Advice to Italy Trip

[Hiroshima]

Want to plan a trip to Italy and need advice from those that have already been:

Here is what I have in mind:
Fly into Venice Spend 3 days.
Train to Florence Spend 3 days.
Train to Chuisi (Near Tuscany) Rent a car. Stay in Umbria/Tuscany Area 3 days.
Train to Rome. Spend 4 days. Fly out of Rome back to the states.

My questions are these:

1.Where and what did you enjoy the most?
2.Is there anything you absolutely should not miss apart from the standard things (pisa, colosseum, vatican,etc)?
3.What is over hyped and not worth the time (in your opinion)?
4. Any other suggestions?

 

[lemansnsx]

Want to plan a trip to Italy and need advice from those that have already been:

I'm a little puzzled as to why you would fly into Venice and then skip all of the other interesting parts of the north of Italy? I understand wanting to hit all of the usual spots - Rome, Florence, etc and I know you can't see it all in a short time but the north has a lot to offer! Lugano (Swiss/Italian), Como, Milan, the coast around Luano, and so much more! Not to mention Monza!
I have to admit in the interests of full disclosure that I've never been to most of the places you've listed - my Dad had an apartment in Milan years ago so most of my trips started there.

 

[MJK]

I go to Italy every time I get a chance, and have been to every place you've mentioned in the past year. You've got 2 weeks/16 days, right? Here is my $.02.

1.Fly into Milano and rent a car (cheaper)
2&3. Drive up to Lago de Cumo and the swiss alps (Interlaken is beautiful) and back, return the car.
4. Take the train to Venice for the day (its beautiful, but touristy. one day/night is plenty)
5-7. Take the the train to Florence
8-9. Rent a car and drive around Toscany/Umbria. Stay in bed & breakfasts.
10-11. Go to Naples/Vesuvio/the Amalfi Coast
12-16: Return car and spend it Rome. Fly out of Rome.

There is PLENTY to do, don't just do the touristy stuff! Hang out with the locals. Italians are the greatest people on the planet (a bit biased, but not of Italian decent).

Have great trip!

 

[MJK]

Re: Re: Advice to Italy Trip

I'm a little puzzled as to why you would fly into Venice and then skip all of the other interesting parts of the north of Italy? I understand wanting to hit all of the usual spots - Rome, Florence, etc and I know you can't see it all in a short time but the north has a lot to offer! Lugano (Swiss/Italian), Como, Milan, the coast around Luano, and so much more! Not to mention Monza!
I have to admit in the interests of full disclosure that I've never been to most of the places you've listed - my Dad had an apartment in Milan years ago so most of my trips started there.

I agree, in fact I LONG to return to all those places and do at least once a year. I've been to Venice twice, and that was plenty.

 

[RSO 34]

I went to Rome, Sicily and Venice in the same trip. What I found disconcerting about Rome was the fact that I was a constant target of all the gypsies trying to pick my pockets everywhere I went (including on line for the Vatican!). It got so bad I was considering leaving early because I got tired of being so vigilant, and this is coming from someone who grew up in NYC. However, I stayed and saw all the touristy sites and enjoyed them all. Obviously you want to see the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican and St Peters.

I enjoyed Venice and stayed for 3 days at the Gritti Palace on the Grand Canal. Although it is packed during the day with daytripping tourists, it is a great city just to wander around. The best part was at night when the daytrippers left and you could wander around without any crowds. We went to classical music concerts in local churches each night and then stopped in local cafes along with way. Just watch out for local shills trying to get you to take a free ferry to Murano as they steer you to overpriced retailers of Murano glass.

Venice was also interesting at night because the high tides cause the streets to be flooded and you need to walk the city on mini scaffolds that are kept in the corners during the day and put are put out at night. Our hotel had to take all the furniture out of the lobby because of the nightly flooding and put everything back in the morning. San Marco piazza was under water every night and I was able to get some great night shots by setting a mini tripod in the flooded square to show it under water.

There is no way to see everything, north and south, in one trip so focusing on a few regions/cities is the best way to go unless you have at least a month to travel around. Here are some other photos I took during my trip: http://photography.robertondrovic.com/gallery/71942/1/2492950

 

[PAUL M]

Try to go to Santa Marherita and Portofino. I stayed there right after Florence and I loved it. Also try and visit Cinque Terra It was fantastic

 

[Hiroshima]

Thanks for all the great replies guys!

Lemansnsx: Most of the reason we are only hitting 4 areas and skipping Milan and Como is so we can have a more leisurely trip. We are actually only staying 13 days since 2 of the 15 days we have planned is taken up by travel

Perhaps on the next go-around we can do the northern italy thing.

RS0 34: Great pics. What kind of camera and lense were you using? I have a Canon A80 with a lensmate adapter, a circular polarizer, and a tiffen .56x super wide angle lense. I mostly got those for the trip and based on some of the pics you took, you had a pretty wide lense. Any tips on how to take such great pics.... besides practice....

White 94:
Great suggestions. I just don't think we have that much time but I will ask the wife.

Thanks again guys, keep the great suggestions comming.

 

[Ponyboy]

I don't see Maranello on your list. You've got to go to Maranello!

Hint: Ferrari factory tour.

 

[tucsonsx]

You might cut back your itinerary a bit; it sounds like a little too much travel time to me. We've had good luck by covering smaller areas more thoroughly - say fly into and out of Rome and rent a car to see the Amalfi coast ( Pompei, Positano, and Sorrento for example ) to get a good feel for ancient Rome, or fly into and out of Florence and rent a car to see Tuscany ( Siena and San Gimignano for example ) to get a feel for Renaissance Italy. Rick Steves has some great videos you might want to see first, and has the best piece of travel advice ever - pack light ( your trip can actually be done easily with a carry on only ). Have fun - you'll love it!!!

 

[Hiroshima]

I try to pack light for most trips but I have a feeling 2 weeks may put a strain on a carry-on. I just ordered a Rick Steves DVD from netflix on Italy and purchased his book. Thanks for the advice.

I may look into cutting back on the # of sites. I like the idea of not being rushed on vacation...

Thanks for all the great advice.

 

[tucsonsx]

Using a carry on only saves so much time at airports, jumping on and off trains, getting in and out of taxis, packing to check out, etc., etc. that it is worth the strain ( a carry on and a small camera bag is acceptable with most airlines these days ). Even my wife can do it with a carry on only and for a woman to do it says a lot about the advantages. The key is to wear a sturdy pair of weatherproof shoes and carry a light pair of loafers for dressier occasions. I would avoid wearing bright white athletic shoes; they will mark you as an American instantly and we're not exactly the most popular or respected people over there right now. Thankfully Lance Armstrong is currently doing a lot to help that situation.

 

[lemansnsx]

I would avoid wearing bright white athletic shoes; they will mark you as an American instantly

I would avoid anything that "brands" you as an American when travelling so leave the favorite sports team shirt/hat/bag/etc at home. Also consider one of the shoulder holster style passport/wallet carriers available from places like Brookstone and Travelsmith. If you must carry a wallet thin it down and carry it in your front trouser pocket.

 

[RSO 34]

RS0 34: Great pics. What kind of camera and lense were you using? I have a Canon A80 with a lensmate adapter, a circular polarizer, and a tiffen .56x super wide angle lense. I mostly got those for the trip and based on some of the pics you took, you had a pretty wide lense. Any tips on how to take such great pics.... besides practice....

Believe it or not those photos were taken with the first megapixel digital camera on the consumer market several years ago. I paid $850 for a Nikon Coolpix that was only 2 megapixel and I shot the photos above along with the those in the gallery link with that one. I also shot a Canon A1 film SLR as a backup not knowing, back then, what the digital prints would look like.

Currently, I shoot a Canon D60 digital with a variety of lenses ranging from a 16mm-35mm through 100-400.

One of the main tips I can give for decent photos involves lighting. This is not easy to control in outdoor shots because of weather, etc. but early morning/early evening shots generally come out better than midday shots with a high sun overhead. Night shots can be very interesting but you need a tripod. I usually keep a mni-tripod in my bag for easy portability and to take advantage of opportunities such as San Marco square under water.

And, of course, practice. With digital cameras being affordable, there is no reason not to take several hundred shots and frame a particular subject several ways with different exposures and just keep the shots you like. Plus, photoshop now makes every digital photographer equivalent to the old darkroom experts.

 

[Mr.Wolf]

Beware of theives and pick-pockets. A handgun-outline in your rear pocket is a good deterrent.
If you would like a tour of the mafia and homes of corrupt political figures, just PM. My cousin will help.

 

[gheba_nsx]

I would really focus on a couple regions only, doing more will be too much stress IMO.

Some more nice places to see? Cinqueterre, Amalfi, Ischia, Siena (maybe during the Palio!), Sicily and Sardinia in general, Sanremo and the Liguria coast down to Nice/Monaco...

 

[gheba_nsx]

Re: Re: Advice to Italy Trip

Lugano (Swiss/Italian), Como, Milan, the coast around Luano,

Wow! Lugano mentioned on NSXPRIME!
That is my hometown (it is very small, only 15'000 persons) and I agree, it is one of the nicest (small)city in the world!

 

[gheba_nsx]

I don't see Maranello on your list. You've got to go to Maranello!

Hint: Ferrari factory tour.

Needs to be planned months in advance and veeeery difficult if are not an owner that has been sent by a Ferrari delaership...

Anyway it is not worth the hassle! So many nicer things to see in the area... go to a "Concorso Ferrari" car show anywhere in the world and you will see nicer Ferrari anyway!

 

[lemansnsx]

Re: Re: Re: Advice to Italy Trip

Wow! Lugano mentioned on NSXPRIME!
That is my hometown (it is very small, only 15'000 persons) and I agree, it is one of the nicest (small)city in the world!

Wow, nice hometown. I've been there several times - just beautiful!

 

[whiteNSXs]

I don't see Maranello on your list. You've got to go to Maranello!

Hint: Ferrari factory tour.

There is no such thing as a Ferrari factory tour for us ordinary souls. You need to be well connected to be INVITED.
Steve

 

[comquat1]

What about a Lamborghini tour?
I thought I just read somewhere that Ferrari just opened a museum at one of their factories? Is this true?

 

[Ponyboy]

True enough. Though owners can schedule a factory tour or if you buy a new one you can watch it being built. But Ferrari does have a museum anyone can visit (Galleria Ferrari).

 

[comquat1]

Does being able to get a tour include those who own a Mondial or beat up 308??? No seriously, if you own any Ferrari can you arrange a tour?

 

[nsx1164]

No seriously, if you own any Ferrari can you arrange a tour?

For most US folks, Ferrari factory tours are arranged by your dealer for you. Unclear if current-model ownership is really required. Same applies to Maserati, which is located close to Maranello as well, although I believe they will reciprocate (own one, visit both).

Most other constructors will allow you to visit their facilities and factory museums, given some advance notice (and reservations).

When we last did this, we also visited with Lamborghini, DeTomaso, Pagani and several design houses. Some of their factory museum collections included some very special/rare cars.