Italy - comfortable smaller cities to relax in

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gumby It is indeed a beautiful place; we stayed on the Isola dei Pescatori and loved it. I would also suggest Orta San Julio on Lago d'Orta and Bellagio on Lago di Como, which are similarly beautiful. But I suspect Chuckanut does not want to go that far North.

I have friends in Rome who I like to see when I am in Italy. OTOH, maybe I should Blow That Dough and add another week to my trip and visit some of the Northern places.

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut I have friends in Rome who I like to see when I am in Italy. OTOH, maybe I should Blow That Dough and add another week to my trip and visit some of the Northern places.

How long is your planned trip, if you don't mind sharing it?

For me, the air travel ordeal is such that our trips in recent years were 6 to 8 weeks in order to make it worthwhile. Would have stayed even longer, if my wife could find someone to watch over her mom.

Now, MIL is so frail we cannot go anywhere.

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound How long is your planned trip, if you don't mind sharing it? For me, the air travel ordeal is such that our trips in recent years were 6 to 8 weeks in order to make it worthwhile. Would have stayed even longer, if my wife could find someone to watch over her mom. Now, MIL is so frail we cannot go anywhere.

I am currently looking at 2 1/2 weeks. So I could add a few more.

[NW-Bound]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut I am currently looking at 2 1/2 weeks. So I could add a few more.

There ya go. Problem solved.

[Gumby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut I am currently looking at 2 1/2 weeks. So I could add a few more.

Now that we are retired, I certainly would. I don't think it is possible to spend too much time in Italy.

[TexasPE]

in the late '80s I saw the Trulli houses in Alberobello when driving from the Bari airport to Taranto on business. I was fascinated by the construction (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site).

https://anamericaninrome.com/wp/2019...ses-of-puglia/

[YVRRocketSurgery]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brett Forgot to mention that IF you plan on renting a car you might consider staying in an agritourism (sp). We have done this a number of times. One outside Orvieto and other just outside Siena. We stayed in Cinque Terre for a few days years ago. It was wonderful. My understanding it that it has since become a tourist zoo.

+1
We stayed at an agriturismo outside of Siena many years back and explored a number of towns/hilltowns in the region via rental car. That was one of our favourite trips even though we struggled a bit with maps and a spotty GPS solution off my iPaq. I'm looking forward to redoing that trip, this time with some help from Google Maps.

We've enjoyed Cinque Terra too but during shoulder season; so much less crowded. There were also so many interesting coastal towns we saw travelling from Nice towards Cinque Terra. Would love to check out all those towns on a future trip.

[explanade]

Stresa had a cable car tragedy a month or two ago.

Criminal negligence by operato.

[Bamaman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brett Forgot to mention that IF you plan on renting a car you might consider staying in an agritourism (sp). We have done this a number of times. One outside Orvieto and other just outside Siena. We stayed in Cinque Terre for a few days years ago. It was wonderful. My understanding it that it has since become a tourist zoo. The bottom line is that there are endless possibilities. It may be dependent on whether you plan to rent a car or use rail . With the exception of Sicily train routes (they often run late in our experience), Italian mainland rail is excellent, reliable, and inexpensive depending on the type of train you select)

Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast is a very popular place, but it's extremely busy. I prefer small cities in close proximity to large cities.

We've stayed in the very beautiful Orvieto, and it's just a 70 minute train ride north of Rome. We've also stayed in Zagarolo which is 20 minutes south of Rome at OliveTreeHill.com--close to Palestrina. There's as much to see outside Rome as there is within the city center. Farther north, we've stayed outside San Gimignano, an especially popular hilltown 30 minutes south of Florence.

If you're looking to slow down and enjoy Italy, an agriturismo is the way to do it. It really takes a rental car to take in all they have to offer, however driving in Italy is no problem with good roads. Google Agriturismo and you'll find that virtually every farm in many regions have rental rooms and apartments for secondary income. Booking.com has so many 9.0+ rated agriturismos listed too.

We'll use the agriturismo to sleep in, and ramble through the countryside visiting other great small towns--like Volterra and Certaldo.

2020-2021 have been difficult as it's taken us travelers off the road. Our 4/2020, flights to Europe were cancelled, and we're really itching to go back to Italy. I've lost count of our trips there, but I've been to Venice 8 times alone. Italy's also a great place to spend a week after taking a cruise around the Eastern Med (Greek Islands.)

[brett]

We have been to Italy a number of times. Our experience is that we enjoy it more if we spend time in one area vs. rushing about.

If you choose to rent a car do it when you are leaving a larger city that has restrictions or pick it up as you are leaving.

If you do not want to drive, get a guide book. Determine where you want to go and then look at the rail links.

As an example, if you go to Florence you can spend time there, take the local bus up to Fiesole for an afternoon/sunset or take a short bus ride to Siena for the day.
.
You can go to Pisa by rail, stopping at the wonderful walled city of Lucca for a few days. We do not stay in Pisa. We stay in Lucca, then take the 15 minute rail trip to the tower area (before Pisa Centrale).

You can do similar trips in various parts of Italy than incorporate diffent stops. Sorrento/Amalfi coast is another. One of our best times was renting a car and spending 10 days wandering around smaller towns in Umbria/Tuscany.

The possibilities are endless. We typically travel for 6-8 weeks. IF I am thinking of a country that my spouse is not sure of I make certain to include time in Italy. That always clinches the deal.

[jcfradio]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TexasPE in the late '80s I saw the Trulli houses in Alberobello when driving from the Bari airport to Taranto on business. I was fascinated by the construction (now a UNESCO World Heritage Site). https://anamericaninrome.com/wp/2019...ses-of-puglia/

We like getting away from the major tourist areas and stay in the less visited areas. Personally, I found Florence way too crowded even in the shoulder season. We spent a week there which was about 5 days more than I needed.

We loved the Puglia, Abruzzo and Molise regions in the south (especially when there was a person from one of those regions with us when we travelled). While in Puglia we based ourselves in Monopoli on the Adriatic coast. It's a nice little city of about 50,000 people and is central for day trips with a car. We also enjoyed staying in a small 3 unit villa, which we had all to ourselves in the hills of Guglionesi, Molise. Another nice small university city is Perugia in Umbria.

[Spudd]

Sorrento is a very nice town and it's a fairly short train ride to Herculaneum and Pompeii, both of which rank among the best things I've done in my life. I probably wouldn't do them both in a single trip as they are quite similar to one another. If I had to pick just one, I think I'd pick Herculaneum, but it would be a close call.

You can also take the train to Naples as a day trip. But I didn't care much for Naples. The Neapolitan pizza was good, though. But I'm sure the pizza in Sorrento is similar, haha.

[NW-Bound]

This 1983 pop song definitely belongs in this thread.

It is a hit called "L'Italiano" (The Italian) by Toto Cutugno. The song was adapted in many countries with lyrics written to the tune in different languages, but with completely different meanings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVHvaKo15Pw

[Golden sunsets]

Quote:

Originally Posted by YVRRocketSurgery +1 We stayed at an agriturismo outside of Siena many years back and explored a number of towns/hilltowns in the region via rental car. That was one of our favourite trips even though we struggled a bit with maps and a spotty GPS solution off my iPaq. I'm looking forward to redoing that trip, this time with some help from Google Maps. We've enjoyed Cinque Terra too but during shoulder season; so much less crowded. There were also so many interesting coastal towns we saw travelling from Nice towards Cinque Terra. Would love to check out all those towns on a future trip.

+1 on staying at an Agritoirismo outside of Siena and visiting other smaller towns in the region like San Gimiagno, Montalcino, Montipulciano and of course Siena.

Sorento/Positano/Capri is crazy busy during the summer.

Umbria is lovely as well. We stayed outside of Puglia in a former castle and visited several smaller towns, including some known for their pottery.

[brett]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golden sunsets +1 on staying at an Agritoirismo outside of Siena and visiting other smaller towns in the region like San Gimiagno, Montalcino, Montipulciano and of course Siena. Sorento/Positano/Capri is crazy busy during the summer. Umbria is lovely as well. We stayed outside of Puglia in a former castle and visited several smaller towns, including some known for their pottery.

We have done exactly this a number of times. So relaxing after five or six days in Rome, Florence or Venice. We typically rent a car, one way drop, when we leave Florence and do this.

[Jenna]

Oriveto, Sienna was a little to touristy for us, loved Assisi, so many lovely small hill towns to visit. Oh Deruta for the hand painted dishes, you can visit the "factories" and see them hand painted. The good quality ones are around $45+ for a tiny side plate. We were there in November and it was so amazing. You can't go wrong with Italy.

[NW-Bound]

Many posters mentioned Orvieto. We have not stayed at Orvieto, but made a day trip to there in 2017 when we stayed at a hamlet about 12 miles away, called Lubriano.

What drew me to Lubriano was the nearby Civita di Bagnoregio, the smallest hilltown of Italy. There's lodging there if someone wants to spend the night. It would be a quite unique experience, as it would be near deserted and quiet.

[explanade]

You'd have to drag your luggage up that bridge?

[NW-Bound]

^^^ Bring a suitcase with wheels. Easier to push up the bridge. When leaving, you can ride the suitcase going down.

I read about a small restaurant owner having trouble keeping hired help. They could not keep going up the bridge everyday to go to work, and did not last long.

The inhabitants of the town, 12 of them, are allowed to use a small motorized vehicle to transport goods. I imagine the inn owner can come and get you and your luggage if you call.

I happened to encounter this small truck in my visit. The driver stopped, and let me squeeze by. I think that's safer than he driving by and possibly running over my feet or hit me. I turned around and snapped the following photo.

PS. I saw a few elderly tourists who just stood at the foot of the bridge looking up and shaking their head. They knew they would not be able to make it.

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound What drew me to Lubriano was the nearby Civita di Bagnoregio, the smallest hilltown of Italy. There's lodging there if someone wants to spend the night. It would be a quite unique experience, as it would be near deserted and quiet.

I was in Civita di Bangnoregio nearly 20 years ago. I was surprised to find a small sign next to the door telling me this buiding was used by the University of Washington in Seattle. !!?!?!!? Apparently, the UW has a Roman architecture program that reached out to help restore this unique small town. Here's the rest of the story:

Quote:

From the late 1960s onward, Zarina and Heywood worked to restore numerous buildings in Civita di Bagnoregio, an ancient town 60 miles north of Rome. The buildings, including the latest restored in 2007, served as headquarters for the UW Italian Hilltowns program.

I ended up taking a backyard tour of one home that was owned by a very nice elderly lady. She had a marvelous view to say the least. Cost of the tour was one euro.