Where to go in Italy

Empty_pockets

Considering a holiday to Italy this year (1st week of August)

Never been to Italy before, no idea what to expect or where to go.

2 adults 30/32
Like to see interesting things (just got back from a Paris trip, E.Tower & Moulin Rouge and a couple of parks visited)
Always wanted to see Pompei ruins
Like good restaurants/bars, not too bothered about late night nightlife, usually flat out by 12.
She likes fashon/shopping. Not so much buying but just dragging me round for hours on end loking at silly outfits.

Any suggestions on which areas of Italy we should be looking at?

Thanks.

VfM4meplse

I would head for the Bay of Naples, there's loads to see - Sorrento, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Vesuvius, Amalfi, Capri, Ischia etc. However I would steer away from central Naples as it's a total dump. The weather in August is wonderfully warm.

whatyadoinsucka

ok, italy

milan is expensive and i mean expensive, the main bar strip is 10 euros a drink, a 9 euro pizza adds upto 16 euros with seat & tables charges. great for shopping though, managed to catch a ac versus inter derby Brilliant.

a better trip would be to fly into rome and out of venice, via a train to florence / pisa
rome is brilliant lots to see and do, although can be expensive for a good quality hotel.
been twice and spent 3-4 days on each trip, enjoyed it alot, st peters / vatican / trevi fountain et al
florence has lots of culture and a naked david, big river, and is only 45 mins away from the leaning tower of pisa
venice is hot and stuffy in august, also 24 hours is enough for me (been twice for 24 hours each time)
the food is terrible as are £100 a night hotels.

but a better trip (as suggested above) would be to fly into naples and spend your time in sorento / amalfi coast
mt vesuvias / capri island / naples / amalfi / possetano coast oh and pompei
consider staying in sorento, not the nicest part, but having stayed 3 days in amalfi i got sick off catching the blue bus to/from amalfi 2 hours ago
ps. pompei is not all that.. quite dull really

I'm actually thinking about going back to rome, not been in 2-3 years, i'm also wanting to go to the dolimites, the lakes north of milan and the cinque terre, not enough time (or money)

as a word of warning italy is expensive and damn hot in summer,
i prefer out of season even october/november can be t-shirt weather.

consider Croatia as it has a coliseum in pula, and beautiful coastline beaches etc
also slovenia north of venice is nice, the train is less than a tenner from ljubljana to venice, and lake bled is one of the pretiest places in europe

vegasvisitor

Sounds like you're looking at Naples area for Pompeii, so maybe Sorrento area. Not sure how long you're going, but you could twin it up with somewhere else and fly home from different airport eg fly to Naples and home from Rome. If you're going for a week or less, I think the travelling to Venice might be a bit much, depends if you're happy to spend the best part of a day travelling.

We did 14 nights Rome-Florence-Rimini-Milan. Flew to Rome, and home from Bergamo. We didn't like Milan and decided more recently to try Bergamo which we loved. I'd highly recommend Bergamo if you are in the North or Lakes at any point. In fact, Bergamo twinned with the lakes could be another option, with option to go into Milan for the day. Or if you're there long enough take in Venice too. We did a day up at Desenzano di Garda when we were there.

For a slightly different option at Venice, look up Mestre. It's a more functional non-touristy town but you can get into Venice by bus or train very quickly. We stayed there at the Hotel Centrale (on bus route) and we really enjoyed that too. We don't seem to mind being somewhere a bit less touristy though, and then travelling around by train or bus etc to see stuff. Hotels will be more reasonable in Mestre than Venice too.

Hope you have a nice time whatever you decide!

[Deleted User]

It would be Lake Garda for me, from Garda town upwards it is very pretty and good walks and old towns an also very good for trips to venice , verona and the dolomites.

lovebargainshatewaste

ps. pompei is not all that.. quite dull really

:eek: I love Pompeii!!! It obviously depends how interested one is in history, but I found it fascinating.

Highly agree with earlier poster to avoid Naples city. It really is a dump.

Bologna is my favourite Italian city. Lots of things to explore, and it's the gateway to the North of the country. The train to Venice, Verona, Milan, Florence etc is quick and not too pricey (especially if you take the "slow" train although this takes quite a bit longer than the other train). Bologna is easy to navigate, and as long as you don't eat/drink near the main square, you'll find very reasonably priced pizzerias/restaurants.

Florence is wonderful, as is Verona. Venice is great as well, but I would avoid it in the height of summer, due to the ridiculous amount of tourists around and also, the canals stink in the heat. Milan is, as already mentioned, expensive, but I'm sure you could find more reasonable prices by staying away from the main squares/streets.

Rome is good, although it will be over-run with tourists. A friend of mine got her purse stolen by pick-pockets there. Children. :mad:

Wherever you decide to go - have a great time. When eating out, if you're drinking wine, buy the carafe. The wine is fine (all the locals drink it) and it's much cheaper than a bottle

Pee

I've not been to Pompeii but think Naples and the Amalfi coast looks amazing and you could probably get a couple of days in Rome, although it would be too hot for me.

Venice is beautiful. I get the suggestion to stay out of town for cheaper - and probably nicer - hotels, but for me the most magical part of a trip to Venice is wandering around and taking a water bus when all the tourists have left for the day.

Florence is beautiful, but again, too hot for me in August. Milan is the place for shopping, esp if just window shopping.

Bologna was nice, but only stayed there one night and another friend went and didn't really feel it was the right place - great transport hub for sure, though.

I'd do Florence, Pisa briefly as the main point is the leaning tower and the buildings in that green area, Cinque Terre, maybe Genoa, and then fly back from Milan. I have done that and it's fantastic.

Italy is my favourite place and I wish I was going back there soon.

benjus

I guess Puglia is worth a mention, although probably not for your first trip as it doesn't have any of the "must see" historical sights or major cities.

What it does have, is plenty of lovely towns, villages and countryside, relatively untouristy atmosphere (although it does get lots of tourists from elsewhere in Italy), beaches, great climate, and amazing local food at reasonable prices. It's not that far from Naples, so it would be possible to combine with a trip to the Naples area.

VfM4meplse

whatyadoinsucka wrote: »

ps. pompei is not all that.. quite dull really

I found it quite the opposite, it was the highlight of an entirely wonderful trip. I spent 6 hours exploring the site, it brought what I had learnt in my Latin classes at school to life. Make sure you take the audio-guide, and then use your imagination.

It did help that I was enjoying the feeling of sunlight on my back for the first time that year! (20 degrees C vs snow in the UK). Take a picnic and some water.

Like the other posters, I have been all over Italy and have fond memories of Tuscany, Garda and Como in particular but would still recommend the Bay of Naples as a good introduction to the country, it's particlarly easy to get round using public transport if you don't wish to hire a car. I hadn't travelled there for over 12 years - more exotic destinations beckoned - but am more than making up for it this year: 3 trips there so far, and another one planned for September. Happy days!

apt

Cilento is another area that the Italians keep largely to themselves. You can also do a day trip to Pompeii from there by bus and train. You can also visit the stunning Greek temples at Paestum.

DUKE

I'll second Lake Garda, Verona, & Venice. We went on a Harry Shaw coach trip last year for my birthday & it was just £199 each! Although it did take 2 days to get there ..... I really enjoyed it though.