Italy recommendations?

sylar

Hi everyone,

My partner and I are looking to book a week in Italy in September. It will be my partners first holiday abroad, and he's keen to ensure that there's plenty to do and see so he won't be 'stuck by a pool'. Does anyone have any recommendations of places to stay? We won't be hiring a car, so any sightseeing would have to be using public transport. Advice on the best sites to use to book (or those to avoid!) would also be highly appreciated!

Many thanks

Voyager2002

Where does one begin? Why Italy: what interests you there?

Personally I would just get transport to somewhere like Bergamo (old town) and find a place to stay once there, but you would need a guidebook.

ibizafan_2

Totally different areas, but we loved Lake Garda and Sicily (Taormina area) Lots to see in both places, and do-able by public transport. Both times, we visited in September, and had pretty good weather. Tripadvisor has loads of information on places to stay and where to go. We just booked package holidays, but it would be easy enough to DIY. I've also been to Venice twice, which is my favourite place, but a week might be too long in any one city. We're off to Rome this September, but only for three nights, so we're planning to pack a lot in.

mgdavid

r2015 wrote: »

Does he have to have interests there?
...........

Yes, given the OP said "he's keen to ensure that there's plenty to do and see".

How does knowing where you've been (well, just the ones you could remember) help the OP exactly?

zagfles

Sorrento. Loads to see and do in the area, Pompeii, Herculanuem, Vesuvious, Amafi coast, Naples etc. All easy to do on public transport. There've been loads on threads here, have a search.

lovesgshp

What does he want to see, historic areas, lakes, mountains?
Venice for a couple of days would be fine, then maybe Verona and if you are lucky, you may also get the grape festival date in Soave. It is also possible to get to Lake Garda.
Public transport is very good with buses and trains.
As Zagfles says, you could also do the area he suggests.
A week is fairly tight if you want to see a lot of different places, so stick to one area.

http://goitaly.about.com/od/verona/tp/verona-top-attractions.htm

http://goitaly.about.com/od/soave/a/soave.htm

kavalaus

I would definitely recommend to spend few days in Rome. It is nice just to leave hotel in the morning and walk around whole day exploring the old city and seeing Vatican. I spent 5 days in Rome when I was visiting Rome and I felt like it was not enough and I wasn't ready to leave.
Enjoy your trip!

missbiggles1

I'd suggest spending the whole week in Venice - there's so much to see and do there and, obviously no car needed.

loskie

Cheap flight to Pisa, a couple of nights there and then train up to the Cinque Terra(Levanto is good), enjoy the coast and get a train to Lucca. Enjoy the food and wine, history, countryside and coast in one holiday.

richardw

loskie wrote: »

Cheap flight to Pisa, a couple of nights there and then train up to the Cinque Terra(Levanto is good), enjoy the coast and get a train to Lucca. Enjoy the food and wine, history, countryside and coast in one holiday.

I second this suggestion, an excellent example of a great holiday that can be had in Italy, combining Coast and inland sights.

September is popular with many who wait for the children to go back to school before they go on holiday so demand can be high. Car parking in Cinque Terre can be a nightmare.