Pauline
Forums Admin
This is a topic I have been mulling over for weeks and I would love to hear other traveler's thoughts.
We traveled to Italy most years from 1996 to 2004, but then "fell out of love" and moved on to England. Once firmly committed to England (we moved here in 2010), we started traveling to France and have done several trips in the last few years. We both really enjoy traveling in France, but our recent trips to Italy (Sicily and Tuscany) brought back to me all the things that I love about the country and people.
What I like about traveling in France vs Italy:
- The cafes. The coffee is not as good as Italy, but I like that the cafes have all the outdoor seats and people sit and linger. Plus the price is not more expensive outside (I think).
- The morning ritual of going to the boulangerie and buying croissants and bread for breakfast.
- The walking trails. Not as good as England or Switzerland, but in many areas they are plentiful and well marked, with good local maps. We are always disappointed when doing hikes in Italy - paths not clearly marked or they end at a locked gate and a barking dog. Walking/hiking seems to be popular in France.
- The driving. The roads are not that full (as they are in England) and the driving is not as chaotic as in Italy.
- The language. I am hopeless with the language in both countries, but Steve loves speaking and reading French more than Italian.
- The shorter mid-day break. Shops and businesses take a short mid-day break, maybe two hours, unlike the complete shutdown from 1pm - 5pm in Italy.
- The sense of a well functioning society (mostly).
What I like about traveling in Italy vs France:
- The restaurants. In many parts of Italy (especially Tuscany), I can always find vegetarian items on the menu. In France meat is celebrated and I can only find omelets or pasta on menus. Plus the food in Italy is much better quality (or so it seems to me) and more simply prepared - the way I like it.
- The art. Seeing the frescoes in the church in Orvieto brought it all back to me - the art in Italy is amazing. I don't like to spend much time in museums, but I love seeing frescoes or one good painting.
- The historic towns. Staggeringly beautiful. The historic towns in France are beautiful, but Italy reaches a whole other level.
- The only area that I really love in France, and will probably return to frequently, is Uzes in the Languedoc near Provence. We have traveled to many other areas and nothing has really grabbed me (yet). In Italy, I love every corner of Tuscany, much of Umbria, several parts of Liguria - and I know I will love the other regions when I finally get to them.
What are your feelings about France vs. Italy?
We traveled to Italy most years from 1996 to 2004, but then "fell out of love" and moved on to England. Once firmly committed to England (we moved here in 2010), we started traveling to France and have done several trips in the last few years. We both really enjoy traveling in France, but our recent trips to Italy (Sicily and Tuscany) brought back to me all the things that I love about the country and people.
What I like about traveling in France vs Italy:
- The cafes. The coffee is not as good as Italy, but I like that the cafes have all the outdoor seats and people sit and linger. Plus the price is not more expensive outside (I think).
- The morning ritual of going to the boulangerie and buying croissants and bread for breakfast.
- The walking trails. Not as good as England or Switzerland, but in many areas they are plentiful and well marked, with good local maps. We are always disappointed when doing hikes in Italy - paths not clearly marked or they end at a locked gate and a barking dog. Walking/hiking seems to be popular in France.
- The driving. The roads are not that full (as they are in England) and the driving is not as chaotic as in Italy.
- The language. I am hopeless with the language in both countries, but Steve loves speaking and reading French more than Italian.
- The shorter mid-day break. Shops and businesses take a short mid-day break, maybe two hours, unlike the complete shutdown from 1pm - 5pm in Italy.
- The sense of a well functioning society (mostly).
What I like about traveling in Italy vs France:
- The restaurants. In many parts of Italy (especially Tuscany), I can always find vegetarian items on the menu. In France meat is celebrated and I can only find omelets or pasta on menus. Plus the food in Italy is much better quality (or so it seems to me) and more simply prepared - the way I like it.
- The art. Seeing the frescoes in the church in Orvieto brought it all back to me - the art in Italy is amazing. I don't like to spend much time in museums, but I love seeing frescoes or one good painting.
- The historic towns. Staggeringly beautiful. The historic towns in France are beautiful, but Italy reaches a whole other level.
- The only area that I really love in France, and will probably return to frequently, is Uzes in the Languedoc near Provence. We have traveled to many other areas and nothing has really grabbed me (yet). In Italy, I love every corner of Tuscany, much of Umbria, several parts of Liguria - and I know I will love the other regions when I finally get to them.
What are your feelings about France vs. Italy?