Traveling to Italy

[theben]

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)

[pergesu]

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.

[pergesu]

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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.

[jerG123]

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.

[im a model]

[Sand]

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.

[Stellastarr]

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I lol'ed

[nolanfan34]

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?

[pergesu]

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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.

[ElSapo]

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.