Italy

KCW

Going to Italy in the beginning of July. We will be mostly in the Rimini area. If anyone has any Cigar related info for that area, I would appreciate it.

jlmarta

PM to ya..... 

KCW

Thank you!

jlmarta

You're welcome. Hope the translation isn't a problem for ya..  If so, let me know. 

Hays

Well, I just got home from a couple weeks in Italy, but that was my fourth time there... never been to Rimini, but I can provide some input on Venice and Rome if you're headed to either during your time in the country.

jlmarta

I loved Rome and Venice when we were there. I was so taken with Rome that we stayed a couple extra days and had to cut short our stay in Florence. 

Hays

I can understand that, Marty - I absolutely love Rome, as well! This was my fourth time in the city, and I would gladly go back any time. My wife and I have seriously considered moving there, but if we relocate anywhere in Europe she's pushing hard for Paris (she wants to improve her French). Fortunately Rome is only a $20 flight away for me at most times, so it's easy access  

jlmarta

It's been aot of years, David, but a few blocks behind the Spanish Steps there used to be a great little ristorante called Piccolo Mondo (small world). I wonder if it's still there??

KCW

Unfortunately not going to Rome but, at the end of the trip we will have a day in Venice and Milan. What I didn't mention in my initial post is the reason we're going. My son is a very lucky 11 year old. He was invited to play on Soccer a team (USA Premier Soccer) that has been entered in the Italy International Cup (Formerly the San Marino Cup). So this trip is about the tournament but, it has us in Rimini and San Marino area for about 5 days (with various amounts of free time) then after the tournament we get a day in Milan and a day in Venice.

jlmarta

Excellent!  Lucky you. Enjoy.....

Bigshizza

I'm jelly-- trying to decide on a trip next year between Italy or Spain. Never been to Europe but I love art, architecture, food, wine.. Any input when you get back would be great. If I go to Spain I can annoy David and his wife!

jlmarta

I've not been to Spain but I'd love to do it. I've been to Italy a number of times and I love it. 

I have family northwest of Torino and I've also visited portofino, Sardinia, Rome, Florence, and Venice. The country is outstanding IMO

Hays

KCW said:

Unfortunately not going to Rome but, at the end of the trip we will have a day in Venice and Milan. What I didn't mention in my initial post is the reason we're going. My son is a very lucky 11 year old. He was invited to play on Soccer a team (USA Premier Soccer) that has been entered in the Italy International Cup (Formerly the San Marino Cup). So this trip is about the tournament but, it has us in Rimini and San Marino area for about 5 days (with various amounts of free time) then after the tournament we get a day in Milan and a day in Venice.

That is SERIOUSLY cool dude! Congratulations for your son! I don´t know much about Milan, but that´s where you can find Da Vinci´s ¨Last Supper¨ if you want to see that (look up tickets ASAP if you do, they sell fast). It´s in a small church, totally unassuming considering what you expect from a globally-known art piece. Also, the opera house La Scala is there, if you´re interested in visiting - one of my favorite in the world. 

Venice is interesting, very walkable. If you want to do a Gondola, they´re €80 during the day, €100 after 19:00. Holds up to 5-6 passengers, I think, and that price is for a standard 30min ride and tour through the canals. The gondoliers will always try to sell you on the ¨premium package¨ (usually around €150), but I can´t imagine it´s worth it. Don´t try to use them like a taxi - they will go in a circle and end up right where you started. If you particularly want to pick up a cigar while you´re there, there´s only one place I found that just so happened to be right next to my accommodation. It´s a standard ¨Tabaccheria¨, but the guy has a little tower humi. He easily had the best selection of anybody in the city, and it was fairly diverse and in good condition, but he was a little snooty about it. It is:

Tabaccheria ¨La Casa del Sigaro¨

Address: Cannaregio, 30121 Venezia, Italy

Phone:+39 041 715983
www.houseofcigars.it

With that said, there´s nothing much of note around them, so you´d be making the trek ONLY to pick up a cigar. You can find many cafes along the canals to enjoy your smoke, but if you want a different experience visit the historic Venetian Casino. It´s not far from the Tabaccheria, and I believe there´s a €10 admission fee (if you want to skip this, go into any respectable hotel and ask about the casino, and ask if they ¨know anyway to get past the admission fee¨ - every hotel has free entry passes, and I had no problem getting a couple). The casino requires a jacket for the second floor (table games), but they will give you one for free at the coat check if you require. No other dress code, I saw guys in jeans and shorts, but wearing the jackets. Anyway, they have a private smoking room on the second floor - it was a bit lonely when I went, but if you open the windows you´re sitting in a big ballroom overlooking the Grand Canal, and you can order from the bar there as well.

Hope you enjoy!

Hays

Bigshizza said:

I'm jelly-- trying to decide on a trip next year between Italy or Spain. Never been to Europe but I love art, architecture, food, wine.. Any input when you get back would be great. If I go to Spain I can annoy David and his wife!

Do it! For your first time in Europe they´re equally suitable (and the countries are quite similar, in and of themselves), so it just depends on which one calls to you more. Architecturally speaking, I think Spain is more interesting, especially when you hit Barcelona and see Gaudi´s work (La Basilica de la Sagrada Familia is breathtaking in person), and I´d say the same about the food. I definitely prefer Italian wine over Spanish wine though, but after coming from California where a decent bottle costs $15-$20, I love the fact that, in-country, you can find great wines all day long for under €5 a bottle (my favorite wine from my recent Italy trip was a €2.50 bottle of Sangiovese that bought at a grocery store and drank along the canal). In terms of art, well, Florence was the seat of the Renaissance, and that influence spread throughout the country, so you could spend years going through Italy and never see it all. 

As for me personally, while I´d love to host you in Sevilla... we´re actually presently planning a relocation to California. We hope to be there by November, but depending on my wife´s visa, it may take a little longer. Even still, I´m happy to help with any planning you might need for that trip - it´s a lot more accessible than you might think, and there´s all manner of ways to save money and get more out of your trip (my father recently came to visit Spain for 2.5 weeks, and his wife - who sees herself as a travel expert because she often travels for work - dominated a large part of their travel arrangements. They spent more money in these 2.5 weeks than my wife and I have spent in a combined total of nearly a year of travel around the world.)

Bigshizza

Thanks David... Maybe I'll visit CA.... We'll be in touch for sure!