Jamees

My spouse and I will have 10 -14 days to spend in Italy next summer. Where should we spend it? (Northern, or Southern portion?) We enjoy visiting cities, countryside, wine areas, water areas, taking in culture and architecture....<BR><BR>Suggestions? (Also any special hotels?)<BR><BR>

Rex

Welcome to Travel Talk. Noone will fault you for not having a lot of investigating before you come here and start asking questions. The key is to tell us what you know, and build on that. Start with whatever impressions you DO have about Italy, and tell us: WHAT appeals to you, from whatever you know about Italy? and WHY?<BR><BR>Ancient history and archaeology? The Renaissance? Fashion and Ferraris? Food and wine? Family connections of any kind?<BR><BR>I know you have given a little "snapshot" answer, but honestly, you can find all of those things and more in almost every geographic subdivision of Italy.<BR><BR>Tell us how they connect, mentally, visually, with what you see when you close your eyes and think of going to Italy. from that, "we" can draw you a road map.<BR><BR>And yes, some of the world's best hotels are in Italy. For how many of those 14 nights are you prepared to spend 400 (USD or &euro to 1000 per night (or even way more) to stay in one/some of them?<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

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Marj

Have you been to Italy before? I think you should either narrow it down to Rome/Pompeii/Amalfi or a Venice/Forence/Rome combo. Once you narrow down the general plan and hotel price range, I think there are many here who can help you.

Tom

I can't think of any reason to view Italy as binary like that. I have made a 3 or 4 day jaunt into Italy part of two different group trips, and neither one included Rome.<BR><BR>A 10-14 day trip could be all Sicily only, or all Lombardy and the lakes, or all kinds of different combinations, including even a bit of frentic hopping around from one end to the other.<BR><BR>We need to hear more from the original poster.<BR><BR>And the budget is an overlay question. Every part of Italy can be traveled high-budget, low-budget and every possibility in between.<BR>

Wayne

James---As you can see,people who frequent this forum can have widely varying opinions. That's why it's important to do as Rex suggested, and give us some initial ideas. Granted, you said what you like, but let me ask a few more questions:<BR>-Have you developed an approximate budget?<BR>-Are you flexible enough during summer to take your vacation in the less crowded months?<BR>-Do you prefer to rent a car and drive? (Realize this involves some study of basic road signs and the like)<BR>-Or do you want to travel by train and/or bus? (This means your ability to get out into the countryside could be limited)<BR>-Do you really like big cities, where you might find more of the culture?<BR>-Or do you like the smaller towns, where you might find more Italian ambience, more personal contacts, lots of history, and perhaps a bit less of the culture?<BR><BR>My ideal vacation in Italy, knowing what I know now but assuming I would be going for the first time, would have to include the following stops in a 2 week trip:<BR>-Rome and Venice for the history, art, architecture, and the unusual.<BR>-Two or three interesting small hilltop towns.<BR>-A Tuscan winery, possibly agriturismo.<BR>-A village in the Cinque Terre.<BR><BR>So you can see that my recommendations are also different. Keep coming back with more and more specific questions as you narrow down your search.

Jack

Hi there. If you are looking for nice and very reasonably priced accommodation in Venice please send me an email and i will help you.<BR>Have a nice day.<BR>Jack

rudy

Hi James<BR>We had our first trip to Italy last year. I would suggest that whatever itinerary you come up with, narrow it down to 3 or 4 stops. There is so much to see!<BR>You mentioned water areas. We visited Bellagio on Lake Como, Cinque Terre, and Positano on the Amalphi coast, and of course.. there is always Venice! <BR>I would suggest taking in the Tuscany area if you are wine lovers. The countryside is beautiful! There are many wineries to experience. You can take day trips into Florence to experience art and architecture from the Tuscany area.<BR><BR>I would recommend the following hotels:<BR>Hotel Belvedere in Bellagio<BR>Pensione Accademia in Venice<BR>Villa Franca in Positano<BR><BR>Have a wonderful time!

Ellis

&lt;&lt;Suggestions? (Also any special hotels?)&gt;&gt;<BR><BR>Make sure you see the thread<BR><BR>"Best hotels you have been to in Europe?"<BR><BR>http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessages.jsp?fid=2&tid=34368690<BR>

Julie

Wayne, between your response and Rex's we have the makings of a classic questionnaire to use for most first time travelers to any country. Wish there were some easy way this forum could set up a library of "classics" like this to just point people to. Great response.