Good towns where you can "stay put" during an Italian trip

Good question, and a good plan. Two of the most beautiful areas of Italy are Tuscany and Cinque Terre. You could do about 5 nights in Tuscan hill town, exploring the beautiful countryside. You could then do 3-4 nights in Cinque Terre, in a beachfront town. The rest of the time could be spent in Florence, Rome or both.
In Tuscany, some good options are Montepulciano, San Quirico d'Orcia, and just outside Tuscany is Orvieto. These are all meduim sized towns with lots of shops and restaurants, and surrounded by some very beautiful countryside. A car is a must in this area if you want to really see the area.
In Cinque Terre, consider Levanto, which is technically not IN Cinque Terre, but the next town over. Levanto is a small beach resort town with a very nice beach, lots of great places to eat, and spectacular hiking opportunites. Levanto is easy to access by car, and the walks to and thru Cinque Terre are just amazing.
The drive from Tuscany to Levanto is an easy 2-3 hours.
Have you been to the slowtrav.com website?

hi Debbie,

I agree with zootsi that this is a good plan - in fact it's how we've spent any number of holidays, long and short. as there are just two of you and you are travelling in september, you probably don't need to book accommodation ahead, unless you are planning to spend time in one of the big tourist centres like Florence or Venice.

i disagree with zootsi in one way in that I would not choose a hilltown as a base - you will spend a LOT of time driving up and down the same precipitous roads. visit the hill towns by all means, even spend a night there [the best way to see San Gim when all the tourists have gone]. 25 years ago [it's probably changed a bit sionce then] we spent a few days in Siena which made a great base for touring - it's big enough to give you things to do in the evening, small enough that it doesn't take too long to get in and out, and central to quite a lot of places you might like to see.

Garda on Lake garda is another lovely place which makes a good base - there are boats to all parts of the lake, [easier to get around all of the lake than it is if you stay at one end or the other] and you can get to Verona and Venice reasonably easily too.

don't know about the CT - but when you are looking at a base, you need to look at ease of getting about as well as how nice that place is itself.

have a great trip,

regards, ann

What about Rome? We have spent a week or more there at a time and leave wanting more. There is so much to do and see...or just sit in a cafe and relax.

There are also several quick and easy day trips from Rome.

Good luck!

Lucca
Bassano del Grappa
Asti

To experience Italy in 3 strikingly different ways, I suggest that you stay in Verona in the Veneto, Arezzo in Tuscany and Sestri Levante on the Italian Riviera. The last two are on the water and all of them are easily reached by train, and make good train hubs for seeing other sights. They all have terrific markets and well-preserved historic cores that make them lovely and enjoyable places to stay in their own right and get to know.

It is easy to find bed and breakfasts in all 3 places or moderately priced hotels. I live in Liguria, so I don't sample the local hotels, but were I headed to Sestri Levante, this is the place I think I'd find most charming to stay. And it's close to the train station if you want to visit le Cinque Terre (about 30 minutes away):

http://www.marinahotel.it/Benvenuti/BenvenPage.htm

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g194917-d1423452-Reviews-Albergo_Marina-Sestri_Levante_Italian_Riviera.html

Arezzo is an easy train to visit Florence. This place would appeal to me:

http://www.palazzospadari.it/

Verona has no end of accommodations, and from there, you can visit Venice in a day trip, or visit Lago di Garda.

Another possibility you might consider is Ferrara. Even if you don't make Ferrara your base you might consider visiting it from Verona, or Florence if you stay there. If you are interested in Florence, staying there is not a bad idea, and Tourist House Ghiberti is a nice place to stay.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/jun/28/florence-italy-medieval-convents-holiday

If you stay in Ferrara, it is only 15 or so minutes to Bologna train station, making it possible to day trip to Parma and Ravenna.

Have fun choosing! No matter where you go in Italy, you will find beautiful, rewarding experiences.

Sorry TYPO alert!!!!

I didn't mean to write "the last two are on the water" -- which would imply Arezzo is a sea town. Only Sestri Levante is on the water. (I was also going to suggest you consider Chiavari in Liguria, but it is further away from good day tripping. -- However, if you stay in Sestri Levante, I highly recommend a day trip to Chiavari!)

Also, I wanted to add that beyond the links I gave you to places I think I'd find charming, there are loads of other choices in Sestri Levante and Arezzo, in all price ranges. In Arezzo, just make sure you stay within the historic center, not in the area of modern business hotels outside it.

This is a private tour company's web page on Arezzo that compactly describes Arezzo, and talks about a festival in September. I'm not recommending the company, just giving you the link so you can read about Arezzo, which was one of the original 12 Estrucan cities and is today still a beautiful Renaissance city (its piazza was designed by Vasari):

http://www.arezzo-info.com/

You said you are interested in Florence and that is a great base. There's obviously tons to do right there but it also makes for nice day trips. I did Siena by bus and Lucca and Pisa by train. People have also easily done other small Tuscan towns by bus. I based there for 6 days one trip and was not the least bored.

Another of my favorite "bases" was Padua in the Veneto. That town is also one of my favorites but in addition works great as a base for day trips. From there I did Verona, Vicenza, Bologna and also Venice (less than half an hour by very frequent train). I'd been to Venice twice before that trip and I don't really advise someone daytripping to Venice as it's best at night, early morning. But if you just want a taste of it, going there from Padua works.

For a third base, and one on the water you could choose either the Amalfi Coast or Cinque Terre.

Hi DA,

With 12 days, I would fly into Venice (3 nights), train to Florence (4 nights) with a visit to Siena, train to Rome (4 nights) with a visit to Orvieto. Fly home.

Venice is on the water.

Enjoy your visit.

hi Debbie,

i deliberately left Flroence out as a suggested base for excursions. ok if you're there for a week, but if the aim is to be leaving it most of the time and just coming back in the evening, IMHO it doesn't work because a) there is a lot to see there that you will feel you are mising and b)it takes a long time to negoitiate the traffic, either to get to the station to get a train, or on the bus. a smaller place, that you can see in a day or so, but stil has some interest when you come back to it at night, AND get out of quickly when you want to do an excursion, is what you want to aim ofr. Lucca and Siena fit the bill perfectly and I'm sure that there are other equally good places.

Florence - you could take day trips to Chianti area, Lucca, Bologna and many other places within a very brief 60-90 minutes) train or bus trip

Rome - there is an endless number of things to do and see in Rome without traveling out of the city.

Santa Margherita Ligure - right on the water with many quick day trips if you wish - Cinque Terre, Camogli, Portofino (very pleasant walk from SML)

If you wish you could probably rent an apartment in Rome and Florence for less than a week and get more room at less money than in a hotel. Also get a better sense of the Italian life since many apts are in buildings with Italian families.

I second the recommendation to consider Padova, especially because it has a great food market and is probably an easier place to get to know in a few days than Verona -- which I think has more variety, but if seeing Venice is on your to-do list, you can go earlier and stay later if you base in Padova.

I'm not sure Siena makes a good base for day tripping.

I wouldn't want Venice for my beach.

Santa Margherita Ligure is indeed a pretty town, but Chiavari is too and has better markets, as does Rapallo. The reason I recommend Sestri Levante is that you can day trip to Lucca or Pisa from there if you missed them while in Tuscany. Not so further up the coast. And Levanto is so close to le Cinque Terre it is dominated by foreign tourism.

In general, if you want to "see a different side of Italy" with each move, you need to be staying in a place that isn't homogenized by international tourism. Most of Italy is exceptionally beautiful and charming, so don't be concerned if you pick a place that has yet to attract flocks of foreign tourists.

I meant to add that Lucca is probably Italy's oldest city completely given over to tourist development, and a model for all subsequent tourist development in Italy. It has all been beautifully preserved, but if you are looking to get to know a place and be part of its markets and non-tourist oriented eateries, that isn't Lucca.

For Tuscan Renaissance towns with great train connections, beautiful historic cores, authentic markets and restaurants, Arezzo, Pisa (away from the tower, in the centro) and Pistoia all fit the bill, and all have a life, commerce and culture independent of tourism.

Hi Debbie,
Your plans sounds like a good one! I also agree it's important to find a central, beautiful base. In fact, I found a hilltown in Tuscany that's surprisingly accessible (to beautiful sites, good food and to the A-1 highway!!) and not too terribly touristic yet!

I just gave the following advice to Snowflake, who's also planning a trip like yours.

Last month my family and I visited a beautiful, unspoiled corner of Tuscany in the Val d'Orcia: Sarteano, just where Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany meet, and quite close to Montepulciano, Pienza as well as some less known Etruscan sites. Why hadn't I heard before about San Casciano (medieval city with a to-die-for five-star thermal spa) and Cetona (medieval city, beautiful views, excellent food)? Recommend you stay at this absolutely wonderful, simple (and affordable!) little house from the 1600s that we rented for the week: www.casacollecetona.com. The house is set in Fonte Vetriana, a charming village from the 1300s......breathtaking views over the UNESCO protected landscape.....not yet spoiled by tourism.......Perhaps you will also be lucky enough, like us, to help the neighbors bake bread in the village's bread oven!

Enjoy your trip!

Stephanie, I don't think DebbieAllen is planning to rent a car and where you stayed and what you did requires a car.

Hi everyone, thanks so much for the great information. Just wanted to add that I was not planning on renting a car, should have made that clear.

I realize there are places we might be able to get to only by car, but with such a short trip I would rather let someone else do the driving (train). My boyfriend and I are healthy and under 40, and we don't mind walking.

Have not yet finalized plans so wondered if there might be any new feedback based on the fact we won't rent a car.

Thanks!

bookmarking

No car?

Head to Rome and go swimming at Lido di Ostia - an easy 30 minute train from Rome takes you right there. It is also convenient by train to countless other worthwhile towns.


With 12 days (11 nights?), consider 7 nights in Rome (w/ 2 day trips) and then 4 nights in Venice (w/ one possible trip via the Vaporetto to the Lido for swimming). Fly into Rome and out of Venice (or the reverse) with a one-way train trip between the two.

I recommend Verona. It is so lovely in the evening. I have stayed there using it as a base for my travels around the area. Actually I would split Verona with Florence for the 11 days.

On the mainland of Italy my favorite "stay put" city is Sorrento. The Bay of Naples is a fantastic area with so much to see and do. It's a wonderful town with a busy historic center, and a great evening passeggita. There are also many quiet, peaceful areas, and fantastic views. Day trips abound! Pompei, Napoli, Vesuvio, Capri, Amalfi Coast, Ischia etc. It has good shopping, restaurants, gelato and people watching (tourists and locals.) It's a transportation hub, so getting around is quick and easy. There is also Limoncello!!!

I just wanted to say you can have a fantastic trip without a car. I had only 9 days, and I had similar wishes--to see three very different places, all close together.
I chose Lerici in Liguria, and Barga and Lucca in Tuscany. It was my first trip to Italy, so I cannot give recommendations, but it was an excellent to go about the planning--not traveling too much and still seeing a lot.

Won't your airfare make a big difference, or do you have the entire country open to you? I got a great deal to Pisa, and then I planned accordingly.

Fly into Pisa - 1.5 hour drive to Lucca

3 nights in Lucca - lovely city with huge walls and a very relaxed feel. Sedate due to the restriction of cars and lots of cycling. Good markets and shopping.

Drive down to Pienza 5 nights. I think a lot of us posting here have been x times and forget how absoluetly stunning it is the first time. Day trips to Arezzo, Siena and the fields of Tuscany. Too many great restaurants to list.

Drive down to Piombino (2 hours) and ferry over to Elba (one hour)

Elba 3 nights - again a very sedate little island, main town Portoferraio is stunning and quite local. Great bakeries/cafes.

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/10/d8/37/portoferraio-harbour.jpg

Also the beaches/swimming far better than the mainland where the beaches are quite exposed.

http://www.campingscaglieri.it/foto/elba-spiagge-05.jpg

back to Pisa for flight back

MR: Do you have a favorite area on Elba? Is it easy to get around without a car?

Florence, Lucca and Cinque Terre. OR
Como, Venice and Bassano.OR
Rome, Val D' Orcia and Chianti (no water though, and Florence can sustitue for Rome).
The idea of limited easy travel is veryb wise. You only have 11 nights. If Rome, please plan on at least four nights there.

When I first read your post, I thought of Florence and Cinque Terre then of Florence and Sicily. We did the latter trip a couple of years ago and it was wonderful. Quick plane ride from Florence to Palermo and back to Pisa.Florence, to me, has the most to see of anyplace in Italy. After 5 trips, I am looking forward to being there this fall as there is so much I have never seen. Cinque Terre, Sicily or Capri all have beaches and, if you plan well, are all within 3-4 hours of Florence by air (Cinque Terre by land).

Six days for each would give you time to get to know each area.

eks

We stayed in Il Forno which has what amounts to a private beach. The village has an pristine little beach which is cared for by the community and as the road allows no parking for 3 miles it is effectively restricted to house users of the village.

In one direction there is a cliff walk to another village with 3 beach side restaurants. In the other the cliff walk is spectacular through pine trees to another village. It is only around (by car) 7km from Portoferraio.

It is another of those places in Europe that is missed by most tourists but is just as beautiful as the usual suspects.

The island is small but the road network is good - there is one road that goues round and another that cuts it in half.

Thanks! I can always count on your for advice on the roads less traveled..it looks like Elba has to join the growing list! I love the plan you sketched out above.

Another vote for Lucca. We recently spent a week there in an apartment and learned just how relaxing and convenient the city is--both bus and train service which is accessible and affordable. We had a car and oftentimes found it to be easier to take a train or bus--1/2 hour to Pisa on both! Restaurants and cafes abound, cuisine is a different style of Tuscan, predominantly car-free within the walls, lovely park on top of the walls, great history and architecture. It would fit your original request perfectly. Have fun.

Thank you everyone! This is incredibly helpful.

Another question, particularly for markrosy - are the places you're mentioning rather "sleepy" at night? We aren't partiers but our ideal trip would include later dinners (8-9pm), then walking around, finding a place to stop and have wine, people-watching. It looks like things might quiet down very early in Pienza, for example. Or perhaps that is par for the course as soon as you get out of the big cities -- ?

Oh and also for markrosy -- sounds like your itinerary depends on a car, is that correct? We don't plan to rent a car unless we just can't swing it any other way.

DebbieAllen, in my experience in smaller towns (Lerici and Barga but even in Lucca), I found it was better to finish up my day's activities (always hiking) in time for apertivo (4-7ish), and do my sipping and people watching then. A late dinner was never a problem. I did not always find bars open after dinner, but after a long leisurely dinner we were usually ready to turn in at that point. It was sometimes hard to even stand after all that food!
Of course time of year is probably a factor--I was in Lerici in late May (in summer it is probably kicking all night).

Markrosy, not trying to get at you, but if you took an hour and a half to get from Pisa to Lucca, you got lost! (30 minutes tops)

I agree with you and Bob about Lucca. I love it for its atmosphere.

We just got back from a 10 day trip. We have been to Italy several times and have been to Venice & Rome. So leaving them out for us was fine but may not be for you.

In the past our trips have all been by train and have consisted of 2-4 days in 2-4 locations. Pack up and train.

As we get older we decided that for this trip we'd base ourselve in Florence for the entire 10 days and go on daytrips for 6 of the days. Actually two of the "daytrips" were doubles as we slept one night in La Spezia at the head of Cinque Terre (spent the 2nd day in CT), having spent the day doing a pit stop in Pisa and the afternoon in Lucca, and one night in Siena having spent the day in San Gimignano. We kept our Florence hotel so all we had with us were small backpacks with essentials (well, didn't need the long pants, sweater or umbrellas).

It worked almost perfectly for us. If I look for issues we probably spent less time wandering around the second place on any leg of the trip.

One day we went to Cortona & Arezzo. Arezzo probably got the short end. Too bad there was construction in Piazza Grande in Arezzo. It had the potential to be one of the nicest squares we'd seen. Very few tourists in Arezzo.

On an overnight trip we went to San Gimignano & Siena. Siena probably got a bit of the short end. We were in Siena a few days before the Palio and pre-Palio festivities were in full swing.

The heat may have had something to do with that.

But it was still a great trip.

Florence can keep you busy for a few days. On this trip we passed on the Ufizzi (been twice) but went to Accademia (excellent visit) and Bargello (other than competition plaques and Donatello's David a bit sparse).

Weather should be cooler in Sept. A lot of areas to wander.

By the way, the #7 bus to Fiesole leaves from Pizza San Marco and not the train station. Ouch.

iPhone typing with blobby fingers so please forgive

willit - we did ! round the back of pisa - rosy navigating 37oc
also tractors on the winding round up the hill. Love lucca

bob and all help - we always rent and go home early - proseco by the pool

pienza after dark is pretty lively as is San quirico

life without a car is different

are you aware of the low cost flight network in Europe?

Elba without a car would be difficult but I can think of no better trip than

Pisa to lucca to maybe Florence day trip

then back to Pisa for a return trip to sicily

it is absolutey wonderful without a car. We drove and it was the worst week of our lives due to the near death expriences.

However fly to Catania then bus to siracusa

it is absolutely what you are looking for - stunning architecture, good food, lots of people watching and decent beaches. You will love it.

I would do plenty of research , as posters are aware, we dived in head first and some of Sicily is dire. Some of it is world class. Just be careful.

Anyone else help ?

I think we have something to offer here as long as the usual suspect stays away!

This is really so difficult! Three different locations that give a taste of Italy, without a car... a great plan, but actually difficult. DebbieAllen, it would help if you could tell something about your interests (art, architecture, which style/period?, shopping, beaches, hiking, landscape...).
Without further information on that, I would say you need one northern, one central and one southern location (these are the three most distinct parts of Italy); probably one on the sea; one large city, one small town, one rural location, and the rural and the small town location should be well-connected to the surrounding area by public transport so you don't have to stay in one small place for several days. Of the suggestions made here so far, I really like Sicily - if you base yourself in the south-east or east, this would be an excellent introduction into southern Italy, a small town (wherever you stay), and on the sea. I don't know anything on public transport since I cannot imagine traveling without a car, but markrosy seems knowledgeable on that subject and can perhaps help further... but I would choose either Noto or Catania, if busses allow to. What you want to see is, besides the two towns mentioned, Ragusa, Siracusa, Modica and Taormina; the obvious choices where to base would be Siracusa or Taormina, that's why I would avoid them (if, as I said, public transport is allowing to do so). Noto is certainly more beautiful, but I really like Catania, which would make for a perfect south Italian experience. Other than dreamy, sparsely populated Noto, it does tell about the problems of southern Italy (poverty, crime, environmental neglect) without being dangerous or unpleasant in any form. No tourists, needless to say.
For a sharp contrast, out of the big art cities (and I don't think of the so-called big 3 only), I'd probably choose Venice as your city, northern Italy, and tourist hot spot location, but car-free of course (and in this respect, certainly the most relaxing of all the big art cities). Venice would keep you easily entertained for four days, so I wouldn't plan on daytripping; if need be, only daytrip by boat, i.e. to some lagoon islands. (Daytripping to the mainland is too time-consuming from Venice.) While seemingly on the sea, it's actually in the lagoon, which is a very different environment.
Third, the rural location in central Italy... perhaps some place between southern Tuscany, Lazio and Umbria? (No idea about public transport, once more.) Possible bases are Sovana, Bomarzo, Montefiascone, Lugnano in Teverina, Amelia, or - a little farther south - Sutri (these are also the main sights in the region, besides Orvieto and Civita di Bagnoregio, where everyone goes, which is why I wouldn't base there - but I would want to visit, of course). Bus transport permitting, I would choose Lugnano in Teverina, which is my personal favourite among the villages mentioned.
By the way, note that two days ago, the Italian parliament has passed terrible austerity measures that are going to hit the regions, and hence public transport, in the first place. So be prepared that IF they are reducing bus services to the extent that has been discussed these days, you may have to rent a car anyway.

I would fly to Milan, stay the night and see its amazing duomo, then train to Ravenna for a couple of nights-take the ferry to Bellagio, Villa Carlotta;

Then train to Florence for several days with day trips to Chianti, Sienna, San Gim, and/or Pisa;

Train to Venice for several days with day trips if time to the lace, glass and/or beach island;

Train to Rome for however many days you have left (Orvieto day trip if time) and fly out of Rome.

Can you add about 4 more days??!!

I mean Varenna not Ravenna!

We did the trio of Venice, Vicenza and Bolzano a couple of years ago and it was an absolutely great combination for a 12 day holiday, The towns are only a few easy hours drive between them and yet each is entirely different. Bolzano in the Dolomites deserve special mention as it is less well visted than the other two. Fabulous old town, great and extensive market, lots of different types and prices of restaurants, interesting museum and some truly great drives in the mountains immediately around it. Bilingual in German and Italian with a very different feel to the other two towns only a couple of hours further south. Churches with onion bulb like towers and houses looking like they cam out of Heidi scattered up the hills. We stayed at the Hotel Lauren right in the centre which was atmospheric with a wonderful bar and breakfasts to die for,

Last year in May we started in Milan for one night and then trained to Varenna on Lake Como for 3 nights, trained to Manarola in Cinque Terre for 3 nights and then to Venice for 4 nights. This May and into June we started in Camogli (north of Cinque Terre) for two nights, Florence for 3 nights, Montepulciano (southern Tuscany) for two nights (combination bus and train from Florence), 5 nights in Rome at a wonderful apartment, and 3 nights on the Amalfi coast in Positano. Probably would not do Italian northern coast and Amalfi coast in the same trip again, and I ended up preferring Northern Italian coast better. Love the food, scenery is stunning and seemed to be less tourists. We didn't drive either time and although the second trip was a little hectic we saw a lot and never had any connection problems. We had drinks one night at our hotel in Montepulciano and the other couples all shared their stressful driving experiences.

We aren't adverse to renting, we did three years ago in Provence, but I really think you can see lots of Italy without a car especially if this is one of your first trips and you are interested in seeing the more popular spots. I loved Rome, Florence and Venice, but Venice is really breathtaking when you walk out of the train station. We rented an apartment on the grand canal and loved sitting out with food and drink and just watching the world go by. Have fun. I didn't go to Italy for 30 years and have fallen back in love with it.

"DebbieAllen, it would help if you could tell something about your interests (art, architecture, which style/period?, shopping, beaches, hiking, landscape...)."

I'll do my best!
I am fairly well-traveled (Europe, Mexico, Asia, South Pacific) and prefer to avoid places that are mobbed with tourists -- in some cases that just means visiting off-season or early/late in the day, not crossing them off the list entirely.

My perfect travel day would probably be to wake up without an alarm and have a delicious breakfast -- either at the hotel or by wandering around the neighborhood and finding a little coffee shop or restaurant. The day would have one definite "sight" planned -- probably a museum, historical site, market, or even a cooking class -- and one definite restaurant to eat in, so everything would revolve around those choices. We'd head to whatever neighborhood or town our "sight" was located in and wander around before or after visiting, stopping to eat or window-shop when the mood struck. Whatever meal was not in the planned restaurant would happen on the fly -- though knowing me I'd have some possible spots in mind. If we had the option to swim I'd probably want to be out and about until about 3pm, then "home" to swim, sit in the sun, nap, have a campari, then head out to dinner. Or if we were at a beach location I might spend at least one day on the beach all day, then out after 5pm.

I love Italian art but will not want to hit sensory overload. My SO loves Roman history so he may likely insist that we visit Rome, though I believe there are other places that might give him just as much of a fix. I love warm weather vacations but don't feel like Italy has to be a beach-y trip (though Elba sounds lovely!).

When I come back I mainly want to feel like I had some of the best food of my life, saw beautiful things (whether a view or a painting), stumbled upon some amazing side streets, restaurants, people, and was charmed by the whole experience. (Tall order, eh?) I'm describing it this way to explain that I don't want to cross off a checklist of "10 most amazing sights in Italy." I'd rather visit multiple times and take it in small bites.

I like your travel style, and above all your reluctance when it comes to "must see" lists, plus your awareness that you have to come back anyway since Italy has so incredibly much to offer.
So what about reducing variety a little bit, in order to reduce travel time & effort, making this whole trip feel more relaxed? If you choose three locations in ONE of Italy's three basic parts (north, center, south), possibly splitting the large north into north-west and north-east, then you'd explore one part more in-depth, travel less, and relax more. This wouldn't mean to give up on variety altogether; you could still choose one small place, one town, one city, and mix seaside and inland locations. If you tell which of those four larger regions appeals to you most (in the light of this thread or else), and whether you are perhaps already set on any place there, you will certainly get more focused suggestions, by me and others.