Thread: Holiday in Italy: recommendations???

So, I have approx. 2 weeks to spend in Italy with my wife. I have never been there before and feeling a bit clueless now that I am trying to make some plans.
Questions:
1. Are the B&B's a good option? They certainly don't look the same as the American version but appear charming on the websites I have seen (not to mention cheaper).
2. Any must see places recommended?
3. Any must eat or drink places?
4. Can I plan some of this stuff on the fly or am I better booking housing now?

Any comments are appreciated

ciao,
jocko

Tuscany - Enjoy the Beauty and The Wine
Venice - Enjoy the Culture
Florence - Bring the Credit Card

Pop in on the Maestro! (He's from Italy, isn't he?)

"Hey, man. So, uh, Lynn sent me to export some of your razors."

I am certain he has some sample razors laying about.

Heck...I'd even check out the dustbin out behind the shop!!!


Also - this is on MY personal list of must-see Italian attractions:

Cinque Terra - the Five Lands


-have fun!

-whatever

-Lou

EDIT: Also check out the Lonely Planet website - they've always got some good recomendations

And, the Thorn Tree Forum on the Lonely Planet website is a great place to read some very current information from other travellers.

I've been to Cinque Terra, Florence, and Rome. Of the three, it's my favorite. I like it because it's a city that happens to have a lot of interesting sites for tourists, rather than a tourist city. The ratio of tourists to locals is astronomical in Cinque Terra and quite high in Florence. That said, both are beautiful places to see---just don't expect to get a sense of how Italians live in either place.

I have been lusting after a Tuscany walking tour advertised in the Duluth Trading Co. traveling catalog. I've even checked prices and this tour is a good value in my estimation. Check out DuluthTrading.com/travel. For those of you not from the iron range that is pronounced Dalute, as lute the pipe for music. (I may live in Tennessee, but I came of age in the upper mid-west)
Other neat walking tours can be found at Country Walkers Tours. I just wish I could convince my wife to go on one.

Lucky you --

My wife and I went on a 10-day tour back in 2002. Here's my short list of faves:

1) Uffizi Gallery in Florence - They've got all the great stuff you've seen in art books

2) Pompeii - The ruins and plastered victims are really interesting. Pink Floyd fans will delight at the colliseum there where they shot "Pink Floyd at Pompeii" in 1972.

3) Murano near Venice - Glass Factory tours - stunning crafted art glass

4) San Gimignano in Tuscany - Awesome Medieval Town straight out of a high def PBS dreamscape.

Have a great trip and eat lots of gelati,
Steve

Heck, I'm ready to go back myself. We started in Rome. I had a shave at Peppino Barbieria. We visited the Maestro in Perugia. Saw Assisi and St. Francesco. Cathy went to Florence. We went to a knife show in Scarperia and finished in Venice and had the Murano Glass tour, much to my pocket books abuse.

Great trip. Great people.

Lynn

Italy is our favourite holiday destination. We usually get out there every other year, and it helps that it's so cheap from the UK. What drives us back is the food, the friendliness of the locals (especially if you have bambino!), the beautiful coutryside and the architecture. We have always favoured central Italy: Tuscany, Umbria; but we've also enjoyed the Lakes nearer Northern Italy (Lombardy).

Tuscany has been a haven for the wealthy middle class of Brits for some time, so prices for board and lodging can be expensive. However, for the same gorgeous environments and access to historical towns and cities, you should also look at staying in Umbria, which can be easier on the wallet.

We've tended to favour self-catering holidays (it's easier with a young family) in villas out in the countryside or in apartments on farms. There is something there called Agriturismo (google it!) which is tourism and Agriculture combined. Farm owners have been renovating beautiful old farm houses on their land and converting them into holiday apartments. You stay on a working farm, but it's fantastic and beautifully peaceful. The one we stayed on a couple of years ago had its own kitchen but also up the road their own restaurant. All the produce was sourced from the farm and cooked by the farmer's wife, best food I've had yet in Italy and incredibly reasonable rates. If you prefer to potter about in the mornings, take a long shave , and cook yourself breakfast before heading out hiking or sightseeing, this sort of self-catering holiday is ideal.

We are going there this year in August, spending a week as a family here (one of the Agriturismo hotels mentioned above), and then meeting friends for the second week and hiring a villa here together. Umbria is where the Maestro is based and we will be hopefully paying a visit to pick up an order (which I've yet to place). But that would be a great experience, to order a Livi and pick it up in person (luckily Katie speaks Italian).

If you go North, you can visit the Lakes (Garda, Como), and unforgettable cities like Verona (see the actual balcony where Romeo called up to Juliet in the story!), Vicenza, Padua, Trieste, etc.

In Tuscanny a beautiful town is Lucca, but there's also Pisa (this is the airport we often fly into) and its Leaning Tower, Montepulciano (one of Italy's highest hilltowns), Siena (stunning), etc.

And in Umbria there is Montefalco, Gubbio, and of course Perugia where the Maestro is based.

Hire a car and it's worth basing yourselves in Tuscany and driving to many of these towns and historical cities. The driving can be a little scary at times (in cities, down narrow streets, Italian madmen at the wheels), but can be stunningly beautiful outside the cities (e.g. on the roads that wind through the mountains). Our own preference has been to avoid staying in cities since the pace of life in the countryside, particularly if you're into lazy mornings or peaceful afternoons, is much better suited to us. And if you have a hire car then you'll be able to get around and explore the cities and town with ease.

Finally, I would really recommend the book Italy, part of the Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Travel Guides series. You can find it here on Amazon. We've used it over and over. Much less a warts and all account (i.e. not like the very practical Lonely Planet, Rough Guides) and more of a guide written for those interested in historical, cultural and food information, but just as useful regarding maps and getting around etc. You won't regret it!

Have a great time, and let us know what you get up to there!