ITALY BEYOND VENICE

This page brings together links that are not specifically about Venice or the Veneto, but may be useful for travellers wanting a wider context for their travels in Italy.

Slow Travelers

A community of people interested in a different type of travel. Lists of vacation rentals, reviews of places people have stayed, survival guides, restaurant and hotel reviews, trip reports, travel notes, photo gallery, and a great message board. Extensive information for Italy. Good stuff for other countries too.

This is the life

A site aiming to be the definitive list of the 1000 best experiences in the world, which naturally includes a trip to Venice on the Orient Express train.

Life and customs

John Murphy's The Informer is a well-researched online guide to all aspects of living in Italy, especially practical matters such as taxes, visas, work permits and financial systems. Expats in Italy provides a forum with information for those thinking of moving to Italy or those who are already there. Italians Are Us introduces you to Italy through regional guides and features covering many topics including cookery, proverbs and genealogy.

Shopping

If you want to make the most of Italian fashion brands, but don't want to pay Milan high-street prices, check Scoprioccasioni's lists of outlet stores all over the country.

Europe for visitors at About.com

About.com exists to draw together information from the best websites into a coherent whole alongside its own content. James Martin runs the helpful Europe for visitors pages, which cover the whole continent and include a section on Venice.