Traveling to Italy
 

So who has been? My wife and I are planning a trip for the early Fall, and I was hoping to get some recommendations and thoughts from those who have been there. Must see cities? Unknown gem off-the-beaten-path towns? Recommendations on lodging, or researching lodging?

And yeah, I know, google, etc etc, but I find that people on here usually have good recommendations.

Mostly we want to enjoy food and drink, and do some wine touring as well. Seeing the classic sights is also good, but not as huge of a priority.

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are you going early enough in the fall that you'll want to go to beaches?

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there are 5 towns on the riviera called the "cinque terre" - don't miss it. you'll love it

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are you going early enough in the fall that you'll want to go to beaches?

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Current plan is first two weeks of September. So I guess that isn't even technically fall yet. So yeah, some interest in beaches, but it's not a TOP priority.

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Spend as much time as possible in Florence.

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man, I'm really jealous.

I've been to Umbria and Tuscany, as well as Rome. If you get a chance, you want to drive along the Amalfi Coast - it's very beautiful and romantic. Florence is very nice, as well.

You want to get into the Italian way of life: get up, have a little breakfast....drive to another town through rolling green hills to have lunch....lunch for two hours...drive back, take a nap...go down to the little town near where you're staying and have dinner...

repeat the process the next day!

Rome is absolutely nuts. But fun. Be careful if you plan on driving. I once saw three cars, horns blaring, pass an ambulance that had its siren going.

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Florence, is great. Almost everyone speaks english.

Rome. OF course.

Venice.. If you are going with your wife. she will not let you miss it. Most amazing city in the world.

Might want to throw in milan and pisa.. Other then the leaning tower there is nothing to see or do in pisa.

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florence is amazingly beautiful and wonderful city. rome is rome which is pretty much everything you would expect. if you are at all a history buff you'll love it, even if you arent there are enough things there to catch your attention.

the 5 villages thing is cool.

if you want good places to eat, pretty much any type of italian italian food is better than american italian so you won't be disappointed.

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If you get a chance, you want to drive along the Amalfi Coast - it's very beautiful and romantic.

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if you go to florence, check out san gimignano which is very near. could go on a day trip by bus or whatever. it's a cool town. also i really don't think pisa is worth seeing, but whatever, if you wanna see the tower i understand.

florence is the best city if you're into science/art/renaissance stuff. amazing to me anyway.

venice is so unique that it's a must see imo.

rome is probably the worst of all, but then if you're going to do touristy stuff you probably want to see the sights there.

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With the wifey, be sure to mix it between major cities and smaller towns.

Sienna, portofino (go up and down the coast in that region, it will be a great experience), assisi - just to name a few.

don't forget big cities like roma, milan, and florence. (duuu)

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I lived there for a couple years...the advice in this thread seems pretty good.

First of all I'd avoid Pisa unless you're dead set on seeing the tower. Other than the tower, it's really boring.

Venice really is as cool as you'd think it is. If you're at all interested, check it out.

Florence is an amazing city and you really have to go.

Rome is pretty cool. There's of course lots of history, but it feels like more of a generic "big city" than either Venice or Florence. In Venice and Florence you feel like you're in some truly incredible place, Rome feels like a big city with historical stuff sprinkled about.

Someone mentioned the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terra...definitely. Amalfi is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to. Basically you can just drive along it for a half day, stop at some beaches, whatever. Gorgeous. Do that drive and you end up in Sorrento, which is really cool. That's where all the famous music boxes and inlaid wood stuff is done...there's some amazing artwork.

If you like craftsmanship type stuff then Sorrento would be good, and I think the cool glass blown stuff is in Venice. Also there's lots of wrought iron and marble work done in Naples.

If you're down near Naples (where I lived) then you might want to check out Capri or Ischia. Just take a ferry over, it's beautiful with gorgeous beaches. You can get a scooter and buzz around.

Southern Italian food >>>>>>>>>>>>&g t;>>> Northern Italian. It's not even the same really.

There's a bunch of cool stuff in Naples, because it's one of the oldest towns in Italy. Pozzuoli is like a little part of it, and its history as a port town goes all the way back to the greeks. In fact there's a fish market there, and somewhere in it there's an excavation site. The fish market is built on top of some roman market ruins. And beneath the roman ruins you see the ruins of a greek market. Also in Pozzuoli you'll find the place where the apostle Paul landed and began his journey to Rome. It's not particularly exciting, but if either of you guys are really big on biblical history it could be cool.

To me Pozzuoli gives you the best taste of what it's like to live in Italy. The people are super friendly, the food is AMAZING, there's fun stuff to do. Probably wouldn't wanna spend much (if any) time there since you're on vacation...but if you wanna feel like an Italian for a day that's probably the best place.

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assisi

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Assisi was one of the coolest places I visited. There was some festival going on, I can't remember what.

Which reminds me, Italy has a toooooooon of festivals. People there are always celebrating one thing or another. However it's almost all regional/city festivals, just because of how Italy was divided into so many principalities for so long. I would get on google and try to find out what festivals are going on when you're there, and head to those. They're just really really cool and unlike anything you'd find in America.

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Pisa is an easy 1/2 day trip from Florence. IIRC I did Pisa in the morning and went to Seinna in the afternoon, both were reasonably short train rides from Florence.

Concerning Rome IMO the Colosseum ,Roman Forum and St. Peter's Basilica at the vatican are all must see's.

The lonelyplanet website was very helpful when planning my trip, might be of some use to you.

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My wife and I went a couple years ago. We spent a week in Rome and a week in Positano (Amalfi coast).

If you have any interest in history Rome is simply amazing. There is so much to see and do a week didn't come close to covering everything.

For the second part we did the "romantic" part and stayed in Positano. Absolutely spectacular. From there we did day trips to Pompeii, Capri,and Ravello. Seriously one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Next trip is probably Florence/Venice. Italy has so much to offer - Ruscany, Sicily, Venice, etc. etc. you have to decide for yourself which interests you most. I guarantee though if you made the exact same reservations I did you would have a great time.

One thing that is a must though is to research and make plans yourself. Don't book a tour or anything silly like that. You will find yourself missing out on a great experience.

For specific recommendations on hotels, sights, etc. visit slowtrav.com. I found some great ideas on apartments, restaurants, even how to buy train tickets and the bus system. Great site.

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http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/2466/mariojt8.jpg

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I lol'ed

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Thanks for the thoughts so far.

Yeah, stuff like going to Pisa just to see the tower doesn't interest us too much. The coastal stuff does.

Anyone with wine tasting recommendations? Anyone do a trip that included that?

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Anyone with wine tasting recommendations? Anyone do a trip that included that?

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Honestly I don't think it's that big of a deal. The house wine at most restaurants is really really good. There's so much other cool stuff, I'd save the wine tasting trips for Napa. Though I'm sure there are some good trips out there of course.

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If you're in Rome, try having dinner at a restaurant called Enoteca Ferrara, in the Trastavere neighborhood. They have a tremendous wine selection (the "list" arrives in two large books, one red and one white). The food is excellent, though obviously expensive.

There's a lot of great food in Italy, but there's also a lot of average food. The food and drink I enjoyed most was the most basic and everyday, in places not so close to large piles of old marble and stone. But Ferrara is worth looking for if you want a more upscale dinner. I had a spinach salad with fried mozzarella and caramelized balsamic dressing that was fantastic.

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I studied abroad in Rome, and rarely tell people about this awesome restaurant unless they are a close friend.

I highly recommend this place.

Directions:

Take a taxi and say you want to go to Piazza Tre Lussa (trey loose-ah). Once you are in the small square, go down the street to the right of the stairs. Walk straight, you'll go past two gelatterias. Past the 2nd one should be a street called via della scalla (the street name is in concrete on the buildings). Turn left. The restaurant will be on your left about 3 min down. It's called "La Scala". It has an amazing menu and the house wine is also fantastic. I recommened the lasagne. Trust me.

This is a highly unknown restaraunt located in Trastevere that tourists don't know about and is legit.

If you do end up going, you can thank me later.

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if ever in florence near piazza santo spirito check out borgo antico! love that restaurant

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Man, 2+2's search sucks. I couldn't find my Venice Trip Report to save my life, if it wasn't for Google. Venice is gorgeous, but don't eat there. Stay and eat on Lido, which is nearby and is much cheaper and much better. Your wife will prolly dig the island of Burano and their lace shops. If you go to Venice, you MUST stop at the Friar's Cathedral. It's stunning, perhaps even moreso than the palace or St. Mark's Cathedral.

Lido:

http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/5...24small8lm.jpg

Burano:

http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/2...30small9yv.jpg

Venezia:

http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/7...25small9zd.jpg

Friar's Church:

http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/3...ate30276rd.jpg

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We spent three weeks in Italy in summer 2005. Ours was a small-town Italy trip, so I don't have any knowledge of the major cities. The only big city we planned to visit (besides Milan, where we flew into and out of) was Florence, but we all got a pretty bad stomach flu on the day we were going to go, so we never made it. Next time...

I echo the recommendations for the Cinque Terre. Although more and more tourists are starting to discover the area, it's still a nice, out-of-the-way place. Great hiking, too.

We spent a week in Tuscany at an agriturismo, which is essentially a B&B, cottage, or similar accommodations on a working agricultural property -- in our case, a vineyard/orchard. We had a great time there, and they can be quite reasonable price-wise. (Google agriturismo and Tuscany.)

We were near the town of Montepulciano, which is centrally located in Tuscany and produces a wine variety that is unique to the area. From there, lots of walled hill towns and wineries/vineyards were all within an hour's drive or so.

We also spent a few days up north in the mountains. I have some family ancestry around Lake Garda, which is kind of like an Italian Lake Tahoe -- stunning mountains that rise up directly out of a clear blue lake, surrounded by a bunch of tourist traps. Although the area is beautiful and the people are nice, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it unless you had some other reason to go that direction.

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I went to Italy my second time in 2005. Based out of Rome, took a day trip to Florence (not enough time), and a day trip to Naples and Pompeii (not nearly enough time). Naples is an extreemly high crime area, and the traffic is beyond description. Pompeii was just awesome, one day is not enough to explore it all.

Rome is great - we spent most of our time in the ancient areas of the city. Be sure to also see the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish steps, and the People's Square. The best food is to be found in the small family type establishments. We mostly ate in the Subura district, which was the ghetto in ancient times. An outdoor dinner from 7PM-10:30 or so is standard. Don't load up on the antipasta - share one. You'll be pretty full after the first and second courses, but leave a little room to tamp down some dessert and an espresso. Wash that down with a shot of Limoncello (they give it to you weather you want it or not). As far as wine, we always just got a couple liters of house red and a liter of water. Lunch is lite - sandwiches or a bowl of pasta. Beer is the lunchtime drink. Great trip.

Look on Flikr for "I the Bold" - I have all of my photos of Florence, Rome, Naples (drive by mostly - we didn't stop for very long), and Pompeii up there, and most of the Rome and Pompeii ones will also be on Romanitas.net once they redo the site.

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just wait till adsman drops in on this thread.

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the cinque terra is quite popular now so it's not necessarily off the beaten path, but it's a beautiful place. definitely look into it if you are interested in coastal areas, hiking, etc.

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Not really sure what your into but heres a quick breakdown

Rome - Very dirty but great if you like roman history

Florence - Great city to just roam around, get a few drinks and have lots of options for dinner. Young area too and the piaza della republica (i think) is so much fun at night... Il duomo is also soooo much bigger than you could possibly imagine and intense when you first see it.

Venice - Beautiful city.. (My favorite in terms of the scenery and the fact that it was the only hotel i stayed at with sufficient air conditioning.)

As far as the smaller cities, rent a car and hit up the outer areas of tuscany. The whole area is beautiful. You can get just about anywhere from small detours off what i think was the A1 or A11 autostrada

Edit: The church up top the hill in bolognia (San Luca i think) is a must if you are traveling around tuscany

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if ever in florence near piazza santo spirito check out borgo antico! love that restaurant

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sick restaurant... I wanted to go back but didnt have enough time

Coco Trippone (a little far away... past the main road beyond piazza di san marco) was amazing too

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for small cities, i would def recommend Sienna

awesomely structured with the 12 little neighborhoods and the daily parades that go on. make sure u buy a neighborhood flag.

also, cinque terre is amazing. if you go, find a place to stay in Riomaggiore, which is where the trail starts (there are alot of trails, but this one is not that difficult to complete). during the hike, eat lunch at one of the towns. there was a small building in the 2nd town, i believe, that did a wine tasting and it was right along the hiking path.

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there are 5 towns on the riviera called the "cinque terre" - don't miss it. you'll love it

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I was planning to go here, got off the train, saw like 10 dudes in UW hoodies, got right back on the train. Yes it is beautiful but when I was there it was overrun by frat guy types.

I went to Noli, which is further North on the Riviera and loved it. Very small town with good beaches, a couple castles and great food.

I also liked Terracinna for a medium sized beach town south of Rome.

KJS

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Italy is my favorite place ever. Florence and Cinque Terre are musts. Rome is pretty meh.

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In Tuscany, not far from Pisa, is a small town called Lucca. It was a major highlight of our '92 trip. Lucca is an old walled city and has a very traditional way and feel about it. We (the wife and I) stayed in a villa (Villa Brancoli) up on the hill and used it as a base for excursions. The meals in Lucca were outstanding.

Siena has been mentioned in this thread and it was a highlight, very much worth the trip. Siena is known for its town square and a duomo which features alternating black and white ringed pillars. Another town we enjoyed was Pienza, which is walled and in a scenic, hilly area. I remember a wild boar prosciutto we found there that I'd love to find again.

Florence didn't make quite the impression that others normally have but a trip is somewhat obligatory. A regret is not making it to Venice.

In Rome, I thought the Vatican was a major highlight. I've not heard it discussed often as a leading tourist destination, but found myself struck by it. This is not an opinion tainted by religious or aesthetic considerations, but the Vatican made a lasting impression.

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Spend one day at most in Rome. You will seriously be in awe at how rude the Romans are to outsiders. People everywhere outside of Rome are very friendly in general though.

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I was there last summer for a week. We drove from Bologna to Tuscany taking the little mountain roads. It was very very VERY beautiful. The scenery was stunning. The drive was long but it was a blast. We got to see those little villages and small coffee shops etc etc, houses on both sides of the road, man it was awesome.
I recommend visiting Firenze, dunno why because I didn't really like it but just visit there [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].
We were at this big mansion with a pool and [censored] and had a direct view to a wine field, A W E S O M E.

If you go, go to a small village and get a house for a period of time. Get your bread from the bakery every morning etc. Just a few tips from me [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Edit: pisa was [censored], don't go there.

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A couple more questions, great responses so far!

A few people have mentioned driving. Sounds like it's a feasible option? I think my wife is a little concerned about renting a car and driving in a foreign country, but I'd love to do it.

Also, best place to fly in and out of? Or is it good just to fly anywhere in Europe and take a smaller carrier from there? I have not been to Europe so thoughts ae appreciated.

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if ever in florence near piazza santo spirito check out borgo antico! love that restaurant

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sick restaurant... I wanted to go back but didnt have enough time

Coco Trippone (a little far away... past the main road beyond piazza di san marco) was amazing too

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i rented an apartment right above borgo antico for a month, best time of my life. also the best thing i did was rent a vespa and buzz around town all night long. very early in the am i'd stop in at a local pastry joint for cappuccino and pastry and then hit the sack. i'd sleep all day while the tourists were out flooding the streets. getting a scooter is the best thing ever

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oh yeah some pics of san gimignano, the small city near florence i recommend checking out

http://www.toskana-pur.de/toskana-pu...ignano-550.jpg
http://www.paradoxplace.com/Perspect...sview%20BR.jpg

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Italy is my second fav place I've been (1st was Darwin Australia). I lived there for 6 months from Jan - Jun 1994.

I lived about 45 min north of Venice in Aviano in what they call the prealps. The people were awesome and the scenery was incredible. I actually did do "Rome in a day". I don't advise just one day for that city.

One thing that struck me was how a new building down there was like 700 years old.

I would recommend getting out and meeting locals. Also Rome was really cool but a lot of places were very touristy.

Edit - I forgot to mention the driving down there is the craziest I've seen. You can pass anywhere and oncoming traffic is supposed to move for you. In Rome I saw people driving on sidewalks etc.

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Edit - I forgot to mention the driving down there is the craziest I've seen. You can pass anywhere and oncoming traffic is supposed to move for you. In Rome I saw people driving on sidewalks etc.

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Yeah, that scares the heck out of me, but I'm assuming the countryside driving isn't as bad, right?