First time visitor to Italy
 

Going to Italy/based in Rome; 8 days; have 4 day rail pass...where should we venture out to with the pass? what to do in Rome as well? thanks!(going the end of this month)

That's a tough question to answer without know more about your ideas and plans for the 8 days. I would think it unusual to buy a 4-day rail pass before you knew what your general plans were! 8 days is a short time for a visit to Italy. Heck, you could easily spend the entire 8 days in Rome and its environs! So pass along some idea of what you envisioned this trip would be.

I trust you have consulted a guide book or two. "What to do in Rome" is way too vast a topic to answer in this forum. Whole books are dedicated to the subject. Your options from Rome are myriad. It all depends on what you like: history? go to Pompeii, Hercalaneum. Spectacular scenery? Amalfi Coast. Small towns with character? Orvieto, Viterbo, Assisi and Perugia are easily accessible from Rome. You could also spend eight days in Rome and take a train for two days to Venice, or Florence, or Naples . . . Remember, Italy is about the size of Arizona. But that's the only similiarity. It is packed with things to see and experience.

Santa Chiara, I don't want to put a damper on your enthusiasm for Italy--one of the most marvelous countries in the world, bar none--but Arizona, like Italy, is also packed with things to see and experience. I lived there four times for a total of nine years. There are STILL things on my "must see" list. As a matter of fact, I leave in two weeks for another long weekend there. The things to see and experience in Italy and Arizona are vastly different, but Arizona is not an utterly desolate hole for tourists. If you don't believe me, just visit the US board and see how many people are visiting! :0)

You're right Linda; I have really enjoyed the few visits I have made to Arizona. And, like Italy, Arizona has great restaurants. The minute I hit the "send" button I realized what I had implied. But it still amazes me, and I am originally from Texas, that a relatively small country has so much to offer.

Hi Janice / Ciao Janice <BR> <BR>In your first time in Italy, I suggest : <BR>Rome - of course. <BR>Firenze - from Firenze go to Pisa, back and forth in the same day. <BR>Venezia - Don´t miss it. <BR>Milano - also a very beautiful city. <BR> <BR>Have a nice trip, <BR>Helder <BR> <BR>