, or other major holidays. By identifying the places most important to you, you can make sure you don't run into this disappointment. Spending Christmas in Italy could be a memorable and wonderful vacation, indeed! Just make sure you know what will or won't be open for you before you book the tickets.

Festivals

If you're interested in seeing something special, beyond the typical attractions that are there all year, you might want to consider visiting Florence during one of the festivals. A few of the main festivals are:

- Festival of St. John - June 24
- Explosion of the Cart festival - Easter Sunday
- Florence music festival - Spread over 2 months in the summer
- Paper lantern festival - First week in September
- Florence antique festival - Sept-Oct, every other year

If you want to venture out of town a bit, there are also some very cool festivals in smaller towns near Florence, like the Infiorata (Flower Festival) in Pienza.

Planning your trip to Florence

Here's our recommended plan of attack for figuring out when is the best time to go to Florence:

- Is a particular festival very important to you? If so, plan around that.
- Are you tied to a particular season for school or work schedule reasons? If not, use the season overviews above to narrow down to an approximate window.
- Fine tune your trip dates based on knowing any closure dates for attractions you really care about, and any less important festivals that would be fun to see.

Of course, if you're visiting other cities on the same Italian vacation, then you'll want to do the same kind of process for them, so you can optimize all the locations you'll visit.

And now, you're ready to start planning your trip to Florence, Italy!

When you are traveling to Italy, time changes.  Of course, there's a change of time zones, which is considerable if you're coming from North America.  There are also subtle adjustments regarding the lifestyle of Italians and how they regard time on a daily basis. Italy conducts business in a different way than North America and it can take some time to get used to.

Historic clock on a beautiful evening

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Daily:

Italy runs on a 24-hour clock. To calculate, you add 12 hours to anything after noon.  Similar to military time, 5:00pm thus reads as 1700 hours. It's good to get comfortable with this, since you'll see or hear this everywhere - train schedules, shop closing times, restaurant reservations, or conversing with locals.

Hours of operation will vary by the business, but here are some fairly typical guidelines.  Offices and banks open for the day at 8:30am, while most stores open about 9:00am. Many businesses will close for a late lunch/siesta break about 1pm (1300), or 130pm (1330), and then reopen around 3-4pm.  Offices and banks are open Monday to Friday, while stores are open Monday through Saturday.

Weekly:

Except for holidays and typical festivals, Sundays are the only day that most shops are closed. The Italian week begins with Monday unlike in North America where it is Sunday. Learning the days of the week in Italian are helpful when talking to residents, or reading signs in the window of a shop or restaurant. The days of the week are not capitalized in Italian and are as follows:

• lunedi – Monday
• martedi – Tuesday
• mercoledi – Wednesday
• giovedi – Thursday
• venerdi – Friday
• sabato – Saturday
• domenica – Sunday

Months & Seasons:

The weather in Italy is quite diverse depending on the season and where you are in the country. If you are visiting during the winter season (l’inverno), you can experience ice storms and below freezing weather mostly in the southern region. Many tourists and residents alike will go to the Alps for their winter vacations. Spring (la primavera) in Italy is remarkably beautiful and there is even an Italian pasta dish that carries the name of spring due to its seasonal fresh vegetables (pasta primavera).

Summer (l’estate) in Italy can be remarkably hot no matter where you are in the country. Many residents will take the entire month of August off in order to try and find cooler places to be such as the local beaches or mountains.Autumn (l’autunno) is a fantastic time to visit Italy when the harvesting season is in full swing for the grapes and olives. Autumn is a low tourist season and yet, one of the most beautiful times to visit.

The months of the year are not capitalized in Italian either. Close to standardized English, it is very easy for a tourist to learn the names in Italian and is listed as follows:

• gennaio – January
• febbraio – February
• marzo – March
• aprile – April
• maggio – May
• giugno – June
• luglio – July
• agosto – August
• settembre – September
• ottobre – October
• novembre – November
• dicembre – December

November, December and January are low tourist seasons due to the cooler temperatures and the rainy season in many areas. January can bring freezing cold temperatures that are not desirable for traveling around Italy and sightseeing as you would during the spring or autumn months. If you are traveling on a budget, these times would be the cheapest for travel, except during the week before and after the Christmas holidays.

No matter what time of the year that you decide to travel to Italy, you will want to check out the festivals, holidays and local events of the region where you are going, so you know what to expect when you arrive. Most major cities are focused around tourism and you won’t have many problems finding places to shop or eat in major centers, even on major holidays.  But if you plan on venturing off the beaten track, then an unexpected holiday during your stay could impact your ability to see or do what you want.

For a great translation reference, either English to Italian or vice versa, check out WordReference.

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Get ready for your trip to Italy with the best travel clothes for men, and the best travel accessories for women too. Then pack your bags, and enjoy the trip!
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Your trip to Italy will go a lot easier if you've got your travel plans figured out ahead of time.  Unplanned travel in a foreign country can end up being difficult, and could provide unfavorable results if you are not able to experience things as you would have liked.  Here are some tips on Italy travel - getting there, and getting around once you're in Italy.

Getting To Italy:

There are a few ways to reach Italy, so it will depend on where you live. For those who live overseas, you have the option to fly by a commercial airline or arrive by cruise ship. Visitors who live in Europe can reach Italy by train that can be another option besides flying.

• Flying into Italy is by far the most common way to reach the destination of your choice. In order to book your flight into Italy you can use a travel agent or search for flights online through a trip planning website such as www.kayak.com. Not only can you search for flights one-way or return, but you can also coordinate hotel availability for the duration of your stay. Most overseas flights into Italy are overnight trips; so planning ahead is essential if you need to arrive into Italy on a designated day.
• Another way to reach Italy from North America is by cruise ship. Although this takes a lot of time that you could otherwise spend touring Italy, it is a glorious trip with stops to some major ports for the tourist attractions.
• For those who are already in Europe, traveling to Italy by train is a great way to experience the countryside. This is an extremely flexible option for those who want to visit some major destinations within a set amount of time and want to avoid all that goes along with driving in another country such as renting a car, paying gas and mileage, as well as parking when you reach the cities you want to visit. You can purchase 1st or 2nd class tickets on most lines.  Information on tickets, lines, and times, is available at the Trenitalia web site.

Getting Around Italy:

Once you have reached Italy, there will be much to explore and experience. In order to make good use of your time while there, take some time beforehand to plan how you'll get around in Italy.

• Renting a car is a popular way to visit destinations that are off the beaten track and are not as popular to most tourists. Since major flights and trains do not reach the remote towns a car is a perfect solution to experience the countryside and explore parts of Italy that have not been commercialized with tourism.
• If you plan on touring the major centers of Italy, renting a vehicle may not be the best choice for you since parking can be a problem in some places and it can be difficult to drive in an unfamiliar city while making your way around Italy. For popular centers such as Naples, Rome, and Venice, renting a vehicle is discouraged.
• Traveling by train while in Italy is a cost-effective way to travel across the country without spending too much time (and missing out on attractions!) For some, a trip to Italy is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and you would not want to miss anything By purchasing a rail pass you can go right from Naples up to Rome and onto Venice without having to rent a vehicle and plan a trip by car.
• Of course the easiest thing to do is to take an organized group trip to Italy!  There are many options, including culinary trips, walking trips, and trips for women.  The group will have all your travel plans pre-arranged, so all you need to do is show up on time.

No matter how you travel to Italy, or get around once you're there, be sure to do some research and prepare yourself for the difference in culture and lifestyle. Real Italy cuisine is quite different from the North American Italian eateries that we're used to, and that's just one of the differences in lifestyle.