Italy Vacation
- Thread starter StormHawk42
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I went as a Protestant but have since converted. But Assisi is just a special place.
Mrs aardvark went to Rome w Malta group to provide medical support for pilgrims. So one night they’re having dinner with some asst to some archbishop and he says, wanna see the Sistine chapel? Had the place to themselves
North of Milan. Milan closest airport, then train or driver($$). Ferry's connect all the cities on the Lake. We stay at Villa D'Este in Cernobbio which is on the south tip of the lake.
We've always flown into Venice or Milan and work our way over to Cinque Terre then south to Assisi/Siena, Florence/Tuscany Wineries, Rome, Naples/Sorrento..
Start my 19 day trip next week. I'll let you know.
Land in Venice and staying for 2 days.
Bologna x3 - Going to see Pearl Jam and the Ferrari museum
Tuscany x4- Staying on the edge of town in Florence. Day trips to Sienna, Florence walking tour, Pisa trip
Ft Dimarmi x4- boat trip to Cinq Terre, Beaches and such
Rome x4- Day trip to Pompeii, Colosseum, After hours vatican tour
We have some cooking classes, wine tasting, etc thrown in through out.
I would not want to plan this trip. I think our travel agent has been a must. This was a 12 day trip that ballooned to 19 after we postponed twice for covid. We saved a lot of money and decided this would be our once in a lifetime Italy trip. We are bringing kids so it would be a different adult trip. The travel agent has saved so much time.
Even though we are leaving in under 10 days, aspects of the trip are not finalized. Demand is through the roof so it is hard to secure tours and hotels unless they have some sort of contract or prior relationship. Some of our drivers and things aren't secured even now. So much is fluid in terms of bookings.
Now that may change a lot in a year but everyone has come back to travel.
Land in Venice and staying for 2 days.
Bologna x3 - Going to see Pearl Jam and the Ferrari museum
Tuscany x4- Staying on the edge of town in Florence. Day trips to Sienna, Florence walking tour, Pisa trip
Ft Dimarmi x4- boat trip to Cinq Terre, Beaches and such
Rome x4- Day trip to Pompeii, Colosseum, After hours vatican tour
We have some cooking classes, wine tasting, etc thrown in through out.
I would not want to plan this trip. I think our travel agent has been a must. This was a 12 day trip that ballooned to 19 after we postponed twice for covid. We saved a lot of money and decided this would be our once in a lifetime Italy trip. We are bringing kids so it would be a different adult trip. The travel agent has saved so much time.
Even though we are leaving in under 10 days, aspects of the trip are not finalized. Demand is through the roof so it is hard to secure tours and hotels unless they have some sort of contract or prior relationship. Some of our drivers and things aren't secured even now. So much is fluid in terms of bookings.
Now that may change a lot in a year but everyone has come back to travel.
That would be cool. We were in there with about 5 other people. Until the hoards showed up and we left.
No need for a travel agent. One place you should go is Siena. Not far from Florence. Also, consider renting a car for outside of Rome.Any of you jabronis done a trip to Italy? TBW have settled on a 12-13 day trip next May for our anniversary (~Memorial Day ish).
Right now, I'm kinda thinking some combination of Rome, Naples/Amalfi, Florence/Pisa, Venice, 2-3 nights each. First question is would a travel agent be helpful here since we've never been to Europe as adults and it's a big trip? Second question is how far out do we need to be planning/booking?
We'd do the obvious stuff like the Colosseum and the Vatican, but we'd likely want to do more wandering and things like wineries and cooking classes. Tips, do's, or dont's are appreciated. Is the city itinery doable in that amount of time? I hear the trains are pretty excellent there.
I'll probably bump this thread every so often just to get some more opinions as the planning gets more serious.
TIA. Italian bishes for your trouble:
Hotel ideas:
I've stayed at this one:
Accommodation Siena Italy | Hotel Palazzo Ravizza | Relais Siena Center
Hotel Palazzo Ravizza charming Relais in Siena center (Italy) with romantic accommodations, private parking and a nice garden with panoramic views of the Tuscany Hills.
www.palazzoravizza.com
Another:
Hotel Athena Siena - Official Website - Four Star Hotel in Central Siena
The four-star Hotel Athena is located in the heart of Siena, a short walk from Piazza del Campo. Take advantage of our private parking and our panoramic terrace.
We followed PJ’s tour thru Europe for 6 weeks summer 2018. Had a blast. Spent 2 of those weeks in Italy.
I prefer to book my own travel and chase hotel and airline status and have flexibility to change things if you want.
Here was our stops and recommendations…
Siena - Flew into Pisa and rented a car and stayed 4 nights in Siena. We loved Siena and had some amazing cheap dinners at the best restaurants in town. Did a full day Brunello wine tour which included a stop at Santa Giulia. Another day we did our own exploring to Montalcino/Pienza/Montepulciano. Another day we drove thru Chianti region and ended the day in San Gimignano. The last day we stopped at Antinori’s massive winery and a few hours in Lucca. Highly recommend renting a car in Tuscany and exploring on your own. It is absolutely beautiful and many cool hill towns and wineries to stop.
Verona - Spent 2 nights here. Another beautiful town with amazing churches and castles. Make sure you grab Juliet’s boobies if it’s still allowed. Take the gondola up to the scenic overlook. This town is a hidden gem not many talk about.
Venice - Spent 2 nights here at the Hilton Molino Stucky hotel on Giudecca island. Was nice staying across from Venice and the congestion in more peace and quiet. Boats run every 15 min and only takes 10 min to get to San Marco. 2 nights is perfect for Venice and definitely worth seeing 1 time. Do not do any glass tours in Murano or elsewhere. Total waste of time and money imo. Tour the Doge Palace!
Padova - Quick 1 night stop here for a PJ show and toured the Scrovegni Chapel which is a must if there.
Rome - 5 nights. And we needed all of it. Won’t add too much more since most has already been noted/obvious but make sure to hit up Trastavere at night for dinner and drinks. Awesome area of town that comes alive after 5 with amazing restaurants and bars. Eat at Taverna Trilussa! Make a reservation in advance.
Have also done Florence and Cinque Terre on a trip thru Italy back in 1999. Do the hike in Cinque Terre!
I think the hike is fairly washed out now. It was a couple years ago when i was there.
Wife is planning a trip for June. Staying at AirBNBs and on a boat. First draft of plan is to fly into Milan, spend a day, then train to Genoa for a 5 or 6 day cruise (Marseilles, Valetta, Siracusa). Cruise ends in Rome and spend 4 days there. Then either a flight to Paris or a train to Florence for a couple days. Any thought on this?
Florence or Paris, that is a really tough decision because both are so different and have some very Iconic sights to see. Very different vibes in each city. I loved my time in both. If this is a first time visit I would choose Paris, but only because of Eiffel Tower(must go to the top!), Notre Dame and the Louvre are must sees as well.
Florence is a really awesome place to visit as well. I will probably remember the feeling I had seeing Michelangelo’s David for the rest of my life. Awe inspiring.
Florence is a really awesome place to visit as well. I will probably remember the feeling I had seeing Michelangelo’s David for the rest of my life. Awe inspiring.
Florence and Paris are my 2 avorite cities in Europe of the ones I have been to. ( I have been to about a dozen). I would also agree on Paris if I had to chose one.
My wife is first generation Italian and has been back three times. She hates Venice. When we went together as a family it wasn't on the itinerary.
One piece of advice I would give is that any kind of attraction, get a tour guide. You can book in advance, or even pick them up outside. You usually get to skip the line, and them taking you through and explaining things and pointing things out is way more rewarding. Otherwise you're looking at stuff with no context of what you're seeing, or you're heads down in some kind of self-guided book. You're already spending a fortune, spend the extra $15 a person or whatever. All the tour guides we had were great - great stories, very educational. Much more rewarding than stumbling around ourselves.
We were on kind of a tight schedule, and at Pompeii we got a guide outside and said "give us the most and best you can give us in two hours." She knew our stuff, and we saw more and learned more in two hours than we would have wandering around ourselves all day. The tour guides point out so much stuff you would never even notice yourself.
One piece of advice I would give is that any kind of attraction, get a tour guide. You can book in advance, or even pick them up outside. You usually get to skip the line, and them taking you through and explaining things and pointing things out is way more rewarding. Otherwise you're looking at stuff with no context of what you're seeing, or you're heads down in some kind of self-guided book. You're already spending a fortune, spend the extra $15 a person or whatever. All the tour guides we had were great - great stories, very educational. Much more rewarding than stumbling around ourselves.
We were on kind of a tight schedule, and at Pompeii we got a guide outside and said "give us the most and best you can give us in two hours." She knew our stuff, and we saw more and learned more in two hours than we would have wandering around ourselves all day. The tour guides point out so much stuff you would never even notice yourself.
You are a kind and generous man.Any of you jabronis done a trip to Italy? TBW have settled on a 12-13 day trip next May for our anniversary (~Memorial Day ish).
Right now, I'm kinda thinking some combination of Rome, Naples/Amalfi, Florence/Pisa, Venice, 2-3 nights each. First question is would a travel agent be helpful here since we've never been to Europe as adults and it's a big trip? Second question is how far out do we need to be planning/booking?
We'd do the obvious stuff like the Colosseum and the Vatican, but we'd likely want to do more wandering and things like wineries and cooking classes. Tips, do's, or dont's are appreciated. Is the city itinery doable in that amount of time? I hear the trains are pretty excellent there.
I'll probably bump this thread every so often just to get some more opinions as the planning gets more serious.
TIA. Italian bishes for your trouble:
Florence may be better if just for a couple days. I’d want more time in Paris unless you’re fine just doing a couple things there.
I've not done Florence, but I've never been impressed by Paris. Nonetheless it's worth doing once for a couple days. Eiffel tower, arch du triumph, and Notre dame (if its fixed) do, and in the evening do a show at the Moulon Rouge, that's one that's easy to forget but is pretty unique.
The Italian alps are amazing, I'd go there over a city any day. Cervinia is amazing, and you can still Ski in May if you want, or just take the lift up by the matterhorn and over to Zermatt, Switzerland. That would be the memorable part of your trip...
The Italian alps are amazing, I'd go there over a city any day. Cervinia is amazing, and you can still Ski in May if you want, or just take the lift up by the matterhorn and over to Zermatt, Switzerland. That would be the memorable part of your trip...
I visited Lake Como last summer. It was an amazing vacation. Italy is my favorite country. The colorful cities, the culture, and the national cuisine greatly pleased me. When I visit Italy, I am very happy. My mind and body relax there. I am inspired by local people's way of life and dream of living the same way. I have planned to attend a course on Italian cooking. The program includes training, a trip to the old city, and tasting Italian food and wine. A gastronomic tour with the opportunity to learn how to cook delicious Italian food is a great travel option.
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Saw a guy in Hawkeye gear at the La Spezia train station this morning. @funksouljon are you a bald dude?
We're going to Italy in October for my 50th birthday. 12 days total (including travel) - Rome, Naples and Sorrento/Amalfi. We used a travel consultant to create a "curated" experience...lots of personal tours, dinners using his own personal contacts and our tastes/preferences. Can't wait!
Hope you’re not spending much time in Naples itself. It’s a shit hole. Sorrento is great. Have lunch at Bellevue Syrene & then walk thru the lobby. The have a “casual” place with great views.One of the nicest hotels i’ve ever stayed at.
You watch the Stanely Tucci travel docs yet? He did a good one on Naples and Amalfi area..
I'm seeing a lot of mixed reviews of Venice. I think it's a city everyone should see once and never go back. If it wasn't Disney-like crowded with tourists, it would be incredible.
We are doing something similar late this summer. Almost a week in Rome.
Then in Naples area we will scuba dive the archeological park (there’s an ancient Roman city that fell into the sea just west of Naples… You can scuba dive and see statues, mosaic floors, etc.), Pompeii, and we rented a boat on Capri.
Then we are headed East to Castelmezzano area to relax in the mountains for a few days.
Hahaha, not yet! But I did see someone wearing a Hawkeye shirt at the Vatican today.
That was the Pope.
So, just back from a week on the amalfi coast. My report:
1. Flight over was worst night of sleep on a plane I’ve ever had. No idea why, but got into naples exhausted. From there, point 1 - driving the amalfi coast road is frightening. You get better at it. It man…narrow, windy, and busy.
2. Got into our hotel, the villa pandora, about a mile outside of maiori and right on the coast road cliff. Pretty cool. More on it later, but first night we happened to check in as there was some sort of big Italian family birthday party — and the family was clearly loaded with money. Immaculately dressed. Hit the bed early and the party was just as loud as you expect, topped off with fire crackers/Roman candles, literally right outside our window, at midnight. It was not an auspicious start, and mrs a, who does not do fatigue well, was ready for me to find another place. But I was too tired.
3. So day one we got up late and went into maiori. It is much quieter than amalfi or positano and had a big beach. We decided to hike the path of the lemons over to minori. Hilly and beautiful — someone was playing o sole mio in the town below on the French horn as we set out. Beautiful and improbably steep lemon groves terraced into the hill. Donkeys hauling lemons. Stopped for a nice limoncello and returned. Had a really nice simple meal of seafood risotto at the hotel. As Ivan denisovitch said, all in all it had been a good day. Mrs a calmed down.
4. Day 2 - Pompeii. A must see. I was dumbfounded at the scale of it all, and at how sophisticated some of the painted frescoes were - technique that wouldn’t be seen again for a thousand years in the early renaissance, and the sense of drama of the late renaissance. This was a surprisingly sophisticated society.
5. Day 3 - ferry to amalfi. The ferries are a bit of a cluster****, especially in amalfi. Amalfi was crowded, but we just sort of explored the little alleys before checking out the commercial strip and getting some lemon ice. Coolest thing was as we hit the square there was a high end wedding going on at the st Andrew basilica.
6. Day 4 - ferry to positano. Again, a cluster****. Positano was beautiful and had great shopping. Cathedral had cool 13th century icon. Had dinner back in maiori - fresh seafood pasta. Awesome.
7. Day 5 - supposed to go to capri but decided to go back to amalfi. Spent some time at the basilica and picking up some local gifts.
8. Day 6 - drove up to centara. Relaxed with a nice neopolotan pizza doc and picked up some of the local anchovies oil.
9. Day 7 - floated in the Mediterranean at a quiet little cove, picked up some limoncello in minori before heading to the airport. Lunch at a fantastic place in maiori -anchovy ravioli.
10. General points.
A. It’s hot as hell there. Hydrate. And tons and tons of people.
B. Consider where you stay. On the one hand, minori and maiori are much quieter and far less crowded, but with a little less to do.
C. Consider how you will get around. I didn’t want the hassle of driving and parking, so we mostly took the ferry. The ferry runs often but is a mass of humanity.
D. Back to the hotel. I really liked it after the firecrackers. Staff were great, and they drove us into town and picked us up whenever we wanted. Great cocktails, great food, great pool, great views. Room small but all we did was sleep there.
E. Great local food with a heavy seafood emphasis. And lemon everything. And when you get a little cranky, just have a gelato.
F. Sorta neat how all of the local churches seem to have their own Marian angles/art and festivals. In maiori, it’s Maria a mare, which washed up and protected the town from pirate invasion. In positano, it’s the old icon that was left where when the wind stopped blowing and the captain heard a voice say leave me here. And the wind resumed when he did. You’ll see these little symbols everywhere off the beaten paths.
G. All in all, I prefer Tuscany/inland, but a really unique coastal vibe with spectacular old towns on the cliffs.
1. Flight over was worst night of sleep on a plane I’ve ever had. No idea why, but got into naples exhausted. From there, point 1 - driving the amalfi coast road is frightening. You get better at it. It man…narrow, windy, and busy.
2. Got into our hotel, the villa pandora, about a mile outside of maiori and right on the coast road cliff. Pretty cool. More on it later, but first night we happened to check in as there was some sort of big Italian family birthday party — and the family was clearly loaded with money. Immaculately dressed. Hit the bed early and the party was just as loud as you expect, topped off with fire crackers/Roman candles, literally right outside our window, at midnight. It was not an auspicious start, and mrs a, who does not do fatigue well, was ready for me to find another place. But I was too tired.
3. So day one we got up late and went into maiori. It is much quieter than amalfi or positano and had a big beach. We decided to hike the path of the lemons over to minori. Hilly and beautiful — someone was playing o sole mio in the town below on the French horn as we set out. Beautiful and improbably steep lemon groves terraced into the hill. Donkeys hauling lemons. Stopped for a nice limoncello and returned. Had a really nice simple meal of seafood risotto at the hotel. As Ivan denisovitch said, all in all it had been a good day. Mrs a calmed down.
4. Day 2 - Pompeii. A must see. I was dumbfounded at the scale of it all, and at how sophisticated some of the painted frescoes were - technique that wouldn’t be seen again for a thousand years in the early renaissance, and the sense of drama of the late renaissance. This was a surprisingly sophisticated society.
5. Day 3 - ferry to amalfi. The ferries are a bit of a cluster****, especially in amalfi. Amalfi was crowded, but we just sort of explored the little alleys before checking out the commercial strip and getting some lemon ice. Coolest thing was as we hit the square there was a high end wedding going on at the st Andrew basilica.
6. Day 4 - ferry to positano. Again, a cluster****. Positano was beautiful and had great shopping. Cathedral had cool 13th century icon. Had dinner back in maiori - fresh seafood pasta. Awesome.
7. Day 5 - supposed to go to capri but decided to go back to amalfi. Spent some time at the basilica and picking up some local gifts.
8. Day 6 - drove up to centara. Relaxed with a nice neopolotan pizza doc and picked up some of the local anchovies oil.
9. Day 7 - floated in the Mediterranean at a quiet little cove, picked up some limoncello in minori before heading to the airport. Lunch at a fantastic place in maiori -anchovy ravioli.
10. General points.
A. It’s hot as hell there. Hydrate. And tons and tons of people.
B. Consider where you stay. On the one hand, minori and maiori are much quieter and far less crowded, but with a little less to do.
C. Consider how you will get around. I didn’t want the hassle of driving and parking, so we mostly took the ferry. The ferry runs often but is a mass of humanity.
D. Back to the hotel. I really liked it after the firecrackers. Staff were great, and they drove us into town and picked us up whenever we wanted. Great cocktails, great food, great pool, great views. Room small but all we did was sleep there.
E. Great local food with a heavy seafood emphasis. And lemon everything. And when you get a little cranky, just have a gelato.
F. Sorta neat how all of the local churches seem to have their own Marian angles/art and festivals. In maiori, it’s Maria a mare, which washed up and protected the town from pirate invasion. In positano, it’s the old icon that was left where when the wind stopped blowing and the captain heard a voice say leave me here. And the wind resumed when he did. You’ll see these little symbols everywhere off the beaten paths.
G. All in all, I prefer Tuscany/inland, but a really unique coastal vibe with spectacular old towns on the cliffs.
Thanks
Most of my time down south has been in Sorrento which we really like. Hoping to get on other side for 4-5 days next fall.
Thanks for this. We are planning a vacation with extended family next summer. Plan is to fly into Rome and do that a few days, then take the train to Florence for a couple of days, then take the train to Naples, where we will then get a Day Trip van ride to our Villa in Maori. Current Amalfi day trip ideas include Capri, Pompeii, Positano, and renting chairs at a beach club for a day. Any specific recs you have on restaurants and such would be appreciated!
David
Walking along the Arno river and over the Ponte Vecchio
Duomo
Santa Croce
Honestly, I’d spend most of my time wandering the city and eating gelato.
I’ll suggest lunch at bellevue syrene and dinner at either la tonnerella or la minerva in sorrento.
First stop should be plaza Michelangelo. Great view from hill overlooking city. Burial of pinnochio writer is right behind there at church.
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