I'm going to Italy next summer!!!! Any advice? Suggestions?

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in the limelight

Go to Cinque Terre. It is absolutely gorgeous. There are 5 little Italian towns along the coast of the Ligurian Sea. I would recommend staying at least 2 nights. It's a good place to relax and take a breather. It's is about a 2 hour train ride from Florence. Bring your bathing suit, as there are some nice beaches- rocky and sandy. You can also hike through the hills (getting beautiful views) to get between the towns.

If you enjoy art, I would recommend going to the big touristy towns, like Florence (Birth of the Renaissance) and Rome. In Milan there is da Vinci's Last Supper- you have to reserve at least a month in advance. Venice is an experience in itself with the canals (if you can afford a gondola, go for it, but the vaporettos are still cool), and I recommend going to Murano to see a glass blowing demonstration, because it's so cool to see a chunk of glass turn into a horse or a cat. I also recommend trying to get away from the big touristy spots if you have a longer trip, because then you can see the real Italy and meet people.

My advice is to try the local specialties, and try to live the Italian lifestyle. Go to a bar and get a glass of wine while snacking on the free snacks that they put out and make a meal out of it. Try to learn some Italian, because the locals will appreciate your efforts. Also, find out when local festivals are and try to attend. I just went to an olive oil fair last weekend, and all of the people were locals. There was dancing, music, and good food.

For books to read, I highly recommend Rick Steves' Italy. He has some great recommendations in there and some good ways to save money. I've used the book to find hotels and figure out what I want to see where. For traveling between places, the train system is great. (Just make sure you validate your tickets at the yellow box first). The trains run on time, although sometimes strikes occur, but not every train gets canceled during them.

Enjoy the wine; it is so much better in Italy than in the states.
Also, sorry for the enormously long answer, I just had so much to say. Enjoy your trip!

Dario87

I'm italian.. normally i spend my summer holiday near the "5 terre" in ligury, i have a little house there.. is a really wonderful place... there are many things to see... the "5 terre" (5 lands) are "manarola" "monterosso" "vernazza" "corniglia" and "riomaggiore"... tro to find some photos of them... they really worth the trouble..
ciao!

iTaLiAnA

visiting the tourists sites is always nice ... but we have many "not so touristic" places that are also very nice....... and not so crowded with tourists..... like anywhere in the mountains... ZOCCA - Provincia di Modena this is near where I live very nice... also Perugia.......
the beaches...... Rimini ... umm Sardenia is very nice is like mountain and beach - very nice people and food.....
wherever you go I hope that you have a great time :)

Doc Hudson

If you can, visit Sorento.

It is located on the south side of the Bay of Naples, and the Bay of Naples must truly be the most gorgeous body of water in the world.

I could spend a week in Sorento just sitting on a balcony, sipping wine and watching the Bay.

Pompeii is worth the trip as well. I was there in late December so the views should be even better in the summer.

And what can any stranger say about Rome? The traffic is horrendous, the prices are outrageous, and the Romans have the art of skinning tourists honed to perfection. (My wife took a photo of a "Centurion" the Colesium and who promptly demanded 10,000 Lira.) The ruins are breath-taking, Vatican City is awe inspiring, and the people are wonderful.

Enjoy your trip.

Doc

mic

First, we can offer all you need.

Simply choose between mountains (Alps and Dolomites are wonderful), lakes (Garda, Maggiore, Como, Trasimeno and other little nice ones), costs (Sardinia, Sicily and Tirrenean ones are rocky and generally nicer then the sandy ones on the Adriatic, even if Jesolo, Rimini and Riccione on that side are reknown for their hectic life). How can you forget Tuscany and Umbria countryside?

Most of the tourists can only see Venice, Florence and Rome, where you can see anyway one third of the history and art of the world. I think it is enough.

Try to focus your choices on 1 or 2 objects mainly
Good luck with your plans ^_^

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