Looking for some Italian travel advice

[NERemodeling]

Hey Guys and Gals, especially those living in Italy

I'm heading to Italy this summer early August, specifically Rome and a few towns on the Amalfi coast. We are trying to nail down all our travel plans and I was wondering if anyone could offer any travel advice, places to go, things to do and maybe some hidden jems not known to the regular tourist. I am open to finding a few tool shops also, assuming i can talk to wife into it.

what is the best way to travel from the Rome airport to Amalfi?  it seems to require many transfers and be quite expensive, is there an easy way?

We are quite adventurous and are open to any suggestions!! 

Grazie!

John

 

[NERemodeling]

Really just a shameless Bump here...

Really doesn't have to be advice from someone living in Italy, anyone have any experience traveling there?  Just looking to make the most of this trip.

Thanks!

John

 

[SittingElf]

I'm watching this topic as well [scared]

My wife, who is a senior Air Force Officer currently stationed in Germany, has insisted that I take her to Rome and the surrounding area for our 19th Anniversary in October. I have no clue, but hoping that this topic results in some ideas.

Someone help!  Don't want the normal tourist crap!

 

[mouppe]

I just got back from Rome yesterday. Omg it is amazing. The food, the sights, the people, everything. I did the usual tourist stuff but it was genuinely worth it.

One thing I do recommend is getting a guide to take you round the Vatican. There were 8 of us in our party and with the guide we were able to jump all the queues and get advance tickets. Giolittis near the pantheon is the best ice cream.

 

[VictorL]

I was in Italy two years ago. For traveling between cities we used rental car. Just don't forget bring good map or atlas and GPS with European maps.
Don't even think about using cars in Rome and other big cities.

 

[jacko9]

While your there sample as many homemade varieties of Limoncello as possible [wink]

Jack

 

[NERemodeling]

I'm watching this topic as well [scared]

My wife, who is a senior Air Force Officer currently stationed in Germany, has insisted that I take her to Rome and the surrounding area for our 19th Anniversary in October. I have no clue, but hoping that this topic results in some ideas.

Someone help!  Don't want the normal tourist crap!

we have done a good bit of research, send me a pm if you want and i will be more than happy to share what we have come up with

John

 

[NERemodeling]

I just got back from Rome yesterday. Omg it is amazing. The food, the sights, the people, everything. I did the usual tourist stuff but it was genuinely worth it.

One thing I do recommend is getting a guide to take you round the Vatican. There were 8 of us in our party and with the guide we were able to jump all the queues and get advance tickets. Giolittis near the pantheon is the best ice cream.

Im really excited about it, glad to hear you enjoyed it so much. 
how long were you there?  too long or too short
what exactly did you do and see?
did you feel like you missed anything?

John

 

[mouppe]

In short, I went for as long as I could. Myself, my wife and three other couples- all old friends with our 40th birthdays this year- left our children at home and went to Rome for four days. It's as long as we could manage without over-burdening parents with the children and without the trip getting too expensive. But it was long enough to make it a meaningful break away and gave us enough time to see a lot.

First day, we wandered round the Spanish steps, the high-fashion shops etc. Morning of the second day, we spent three hours around the Capitoline and the Palatine- this is where you will find the Classical Forum, the Coliseum, Trajan's column etc. Afternoon of the second day we went to the Vatican. You need at least three hours here but we were knackered by the end of the day! Third day we spent around the area of the Trevi fountain, the Pantheon (stunning) and Piazza Navona.

I have mentioned the famous sights we took in, but you see so much more just walking around. There were some less well-known places I particularly wanted to see such as the column of Marcus Aurelius, the obelisk of Montecitorio and the balcony where Mussolini announced the declaration of war. As you are walking around, you'll suddenly turn a corner and they are right in front of you.

The food is generally excellent in most places, but I would steer clear of the touristy restaurants where waiters stand in the middle of the street and try to persuade you to sit down. We ate at Pierluigi's in the Piazza de Ricci- they specialize in fish- and Rostati in the Piazza de Popolo- good pasta- and Bocconcivino near the Pantheon- excellent pasta prepared at your table. A couple of other places I can't remember the name of. Giolitti's ice cream is so good we went there twice in one day! Some restaurants only take cash so call them first if you want to make sure you can use a credit card. You may think everything is expensive at first, but once you realise that taxes and service (usually) is included, it isn't that bad. Most restaurants do not even have a line to add service, so don't think you are being cheap- it's the norm.

Did I miss anything? Absolutely, but I was happy with what I was able to do, still managed to spend a few hours in the late afternoons by the pool, and tasted enough to want to go back soon.

 

[Jalvis]

Good advice on restaurants.  I always made it a requirement to not eat at a place that had pictures on the menu or on a sign out front.

As for the Vatican, anyone can skip the lines by buying there tickets the day before online.  Thats exactly what the tour guides do in an anticipation for each day.  My wife and I went through the vatican three times in a single afternoon.  The vatican opens more wings to different collections of art as more people enter so if your not part of a tour you can simply start over and discover newly opened areas.  My only added advice is to bring some Tylenol for the head ache.....Theres so much to see your head will throb....and I mean that honestly.

 

[Jesse Cloud]

In August the cities pretty much empty out, everyone goes to the coast.

Still lots of fun stuff, but don't be surprised if the city traffic isn't as bad as everyone says and if the beaches are packed.

We drove into Milan on an August Sunday afternoon, thought it had been evacuated.  Had a hard time finding a decent restaurant - not like Milan the rest of the year.

Enjoy!

 

[cliffp]

I would make sure you dont miss Herculaneum. Also a bus ride along the Amalfi coast is spectacular. I stayed in Positano and Praiano and enjoyed it.

 

[rljatl]

Watch out for Gypsies.  Don't leave anything valuable laying around without holding on to it when you stop to eat or rest outside.  They use distraction and children to confuse and disarm you, so be aware of that.

 

[Distinctive Interiors]

About 6 years ago I had 10 days holiday in Italy.

First 6 days we stayed in Sorrento and visited Positano (whilst there was a Mafia family wedding going on at the time!!!) Capri, and Pompeii. etc. Really enjoyed it all.

The last 4 days we stayed in Rome and visited a lot of the places that have been mentioned above.

So much history,......... so little time to see it!!!!!!!

Also had a 4 day break on a different occasion and spent 2 days in Verona and 2 days in Venice. Man, was it hot!!!!!!

Tim.

 

[Dane]

My wife and I spent a couple of weeks in Italy a few years ago, starting and ending in Rome and we did go over to the Amalfi for a few days.  If you are set on those two destinations, I wouldn't try to dissuade you as they are both great and worth seeing, but if you are up for some things a bit off the tourist path, I have a lot of suggestions for places that we both enjoyed more.

We had been to Italy before and done the major tourist sights, so this time we chose to go up north and wind through the Emilia Romagna, Piedmonte and Tuscany regions.  We are total food freaks, so that was the focus of our trip and we stayed in small places, often just rooms in folks houses and had some amazing experiences and meals- touring a balsamic vinegar operation in the attic of a hundreds of years old farmhouse, having lunch with a winemaker and his wife at his home while drinking the wine from the grapes growing right by us, attending a Sagre which is a local food festival where all of the towns in the region come to a central square and set up booths where 1 euro gets you a plate of the loca dish and a glass of the local wine and on and on... I'd be happy to share some contacts with you if you are into that sort of trip.  And, it was all so much cheaper than it would have been to have gone to Rome and the Amalfi.

For whatever kind of trip you decide on, Italy is relatively small and driving is really easy- take a GPS.  The highways are amazing, way better than ours.  We rented a tiny diesel Alfa and just went wherever we wanted- it ended up being cheaper than train tickets.  If you are just planning on making one trek from Rome to the Amalfi, then it may be less expensive to just take the train.

Shoot me a PM if you'd like some more info.

 

[mqbernardo]

you should really go see Tivoli (i mean REALLY!) a 30 min drive east from Rome. Eating stuff, just two i remember out of my head: enoteca corsi (not far from the pantheon, heading towards corso vittorio emanuele) for an authentic rome easting experience (the waitresses are beautiful, don´t tell your wife...) and cul-de-sac (Piazza di Pasquino, near P. Navona) for one of the finest selection of italian wines and foodie stuff. Of course, just eating a focaccia near the TIbere will also work fine... Rome will never cease to amaze you...

Naples: it´s been a long time, can´t help you much - but i loved everything about naples, just walking near the sea (via comunale til via napole), or mingle in the spanish quarters. I guess you won´t escape eating pizza at the mother of it all:  Da Michele (Via Cesare Sersale), tourist atraction but very much worth it.

Amalfi: just precious. we stayed in amalfi and in ravello, trust me : you won´t want to leave. prices are generally high, but who cares? positano is also very charming. driving in the amalfi coste is one of the essential italian experiences. and, yup, do drink the limoncello.

have a nice trip!
miguel.

 

[sancho57]

Dont drink the water..

sorry couldnt resist

 

[Stephen B]

Dont drink the water..

sorry couldnt resist

Having been to Italy twice, I would say yes, yes, yes to all the great suggestions in the posts above. Also walk on the Amalfi coast you will see more than driving and go to Venice and take a fairy boat and explore some of the outer islands.

Also use a car, except in Rome. Look up Peugot Europe where for more than 7 days you lease rather than rent. Depending on your length of stay this can work out significantly cheaper than hire. And it will be brand new. Look at small cars, anything bigger than a Peugot 308 will not fit through some towns and villages. I remember a village in Crete where to pass through on the main road we had to tuck In the mirrors on a 308! Diesel is cheaper in most of Europe.

Now Sancho, I know you could not resist. But over the years, I have travelled in Asia, Europe, Nth Africa, Canada and the United States. My US highlights were New York, Monument Valley, The Grand Canyon and San Francisco. In all these travel experiences, it was New York where I should have left the restaurant water alone!!

 

[Carlo Petrilli]

John,

I've been to Italy several times.  My family is actually from an area between Rome and the Amalfi coast.  When travelling from Rome to Amalfi I would follow the recommendations from the other guys above, rent a vehicle, the roads are marked very well and overall it is very easy to get to Amalfi from Rome.  Now I'm not going to sugar coat the driving habits, most people drive very aggressively and fast.  In addition the road through the Amalfi coast is pretty exciting and nerve racking, the roads feel narrow especially when you have these large tour buses travelling the same road.  When you are driving through the coast, the towns I would definitely hit are Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi and Ravello.  If you plan on staying a few nights on the coast Ravello will be the most expensive, try staying in the other three towns, there are a lot of family run bed and breakfasts you can stay at.  Do a web search and read the reviews online to find the one that best fits your needs.  I have no recommendations where to stay because when I go, I go for the day and return to my parent's home.  Now if you decide to drive and head up to Ravello,which is a must must must see, the road up can be fun or not so fun depending how comfortable you are driving up narrow roads where 2 cars barely fit. 

If you want to try some other places I highly suggest Gaeta and Terracina.  These are both beach towns that are great places to spend some time, just keep in mind that most of Europe is visiting these areas at the same time in August, normally the first 15 days of August.  There is a fantastic beach called Bahia Blanca, they have a really nice setup with great food on site.  Also if go to Gaeta there is an attraction called La Montagna Spaccata or The Cracked Mountain, do a web search. 

Another area I would make an effort to hit is the island of Capri, this island will blow you away.  Now with Rome, I would follow what others have said and not drive within the city, I do but I would not recommend it, it is very easy to get around the city by walking or by taking the public transit.  In Rome you want to hit Trevi fountain, the Pantheon, the Collosieum, and the Vatican.  When you go to the Vatican make sure you time it right because the Sistine chapel does not allow ticket purchases after 4:00 PM.  Now if you have the time or make a second trip ;D make sure you hit Cinque Terre, it is another coastal town north of Rome comparable with the Amalfi.

When it comes to food and drink the prices are very reasonable even in the tourist areas.  If you are driving make sure you stop at the Autogrill, this is Italy's version of a rest area, the food is really good.  You get everything from a panini with prosciutto or a plate of pasta cooked to order. 

If you have any questions let me know.

Carlo

 

[mqbernardo]

well, you american fellows (used to your big cars and highways) may find it daunting, but i found driving in Naples (also rome and palermo, but above all Naples) one of the more exciting things i´ve done, we had a ball - instant Di Sicca movie experience! those guys are crazy drivers, i mean, real crazy! and the police just doesn´t care and everybody curses and swears, the cars are all beaten up. of course, being portuguese i´m already half way there....

best,
miguel