traveling in italy

[joesebastian]

Hi all,
what a brilliant forum.
Thinking about doing a month in italy next year, north to south. Being new to this i'd really appreciate some info on best ways to get around (monthly rail cards or the french carte orange type tickets) Must see places and places to avoid (subjective i know but always interesting). Just general do's and don'ts. I'd be going with my girlfriend from manchester, but i'm open at this early stage for all travel options and discussion about what is best. How many days in each place to really get the flavour? All ideas and experiences welcome. BTW i have already started learning Italian. Ciao for now!

[pointofnoreturn]

I don't think you need a pass for train travel in Italy. It's pretty cheap compared to the rest of Europe so you should be fine with buying point-to-point tickets.

If you want to spend a month in Italy, you could visit the major cities (Rome, Venice, Florence and perhaps Milan and Naples if you know what to do there) as well as some countryside cities such as Tivoli, Cinque Terre, Siena, etc.

As for the number of days, I'd suggest checking out older posts in this forum. There are a lot of general guidelines but I'll post a couple regardless:

Rome - at least 5 nights
Venice - 3 nights
Florence - 3 nights
Milan - 1/2 nights (if you really want to see the Last Supper painting and the Duomo)
Naples - 1/2 nights (can be done as a daytrip from Rome)

Tivoli - daytrip from Rome

You could also visit Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius... I don't know. It depends on your interests so hopefully this will give you more of a general idea of where to start

[me]

pointofnoreturn said:

Ias well as some countryside cities such as Tivoli, Cinque Terre, Siena, etc.

just to clarify: Cinque Terre is not a city. it's a national park around 5 villages on or near the seacoast. CT has been named by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

and, although i've never been South of Rome, i understand Amalfi Coast - not far South of Naples - is another area of Italy with great natural beauty, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

[pointofnoreturn]

Oops - I just meant general places to see... you're right. I guess I was using too much of a broad term!

[joesebastian]

thank you so much for your replies. I know Rome can be sardines even off peak but so much to see i guess we have to brave those crowds. Amalfi coast looks very lovely, positano especially, if a little expensive. I have heard some of the backwater villages are very beautiful but am clueless about them. Any extra suggestions welcome. Merci ya soon.

[me]

joesebastian said:

I know Rome can be sardines even off peak

great metaphor!

[Eagle]

joesebastian, Welcome! Some great suggestions so far on places to see in Italy.

In addition to the locations suggested by the others, you might also consider other hill towns. One that I really enjoyed was Orvieto, which is in Umbria (not too far north of Rome). While there you could take a day trip to the small hill town of Civita di Bagnoregio, which is accessible via a concrete bridge (the food in Antico Forno Ristorante is great!). Check the web site for Civita if you're interested.

If you decide to visit the Cinque Terre, I'd suggest at least two or three days. One of the favourite activities for visitors is to hike the trails between the five villages. Note that you'll need to buy a Pass in order to access the trails (they DO have people checking!). The Pass must be validated the same as a Rail Pass. You'll also need to decide which of the villages you're going to stay in. The "official" Hostel is in Manarola and it's clean and well run, however there is a lockout during the day. There's a reasonably good selection of accomodations in all the villages. Monterosso al Mare is the largest of the villages, has the best selection of lodgings and also the best beach. However, I chose to stay in Riomaggiore on my last trip (just rented a room - no frills), and had a great time.

Unless you're planning to see The Last Supper or other sites, my preference would be to skip Milano. As you'll be travelling with your girl friend, you might consider Lago di Como instead. It's an incredibly beautiful area and a nice location to savour Il dolce far niente! Using Varenna as a home base is a good option, with a day trip to Bellagio. Varenna is about one hour by train from Milano.

I'd also suggest a day or two in Siena as you're travelling south from Firenze (Florence). If you decide to stop there, travel by Bus (SITA) is the best option, as passengers are dropped off close to the centre of town. If you arrive by train, you have to use Taxi or whatever to get up the hill.

Using rail (TrenItalia) to get around is probably the best and least expensive option. On some routes you'll need to purchase a reservation as well as fare on the train (this is common with the high speed trains). As a resident of the U.K., I believe there is some form of rail pass available for you (can't remember what they're called - Inter rail pass?). Once you have your Itinerary somewhat finalized, you'll have a better idea whether a rail pass or P-P tickets will be the best option. Note that even with a Rail Pass, reservations charges (if required) must be paid separately.

It's great that you're starting with some Italian language training, as I find that some language skills really help in Italy (which reminds me, time to get back to my Italian studies also),

Hope this is some help.

Buona Fortuna!

[joesebastian]

Eagle, all great info. brilliant. gonna work out a route from start to finish that takes in your suggestions. The hike of the 5 villages sounds ideal. Thanks so much for taking the time to help us. Grazie infinite.

[stylescriber]

Just don't forget to share your experiences here!Have a safe and fun trip!