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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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I guess I just don't get it
Why do people want to go to Italy so badly for their HM? I mean... it's not romantic. It's dirty, smelly, and kind of a pain in the ass to deal with. Anyone here go for their HM and care to explain? What drew you? What made you say, out of all the options out there, Italy is where you're going?
Re: I guess I just don't get it
Italy is the country of amore. Duh.
My SIL and BIL went on honeymoon in Italy. They biked through Tuscany and spent 90% of their time in vineyards. That sounds romantic to me. Except the biking part - that just sounds like work.
I just laughed out loud at work. Thanks.
WTA: That's also not the "typical" Italian honeymoon though. Most people do the Triple Threat and that's all.
Wedding stuff.
I did not go to Italy for my honeymoon but I have been there a few times. I really love Rome and I can see how it could be romantic walking around the city with your DH.
Outside of Rome, I wasnt really impressed. Maybe, it is not fair but I do tend to compare Italy with Spain. I think Spain is cleaner and it is easier to navigate. Plus, I enjoy the food better here.
I guess though people like going to Italy because they are more familiar with the culture and food. Plus, people watch movies like Under the Tuscan Sun and think they are going to have that type of experience.
Chronically hilarious - you'll split your stitches!
I wrote a book! Bucket list CHECK!
http://notesfortheirtherapist.blogspot.co.uk
I think you'll automatically have a different view of a place if you've lived there, KWIM? When you visit a place for a short time, you get the polished view of what it's like, and especially on a honeymoon you would probably stay in nice places, eat at great restaurants, and so on. I didn't go to Italy for my HM, but I've been there three times, and the times I went with H I did find it romantic.
The first time was with my dad. Not so romantic that time.
Now jumping domestically.
Well that was a crazy couple of years.
Now jumping domestically.
Well that was a crazy couple of years.
Is this sarcasm that's going over my head this morning, or are you being serious? Granted I've only ever been to Rome (and it was with a friend, so not a romantic trip at all), but it was one of the greatest trips I've ever taken. Sure the city is a bit dirty in spots, and noisy, but the mixture of history and modern culture is just out of this world. Maybe I'm weird like that, but I'd love to go back to Rome and see other parts of Italy while I'm at it. In fact, I'd love to explore pretty much all of Europe, and would certainly do that over sitting on a beach in Mexico or the Caribbean (which I've also done, but find it tends to get boring for me after day 2 if there's nothing else to see or do).
I think you can make pretty much make the same complaints about most places, no? Well perhaps not the Scandinavian countries, I hear they're rather clean and efficient.
In fact, I wasn't a fan of Madrid when I visited, and had similar complaints (and am in no rush to go back). So, I guess it just comes down to personal preference?
I think that it's definitely different for people to vacation in a place than to live in a place. But, it doesn't really matter because most people will plan the HM having never been there. They've only seen the glamorized Italy on TV and in magazines because as hard as Italy may be to deal with up close, it sure looks good from far away.
I didn't go on my HM, but I would've. It was my dream trip since my childhood and I finally went several years ago. I think it was movies, food, and other people's talk of Italy that made me want to go there so bad. I didn't like it much at all. My disappointment hit pretty much as soon as we crossed the border, actually. Not sure if it's because I built it up so much in my mind or if it was because I had just left a wonderful time in Germany to a not-great time in Italy. It's so rare to find people say anything negative about that country and I thought there was something wrong with me because I just didn't really like it. I'd go back to other areas, and probably to Rome because I did like it there.
Side note: I find most popular HM places dirty, smelly and not too great in reality.
I love Italy. The food, the people, the culture, the museums, the wine, the churches. I would go back in a heartbeat. But then again, DH and I both love history (DH especially Roman) and exploring cities. We love to spend the day walking down alley's and seeing how people live spotting for coffee and wine.
I think when you live some place and deal with daily life, you get a different perspective. Everyone I know that travels to London loves it, but they never experience a small fridge or the combo washer/dryer!
I think Rome is INCREDIBLY romantic and that yes, you just don't get it.
Yeah that's right my name's Yauch!
I loved all my trips to Italy, especially one that DH and I took to Rome recently. We stayed in a hotel out of the city and had to take dirty train from a dirty train station to get into Rome, but I found that to be part of the fun of the trip. I don't care if a place is dirty, it usually doesn't change my opinion. The places I've loved the most have been places not exactly clean.
I loved Bangkok, I dream of going back there. My three months spent there were some of the best of my life and Bangkok is DIRTY. To go get to the downtown we had to walk through an abandoned park filled with mangey dogs, then through an open air meat market (100?+ with meat just hanging in the sun...imagine that smell!), then through a huge hospital complex and finally arrive at the water taxi station, which was in the middle of a fish market (the SMELL!) only to board a water taxi so crowded you thought it would sink. But that's just what makes Bangkok awesome, the dirtyness, the chaos. I would say the same for Rome (on a lesser extent) but the chaos and dirt made it fun and exciting.
I'm not saying that a dirty honeymoon is what everyone wants, but for some people getting outside of the norm of Mexico or Jamaica and going on what they might think of as an "adventurous" trip then Italy would be perfect.
Snippy, you just say this to hurt me, I know.
No, seriously though, I didn't HM here. We went to Egypt, which in my opinion, was dirtier and smellier than IT, but still kicked @ss. We personally weren't looking for a romantic HM. I know, I'm a freak. But seriously, if I'm forking out a lot of cash and taking a significant amount of time off work, I want to go big time, do something I couldn't "normally" do on a long weekend from DC, for example. So we did a few weeks in Egypt. It was great and I'm so glad we did. Was Cairo dirty, were there con-artists/beggers/etc? Hell yes. But the amazing history made the drama worthwhile.
I assume parts of Italy might be like that for some people too. Like Naples. Dude, in a lot of ways, it's a straight-up nightmare. But there are some very cool, unique, wonderful things about Naples. Are they worth the hassles/drama? I don't know. Totally depends on your point of view and tolerance for bullsh!t.
I do think Verona and Tuscany are beautiful and fairly classed as romantic. I think Florence and Rome could be depending on taste/style. Venice gives me trouble-- I can't (personally) get to "romantic" but on a sunny day (in the spring or fall so the smell is ok) there is, IMO, something enchanted/otherworldly/magically looking about the buildings w/ the water. Even with the crappy food and tourist scams.
At the end of the day, I find Italy frustrating in many ways, but it's like a relative who pisses you off-- you're annoyed, but you still love him.
I haven't been to Italy yet and I hope I can still like it after my so far crappy experience planning a wedding. Since I am going to be married to an Italian and go every few years for the rest of my life and eventually get Italian citizenship, I really need to get over my distrust of Italians.
I just am arriving there feeling like all they want to do is rip me off. And I've seen tons of pretty places before, so I just don't know if this will be SO amazing that it will blow me away so much that I forget about the annoying stuff.
Maybe my low expectations will help me get blown away!
But Snippy, I think it's just good marketing, really.
BFP Apr 2012, EDD Dec 19 2012 * twin h/b at 6wk, 9wk scan * Baby A lost at 12wks, Baby B was my rainbow born at 36wks