Planning a trip to Italy

[MHolco5861]

My sister and I are planning a trip to Italy and have no idea what to consider or where to go. Do we go with a tour or wing it on our own? Any suggestions anyone may have will be greatly appreciated. We plan on spending about 10 days in Italy and know that we can't go everywhere and would like to hear what you think are the best places to visit.

[Lynnie81]

Personally i would recommend choosing one of the major cities, Milan, Venice, Rome or Florence. It really depends what you are looking to get out of your trip.

Milan is one of Italy's biggest city's filled with things to see and do. If you want to see the sights you could check out any of the following:-
Milan is one of the major artistic centres of northern Italy. Its chief landmarks include:

The Duomo, the world's largest collection of marble statues with the widely visible golden Madonna statue on top of the spire, la Madunina (little Madonna), the symbol of Milan.
Teatro alla Scala. Milan is also one of the most important centres in the world for Opera lirica, with his famous Teatro alla Scala (La Scala).
The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, a large, covered arcade linking the Duomo's piazza with the Teatro alla Scala.
The Castello Sforzesco ( a castle)
The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio ( one of the most ancient churches in Italy)
The Palaeo-Christian Basilica of San Lorenzo (another stunning church)
The Biblioteca Ambrosiana, containing drawings and notebooks by Leonardo da Vinci among its vast holdings of books, manuscripts, and drawings, and is one of the main repositories of European culture. The city is also the home of the Brera Academy of Fine Arts.
The church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, which houses one of the most famous paintings of Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper (L'ultima cena or Il cenacolo).
The church of Santa Maria presso San Satiro, with a famous trompe l'oeil traditionally ascribed to Bramante
The Cimitero Monumentale di Milano.
The Pinacoteca di Brera, Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, Poldi Pezzoli, the Bagatti Valsecchi Museum and the Musei del Castello galleries, which host a great number of pictorial masterpieces

A huge choice of stunning architecture, beautiful parks and fantastic shopping all available in Milan. Not to mention the hundreds of fantastic bars and restaurants.

Venice is of course most famous for the canals running throught the city. Venice is built on one hundred and seventeen small islands, and holds one hundred and fifty canals, connected by an amazing four hundred and nine bridges, of which only three cross the main canal. The area it covers is a mere 458 kilometres. Although the city appears small, it is really quite extensive for its size. Vaporetto (water bus) is most amazing method of getting around Venice; you won’t find too many public transport routes as unforgettable as vaporetto. Get yourself a travel pass to ride the exlusive vaopretto - single tickets don't come cheap, and are less economical if you plan to spend days touring Venice and exploring every nook and cranny.

The classic gondola ride with the opera-warbling operator is pretty touristy and expensive but the traghetto is a commuter gondola that crosses the Grand Canal at strategic points. It's quite a balance test for newbies (definately an experience)

The attractions in Venice include many remarkable structures, such as an impressive array of bronze work, tapestries and paintings from the 5 th to 6 th century, as well as a whole handful of amazing buildings and galleries showcasing the artistic side of Venice.

If you are looking for the upbeat bars and restaurants, you cannot go wrong with the area surrounding Campo di Santa Margarita in San Polo. There you will find an Irish pub, trendy bars that do the limbo, and just plain fun. The area is frequented by students from the University and is buzzing with life during the weekends as market stalls of fish and vegetables open up.

Florence - The cultural and historical impact of Florence (or Firenze ) is overwhelming. Close up, however, the city is one of Italy's most atmospheric and pleasant, retaining a strong resemblance to the small late-medieval centre that contributed so much to the artistic and political development of Europe.

Its striking buildings, formidable galleries and treasure-crammed churches attest to the Florentine love of display. Even long after it had set on the political and economic horizon, Florence upheld its elegant appearance: its skyline, all russet rooftops and lofty domes, is indeed picturesque.

Nearly all of the main sights in Florence lie within the centro storico. However, there is so much classic art that even given the city’s small size, it’s impossible to see it all in a short visit. Go for quality, not quantity and don’t feel as if you have to see it all.


In addition, though the centro storico has more artistic treasures per square metre than any other city in the world, Florence also has many more low-key charms. Take time to read between the lines by visiting its dozens of lesser-known museums, and stopping by its hundreds of historic churches. You could spend days just taking your time exploring its back streets and quieter piazzas, and seeking out local trattorias and bars

Finally, Rome.

With a mythic history that spans more than two thousand years, Rome offers as many historical and cultural attractions as any place on the planet. As the capital of Italy, it's also a dynamic modern hub blending old and new. Of course, it's not possible to soak up everything in one trip. Like an old oak tree, Rome has many layers: Ancient Rome, Medieval Rome, Christian Rome and Renaissance Rome to name only a few. It's best to concentrate on those areas you most want to see. At some point, however, everyone must visit the famous Colosseum, the ruins at the Roman Forum (check out our virtual tour) the daunting Vatican Museums, Raphael's tomb at the Pantheon, the massive St. Peter's Basilica, and the little jewel that is the Galleria Borghese. A word to the wise: bring comfortable walking shoes. Rome is more sprawling than people realize.

If you check out the following link it will give you a list of all of the cities you can visit in Italy.

http://www.destination360.com/europe/italy/italy.php

It will give you a good description of each place, things to do etc. I just chose the 4 most popular cities for tourists.

[patriciamd]

Here's a good hotel to stay in: Ca' Sagredo Hotel

There are also others in the area but I haven't really stayed in some of them so I can't give a preview: Other hotels

[eurobookers]

Hello Friend, Italy is my favorite holiday destination. Beautiful stylish Italy is the one of the most beautiful destination in the world. Many tourists used to go to Italy between Decembers to February because weather is very pleasant in these days. I will suggest you must visit to Rome in Italy. Rome is the capital city of Italy and its religion is Lazio. Rome is a most populous city of Italy and today its population is more than 2.7 million. The capital of Italy has been one of the top destinations for the British traveler for many years and it never seems to fade in popularity. Rome is most known for its breathtaking scenery, an amazing history, beautiful white sandy beaches, historical hilltop towns, great food and wine. Actually we can say about Rome, there is something for everyone and this is quite true because Rome is full of all types facilities, they can find easily luxury hotels in Rome because there are plenty of five star and four star hotels in Rome. Tourist enjoys sun bath at beautiful beaches in Rome. It gives them an immense pleasure for their trip. Some tourists like very much Italian food, wine and bear. The red wine is the most famous wine in Italy during holidays and city breaks for tourists. These are the main reason to journey to Rome so today it is the third most tourists visited in the EU. Many tourists say about Rome, it is a perfect place for romance and it is the destination for love and romance. Many couples also visit to Rome for wedding and honeymoon. Rome international airport at fiumicino is the largest in Italy.

[The Travel Slut]

You may want to consider a cruise around Italy for an overall exposure for your first time and then perhaps plan a day or two on either end of the cruise at the embarkation and disembarkation ports.

There are several benefits to the cruise not the least of which is access to at least 4-5 cities, unpacking once with room & meals included, using USD vs. Euros, and the opportunity to take tours or tour on your own in each city.

I have been to Italy 4 times done both cruising and land trips and enjoy both (I am cruising Italy again this month and spending 3 days in Venice and 3 days in Rome on either end of the cruise.

Just something to consider.

TS

[patriciamd]

A cruise would be nice! I should have thought of that when I went there before.

[korokan]

Please share some of your experiences? =)

[The Travel Slut]

I just returned from 18 days in Europe early this morning which included;
a flight from the USA to Venice, 3 days in Venice at the Rialto Hotel,
12 nights on the one-year-old Emerald Princess cruiseship with ports in:
Dubrovnik, Croatia (been there, done that so I went up the Neretva River Delta inside Bosnia-Herzegovina);
Katakolon (Olympia & timely for the Olympics) Greece;
Corfu (awesome location for beaches);
Rhodes (great old, medieval town);
Piraeus/Athens (so much history & antiquities);
Mykonos, Greece (can you say--"party central" in Greece--wow!)
Santorini, Greece (do the panoramic views or Greek wine get any better?)
Kudadasi & Ephesus, Turkey (the surprise highlight of the trip)
Naples, Italy (Pompeii and Capri--what more needs to be said)
Rome for 3 days with all it has to offer in food, wine, and 2,750 years of history)!
Vatican City (almost should be one of the wonders of the world)

With the pre and post cruise package I arranged (using USD at 2007 prices) my expenditures and exchanges into Euros ($1.55 to 1 USD) were minimal and I saw a great cross-section of southern Europe and the Mediterranean.

I can't think of any better way to see that area of the world for a 1st timer or multi-tripper like myself).

Ann, TS

[korokan]

Wow! I'm pretty sure you enjoy your cruise so much.

Thank you for sharing.

I'll think about it.

[farangi]

I council to visit: Venice, Florence, Siena, Rome, Sicily