Help with 17 days in Naples and Piemonte
 

I've booked airline tickets into Naples mid September. We have to be in Florence 17 days later. We've been to Italy many times but never to Naples, Capri, Ischia or anywhere in Piemonte. We don't want to rent a car. My initial take is to divide the time fairly evenly between Naples and Turin and take some days trips from them by bus/train. Any opinions on whether 8 days each in Naples and Turin is too long? Any suggestions for other places to stay in Piemonte which don't require a car? Should we take a couple of days from Naples and head to Capri? We like to travel slowly and eat well. Thanks!

Personally I think it is a fabulous plan, but were it me, I would check train schedules out of Torino for places like Alba, Asti, Vercelli and Novara and points near Lago d'Orta to see if I wanted to split my 8 days there into two locations. I think four or five days in Torino would be a minimum for really enjoying the city -- and indeed you never have to leave the city to enjoy the best food, wine, chocolates and pastries. They all find their way to Torino. In addition, you have Italy's most eclectic selection of museums and fun shopping in all price categories. Do you know this website:

http://www.extratorino.it/ENG/index.php

The Cadogan guide to Piemonte and the Italian Riviera is EXCELLENT when it comes to describing public transportation options throughout Piemonte, I think it would be a great investment for you.

Napoli makes a great day 8-day base using public transportation.

I only rarely read Italy trip plans on Fodor's where I envy the travelers. A week in Napoli, a week in Torino, spending time in Firenze? I wish it were me!

I never been to the Piemonte but if you include the Amalfi Coast, the temples in Pesto and Pompeii to your Naples half, eight days are a good time. Instead of sleeping in Naples I'd suggest you to either use Sorento or even Positano as bases. Personnaly think that Naples is confuse with very few good attractions. Maybe half in Positano, half in Sorento? And maybe you should reconsider the car rental. You won't use it to Capri or Ischia but your life will be much easier.

I probably shouldn't even comment on the above post, but I assume you know it is "Paestum" (not "Pesto"), that it is spelled Sorrento -- and that both it and Positano are kitschy touristy past hope, with lousy food to boot -- and that Napoli is so layered with important historical, artistic and cultural attractions is would take a month, not a week, to even begin to see them all.

In terms of logistics, Napoli makes the best base for seeing what you mentioned in your first post as day trips, and you certainly don't need a car. I'm assuming you've already heard it is urban and raw in many places.

If anyplace, a car might be an asset in Piemonte. But I would defer that decision until you've read the Cadogan guide.

My opinion on Naples doesn't count (I have a strong antipathy against that city), but in Torino, eight days (with daytrips) are certainly not too long. Torino is one of Italy's most wonderful cities, sorely underrated and undervisited. A wonderful choice. Generally, my Naples antipathy aside, I think your travel schedule is great - finally somebody allowing for enough time. This way, traveling makes sense. Congratulations!

Thanks, zeppole. What would be your recommendation for a second destination in Piemonte that doesn't need a car to reach good dining? I do have the Cadogan guide and it's great.

We've been to the Amalfi coast several times and to Pompeii so, except for Capri, the usual destinations have been covered. Would you split off a couple of days for Capri? (We'll be in Florence for a week so suggestions are welcome as well. It's our third trip to Florence so we've seen a bit and the week will be hampered by meetings.)

Capri is surely best if you spend a couple of nights as far away from the tourist scrum as you can possibly get.

As for Piemonte, your decision on where to go for a few days other than Torino for good dining might best be decided on what you most want to consume. Piemonte has legendary destinations for wine, hazlenuts, cheeses and risotto -- and many legendary chefs who operate countryside agriturismi and relaiswhere they whole point is a weekend of fine eating, plus a strolls on the grounds. If you go to one of this destination agriturismi, you might have a complicated journey there using public transportation plus taxis, but if you stay put, it for two nights, it would be worth it. For me, it would be hard call between hazlenut country and risotto country. You might prefer wine and cheese. Fred Plotkin's "Italy for the Gourmet Traveler" would be another great investment for you, plus seeing if some food-specific message boards could steer you.

As for Florence, I find it inexhaustible, but were I looking to go beyond as a foodie, my targets would be Bologna, Pescia (see Plotkin), Arezzo and maybe even Livorno.

PS: If food wasn't the point of my excursions beyond Firenze, I would be interested in exploring Prato, Fiesole, Bologna and I'm a fan of Pisa and Pistoia. And I would probably head out to Chianti country, although it is touristy. The Enoteca Italiana in Siena would be a draw for me, in addition to the town's many cultural treasures.

zepolle, it is a matter of taste.. I really liked Sorrento and Positano, especially during the evening, as well as Ravello. Even trying very hard I couldn't appreciate Naples,maybe because is too similar to my own town, Sao Paulo, in some aspects. Both cities need a lot of time to be really discovered and appreciated. Now, for Paestum vs. Pesto... come on, I'm typing between business meetings...;)

ttt in hopes that eks will comment on what would be a good second destination for Piemonte without a car.

Asti is an easy train ride from Torino and is certainly worth a day of your time.

Thanks, Bob. But is there enough there to eat and see in Asti to make it "worthy" of booking a hotel there for a couple of days or should it just be a day trip from Torino?

"whether 8 days each in Naples and Turin"

Can't comment on Turin. But after several visits to Campania we spent a week in Naples and it still wasn't long enough - we have had to go back again since to get round to Pompeii and Herculaneum. Naples is fascinating, there is so much to see, the food is great and we love the atmosphere. But if you want to take a couple of days out to visit Capri - and it really is worth staying over, much nicer than being a day-tripper - that would be nice too. If you choose a hotel near the port end of the historic centre (which is the better end) it's very easy to walk to the dock for Capri.

Thanks, caroline. I've booked the Donna Regina in Naples for a week but we can still take a couple of days for Capri if we want. I just can't decide if we'd like it as much as other possibilities. I'll read your trip report for more info about your stay.

Without a car I would make it a day trip.

My trip report covering the week in Naples is here - http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...alfi-coast.cfm. Hope you find it useful.

I haven't bothered doing one for our last trip - it was just 2 months ago & only 3 nights - but maybe I should.

Just noticed that "Without a car I would make it a day trip." Eh ? You wouldn't want to bother taking a car over to Capri and in fact I'm not even sure you are allowed to. I could quite happily spend a week without leaving Capri Town - once away from the main square it's very quiet and beautiful - but you can walk to lots of nice sights like the Arco Naturale and buses to other places like the Blue Grotto are easy.

To me it has always looked horrible arriving in Capri as a daytripper - you arrive on a boat with 100s of others mid morning, queue up for ages for the funicular and arrive in the main square of Capri Town with 100s of others. I don't think I'd have liked it if I'd done that - as it is, I've spent two separate weeks there.

Marija: I just noticed this. The problem is that I did have a car in Piemonte so cannot comment on the public transport.

I think Alba would be a good base for 2-3 days--you could spend a day in the town itself and then we can try to figure out bus schedules to see if you can get to places like Barolo, Neive, Trieso.

You can also sign on for one of the excursions run by the tourist office that depart from Alba; like these:

http://www.langheroero.it/default.asp?language=UK

Please let me know if there is any way at all that I can help with the planning.

Caroline: I hope you will do a report on your recent trip to Naples. I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd like to read it.

Yes, Caroline, I too would like to read about your recent trip to Naples. <i>Please</i>.