Italy

I'm contemplating my holiday plans at present. I thought I might trundle
about Europe by train [1] with Italy as the main destination. I'm
contemplating *doing* Milan (been there once before), Venice, Florence
and Rome.

Advice, things to see or avoid, good hotels etc etc all welcome.

[1] on an Inter Rail over 26 ticket. £415 for a month for the whole of
Europe.

 

Can't really advise you as, although I've been to Milan a few times and
loved it (my favourite European city), I only saw the main sights which
I'm sure you'll discover of your own accord.

I am jealous though. when are you going?

That's a lot of money.

 

Go to the bay of Naples there you will find:

Vesuvius
Herculaneum
Pompey
Sorrento (I love Sorrento)
The Isle of Capri

Not bad if you like trains. ;-)

 

Florence is nice, but IMO, Siena is much, much better. I really like
San Gimignano, but there's no train station there.

Venice is very much worth seeing, but bear in mind if you go in the
summer, it smells of shit.

the Inter Rail tickets used to be spesh when they covered ferries too.

 

All of those, IMO, are worth seeing. I've heard that Florence is nice,
but I've not been there.

Hmm, couldn't say, 'cos it's been a few years (read about 10).

I thought the opposite. There's a lot of Europe you can see in a month.
Does this include the new European members too?

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Paul Corfield wrote in

I've only ever toured Italy by bike. The scenery in the Alps and Lakes area
is spectacular. I've just checked a map and there are some interesting rail
routes through the mountains e.g. Brenner Pass (south of Innsbruck into
Italy).

The southern towns on the Lakes (Garda, Como etc) have rail stations. I
found the Lake shores good places to chill for a few days. Plenty of eye
candy if you pick a resort used by sail boarders etc. Does Inter Rail allow
use of other public transport such as the excellent water buses in Venice &
on the Lakes?

 

I hope September with a drop off in Paris. I'm still contemplating
routes so I may go via Switzerland and Berlin as well.

Not for one month's unlimited travel in 29 countries from Finland to
Morocco and from Ireland to Turkey it isn't. www.interrailnet.com

I've backpacked it before - I thought I might do the slightly more
upmarket version avoiding sleeping on train floors and in youth hostels.

 

Ta for the info.

they still do - particularly in Southern Europe.

 

ditto. Try to find places where the menus are written in Italian
only!

 

That'll be the Bay of Bom.

http://hotline2003.urc2.org.uk/content/portsmouth/bulley-welcome.htm

 

Italy rocks a phat one. I want to live there some day.

This is true. Once you've been to the Uffizi it's all over.

Have an nice hol. Take pictures, and email them to me to make me
jealous.

 

Tourist. Drag your worthless ass south of the river for a mosey round the
Pitti Palace.

 

I could happily spend a month in just Rome.

Avoid the Trevi fountain. Unless you want to 'tick off' sites. I don't
use this method of tourism but I can understand those who do want to
pack as much as they can in to a short time.

I hope you are reasonably fit - last time I went I was shattered and
covered in blisters by the end of the week.

In Rome go out to the Protestant Cemetery. Then wander back into the
main city along the Tiber. Eat nectarines early in the morning as you
watch the city come to life. Be amazed at what the Italian youth can
do with a scooter. Admire the Italian youth. If you want to go into
the Vatican museum be prepared to queue. There are more interesting
things to be seen elsewhere IMO.

I have a fold up city map, much used, which is a drawing of the
streets with tiny sketches of the main 'tourist' monuments, but also
shows, squares and gardens and odd fountains out of the way. The back
has an index and photos and brief descriptions of things to see. These
are interspersed with the adverts for businesses that have sponsered
the map, but these are done in the same style and so aren't instrusive
and are things of beauty in themselves. I'd be delighted to send it to
you, but I would imagine you can still pick them up from the various
information centres.

Charta Roma from Assessorato Alla Cultura del Comune di Roma.

Now who can I get to have the kids for a whole month? Still only
another 7 years or so before they leave I sell the house and bugger
off. <crosses another day off the calendar>

 

Des' version of the word?

In the grand tradition on UKRM, I was speaking of what I don't know;
I've only been to Florence once.

 

Whichever version of the word you're most insulted by.

Good man. I've been to Florence several times, over the course of one week
in '89.

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Ben Blaney

You are Bear AICMFF...

 

No, you see: I've been there more than once.

 

if you've got the money (and as you've said in the past that you don't spend
most of what you earn, having nothing to spend it on I imagine you might) I
think it's a lovely idea to spend a month travelling, eating decent food and
staying in nice places.

One question though - why not go on a bike?

 

Italy is my favourite country. I'd agree about Lake Garda but its
several years since I went there. I liked Milan, Loved Florence and
would give Venice a miss.

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Don't bother with Inter Rail, Italian trains are fairly cheap and very
good (they leave on time, they arrive on time and the Pendolino is
very fast).

As for places to go that you haven't mentioned, consider Naples and
Palermo/Sicily. Naples is only two hours by train from Rome and it
gives you access to Capri, Pompeii and Sorrento. Palermo is four hours
by hydrofoil from Naples and that gives you access to Palermo itself,
which is a great city, and to the more touristy spots in the region.
Very roughly, Northern Italians are richer and Southerners live
better. Food in the North is what you get in Italian restaurants;
Naples and Sicily have some of the best seafood you will ever eat
anywhere.