Well I finally decided to come to Italy and now by brother doesn't think he can make it but I still want to go. So, my husband and I are thinking of coming for 10 days flying out of Minneapolis. I don't have a list of must sees, we are the stay in two places and enjoy the heck out of them kind of people. I want to eat in great places, drink great wine and get to know some beautiful areas. We'd even consider basing in one place. It's a little overwhelming thinking of getting around and where to fly into. Areas that sound appealing are Tuscany, Piedmont, Italian Riviera, Florence and Venice. Since we only want to do two different areas at the most we realize we can only do a couple of those areas & go again some other time. We're thinking of Sept/Oct or next May. We just want to "slow travel" and just relax and visit with people and places. (and drink lots of wine)Any ideas? We're not even sure where to fly into and we're totally open to suggestions. Thanks, Janice
What do we like to do-Eat, drink wine, relax, look at churches and beautiful architecture (which I'm sure is everywhere), shop but more like art, pottery, not clothes or jewelry. We do like hiking but nothing too severe and I'm also scared of heights so hiking somehwere steep is out. We love to wander small towns, see the sites and the people, drink some wine (did I say that already??), people watch. WE're pretty laid back and don't need a packed itinerary to be happy. My idea of a perfect day in Italy. Wake up in the countryside in beautiful redone farmhouse. Have a wonderful breakfast and plan what town to visit that day. So I guess I would say countryside does interest me but I might need a few days in Florence or Venice. Janice
Since slow travel appeals I would go to one area perhaps with two bases. It seems like Agriturismo might be the way to go,many wineries have rooms to rent.10 days including arrival and departure day? If so that is really 8 days-how about fly into florence spend 4 nights then rent a car,drive around southern tuscany and either fly out of florence or Rome if you go way far south in Tuscany.RR
Robert brings up a good point, is it ten days including travel days, eight days on the ground? If so, I'd almost opt for one place - probably Tuscany for those eight days and either rent an apartment or stay in an agritourismo. If it's ten days on the ground - I'd do three days in Venice and the next week in the Tuscan countryside.
Actually it would be 9 days on the ground. We're thinking of Sept/Oct or May. Any thoughts on what's a better travel month. We of course would like warm days, dry weather and not totally packed with tourists. Any recommendations on towns or places to stay in Tuscany?I like the winery idea as we do like to people watch and might like a restaurant/bar on site. How easy is it to get to Tuscany from Venice. Can you fly into Venice or would we be better off flying into Florence? Thank you so much for all of your help, Janice
It is possible and not much more to get an open jaw ticket,so into venice and out florence,(or Rome if you want to go to the more rural areas in southern tuscany).It sounds like venice is on the list so into Venice 4 nights then rent car and drive into Tuscany.
southern tuscany- 1.San quirico D'Orcia 2. Maremma-which is the coastal area very rural and much less visited! Than chianti areas. my pick for a larger town in tuscany is Siena. RR
Actually, you would probably get better airfares flying into either Rome or Milan. If you are going to go to Venice, fly to Milan. If you are going to Florence, fly into Rome. ES trains run often and allow you to see more of the countryside than a plane flight. They are about the same in time when you figure in security and the like.
Staying at a villa can be nice BUT be aware, villas are on the outskirts of the main cities, so if you are eating out each evening, you will be driving to the towns. You might want to opt for a B&B or apartment in a small town like San Gimignano, Siena, Cortona, etc, where you can be "Italian" and walk to dinner each evening. We stayed in a small town at a B&B and loved every minute of it as we had the town to ourselves each evening and a stroll after dinner was great. You can even find a gelato por dolce!
You times of planning are wonderful so ... buon viaggi!
Doug
Doug
ANCORA IMPARO
Posts: 2108 | Location: Winter Park, FL | Registered: 18 May 2005
I think I like the idea of basing in Tuscany in a town and exploring out from there. I'm wondering if flying into Florence (and skipping Venice this trip) staying there for a few days and then heading south to Tuscany wouldn't be a good option. What's everyone's thoughts on Montalcino. There is some really appealing small hotels there and I read some great things about it. I do agree that maybe staying in a town and walking to dinner is a better idea than being on the outskirts. Janice
Well, I am going to check in here for Piedmont (big surprise, huh!! )
THe virtues and benifits of a Piemonte/Liguria vacation -
Piemonte is a region with so much to offer. The capital is Torino, the former capital of the Italian Republic, the city which is surrounded by the Alps and famous for its chocolate, for its restaurants. Smaller cities like Alba (truffles), Asti (wine), Acqui Terme (wine and spa facilities), Cuneo (chocolate and cheese), Bra (food food food), and countless other smaller treasures dot the vineyard landscape. Mountainous to the south, flat around the Padano Plain area and ringed from the west, north and east by the Alps and the Appenine, it is one of the most scenic regions one can imagine. In addition, Southern Piemonte's proximity to the Ligurian Coast allows for a quick jaunt to the mountian tops, where breathtaking seascapes abound.
The Piemontese cuisine is arguably the best in Italy. It must be sampled to be understood.
On the Ligurian side, the city of Genoa crowns the coast before heading south east towards Camogli, Portofino, the Cinque Terre, Lerici and Portovenere, to name a few jewels. Colorful fishing villages with the famed LIgurian cuisine -olive oil based dishes made with local seafood and veggies.
In my mind, the Ligurian/Piemonte vacation offers the very best of what Italy has to offer: Beauty, nature, authenticity, sea, mountains, wine, food, metropolitan areas, history, culture. Everything within an area which is relatively compact so that one does not have to travel long distances for a fabulous vacation.
I will second everything Diana has said about Piedmont and to add one extra thing, its not overrun by tourists and visitors like Tuscany and IMO offers a real slice of Italy, the best wines (reds), the best cuisine (the other egions are jealous)made for locals not tourists and loads of culture and hilltop villages. And the proximity to the Ligurian Riveira and Val d'Aosta as well as the wonderful cities of Turin ("Italy's best kept secret") and Genoa (a gem of a seaport) plus Milan if you want to. San Gimigiano? Asti was known as the city of 100 towers in medieval times when it was a major trading and banking republic while the Florentines still raised sheep (sorry Firenze, I couldn't resist that. Basta cosi!
Venice keeps coming up in OP's posts, so notwithstanding the excellence of all the other places mentioned, I think you should just do it. Venice is surrounded by the Veneto and loads of countryside. You could easily spend that whole time in Venice getting to know it, but since you want to be in the country, plump for an agriturismo in the Veneto, take the canal trip and see the beautiful villas, visit Venice, Verona, Padua, Treviso and drink prosecco at every opportunity. It's a very rewarding region. If it were my 1st trip, I'd just do Rome, even though my first trip I actually spent more time in Florence. Florence was at that time much less internationalized and I wanted to see the paintings I'd studied and had little interest in vegging out in the countryside. Ahh, youth. That way, every year or two yopu can have another 1st trip-- to Tuscany, to Rome, to the south, to Piedmont.
Why don't you think about spending half your time in the northern part Italy and the other half exploring an area in the South? That way you could mix the well-known and well-oiled tracks of Tuscany or Umbria with an unknown Italy that is off the beaten tourist path. The Sannio is located inland from Naples, Pompeii and the Amalfi coast (about 3 hours south of Rome), home to the ancient Samnites and crossroads of the Romans, the Longobards, the Goths and the Normans. It is also the happy home to some of Italy's finest Aglianico and Falanghina wines (known here as Falanghina Felix). We don't have a single Armani or Fendi or other brand-name store, but the area is well-known for its ceramics, lace and embroidery. The food? A delight to the senses! Flavours, Wines & Traditions in the Heart of Italy www.savourthesannio.com
Diana, I had actually sent you an email inquiring about staying with you. Our original plan was to go with my brother and his wife and stay on the Ligurian coast and then go inland and I came across your website. If we flew into Milan would that be feasible if we have on ground 8 days? What is a great town to stay in on the coast to see that area? It's so hard to tell by maps how close everything is. We definitely would rent a car and it seemed like flying into Milan might work. It did seem like splitting our tmie staying in Piedmont and staying on the coast would give us a good taste of a few different areas. I had mentioned Tuscany as I liked the idea of staying in a village and traveling out to visit the area but if it would be a similar experience in the Piedmont area (which looks beautiful) then maybe that is the way to go and we could do Tuscany and Florence another time. Janice P.S. Thank you everyone for all the great ideas. The problem is only having 10 days to do a year's worth of visiting. THat's why picking one or two regions and spending some time there seems perfect for us.
Originally posted by Janiceh: Our original plan was to go with my brother and his wife and stay on the Ligurian coast and then go inland and I came across your website. If we flew into Milan would that be feasible if we have on ground 8 days? What is a great town to stay in on the coast to see that area?
Janice, It would be a perfect 8 day vacation. Just perfect. I would stay in Camogli, a wonderful fishing village about an hour and twenty minutes from where we live. It is so gorgeous, very authentic, a lovely cove of a village with small walkways and a pebble beach.
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