MariaZ

Dear all,
I am going on a solo trip to Italy this September. It will be my first time there and I am very excited. Originally, I was planning to spend a few weeks in the Dolomites (I could spend months in the mountains!), but then people starting giving me suggestions of other amazing places, and I got overwhelmed. Now I am in this mode where I'd love to see a lot (Rome, Naples, Florence, Verona, Siena, etc) but also feel inclined of staying somewhere in Tuscany for 2-3 weeks and do day trips to the big cities instead.
I am learning Italian and would love to stay in a place where I could socialize and experience the unhurried life of Italians instead of running around checking off the tourist list... Should I stay at one of the agriturismi, you think?
Could anyone please recommend what I could do with my time in Italy?
I love exploring, hiking, cooking and eating, gardening, art and architecture but not so much shopping or lounging on the beach.
Grazie mille!
Maria

bvlenci

Will you rent a car? That's a key piece of information if you want appropriate advice.

bvlenci

If you want to meet Italians, and maybe even socialize, it would usually be better to stay in a small town rather than at an agriturismo lodging. However, this isn't a hard and fast rule.

nytraveler

Well you can;t stay in Tuscany and do day trips to a lot of these places (Rome, Venice, Naples, etc) it's just too far. You can stay in one place in Tuscany - but I would stay in a town rather than at an agriturismo (from where you will have to rent a car to take scarce public transit a lot - and be more limited to the people on that property).

I think staying in a town would give you a lot more options for meeting people, dining choices and ease of getting to other places (as long as you pick one that has decent train connections).

How about 2 weeks in a town in Tuscany and the spend the other 2 weeks between Rome, Naples/AC and Venice?

TravelJunkie888

I agree with nytravler completely and am also curious as to whether you'll rent a car?

MariaZ

Dear all, thank you for your responses! This is very helpful. I would like to rent a car, but I have to admit I don't drive a stick shift. I will try to find a car with an automatic transmission, however.

I decided to go to the Dolomites in the first week of September and do the Alta Via 2 hike for a week or so, starting in Bressanone (Brixen) heading south.

After that, my agenda is completely open.

Thank you for any suggestions!

sandralist

I am unclear where you would be ending your Dolomiti hike, but wherever that is, you are likely to have easy access via public transportation that you will get you to a car rental office where you can pick up an automatic transmission. If you do want to see Venice or Florence, it would make sense to go there following the Dolomiti, since you would be able to rent an automatic at the nearest airports. While you were in the neighborhood, you could see something of the famous sights before heading into rural Tuscany.

If you like cooking and gardening, it makes sense to stay on a farm where you will be welcome in the kitchen. There was a similar thread about this recently, although that person did not want to rent a car, but you might find some of the information helpful

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...e-and-rome.cfm