BlueSwimmer

I found a great fare to Milan for my spring break (I'm a teacher) and convinced DH to ignore the doom of the US economy and okay a vacation to Italy with the help of suggestions from Fodorites.

We will spend 5 nights in Portovenere with lots of hiking, of the CT and the rest of the region inland. We plan to hike, stop for big, delicious, wine-filled lunches, then stagger home to sit on our terrace looking out at the sea, eating salumi and drinking prosecco.

Then we will spend 4 nights in Bologna, doing, ahem, more eating and wine-drinking, with possible side trips to Ravenna and Parma or Modena.

You may see a theme emerging...

Anyway, we've been to Bologna once before (loved it and have always wanted to return!) and I am fairly confident about how to pack. I'm not so sanguine about what to pack for the Ligurian leg of our trip. You should know that we are big hikers here in Virginia, and my DH wears cargo shorts and hiking boots every day to work.

Everyone says, NO SHORTS IN ITALY, but is that true for hiking??? Are we meant to hike in linen pants and a blazer? If we are hiking in shorts, can we then go into good restaurants for lunch? (Any lunch recommendations are welcome, btw. I've been reading the forums obsessively and compiling a list, but we are especially interested in hikes inland to out of the way lunch spots.)

Ladies- One more "what to wear" question: We will be there in the first week of April. I've looked at weather predictions which give a range between 40 (!) and 70 degrees. I'm having a hard time determining whether pack for spring with some cool temps (i.e. sundress and sandals with light sweater over it when the breeze kicks up) or late winter with some nice afternoons (i.e. long pants and twin set with a light coat and scarf, removing layers as the sun warms up)? Any advice from someone who has been to the area in early April?

Thanks everyone! I appreciate any feedback based on experience. My light packing rule might take a beating on this trip as I try to prepare for everything from 40s-70s and hiking and city touring.

ekscrunchy

Of course you can hike in shorts! We saw people of many nationalities dressed this way in the region. When you say good restaurants, do you mean with good food? Where? You can certainly wear shorts to eat lunch in Portovenere, or in the CT, weather permitting. I would not dress in cargo shorts and hiking boots for dinner in Italy.


I cannot help with the weather but my guess is that you will need more than the sundress.

Will you be in the CT and Portovenere? Anywhere else? The area around Ameglia is reputed to have some of the best food in the region. But you would need a car to get there, I believe.

BlueSwimmer

Hi ekscrunchy! I've enjoyed your trip reports!

When I say "good" I am really looking for great food, not necessarily fancy restaurants.

I will force DH to wear "grown up" pants and not shorts for dinner and touring, but I'm glad to know we can wear hiking clothes on the trail and in the towns.

We're trying to avoid renting a car and just hike or take trains/busses/ferries around from our two bases- Portovenere and Bologna.

Yes, I think the sundress might have to stay in my closet (and I just found a super cute one on ebay.) That's okay, as long as I'm prepared and won't freeze.

DalaiLlama

Europeans - more so than US-Americans - dress for the actual activity in which they are engaged at that moment, or are about to be.

If you are in hiking country, on the way to a hike, actually hiking, stopping for lunch while on a hike, on your way back from a hike - wear hiking gear.

If you are done hiking for the day and you go dining, wear non-hiking attire - something (as you say) "grown-up". Ditto if you're museum going, concert attending, etc.

Now in the cities it is a little bit different, in as much as short shorts and muscle shirts and such just are a bit jarring among business-attired city folks, even if you have the excuse of physical activity, being on your feet all day long. It's still a city, not a beach or hiking country.

So there has to be a happy medium - yes you are tourists, but you are also city-dwellers for the moment.

But along the coast of the Cinque Terre, casual rules until after dark, then it is simply "neat casual".
Enjoy!

liberosette

In Liguria the climate is milder than rest of Nothern Italy, especially in winter time (now, 8 a.m., in Milan we have 28°F, in Portovenere 48°...) and also in summer, when it is unusual to find the sultry weather typical of Pianura Padana (Milan, Turin, Bologna, etc.).
April could be a fantastic month to stay in Liguria, though it is one of the most rainy month of the year.
This a link for weather in Portovenere: http://www.ilmeteo.it/portale/medie-...he/Portovenere

A suggestion: when you are in Bologna, if you have enough time, consider also the visit of Ferrara, one of the few italian towns you can safety visit by bike.

NYCTS

<i><font color=blue>"Everyone says, NO SHORTS IN ITALY, but is that true for hiking?."</font></i>

Shorts will attract chuckles and sneers in big cities. With popular "hiking" destinations like Cinque Terre and Lake Como, many hikers wear shorts. Love of hiking is international so you see just about everything, even in the restaurants. Cinque Terre isn't particularly formal, unlike many of the restaurants you find around Lake Como. However, I would never enter a restaurant wearing shorts but that's me.

When I take to the hills on foot, I prefer to cover my legs and I often wear linen slacks and a long sleeve cotton shirt, the lounging kind. Those of us who visit the East Coast country are tick sensitive. Plus, I prefer to keep my skin free of bug bites.

April can be chilly and wet. Lightweight layers are the best way to prepare.

ekscrunchy

Although we had planned to eat in Portovenere, we did not do so, so I cannot give you first-hand impressions of any restaurants. But I did a lot of research for our trip and this is the place that I will head for if I go back someday. It is small and casual, but is not on the water:

http://www.anticaosteriadelcarugio.com/

If you get the chance and you find that you can access the area by bus, the Val Di Magra is a gastronomic mecca very close to the Tuscan border.

You've been to Bologna so you know about the food there..I wrote a report that you can now find with a search!

BlueSwimmer

Thanks for the replies everyone! Glad to know that hiking gear is okay while hiking. That makes it much easier to pack. We will have our classy duds for Bologna and evenings in Portovenere, with hiking clothes for times we are actually on the trail.

Once I'm there, I tend stop thinking about clothes in the wonder of the food, art, scenery, wine, etc, but before I leave I get sort of obsessive about packing, so this really helps.

ek- thanks for the link. Looks like a good option. I will check out Val Di Magra, too.

nytraveler

For hiking - or hanging out in a resort town (except at upscale restaurants_ you can wear whatever you want. But in May next to the ocean you might freeze in shorts at night. You need to have some long pants, and layers to wear in the evening when it can be chilly and rainy.