BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture European Travel Seeking out advice about Italy

Hi everyone-

Hoping to plan a trip to Italy in 2010 and would like to know if anyone would like to provide some insight from their experience!


* Small town stay or in the hub?
* Any suggestions in regards to lodging?
* Anything particular as a "must see" besides the obvious Colosseum and Pisa?

Any and all suggestions and opinions would be wonderful. I have done plenty of surfing, but it's nice to get some experience and opinions.

It depends on how much time you have. I created a sampleItinerary for a 10 day trip. I like to stay just outside of Venice. The Villa Grazziella gives you the best of both worlds, close to Venice, but the benefits of a smaller community.

Hi Paula,

TY for your input and for the information you provided. I would like to book a 14 day trip for us if financially possible. The Villa looks adorable and so quaint!

How far in advance and what time of the year would you suggest?

I've been to Italy many times. If you've never been to Italy before, then you probably should do the 3 most famous cities: Rome, Venice, Florence. There is enough to see in each of these cities. I don't agree with the recommendation of staying outside of Venice. Venice is a wonderful walking city and you should stay there and get the real feel of the city. If you are an independent traveler, book the trip on our own and explore. If not, don't be ashamed, perhaps an organized tour would work best. I know that Perillo does them. I've never been but my mom went on it many years back and loved it. Start by decided what you actually want to see in each city, figure how much time it will take and plan to stay in that city for the alloted time. Dont' forget to book some wonderful restaurants and eat plenty of gelato! I went on a great food tour through RusticoCooking.com. We went to the northern part of Italy and were introduced to foods that are famous there. That was a fantastic time--but if you've never been to Italy, stick to the famous cities. You might also want to take in the Lake District. Have fun.

The food tour sounds really interesting, I had never heard of anything like that! I agree with yodel1, if you haven't been to italy yet you should visit Rome, Venice or Florence. I personally like Florence but the other two cities also have a lot to offer. In Florence there are some really beautiful churches, museums, and of course the cathedral is worth a visit. In terms of accommodation I would recommend you rent a little apartment or something. I prefer this to staying in hotels! If you are considering going to Florence then I can suggest some sites if you want to look into renting an apartment. Here is one that I like, that has different types of apartments and even some villas, and they have all different prices so you could find something depending on your budget: [url=http://www.casamundo.co.uk/italy/tuscany/florence_(firenze).htm]Casamundo[/url] And here is another one that has some simple places for good prices: [url=http://www.tuscanyaccommodations.org/uk/Florence_Apartments-7/]Tuscany Accommodation[/url] Hope this helps!

I also want to see have enough time on the trip to really tour the country............

You've provided some wonderful information!!

Make sure you get an eurail train pass. After that....see do Rome quickly and get outta there. The best city of them all has to be Florence. Near there the Cinque Terra, it begins with Rio Maggiore. There is a walking path that goes along the water to the next 5 towns, Then you take the train out of there. The Amalfi Coast, from Positano to Salerno Sarrento is spectacular. The island of Capri is worth the ferry ride and a day trip. Northern Italy around Lake Como is breathtaking as well. It's hard to go wrong. I did not care for Rome, but I don't do cities very well...I like beauty and interesting shops without hectic stuff. The entire east coast south of Venice down to Brindisi is kinda flat and boring. Stay to the inland or west side. Although you can take the ferry from Brindisi over to Corfu, Greece and that is worth the trip. Enjoy.

Two of my favorite areas to visit in Italy are Sienna and Montelpuciano. These charming small towns are in the heart of fabulous wine country. If you go in July or August, you might be able to take in the crazy Palio di Sienna horse race in the Piazza del Campo. Have a blast!

A whirl-wind trip to Europe the last 2 weeks of April starts us in Rome followed by Eurorail travel to Florence & Venice before heading into Switzerland. It will be a very 'hit & run' itinerary since Germany, France & Spain will also be visited before departing from Madrid.

Can summarize the experience upon return.

Grazie for what's been discussed. It looks like our intended rush through Rome is suggested by others.