Best View in Italy
 

Grand tour of Italy next summer. What was your favorite spot, restaurant, etc with awesome view?

Our hotel and restaurant in Polignano a Mare -- Hotel Ristorante Grotta Palazzese. Our room had a little balcony cantilevered over the sea and the restaurant is in a large cave or grotto with the sea literally crashing in below and behind you as you dine by candlelight. Spectacular.

http://www.grottapalazzese.it/intro.html

Oh, and a runner-up -- Villa Athena in Agrigento, Sicily. Eating on the terrace at night under the stars with the row of temples lit in front of us. I think the food was good, who remembers? It was the setting that was most memorable.

View of Rome from the top of St. Peter's dome (on a clear, windy, not foggy day).

View of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo at sunset.

St. Mark's Square very early in the morning on a sunny sunday autumn day (hardly any people around, silence, you feel that the city is "totally yours" for a few moments).

View of Capri, from the top of the island, on a sunny, clear day (the colours are astounding: the blue of the sea, the scent of the lemon trees, the greens, the rocks, the tiny specks of white foam in the sea from the boats that go around the island...).

Any place around the Tuscan and Umbrian areas, in a summer day, with the sound of cicadas in the background, the olive trees, and the hills all over.

I'll go a little more pedestrian with my suggestions, meaning they are definitely ON the beaten track. The top of Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome just as the sun is setting. The entrance of the church San Miniato al Monte in Florence--turn your back to the door, and look out over the city. Likewise, to view Florence from the "other side" take a bus (you can catch it at the SMN train station) up to Fiesole, and find breathtaking views of Florence there. In the Boboli Gardens of Palazzo Pitti in Florence, you can enjoy a spectacular view of The Duomo.

Buon Viaggio,
BC

Many thanks to you all-I am going to incorporate as many of these as I can into my trip!!

A meal on the terrace of Villa Cimbrone, Ravello. Night's fingers chasing the dusky hues from the darkening skies and the lights of Minori & Maiori twinkling below. A magical honeymoon experience - and an incomparable view!

Dr D. :)

The view of Positano at dawn from the balcony of your hotel with the one you love. Full moon sinking into the sea and the town turning a pinky gold.(Villa Rosa - recommended hotel)

The views in Cinque Terra over the Med. From our room in Manarola, from some of the seaside restaurants or from the hiking paths - wonderful!

The train ride through Tuscany didn't suck either :-d

the view from the balcony of our room at the Hotel Du Lac in Varenna on Lake Como. there are lots of great views all around Lake Como, but that was the first time I saw it, and it was fantastic.

rounding the corner on the canale della giudecca for your first view of piazza san marco with my wife literally hopping up and down, tears running down and saying "this is the best yet, this is the best yet".

There are so many.

View of the grand canal from the Rialto bridge just after dawn.

Cross the river by the Roman bridge in Verona, walk up the hill and then look back over the city.

As stated earlier, Florence from either Piazza Michaelangelo or San miniato.

Rome from the hill overlooking Piazza del Popolo at dusk looking towards the Vatican.

Nearly every view in the lakes.

Most of the drive along the Amalfi Coast.

Great stuff, Fodorites!! Many thanks and keep firing ideas.

My first visit to Italy started off in Florence, and the first place my wise guides (my parents) took me was Piazzale Michelangelo. That view will always be with me -- it was love at first sight.

My favorite restaurant in the Chianti region of Tuscany is Ristoro di Lamole, in no small part because of the view from the terrace. The drive there can be a little harrowing, but the payoff is well worth it.

The view of the Valdichiana from the terrace of Cafe Poliziano in Montepulciano.

The view of San Biagio framed by cypress trees on Viale dei Cipressi, also in Montepulciano. Bonus points if it's early on a summer morning, so that the sky is a deep cobalt blue and the yellows, oranges, ochres, etc., of San Biagio glint in the early-morning sun.

The view of Capri, Mt. Vesuvius, and Mergellina from Castel Sant'Elmo, in the Vomero hills above central Naples.

The view of Naples and Mt. Vesuvius from the the second-floor (third to us Americans) bedrooms of the Hotel Dania in Capo di Sorrento, especially when seeing the sun set over the Bay of Naples.


Flying over the Swiss and Italian Alps on final approach to Milan Malpensa airport, seeing the Matterhorn, Mt. Blanc, etc., out the window.

Yes tydls, flying over the Alps into Malpensa. My first flight to Italy had this flight route. The sun was just rising. The Alps were bathed in a golden light with small villages tucked inbetween the mountains. It was breathtaking.

Another time, flying the redeye from SFO into Miami where I had to change planes to fly back west to Sarasota. The sun rising over the Atlantic Ocean as we flew close to Miami. Another unforgetable moment.

Venice is almost mentioned regarding the light and the colors and I agree. But one evening, as the sun was almost setting, I was sitting at the window of my hotel overlooking the Grand Canal and there was suddenly a golden cast over the Canal, the sky and all the buildings. I grabbed my camera and took some photos. One photo came out so spectacular that I honestly think it is one of the most beautiful photos of Venice I have ever seen..and I am not the world's best photographer by any strech of the imagination.

I truly don't think that one can "plan" or "reserve" a spot for a wonderful surreal view in Italy. It is just something that happens when you are fortunate enough to be at the right location at the right time. And if you are fortunate enough to be paying attention.

One time in Naples, the sun setting on the Bay of Naples. My husband and daughter were both busy and I was looking down at the Bay and just happened to be in the right spot and the right time....

May everyone have a few moments in their travels that are so dramatic, so beautiful, that they stay in your memory forever.

The Eden Hotel in Rome. The rooms have a great view. Go up to the restaurant on the top floor the full effect, plus a four star meal.

Best, nicest hotel in Rome, by far.

Civita

Orvieto

View of the Tuscan valley from our hotel window, La Cisterna, in San Gimiagno

Anywhere in Venice

Lake Como

Yes, Saraho, anywhere in Venice - and particularly seeing the city in the distance from a boat (one reason a trip to Murano is good even if you aren't into glassmaking).

Also, from atop a city wall in Siena, looking out over the gardens, farms and countryside.

The view of Venice from the tower in Torcello is stunning.
Also if you take the Secret Gardens of Venice tour, you go to an old convent garden. It has a gallery overlooking the whole lagoon. It is amazing.