Anyone familiar with Northern Italy?

[dorothy]

Particularly Genoa, Arenzano, and the like? If you were to travel there, where would you go with DC? Would you train to Rome, Venice, Florence, etc?

[dorothy]

I would really appreciate any info you can share on traveling around northern Italy, particularly the coast, Pisa, Florence, Venice, Lugano, Milan, etc., with dc. If we go, we need to keep it as cheap as possible. We can't make it down to Rome, so we'd like to try to see examples of Roman (ancient), Medieval, Rennaissance ruins and art. We can't afford big entrance fees so if you know of any discounts available that would be great too. Train, bus, car, info. Anythin at all, we need to learn it all. Many thanks!!!!

[Whisperlily]

I wish I could help. I'm definitely interested in hearing what others say. We would like to plan a trip to Europe in the next few years if we don't get stationed there on our next go-round.

:bigear:

:lurk5:

[Colleen]

I know you've posted a few times about this; I'm sorry I didn't reply earlier. I think maybe one reason why your request didn't click with people is because we've had several conversations here of late regarding European travel ~ including Italy, of course. If you search this board for "Italy", you'll see what I mean. Reading those threads might be helpful.

My second suggestion ~ and you'll see this come up in the aforementioned threads ~ is to use Rick Steves for more info. Get his guide book on Italy; watch his shows; and best of all, explore his web site. There's loads of info on the Rick Steves web site. Particularly helpful is the graffiti wall wherein other travels share their experiences. Maybe you can spend some time reading there and then if you have more specific questions ask them here, too?:)

[Anne/Ankara]

Dorothy, my dh and dd just returned from Italy last week and had a great time (in Rome the whole week). We've been there numerous times over the past decade, and each time we go we see new things. If I were you, I would get travel books from the library and read up on the area that you are interested in visiting, and then maybe plan one excusion to a nearby city (Florence, Venice, Sienna) but basically enjoy the people, food and historical sites of the area that you've chosen.

THere are also many interesting Teaching Company video series on the Italian Renaissance, and art, and things like that, which has helped our understandng of what we saw.

Good luck!

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

THere are also many interesting Teaching Company video series on the Italian Renaissance, and art, and things like that, which has helped our understandng of what we saw.


:iagree:

My kids loved that series and it was great prep work as we travelled around Italy. Several other tourists stopped to listen to their discussions. Make sure you consider Pisa if you are in that part of Italy. You might also look even further north to Turin as an option (there is supposed to be a great museum that has much on Ancient Egypt. I love Florence and would have it as my number one in the Central/Northern part of Italy. If you want study of ancients there is more in the Center/South and East Coast. Italian trains are not always on time but very rapid. If you can afford to rent a car and drive through Tuscany that is a great trip! There are some very interesting hill towns and the city of Siena. Also, be sure to check for any museums that offer advance purchase of tickets, in Florence and Rome the major museums have very long lines (3+ hours at times) and for an extra fee you can often reserve an entrance time in advance.

Have fun!!

[DawnUK]

I've not been to the places that you mentioned specifically, but I've been to Rome (last week), Venice, and Verone (last October). Venice is amazing. We took a day trip to Verona, also amazing. The colosseum in Verona is great...almost as big as the one in Rome. The trains in Italy are great. It's just great watching all of the olive groves from the train window. They are fast and can get you to most paces, The train between Florence and Rome, for instance, is three hours. It's only another three hours to Pompeii.

Rome is not my favorite city. It's dirty and there is a lot of graffiti. I was pick pocketed SIX times last week. Thankfully, I was aware of the problem, and only lost $5. I caught one teenage boy with his hand out about to unzip my backpack. I happened to turn around. Everytime I looked, my backpack was fully unziped-- even in the Vatican. I needed it to carry my camera and video camera-- I knew that there was a chance that they could be taken, but for conviences sake, I was willing to risk it. All of our passports and credit cards were carried in a nylon pouch under my shirt that I'd ackwardly slip my hand into when I needed them. My friend's credit card number was stolen in Rome, so I'm even nervous about using it too much there.

The sites in Rome are a must, and they are great, so the city is just something that you have to put up with in order to experience them. Fortunately, there isn't a lot of violent crime, just a LOT of theft, and the police don't really seem to care. I would decide which sites in Rome that you want to see and then continue on the train to all of the better locations. Naples, by the way, is another place to avoid. It's so bad there right now that the military is thinking about making it an unaccompanied tour, like Korea, that you don't take your families to.

I don't mean to sound negative, and like I mentioned Venice and Verona were both unbelievable. I'm planning a trip to Florence next year, but that needs to be a longer one, because there's so much that I want to see there. Venice is probably one of my favorite places, after the Orkney Islands. Have fun!
--Dawn

[chiguirre]

For budget travel, Let's Go guides are excellent sources of information. Here's the link to the 2008 Italy guide at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Go-2008-Italy/dp/0312374518/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205612944&sr=8-1

Given how weak the dollar is, you might need to pack some peanut butter in your suitcase. Food will be very expensive even picnicking from supermarkets.

Depending on when you're going, try to see an opera at the Arena in Verona. It's an amazing experience (and not terribly expensive).

[orangeblossom]

We've been twice without the kids and now that we know what's what, we plan on taking them for an extended tour in a couple of years.

The farthest north we've been is Venice. This last time, we took the train from Venice to Florence, then rented a car there and drove to the place that we were staying. Book your trains at the station, NOT ahead of time. It's the cheapest way to do it.

We've stayed in many different types of places and we found that the cheapest way to go was to rent a small villa near a small town, along with a car, and do day trips. We ate breakfast and most dinners in, and we often packed a lunch to take with us. We'd hit the local Coop (grocery chain) and stock up on fresh meats and breads and fruit. We'd buy coffee and gelato while out in the various towns, so that we could use the bathrooms, otherwise, you pay for public restrooms and they're usually very scary!
When we did eat out, we asked where the locals liked to go, and it was much cheaper than the touristy places and the food was always amazing. In any town, avoid sitting outside in the streetside cafes...they are hugely expensive, even for a coffee or a soda.

There are lots of places that you can go that don't cost anything or don't cost much. Eutruscan tombs are very cool, as are the monastaries (sp?). Of course, all the churches are amazing...you just go in and walk around and no one cares. Many places have areas you can go into without paying and then portions that you need to pay to see. Just walking around all the small towns will take a lot of your time.

We stayed about 20 minutes out of Florence and during our day trips, went to one or two towns each day and even drove to the beach on the East coast one day. It really wasn't too far...maybe an hour and a half away.
We drove through the Chianti region, went to Siena, Volterra, San Gimigiano, etc. I could go on and on.

We can't wait to go back with the kids.
I actually have to run, but if you have any questions, I'd be happy to give you more specifics next time I'm on!