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The Italy Thread


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43 minutes ago, BHMCruiser said:

I admit I am totally befuddled by love for Naples. I think it is gross, grimy and boring. But I will give it another try at some point I'm sure.

To each their own.  I will ask when was the last time you were in Naples?  I saw a marked difference for the better between my visit in 2018 and 2021.  

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4 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

To each their own.  I will ask when was the last time you were in Naples?  I saw a marked difference for the better between my visit in 2018 and 2021.  

1995, 1997, and 2004. Like I said I'm willing to give another try. I'm going to reach out for recommendations from you and others before I do because, again, I really hate Naples.

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37 minutes ago, BHMCruiser said:

1995, 1997, and 2004. Like I said I'm willing to give another try. I'm going to reach out for recommendations from you and others before I do because, again, I really hate Naples.

Yea, I would say if I had visited in those times, I would probably hate it too.  It has been cleaned up significantly and there has been some serious investment.  They are really seeing the returns as well as tourism is way up.  

 

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48 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Yea, I would say if I had visited in those times, I would probably hate it too.  It has been cleaned up significantly and there has been some serious investment.  They are really seeing the returns as well as tourism is way up.  

 

Good to know. I will check it out at some point. 

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For whatever it's worth, Rick Steves was always a big fan of Naples, even back when most others thought it was shitty.

My only experience with Naples is in 2004, running from our cab through a crowd with our heavy luggage to get to the train station and catch our train to Rome, after being caught in traffic on our drive from the honeymoon spot in Positano.  We made our train with about 2 minutes to spare. For the brief but panicked time I was able to take in my surroundings, Naples seemed like a shithole. 

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I guess what it really boils down for me is that there are so many AMAZING places to go in Italy. How does Naples even make that list? If there's stuff to do there (like the Museo) you can't do anywhere else? What is it? 

It seems like the rough equivalent of being a European, coming to the United States to visit, and going to see Tulsa. Why?

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1 hour ago, BHMCruiser said:

I guess what it really boils down for me is that there are so many AMAZING places to go in Italy. How does Naples even make that list? If there's stuff to do there (like the Museo) you can't do anywhere else? What is it? 

It seems like the rough equivalent of being a European, coming to the United States to visit, and going to see Tulsa. Why?

Pompeii and Herculaneum, Birthplace of Pizza (and the best in the world to be fair), The Underground (pristine Roman ruins buried under tons of volcanic ash...basically a roman market that is almost in tact), plus Naples was the seat of the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily.  It was only with the unification of Italy in 1848 where power shifted to the more industrial north, that Naples really went downhill.  Naples gets a bad rep, but holy shit, there is so much history there.  It was founded by the Greeks.  It really is fascinating.  It is also the first Italian city to rise up against Nazi occupation.

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1 hour ago, BHMCruiser said:

I guess what it really boils down for me is that there are so many AMAZING places to go in Italy. How does Naples even make that list? If there's stuff to do there (like the Museo) you can't do anywhere else? What is it? 

It seems like the rough equivalent of being a European, coming to the United States to visit, and going to see Tulsa. Why?

It is more like coming to the United States and going to Philly.

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2 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Pompeii and Herculaneum, Birthplace of Pizza (and the best in the world to be fair), The Underground (pristine Roman ruins buried under tons of volcanic ash...basically a roman market that is almost in tact), plus Naples was the seat of the Kingdom of Naples and Sicily.  It was only with the unification of Italy in 1848 where power shifted to the more industrial north, that Naples really went downhill.  Naples gets a bad rep, but holy shit, there is so much history there.  It was founded by the Greeks.  It really is fascinating.  It is also the first Italian city to rise up against Nazi occupation.

In fairness I said go to Herculaneum and Pompeii, eat pizza, and go to the Museo Nazionale. 

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30 minutes ago, BHMCruiser said:

In fairness I said go to Herculaneum and Pompeii, eat pizza, and go to the Museo Nazionale. 

That takes more than a day.  You can also hike Vesuvius.  And if you go to the north along the coast, there are a lot of really cool ancient sites.  Also, tons of thermal baths all along there.  Those are a lot of fun.

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2 hours ago, 52-80 said:

i liked both napoli and philly is that wrong?

Not at all.  The world would be boring if we all liked the same things.

I like to stay at agritourismos in Piedmonte and the Chianti Classico region.  I'm sure there are people who wouldn't like that.

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1 hour ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

That takes more than a day.  You can also hike Vesuvius.  And if you go to the north along the coast, there are a lot of really cool ancient sites.  Also, tons of thermal baths all along there.  Those are a lot of fun.

I didn't say do it all in a day. I said do half a day in Naples, see the Museo, eat pizza, do a half day in Herculaneum, do a full day or day and a half at Pompeii. You can hike Vesuvius if you want but I'd rather do any number of other things. 

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I get the hate for Naples, though I liked it.  It's unique compared to the rest of the country but IMO offers by far the best pizza and tomatoes you'll eat anywhere in the world.  We never felt unsafe there but it's certainly dirty with lots of graffiti, etc.  It's a city I feel like someone like Anthony Bourdain would have loved.

I would still recommend spending a day or so there, do a half-day tour of Pompeii, have an awesome lunch and a wine tasting nearby at the Cantina del Vesuvio family-owned winery...go back to the city for an awesome dinner then train out the next morning.  Do NOT drive yourself, however.

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The short answer to "why the fuck go to Naples when there are so many other places to go?" is that the "must see" for us is Pompeii. If I were traveling in a warmer weather month I would absolutely explore other parts of the Amalfi coast and perhaps skip Naples. However I'm keeping some flexibility in the schedule in case we get lucky and catch a warm day with calm seas, which would afford a trip to Capri or Ischia. The other thing about December is the days are shorter so day trips with a couple hours of travel become less enticing, at least for me. Staying in a city with some nightlife, where the good hotels aren't closed for the season, where the restaurants are open and lively...that's the point. Sorrento is the other main option for accomodations in that area though what seems like the nicest hotel is closed in December and Jan but I'm still looking.

On the subject of Philly...between the Italian market, Reading Terminal market, some of the best Italian food in the states...plus cheesesteaks as a work of art, plus the old Barnes Museum, Chestnut Hill, the Eastern State Penitentary Museum...what a great place. I used to love spending time in Philly but it's been a while!

 

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I agree you should go to Naples. For the purpose of doing the things around Naples, like Pompeii. I spent nearly a week in Pompeii, and have been there four times. I took my honeymoon in Sorrento. That area is absolutely amazing. Naples sucks. 

If you fly into Newark International, you go into NYC. You don't hang out in Newark.

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On 11/12/2021 at 7:06 PM, elfenix said:

how many days do i need in rome?  i can do either 2 or 3 full days. 

Definitely three. Vatican alone is a full day, especially if you do the Scavi. Then you have major archaeological sites, including Forum, Pantheon, Colosseum, etc. When you mix in the museums you can't do that in a day. And then you have the other parts of Rome you want to see, like Spanish Steps, Villa Giulia, Trevi Fountain, etc. Even if you lump things together for convenience you can't see it all in three days. 

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I chatted with a couple folks who have been to Napoli recently, they all raved about it.  Great food, great people, tons of sights; Great Museum, like 6 castles, underground ruins, solid public transportation.   Its also easy to day trips to Pompey, Capri, Ischa, Procida, Vesuvio, Sorrento, etc...   

I saw people mention up thread about being near the train station and its ugly, the area near the major train stations are generally bad in every major city.  Judging a city by the area around a train station seems pretty short sighted.  And while Central Storico and Spanish Quarter has graffiti they are fun areas to eat drink and hang.   But if the graffiti or grit just isnt your thing, you can easily stay in Chiaia or Vomero.

 

 

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Leave for Italy in 2 weeks. Travel plans have changed a bit. Staying in Sorrento (wife's choice) instead of Naples. The 5 star in Naples is under renovation (Grand Hotel Parker's) so that sealed the deal. Also staying in Florence, not Siena, even though we've stayed in Florence before because it's a good road-trip base. Finally, sticking to just Palermo and Taormina in Sicily because mostly we'll be there during the week b/w xmas and NY and the better resort-y stuff filled up.

Struggling on whether to stay near the Pantheon or in Trastevere. Booked an airbnb 6 weeks ago because it looked great, they had few open dates, and their availability perfectly matched with my arrival.

Here's the trip for now. 4 weeks, flying into Rome and departing from Venice.

5 nights in Rome. Booked this airbnb because the price was great and many flawless reviews from a superhost https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/23776417

3 nights in Sorrento. Hotel Lorelei. 5 star boutique offering sea views.  https://www.loreleisorrento.com

4 nights in Palermo.  5 star art nouveau style villa http://www.villa-igiea.com/

3 nights Taormina. First hotel in Taormina, 5 stars, with views of Mount Etna and the Ionian.   http://www.grandhoteltimeo.com

5 nights in Florence. Hotel Antica Torre. Newly renovated 4 star on Via Tombuoni. http://www.tornabuoni1.com/site/index.php

2 nights Verona. Historic, old world style 5 star. http://hotelduetorri.duetorrihotels.com/en/content/hotel-due-torri-verona-luxury-hotel-verona-italy

4 nights Venice. Hotel Ca’ di Dio New 5 star Small Luxury Hotel in the Castello neighborhood, a more residential neighborhood of Venice, on the water. https://vretreats.com/ca-di-dio/

 

 

 

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35 minutes ago, BHMCruiser said:

I'd much rather stay near the Pantheon than Trastevere. Trastevere is really cool but it can be hard to get in and out of when you want to see the rest of town. The Pantheon is in the heart of everything. 

Thanks, that's where I've landed too. The thought was that walking out of Trastevere to the tourist destinations in the morning is more up my alley than a walk to Trastevere in the evening for dinner but I think we'll make it work.

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  • 4 weeks later...
On 12/14/2021 at 6:38 PM, SimonBolivar said:

So honeymoon is looking like the Amalfi Coast this July for a week or 9 days. I'm assuming say trips to Naples and Pompeii are relatively easy. What would you do in the summer besides eat, drink, and bone for a week?

I’d do 10 day trips to Capri before one to Naples. 

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Working on plans for next year... trying to settle on an possible itinerary... kind of depends on flight costs and what the car rental situation will be (which is hard to predict).  Since I have a bunch of UA credit, I'll have to stick to one of two airports unfortunately (some of my credit can't be used on partner airlines) so flying either into FCO or MXP.

Then...

Option One: Fly into Rome, visit family for a few days (probably no more than 2-3 days) then head over the Appenines to the beach... set a home base in Rimini and just chill out and take occasional day trips into the countryside, Bologna and Le Marche to visit friends.  May not get very creative on this one as I'll just be happy to see family and friends after Covid.

Option Two: Fly into Milano and either a) drive to the French/Italian border to see if we can use a hotel credit in Montgenevre and just hike in the mountains and meet up with some friends who live up that way.  What will the rules be going into France?  b) drive over to the Dolomiti and pick a town to be our base there for hiking... upside is the area is stunning but not sure I want to land and head as far as Val Gardena past Bolzano or c) just stay in Riva del Garda... we've stayed there for a week before and its a great base for enjoying the lake and nearby mountain towns.  THEN... go to the beach.  

So, which airport do I fly into and then based on that, I need to either go with a relatively straightforward itinerary or one that requires extra decisions.  I "should" pick family over mountains.  

TBD

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21 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Working on plans for next year... trying to settle on an possible itinerary... kind of depends on flight costs and what the car rental situation will be (which is hard to predict).  Since I have a bunch of UA credit, I'll have to stick to one of two airports unfortunately (some of my credit can't be used on partner airlines) so flying either into FCO or MXP.

Then...

Option One: Fly into Rome, visit family for a few days (probably no more than 2-3 days) then head over the Appenines to the beach... set a home base in Rimini and just chill out and take occasional day trips into the countryside, Bologna and Le Marche to visit friends.  May not get very creative on this one as I'll just be happy to see family and friends after Covid.

Option Two: Fly into Milano and either a) drive to the French/Italian border to see if we can use a hotel credit in Montgenevre and just hike in the mountains and meet up with some friends who live up that way.  What will the rules be going into France?  b) drive over to the Dolomiti and pick a town to be our base there for hiking... upside is the area is stunning but not sure I want to land and head as far as Val Gardena past Bolzano or c) just stay in Riva del Garda... we've stayed there for a week before and its a great base for enjoying the lake and nearby mountain towns.  THEN... go to the beach.  

So, which airport do I fly into and then based on that, I need to either go with a relatively straightforward itinerary or one that requires extra decisions.  I "should" pick family over mountains.  

TBD

Well I'm biased because I always try to fit hiking and mountains into every trip I take, so I would go for Option 2(b). 

If you go that route, definitely get over to Val Gardena if you haven't been before, though it sounds like you have.  I'm heading back there (Ortisei) in June for the second time.  I loved being deep in the mountains and the culture is a really interesting mix of Italian, Austrian, and German.  Can't go wrong with Lake Garda either though.  

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32 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Working on plans for next year... trying to settle on an possible itinerary... kind of depends on flight costs and what the car rental situation will be (which is hard to predict).  Since I have a bunch of UA credit, I'll have to stick to one of two airports unfortunately (some of my credit can't be used on partner airlines) so flying either into FCO or MXP.

Then...

Option One: Fly into Rome, visit family for a few days (probably no more than 2-3 days) then head over the Appenines to the beach... set a home base in Rimini and just chill out and take occasional day trips into the countryside, Bologna and Le Marche to visit friends.  May not get very creative on this one as I'll just be happy to see family and friends after Covid.

Option Two: Fly into Milano and either a) drive to the French/Italian border to see if we can use a hotel credit in Montgenevre and just hike in the mountains and meet up with some friends who live up that way.  What will the rules be going into France?  b) drive over to the Dolomiti and pick a town to be our base there for hiking... upside is the area is stunning but not sure I want to land and head as far as Val Gardena past Bolzano or c) just stay in Riva del Garda... we've stayed there for a week before and its a great base for enjoying the lake and nearby mountain towns.  THEN... go to the beach.  

So, which airport do I fly into and then based on that, I need to either go with a relatively straightforward itinerary or one that requires extra decisions.  I "should" pick family over mountains.  

TBD

Go to Mongibello.  Befriend a rich shipping magnate heir and go with him to San Remo.  Kill him, assume his identity, and continue the act in Rome.  Forget Venice, and definitely no skiing.

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On 12/14/2021 at 5:38 PM, SimonBolivar said:

So honeymoon is looking like the Amalfi Coast this July for a week or 9 days. I'm assuming say trips to Naples and Pompeii are relatively easy. What would you do in the summer besides eat, drink, and bone for a week?

We did our honeymoon in Sorrento and I'd hit Capri and Pompeii but otherwise eat drink and bone

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