Italy Getting There

Most tourists come to Italy through Milan Malpensa (MXP) or Rome Fiumicino (FCO). Venice (VCE), Turin (TRN), Bologna (BLQ), Naples (NAP), and Palermo (PMO) are other possible entry points. Fly into Pisa (PSA) if your final destination is Florence (80 minutes away), because Florence's own airport (FLR) is small and expensive to fly to. European Budget airlines often use less convenient airports like Bergamo Orio al Serio (BGY) for Milan or Treviso (TFS) for Venice.

Alitalia is the official Italian airline, offering numerous flights from the U.S. and from within Europe. Other European carriers include British Airways, KLM, Swiss and Lufthansa. American carriers include Delta, Continental, American Airlines, and Northwest. Meridiana and Air One operate domestic flights within Italy. Budget (aka "no frills") airlines like Ryanair, Easyjet, and Tuifly connect Italy to other European countries, notably Britain and Germany. On the other hand, luggage allowance on such flights is often minimal and hefty surcharges apply for excess luggage. Also, don't expect luggage transfers to your connecting flight.

8 hours nonstop from New York to Rome or Milan; about 15 hours from Los Angeles to Rome (including one stop); about 9 hours nonstop from Chicago to Rome.

The Italian railway network (www.trenitalia.it), spans about 10,000 miles, with new high-speed lines in operation as of December 2008, including a Rome-Milan route that takes just 3.5 hours (previously 4+). Train transport is fairly cheap and comparatively efficient, with the fastest trains operating between the major cities and tourist destinations. On the other hand, regional trains are fairly slow and cater mostly to commuters. Connections with Southern France run along the Genoa- Ventimiglia-Nice coastline, while Lyon and Paris are reached through the Frejus tunnel via Turin-Bardonecchia-Modane. The lines from Switzerland run through the Sempione Pass tunnel and across the Ticino Canton, crossing the border at Chiasso towards Milan. The Brennero and Tarvisio lines link Italy to Austria and from there to Central and Western Europe. If you plan to travel extensively by train, you may want to consider purchasing a continent-wide Eurail pass (www.eurail.com). Keep in mind that Eurail passes cannot be purchased in Europe; they must be mailed to a U.S. address, so it’s best to book several months in advance of your trip.

Italy's two major islands are reached by means of ferries departing from Civitavecchia north of Rome (to Sardinia) and Villa San Giovanni near Reggio Calabria (to Sicily). Popular ferry routes operate to Greece from Brindisi, to Croatia from Venice, to Corsica from Livorno and Genoa, and to Malta from Pozzallo and Licata in Sicily. The main ports of call for Mediterranean cruises are Savona, Genoa, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Naples, Messina, Palermo, and Venice. Besides Italian company Costa Crociere (www.costacruise.com), other major cruise operators calling at Italian ports are MSC Cruises (www.msccruisesusa.com), Silversea Cruises (www.silversea.com), and Louis Cruise Lines (www.louiscruises.com).