When in Rome…..

[tps7742]

Oh man! I’m jealous! Italy is our favorite place in Europe. We have been 5 times and love it from the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Naples, Rome, Florence, Venice, Lake Maggiore, Lake Come, Milan, and small towns in between. We would go back at the drop of a hat. Nothing like it. We love sitting in the outdoor cafe’s, eating great food, drinking good wine, and watching people go by; not to mention touring the wonderful old churches and buildings. I highly recommend everyone try to visit Italy at least once in their life. Enjoy!!!

Very impressive, enjoying life to its fullest as it should be. Thanks for sharing.

[CWendling]

For those of you who’ve been to Italy, where would you recommend first-timers go if they could only do one city or one province(?) at that time?

Rome is a must for the history. I love Umbria. You can just drive around and stop at anything that looks cool. Plenty of beautiful hill towns to explore

[ny bowhunter]

For those of you who’ve been to Italy, where would you recommend first-timers go if they could only do one city or one province(?) at that time?

Depends on what interests you most.

Rome is a must for the history of the republic. Stunning city that has it all. And, you can do day trips out to non-city spots like Castelli Romani, Ostia, etc.

Florence for art and culture is where it's at with the Academia, Uffizi Galleria, home to the Medicis, etc.

Southern Italy for the Amalfi coast or Puglia or even an island like Sicily. Such a different experience. Slower, more chaotic, but glorious.

But the hill towns...the hill towns make me happy. Volterra, Montepulciano, San Giminagno, Siena, Montalcino, Pienza...so many and all so special with so much history.

North Italy is very metropolitan with fashion cities like Milan and foodie towns like Bologna and Parma. Now way up north is a hiker's paradise: The Dolomites.

Short answer: think about what speaks to you the most, and then the choices get easier. Having said that, it's a country you'll simply need to go back to, IMHO.

[ThisLadyHunts]

Depends on what interests you most.

Rome is a must for the history of the republic. Stunning city that has it all. And, you can do day trips out to non-city spots like Castelli Romani, Ostia, etc.

Florence for art and culture is where it's at with the Academia, Uffizi Galleria, home to the Medicis, etc.

Southern Italy for the Amalfi coast or Puglia or even an island like Sicily. Such a different experience. Slower, more chaotic, but glorious.

But the hill towns...the hill towns make me happy. Volterra, Montepulciano, San Giminagno, Siena, Montalcino, Pienza...so many and all so special with so much history.

North Italy is very metropolitan with fashion cities like Milan and foodie towns like Bologna and Parma. Now way up north is a hiker's paradise: The Dolomites.

Short answer: think about what speaks to you the most, and then the choices get easier. Having said that, it's a country you'll simply need to go back to, IMHO.

What a great overview! Printing this out to help plan for the post-Spain portion of our trip.

[tps7742]

Since people are making comments on their travels to Italy. Do you use a travel agent or not for planning you trip?

[ThisLadyHunts]

Since people are making comments on their travels to Italy. Do you use a travel agent or not for planning you trip?

I always use a travel agent for international travel. Traveling to other countries is not a time to leave things to chance.

[tps7742]

I always use a travel agent for international travel. Traveling to other countries is not a time to leave things to chance.

Good point made for sure.

[CWendling]

Since people are making comments on their travels to Italy. Do you use a travel agent or not for planning you trip?

We never have. We look at things we want to see, find a place to stay, and go. Usually stay in one place a couple days, see what we want, and then move on to see new things

[220swift]

Since people are making comments on their travels to Italy. Do you use a travel agent or not for planning you trip?

We did not, but a couple in our group had been before so we just followed their lead.