Help! My husband and I would like to plan a trip to Italy- we're thinking Sept?- to visit some wineries and also a beach/resort area. Can you give me suggestions on best places to go? It looks like we may have to fly into Milan so I am not sure how difficult it is to get around- but was considering looking into Tuscany and possibly Sardinia?? Please give me some of your expertise on where we should spend our time- we will prob only be in Italy about 7 days or so! We have both already been to Rome, Venice etc so we're looking for more relaxation outside of the bigger cities. Can't wait to hear from you!!

Ciao

September is a fantastic time to visit Italy. And Positano on the Amalfi Coast is as good a place as any to take in the sun and wine (some pretty good wine down south too). From Milan get a connecting flight to Naples. Plenty of lodging suggestions for all budgets in this forum. Just use the Search facility. Buon viaggio.

Hi M,

I also suggest the Amalfi Coast.

A week in Tuscany is also a good idea.

You don't have to go to a winery to sample wine - just find a wine shop or a wine bar.

Porcini mushrooms are in season in Sept.

Thanks for the suggestions! So does the Amalfi coast have nice beaches? Has anyone been to Sardinia? If so- is that hard to get to- is it worth a 2-3 night visit?
Ciao!

Hi M,

>So does the Amalfi coast have nice beaches?<

Not the sort of sandy beaches that you find in Hawaii, but Positano has a fairly nice beach.

The Amalfi coast would not come to my mind given your interest in visiting wineries. There are some good ones in Campania but you would have to travel to get to them. For my taste, given your interests, I would split the 7 days between a village in Siena province of Tuscany and a resort on the Tuscan coast. You can visit Tuscan wineries in the Maremma and in towns such as Montalcino and Montepulicano and perhaps those of the Chianti area.

I think Sardinia would also be fabulous but since I've not been, I cannot give you details. The island certainly qualifies with beaches and wine.

Can't you take a connecting flight if you arriving by air into Milan?

Here is a thread that adds to my post above on beaches in Tuscany:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...mp;tid=1311735

Hmm- so I guess for a short visit like ours- it would prob be easiest to pick one or the other- spend the time in Tuscany or spend it Sardinia and enjoy wineries and a resort type area in each. That helps a lot. Any recommendations on resorts in the Tuscany coast? Anyone else been to Sardinia?

You absolutely do not want to do both of those places with only one week's time. We could suggest more specific places if you give an idea of your nightly budget for a hotel room. One palce that gets good reports, I believe, on the coast is Il Pellicano but it is very expensive. I am sure someone else can offer more reasonably priced options.

http://www.pellicanohotel.com/

For inland Tuscany, do a search here; there are lots of options.

Here is a little information on the wines of the Maremma:


http://www.cellartours.com/italy/ita...y-maremma.html

I'm not sure what you mean by "resort" or what your budget is but you could also consider Portifino or Porto Venere and the Cinque Terre area. That way you could be along the coast and also travel inland to wineries. Get the Touring Club Italia (TCI) book called The Italian Wine Guide and it will give you contact info for virtually every winery in Italy as well as winery websites if available.

Oh and by the way, I could help drink the vino and soak up the sun!

Here is my favorite sea/sun area of Italy. Just one more place to consider and there is very good local wine. I wrote this some time ago, but it all holds true today:

http://www.postgazette.com/travel/20...fino0810p1.asp