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Want to visit Italy but I'm not sure whether to visit Venice and Florence, Rome or Naples and Sicily?
Any advice on what I can expect from each?
I enjoy adventure and history but also relaxing and food and drink
>>1118338
Florence would be your best bet, and Tuscany in general. Siena and Pisa are nice places to visit
>>1118338
>Rome & Venice
Top 10 places in the world to visit in your life
>Florence
If you bring someone with you (someone you love maybe), it might be even better than Vanice
>Sicily
Depends where. But, anyway, it's summer! Find a nice place with a beautiful environment near the sea (a lot to find on the web)
>Naples
Nothing special to see. Of course, people from Naples will tell you it's a beautiful city, but it's not. Maybe it was a lot of time ago. But not now. Avoid Naples, do it for yourself.
Venice and Florence are tier 1.
Rome was on that level but is sloping down to Naples level, which is tier 3.
Sicily is summer holiday seaside vacation tier.
>>1118347
The only thing I would add about Naples is that Pompeii and Herculaneum are worth the visit.
The locals who rescued us after we were mugged in Naples were extremely nice, helpful and also apologetic about the local hoodlums, it didn't make up for the bruises though.
>not going to the amalfi coast
>>1118413
I'm going to Sicily over Memorial Day weekend, got any tips for me?
>>1119022
That would probably be my #1 choice for Italy. Travelling along the coast from Sorrento to Salerno at a nice slow pace sounds lovely
As an italian, i suggest to not focus on one city but once you've done the basic go around and explore by car or go by trains, there are so many beautiful little towns and awesome scenery scattered around. Tuscany, Sicily or Puglia would be all good places do to that, and mix some nightlife near the beach. If you go in august, cities will be empty and hot as fuck.
>>1118338
why not tuscany?
I'm going to Italy for two weeks next month. I'm flying into Milan for the first two nights and in Rome for the last five. Any recommendations /trv/? Visiting Pompeii and Mt Vesuvius is a must, so I reckon two nights in Naples will be necessary?
Have you considered Cinque Terre? That was the highlight of my trip to Italy
If you go to venice, stay in padua. It is much cheaper and nicer with no tourist crowds. You can take the train to venice to see the sights then get out.
>>1119234
>not staying in glorious metropolis Mestre
How's Liguria? I hope to visit Sanremo soon, but I'm afraid staying there for over a week will bore me. Are there places in the region that is recommended or considered the area's highlights?
>>1119699
G E N O V A
E
N
O
V
A
Either that, or >>1119224. Be advised, there will be a metric fuckton of tourists there.
i traveled most of Italy this past December, and i'm going back in September.
Personally i wasn't a fan of the huge cities, They were too crowded and the traffic was loud. my favorite 2 destinations tho were Sicily and Venice.
pic related, driving toward Palermo from Messina
>>1118338
Lived in italy for a couple of months and Florence was a great holiday. However Rome, my god that's a beautiful city. All the monuments were gorgeous. Food was spectacular. one of my favourite cities.
wouldn't mind spending a couple of days there.
Then again Florence is like a 3 hr train ride away. so i would go for both.
Re. Naples, the general concensus from my italian friends is to not go alone in order to avoid getting ripped off.
Re. Siciliy, according to italians it's africa in europe. take this with a pinch of salt
Going to Sicily for a week in august. Can't wait.
>>1118338
Florence might be your best bet, especially if you're into Renaissance art. When I was there, I also took a daytrip to Siena and it was awesome. There are other beautiful towns you can visit around, such as San Gimignano or Lucca. So maybe you could use Florence as a base and do several trips around Tuscany.
It's all up to you and your budget. Personally, I wouldn't try to cover two big cities (like Rome and Florence) in a short one week holiday.
As I am from a little town between Venice and Treviso, I think I can give you some advices. If I were you, I would room in Florence, visit it a couple of days, also spending some time visiting other cities in Tuscany like Pisa; then maybe I would take a train to visit Venice, which lasts less than two hours if you take a Freccia train. I don't know much how to help you as I don't know how much time you would like to spend here. When I go to Venice during the summer I just see 6 hours queque for visiting anything
I would not stay more than 2-3 days in Venice or in the same city. Rome, Naples and Sicily ( Sicily?) sounds cool, but there also many places or less close to Venice which are also intriguing; for example Verona, Mantua, Milan, Saint Marin
il bumpo
>>1118338
Skip Naples. Firenze is my favorite city, so i would recommand. Venice is wonderful, but be careful about the time when you visit. it can be a touristic nightmare.
>>1118338
Venice is my all time favorite city in Italy, also you have Verona and Padova nearby which are also personal favorites of mine, also Lago di Garda which is beautiful.
Florence is great but Siena is really the crown jewel of Tuscany in my opinion, really worth a visit. Pisa kinda sucks.
If you want some sun and beaches but don't want to deal with too many tourist crowd Liguria is your best bet, particularly Genoa and Cinqueterre.
Also there's a route I'm planning on trying out next summer through Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Umbria and Lazio. It goes like: Bologna->Ravenna>San Marino->Perugia->Lago Trasimeno->Assisi->Orvieto->Roma, so if you want to steal that idea go ahead.
Where to go really depends on how long you're gonna be there.
1 week or less? You can see the cities I mention from the Veneto region in 3-4 days and spend some days at the Lago di Garda or work some other cities into your route, if you stay for about 10 days you can also work Liguria into it.
2 weeks or more? I reccomend trying out that route I mentioned, at 2 weeks time you can probably work Florence and Siena into your route too
>>1121416
Nice plan. Last easter I went to Bologna. It's a quiet relaxed place with amazing food and a decent lively university crowd. There's some kind of warehouse that plays deep house until the late morning on Friday. I remember going with some random locals and some fucker at the club stole my jacket.
I'd like to take some elements of your plan for my two week trip this summer. It will be my first time travelling in Italy in July though. Do you know much about Sicily? Beach-tier?
Not sure why people are bashing Naples so much. I've been twice and I loved it both times. Yes it's dodgy, but Northern Italians are pretty prejudice against it imo. It's full of great opportunities to party cheaply and it's neighbourhoods are full of interesting shit. Also there's the local archaeological sites, the almafi coast and some nice islands. It's a dirty disorganised mess of a city but it's interesting to me.
I personally think Florence is a bit overrated. Yes it's gorgeous but it was overflowing with Americans (studying or visiting) which put me off a bit. I didn't even go in the summer which I imagine would be even busier.
>>1121414
It is almost always possible to get away from the tourists in Venice, though. They stay tightly bunched where the cruise director tells them to go.
bump poro italia
>>1122137
I've heard great things about Sicily but I've never been there, all I know is that it gets unbearably hot during the summer.
>>1122149
This, it's almost amazing how few tourists ever stray from the main streets, just get yourself into the alleys, it's always easy to find your way back afterwards.
You have to go on the Lake area , nort of milan !
Come lake, and the other, that's was my favorite part of italy
>>1121414
>>1122149
>>1123008
I'll echo this as well. The northern waterfront/port area around San Marco, San Marco square itself, and the shopping drag that leads from San Marco to the Realto are all tourist traps. But the island is small and basically all walkable--just pick a random direction and you'll end up somewhere secluded but just as incredible.
And all the signage points to either San Marco or the Realto, so you can't really get lost. It's a damn island.
>>1118413
To add to this, Venice and Florence are cohesive cities that are walkable, and the architecture gives the impression that you're basically in a functioning museum at all times. Walking around Venice feels like a movie set.
Rome, on the other hand, is a massive, functioning city with the sites sprinkled throughout. That's obviously part of the allure, being the eternal city and whatnot, but imo it's too big to compare aptly to the experiences of Venice and Florence.
>>1118338
>but also relaxing and food and drink
Rome is actually not that great for food, unless you are willing to pay a high price to eat in the touristy parts (so most of the city..)
But aside from that I'd recommend it because the city is still great
>>1118338
Florence and Rome are the best choices if you love art and history. These cities are open-air museums, plenty of wonderful and interesting places, magnificent architecture. If you go to Rome don't miss the chance to visit the Vatican's Museum. Also Venice in extremely beautiful but there are a lot (really a lot) of tourists.
If you go to Naples (watch your pokets) go visit Pompei and/or Ercolano and then Capri and take a trip all along the Amalfi coast. Very beautiful palces!
However everywhere you'll go try to enjoy your stay with calm and relax yourself (just like italians do). Take your time and try to visit not only the big cities but also the surroundings, you'll find some very nice surprises, it's worth.
>>1124796
I totally agree! But everywere around Italy try to avoid the restaurants for tourists, they're not so good. Go find some genuine place to taste the authentics Italian dishes. Go eat where italians do and you'll taste the heaven
>>1118338
> Venice
Unique but its EXTREMELY touristy. You might want to proceed with caution if you're against touristy spots.
> Florence
God-tier city. You won't find better steaks, pastas, and art elsewhere. Also, make sure to visit Siena on a day trip if you're into academics.
> Rome
Pretty based as well, but the summers are hot and touristy as fuck. Make sure to visit off-peak and when you do, pitch three coins in the Trevi Fountain (one for return trip, one for finding your waifu, and one for marrying that waifu).
> Naples
A city that is literally garbage. You're way better off visiting Amalfi or Sorrento tbqh.
>>1126397
Lel, Naples is awesome and Florence is boring. You're opinion is literally pleb.
>>1119714
Genova is pretty shit tbqh
>>1126397
Sorrento is overweight Americans central in Campania, you must have fit right in.
In Rome as well as in Naples and its surrounding areas, there are almost three millenia of human history piled up on top of each other. You can enter a Renaissance church, go down a few stairs to find yourself in a medieval chapel, get down again and you're in a roman mithraeum from the 2d century AC, which was built on the foundations of a patrician house from the republican era. Both are very large cities where tourism is important (especially Rome, and especially in summer) but where there are many other activities going on.
Venice and Florence are late medieval-early renaissance jewels, and are much less historically diverse. Both are much smaller cities where tourism is really huge, especially in Venice. I would recommend visiting them in winter, at least for the first time, when the main attractions will be much less crowded. Food and drink are great everywhere (unless you dislike seafood, then Venice isn't that good), just avoid the obvious tourist traps, which can sometimes be easier said than done.
On a side note, I wouldn't combine Campania and Sicily in one trip, unless it's a really long one.
>>1126440
Where should I go on July? That's not full of Americans waddling around?
>>1126447
Bologna is cool. It will be very hot and humid, though.
>>1126449
Ah I've been there.
>>1126447
From what's on your list, I'd go with Sicily. As far as history is concerned, you get your pick from greek temples, roman villas, arabo-norman churches with byzantine mosaics, baroque palaces (among other things). Walking around the temples of Agrigento at night in summer, with the soft smell of almond trees is amazing, Palermo and Syracuse are much less touristy than the other cities this time of year, and if it's too hot you can go to the beach or climb the Etna. You'd need to rent a car though.
>>1126455
I can't drive yet. I want to cycle as I've seen on some blogs and sleep in a tent. I know Sicily has a lot of hills. Is this a crazy idea? Maybe just cycle in the morning to escape the heat?
I just completed a 6 day mini tour in Italy by car. Stay in Tuscany; Florence, Pisa, Sienna, Perugia and Lucca are spectacular.
The night-life in Perugia is particularly good due to the fact there are two universities there. One of which is The University of the Foreigners, which guarantees plenty of fellow English speakers to socialise with if your Italian isn't great.
Rome is a little underwhelming and and everything is currently undergoing cleaning and repairs, although due to time constraints we had to see everything in a day and a half and I'm sure it'd be more pleasurable with more time in the city.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Oie6Z1U-WBlZu-HACzBHC9zz0aI&usp=sharing
Can anyone see this? I've created a route map on google.
I've already visited a few cities in Italy (Bologna, Pisa, Florence, Naples) so I created this route to take this summer in July. I have about 2-3 weeks and I'm planning on going between these cities by train.
What do you think? Would it be fun? Milan and Rome are just entrances and exits. I don't really plan on spending that much time there.
How cheap can I make it if I travel over the summer? Looking at hostels and they seem expensive to me.
>>1126611
I get the impression that in most of Italy it will be around 20 euros. In my travels I've rarely gotten anything cheaper than that.
>florence
far and away the best city. every square inch of the city screams renaissance and is full of art. it makes you feel like you are in "italy" in every stereotypical way
>rome
pretty great as well like florence, but more modernized and spread out
>venice
highly overrated. main draw is the main st marks square where you can lookat the square and church for a bit. then you can do your generic gondola rida that drives past a billion souvinir shops. im the antithesis to the realtraveler, i tend to opt for the most touristy places, but venice is just gift shops and water. going outside that main area is more empty. as in really empty. as in no one exists except you and a few drinking taps. you could go to murano island and whatever but mehh
>pisa
see the leaning tower. pay like 50 euroes to go to the top if you must. leave. nothing else here
>siena
underrated city. very beautiful. go for the palio which is crazy
>naples
pretty much par for the course italian city. go over to amalfi coast and various places like capri/anacapri etc
>milan
theres that one coll shopping mall and 1 church but other than that skip it
>>1126596
Looks good, here are some things that are easily reached by train from one of your destinations if you have enough time :
- Ferrara and Ravenna from Bologna
- Assisi and Spoleto from Perugia
>>1126596
>https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Oie6Z1U-WBlZu-HACzBHC9zz0aI&usp=sharing
This just me, but I would go check out San Marino (never been there though)
You should spend at least 3days in Rome in my opinion
>>1126596
Nice plan, i would just skip Modena since it's not that nice, Parma and Bologna are best emilian cities for food, sightseeing and museums, and add something else in tuscany or a little detour like Ferrara and Ravenna.
>>1126748
Where else in Tuscany? I've already visited Florence and Pisa.
>>1126757
San Gimignano is GOAT. The lords of this town all wanted the biggest dick so they just tried to make the highest tower in town. This lead to a rivalry and everyone was building towers.
Volterra is really nice as well.
Maybe you can check out Vinci (birthplace of Leonardo.
Regardless, beautiful city to just drive around. Maybe you can rent some vespa for a day and just drive & enjoy the views
>>1126761
*beautiful region
So what would you guys recommend for a place in Italy to relax in this July? That's not overwhelmed with tourists? Or is that impossible and maybe it's better to go to a different country altogether?
>>1126765
Stay away from the coast & spend time in some quaint little mountain towns.
>>1126757
San gimignano and Lucca are definitely worth a visit.
>>1126765
Trieste is nice, but all the beach towns between Venice and Trieste will be filled with horrendous amounts of Austrian tourists.
OTOH, there will be tons of tourists everywhere on the coast. Like the other anon said, the mountains seem like your best bet. If you like hiking, I can recommend the Dolomites.
>>1126883
>If you like hiking, I can recommend the Dolomites.
This, I've been hiking in the Brent-massif. It was pretty great. The weather can change very quickly though, so be prepared
>>1118338
Whatever you do, don't go to venice in the summer. It fucking smells like shit, it's hot and crowded.
I'd recommend going sometime in autumn. Preferably in the beginning of February to catch the masked carnival.
>>1126883
Wow the dolomites looks amazing. I've hiked but just in Wales. How did you organise your trip? Did you stay in cabins or tents? Got any tips?
Is Ancona any good? What about brindisi? I'm going to greece from there so what can i expect of these places
>>1127037
Nothing much really, just port cities. Brindisi at least have cool towns north of it and great beaches south of it, Ancona regionis just meh.
I'm going to Milan for 4 nights in late july. Any recommendations for things to do? I was thinking about going to one of the great lakes, whats the public transport like?
>>1128113
Pretty good, turned up for all my mid range trains without booking and paid 5-15 euros.
>>1118338
Not OP but just got back from going to Milan, Florence, Venice, Rome, Sorrento and Naples. I'm 31 and went with my wife, this is what we thought.
Man Florence and Milan were great. 10/10. Will definitely go back to at least Florence. I could type a page about what all I liked there.
Venice was also an awesome 10/10, but I don't think I'd ever go back, we spent 3 full days there and I think experienced everything the city had to over.
Sorrento was okay but nothing special. Rain messed up our plans on the last day to hit the amalfi coast, but the previous day we had a good day hiking the Vesuvius crater rim and Pompeii.
Rome was honestly a lot like visiting an older, bigger, and more historic Washington D.C. or any capital. There's a lot of beautiful things to see, but it turns into history overload. And it was pretty dirty and full of beggars. You just get numb to landmark/ruin #50 in 2 hours.
Now Naples? Fuck that place. Whole damn city smelled like a sewer. Trash and dog shit everywhere. Saw some needles in the road. Everything was covered in graffiti aside from bank store fronts with armed guards, even some of the historic shit and monuments. Felt like being in a shittier Detroit. Pizza isn't any better than several Neapolitan pizza places in Texas. We were supposed to spend 5 nights here, but ended up leaving after the second to go to Sorrento. Like 30 highschool kids just started yelling and singing in a train car, and then started hassling us and others in broken English. Luckily I'm pretty big and there was some gangster looking guys in our car who told them to fuck off in Italian and then apologized to us for the shitty kids.
>>1118338
What is that thing the boot is kicking?
a chocolate chip?
>>1128683
Morrowind
>>1128731
why Morrowind, of all things
>>1128563
you should've listened when people say you need to stay north of rome
>>1128563
Well at least you didn't get robbed at Napoli, which is a typical "tourist experience".
Rome on the other hands is a city that require cautious planning to enjoy at its best. As a northern italian, we say that rome would be the best city in the world if it wasnt inhabited by romans (some of them are cool tho)
