Not many North American golfers venture to Italy for a golf vacation. With that in mind, I thought I’d provide a few tips for traveling to Italy with your golf clubs.
Italy golf vacation tip #1 – Don’t overbook the golf
There is so much to see and do in Italy, that it is impossible to fit it all in on one or two trips.
This is even the case without including golf as one of your activities.
When you add golf to your vacation, you are obviously losing time to be spent on other activities.
Furthermore, the best way to see Italy is to WANDER, and the worst way is to get caught up in moving from one historical site or activity to another.
Therefore, a balance should be struck.
Italy should not be viewed as a typical golf vacation, similar to heading off to Scotland or Ireland where you are trying to fit in as many rounds as possible.
Golf should be viewed as an activity to enhance your overall experience in Italy, not the focus of your visit.
With this in mind, it is best to schedule a round of golf on fewer than half of the nights you plan to spend in Italy.
For instance, if your trip will include seven nights of accommodation, then you should play three rounds or less.
Otherwise, you’ll be doing too much rushing around to maintain a schedule, and you’ll just be too exhausted to get the full enjoyment out of visiting Italy.
Italy golf vacation tip #2 – Learn some Italian before you go
I can’t emphasize this enough… to really enjoy your trip to Italy, learn to speak some of the language.
Italians love to talk, and they really do appreciate it if you make the effort to speak their language.
My wife has made a significant effort to learn, especially between our two trips in 2023. First, we traveled to Florence and Rome, and we both learned a little bit.
Then, we went to Sicily, which gave her another six months to learn.
At every opportunity, I prodded her to test herself… on the rides to and from the airport, to the store merchants, to our B&B hosts, etc.
At one point, in Taormina, the owner of the B&B where we stayed complimented her… he described her Italian speech as elegant.
That was one of the coolest parts of the trip.
Italy golf vacation tip #3 – give yourself time to wander off the beaten path
Before we left for Rome and Florence in January 2023, we watched a bunch of videos on what to do and see when we got there.
One of the best pieces of advice we got from those videos was to wander and get lost.
We did exactly that in Florence, and it was a great decision.
One thing my wife loves to do is shop in second-hand clothing stores. While wandering around in Florence, we stumbled upon one such store.
At that time, we were on our way back to the hotel from seeing the Duomo Di Firenze and we wanted to rest up before heading out for dinner.
So, her time was limited on that initial visit. But, she went back two more times.
When you are rushing to and from sites, you can miss these opportunities to just linger.
Ultimately, we did miss doing a couple things we wanted to do while in Florence, but that just gives us more incentive to go back!
Many people in the US make repeated trips to NYC, LA and other major cities because they love those places.
If you have the means, why would you not do the same with cities in Europe?
Italy golf vacation tip #4 – Eat
This is an obvious tip as Italy is known for its world class cuisine.
But, many people may still be concerned with how much they will eat, and they end up missing great opportunities to experience some great food.
Keep this in mind though… if you stay active on your trip and walk most places, you can eat all you want.
I ate more pasta and pizza on my trip to Florence and Rome than I do in three months here at home, but still managed to lose a pound on that trip.
Why? Because we walked an average of about six or seven miles per day.
Pro tip – When in Florence, visit the Mercato Centrale… incredible food in there.
Pro tip #2 – When in Rome, try the Cacio E Pepe pasta dish… so simple yet so delicious!
Last tip
Lastly, schedule just one big activity per day, and just keep an open mind for the rest of the day and evening.
For instance, in Rome, there are so many sites to see. Don’t try to see them all in one day, you’ll just be too exhausted to enjoy the evening.
Evenings in Italy are a huge part of the Italian culture. This is when they go out to socialize over a drink and then a late dinner.
I believe that the best way to experience Italy is their way… slowly and among friends and family.
As a result of heeding this advice, we’ve actually built some relationships that we feel will be long lasting. This just gives us even more incentive to make repeat visits to Italy as long as we can.
Thanks for reading!
