I need an advice on italy itinarary. I will be traveling alone in August and would like to see Rome and do side trips outside of of Rome. Any suggestions where to go and what to see. I will be flying in and out of Rome. This will be my first trip to Europe.

Thanks.
Dan

Dan

You can certainly spend a few days exploring Rome itself. But do look into doing day trips to the country side if you are interested. From Rome you can easily visit the Umbria region, one of the major town is Orvieto, quite a easy day trip.

Or you can go down the coast to Naples, Pompeii and/or the Amalfi Coast which consists of the famous Positano and Ravello.

Do further research into these areas and pick the one(s) that interest you most.

Enjoy planning your trip!

S

Hi Dan,

I second the suggestion for Orvieto. It is a lovely town with some very interesting Etruscan ruins and the most beautiful cathedral. Ir is small enough to enjoy in one day.

Assisi would rate high on my list as well. I knew San Francesco (St. Francis) basilica would be interesting but I had no idea how charming the town would be. We roamed the back streets for a couple of hours and it is beautiful. The train station is not right in town but there are scheduled buses that go from the train station.

You can find a wealth of interesting places to visit within an easy train ride of Roma. I would recommend Orvieto, Tivoli, Ostia Antica and Viterbo, which would give you a lot of variety. With many days in Roma you can see things most visitors don't have time to see, like the Appian Way, the Caracalla baths and many of Roma's fine museums beyond the Borghese galleries and the Vatican.

I think Assisi is too far to go as a "day trip" and as much as I enjoy Umbria, I would not want to take a walking trip through its hilltowns in August. I also think Pompeii and Naples are too far and too rich to do in one day. You should spend the night in these places to get the most out of them.

In August, I wouldn't want to try to battle my way through the crowds to get to Positano or Ravello as a day trip.

I would also suggest Pisa, which is about 90 minutes from Roma by train, but warn you that it is very touristy around the monuments and that it is worth making the effort to explore the rest of the town with a good guidebook.

There is a book 'Day Trips Italy' by Earl Steinbicker. It lists nine day trips from Rome and has ideas for other Italian cities as well.

There is only one Venice. It is rumored to not be too crowded in August, also rumored to be a bit odiferous (smelly) in August. But both are rumors.

Is this solo or with your dear _ _ _?
What are your interests and hobbies?

Thanks for the replies. I relaize I did not provide enough info.
I will be traveling solo. I have friquent miles to spend and 8-10 days of vacation time. I thought about a tour but then decided I do not want to run through many places too fast. I'd like to have a more leisurely type of trip to get a sence of a culture and people and not necesarily visit every landmark. I am thinking to spend a couple of days in Rome and then move to another city and then maybe to a third place. But I have to fly back to Minneapolis US from Rome.
I also though to go to Munich and Salzburg instead of Italy.
Any additional ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Dan

For a leisurely trip where you get a sense of the culture, I suggest moving from Roma to Bologna, then back south again to Naples or Sorrento, then back to Rome. You would see quite a startling variety in the way that Italians live, region to region, and what their history has been, plus also eat absolutely fanstastic food.

There are wonderful sites in both Bologna (especially with a day trip to Ravenna) and in Napoli/Sorrento. But you don't have to do a lot of sightseeing. The life of the towns is interesting all by itself.

I would stick with your first idea and stay in Rome, with a few sides trip when you want to get out of the city. That way you can develop a real feeling for the city, your own area, your own bar, which for a solo traveller is better than continually moving around - the "if it's Tuesday, it must be Florence" syndrome. I would also look at doing some specialist guided tours to meet people with similar interests - IMO it's not a lot of fun travelling entirely on your own, and that way, you have a chance of meeting people on your own wavelength. Good Luck!