I'm going to Italy ...

Knike · June-4th-2003, 07:37 AM

... next week, and I've not decided where to go yet.

For sure, I'll be in Rome over the weekend (June 8th - 11th) ! Then I'll be taking a southbound train, to some place maybe in Puglia, Calabria or Campana-Region. Or Toscana ?

-Any recommendations in Italy for someone, who's looking for a quiet place on the coast with not too many tourists ?
- Ever been in one of those regions ?
- Are you in Italy yourself from June 8th to June 18th ? Maybe I'll see you there ?
- Any Jazz-Recommendations ?

Jimmy Cantiello · June-4th-2003, 07:45 AM

I have to say I'm quite envious of you, Knike. I hope to visit Italy before too long. As far as beautiful places by the water go, I understand that Lake Como is quite appropriate. I wish you a fabulous trip!.............

Uli · June-4th-2003, 07:49 AM

I spent a vacation in Calabria once, Tropea. Beautiful and not crowded by tourists. Granted it was 20 years ago and in October. I know there was some Neckermann camp there which was closed for the season. Don't know how it developped but I'd guess that it's still very different from the North.

Have fun, Nike!

Douglas · June-4th-2003, 07:56 AM

Knike, there are so many places you could go, and I'm sure others will give good suggestions.

But if you are considering going as far as Calabria also think Sicily. It's one place I've been meaning to return. Lovely beaches and almost no-one around, if thats what you want.

Knike · June-4th-2003, 08:01 AM

@ Jimmy,
Thanks for the recommendation of lake Como. I know, it's a beautiful place, but it's a place, I can always go for a weekend, cause I live not far away. So for now, I'm looking for something more south. Thanks anyway.

@Uli,
I've already had Tropea in mind, I saw some Pictures on the net and it seems to be a very beautiful place. Tough 20 years is a long time for touristic developement, so I guess everything is a little more crowded than 20 years ago, but maybe I'll go there.
Thanks.

@ Douglas,
Sicily could also be possibile. Now this is going to be a really long trip, but you're right. If I'm thinking of Calabria, the extra way to sicily doesn't make much of a difference anymore. But that'll be a 2-day train ride home !! Thanks

Tanager · June-4th-2003, 08:18 AM

Sicily is wonderful - I spent a week there once, and it is easy to get some solitude. It's also the home of some of the best Greek ruins anywhere (the theater at Taormina is fantastic, and Syracuse, and...).

One place that I loved was Ponza - it's an island that's about two hours, ballpark, by hydrofoil out into the Mediterranean. Once you're there, you can hire a boat to take you to one of the beaches around the island, and it's just beautiful.

Knike · June-4th-2003, 08:53 AM

Tanager, you're just great ! Ponza seems to be a very good recommendation. I just visited some Internet-Sites and it's so beautiful. And it's not so far from Rome. I hope it's not to expansive. I was also thinking Capri, but the prices are simply to high for my small budget.
Thanks

June-4th-2003, 10:05 AM

Hey, I hope-a you have a good time!

It-a reminds me of a joke! Why'sa Italy shaped a-like a shoe? BECAUSE-A YOU CAN'T FITTA AS MUCH A-SHIT IN A BOOT!

Haahaahaahaahaa!

No! A-wait. I a-told it a-wrong. Why'sa Italy shaped a-like a boot? BECAUSE-A YOU CAN'T FITTA AS MUCH A-SHIT IN A SHOE!

Haahaahaahaahaa!

(Well-a, maybe you need to a-be there).

jazzy mary · June-4th-2003, 10:29 AM

Italy is so great. I second the lake Como area. We stayed in Bellagio which was wonderful. A town I really adored was Verona. Portofina and all that is great too but you'd prob. find it too crowded.

hornplayer · June-4th-2003, 12:23 PM

If you're going down that way, Bari is lovely.....

clinthopson · June-4th-2003, 12:28 PM

Four years ago we spent a month in Florence and took day and overnight trips around a lot of Tuscany and environs. We loved it all.

We hope to get back there in the next couple of years and hit Cinquaterra, Bologna, Como and spend a few days in Siena.

We never vacation in the summer and I'm sure there will be mobs of tourists at any beach spot but you can't beat the food, art and the Italians.

jazzy mary · June-4th-2003, 01:28 PM

Siena is lovely. Just don't go when they're running the Palio!

Tanager · June-4th-2003, 04:14 PM

I'll second the recommendation for Siena - unless you need to see the Academy, etc., I'd pick it over Florence. Quieter, prettier, fantastically neat little city. One place that's fun to visit from there is Monteriggioni (one of the little walled hilltop towns that dot the Tuscan countryside) - but I'm sure the others of its ilk are great, too.

Knike, I don't recall Ponza being too pricey - I was there when I was a student, and we had no problem finding a room for a reasonable price. It's really quite lovely and easily doable in a weekend from Rome, as is Siena.

I'd skip Capri.

I've never been to Verona, but I've only heard great things about it.

I spent a great weekend once in Bolzano (Bozen), which is up in the Dolomites south of the Brenner Pass. Neat little city, and very different culturally from the rest of Italy, as it's in the Suedtirol, and many folks there consider themselves Tyroleans first and Italians fourth or so.

If you find yourself near Pompeii for any reason, make sure to visit Herculaneum, which is just as cool - instead of being buried beneath ash by Vesuvius, it was buried in hot mud, and the city is in some ways better preserved.

I'd *highly* suggest getting the Blue Guide to Rome for historical/archeological background. I spent an entire semester studying there, and I never ran out of new stuff to see.

clinthopson · June-4th-2003, 05:52 PM

We loved Florence.

Our two primary reasons to visit a place are food and art and Florence has it in spades.

OTOH we didn't care for Rome. To me it's L.A. with a lot of old stuff.

Uli · June-4th-2003, 06:00 PM

I love Florence too. Was there a year ago. Sure some of the main attractions are crowded and if you want to go the gallery (d'uffici, I blelieve) you better have reserve tickets.

But a lot of it has a very regular side to it and some of the street shows are just fab!

Tanager · June-4th-2003, 06:16 PM

I guess it depends on what you want - I loved the Academy, but I'm not enough of an art buff to really make it the focus of a trip, so I enjoyed Siena more. Food isn't an area in which you have to be too picky when choosing a destination city in Tuscany, IMHO.

I was a Latin and Arch major for a while, so Rome was really groovy for me - and if you get out into neighborhoods like Trastevere, the Gianicolo, etc, I think the city really has a lot to offer by way of flavor.

Knike · June-5th-2003, 03:27 AM

So, tomorrow we're leaving and I thank you all very much fpor your comments. Of course, I'll post my expieriences once I'm back.

Now it looks, as if we're going to the island of Ponza after a couple of days in Roma. I already checked some hotels on the net, and there's something in every pricerange. We'll pick one, once we're there.

A part of the trip, I'm looking very forward to, is the overnight train from Zurich to Rome. I always take a sleepingcar in a nighttrain, if possible. I just love the idea of going to bed at home and waking up in a different city. And the comfort in the sleepingcars isn't too bad either. We did the same thing when we were in Paris.

The only thing that's bad about travelling Italy (or France) by train, is you never know for sure if they are working or if they are on strike. Last time in Paris, we had a very hard time before going home. Hours and hours on Gare de l'Est waiting in the crowd trying to understand the guy with the megaphone, before we could finally enter the sleepingcar and fight for our reserved and fully paid beds in the sleepingcar.
So I hope, le "ferrovie dello stato" won't let us down !

Knike · June-19th-2003, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Now it looks, as if we're going to the island of Ponza after a couple of days in Roma. I already checked some hotels on the net, and there's something in every pricerange. We'll pick one, once we're there .

... yeah, real good idea to pick one once I'm there !!! The island was pretty much sold out when we arrived. We were very lucky to find a privat room for the first three days until the weekend. But for the weekend we had to left the privat room. (Very cheap room, friendly family). Finally we got the last hotelroom available on the island for the rest of the week in the best (and most expansive !) hotel in the island.
Ponza is really lovely. Typically italian. Nice restaurants , lovely beaches. We had a great time there. Thanks Jimmy for leading us to Ponza.
I'll post some pics later...

Tanager · June-19th-2003, 09:32 AM

Hey, Ponza was my pick...*sniff*

Knike · June-19th-2003, 09:37 AM

Oops !

Sorry Tanager, of course it was your pick. Don't know why I mixed something up here. (Must be the jetleg.. aehmm trainleg..) thanks again.

Jimmy Cantiello · June-19th-2003, 09:44 AM

Knike, don't believe Tanager. I'm the one that recommended Ponza. Tanager recommended the overrated Lake Como................

Jazzooo · June-19th-2003, 09:49 PM

man, I had one of the most spectacular days in my life on Capri. All the guidebooks said avoid it because it was too crowded, but it was during the first gulf war and i suppose most folks didn't feel safe travelling due to a few little terrorist incidents. Anyway, a truly gorgeous place with the best pizza on the planet (at Da Gemmas).

I only now noticed this thread so I'm glad you had a good time. next time, consider the Amalfi coast and definitely Florence.