If you could go anywhere in Italy......
 

If you could go anywhere in Italy for 3-5 days where would you go? Why?

Florence. It is my favorite city in Italy. There is so much to see and do and we have returned 5 times and have yet to do everything on our list. I love Italy and have seen much of it but never tire of Florence. And the food is wonderful.

Venice. There's nowhere like it.

Positano. Been before but just love the views, food and wandering everywhere. And those beautiful lemons.

That's a really difficult question, and I would go almost anywhere again, but I find Rome inexhaustible. There is always, always always something more to see. And eat.

I love Rome, but I left my heart in Lake Como.

Venice (magical, mysterious, ethereal) if I could go to only one place, and might never go again.

What time of year?

Generally speaking, I'm with mamcalice. I can't get enough of Florence. But I'm a museum junkie, so I'd have to be cloned so that I could go to Rome too.

And then I'd want to sleep in Varenna on Lake Como so that I could start the day with those views.

Places I've already been and would go to again:

Lucca
Mantua
Siracusa
Rome
Bologna
Siena

Places I want to go to:

Pienza
Ravenna
Lecce
Ascoli Piceno
Udine
Trento
Orvieto
Perugia
and many, many more.

Italy is inexhaustible....

That's a really wide question and you'll get lots of answers from the obscure to the popular. What do YOU like doing and where (city, countryside) etc.

Give us a bit more insight for more targeted advice.

An impossible question to answer because it is dependent on so many things.

If I want to explore and see sights, then Rome (I am fascinated by Roman history, but there is also so much else to see than 3-5 months would probably be insufficient.

If I need a dose of culture, then Florence.

If feeling romantic, Venice (There is nowhere else like it)

For scenery, the Lakes, or Southern Tuscany.

If I just want to relax, sit on a beach and be surrounded by Italy, then Cefalú in Sicily, or Cilento south of Naples.

Gressoney Bieltschuggen because I love the mountains

Venezia!

I love the canals. Love the gorgeous architecture, the little bridges, the delightful Campos.

I love the smell of the star jasmine.

I love how all the little shops and coffee bars are crammed together in tiny passages.

Love all the Muano glass. Love the seafood restaurants and gelato parlours. Love the opulence of Venetian decor.

There are no cars in Venice so you can wander at will and not have to worry about traffic. Or the Sound of traffic!

Oh, and an Aperol spritz with cicchetti! Fabulous!

See Venice and die!


Thin

I would go to a place in Italy that was interesting to me where the weather would be the kind I like, the food would be the kind I liked and where I would be able to do the things I like to do when I travel.

I would move to Italy if I could!!!!!!!! I LOVE Rome and could go again and again... Outside of everyone else, I also loved Milan. You are so close to the lakes and the mountains.

I liked Florence and need to spend more time there. Venice is lovely as long as it doesn't rain. It rained for 3 days when we were there and we walked around on table tops because everything flooded. Oh, and the "lovely" canals stink SO bad at times.

Another town I love is Turin. It is not crowded with tourists and you can gain a true perspective of Italian life.

With only 3-5 days, I would go to Rome. There is enough to do each time you go that you are never bored. The food is amazing. The biggest downfall to Rome is the tourists. So, I stay in an apartment and travel to the out of the way piazzas and try an immerse myself in the culture. There is nothing like a walk early in the morning watching the sun come up over the Vatican. No one is awake, there is no traffic, and the streets are empty. It's you and Rome at it's purest. One of the greatest memories of my travels abroad. One of those moments where you feel truly blessed beyond measure to experience such sights.

Rome!

The top cities, Rome, Florence, etc., are wonderful, but my favorite city ia Verona. Intimate and beautiful, wonderful history, and surrounded by great wine towns (Soave, Bardolino,etc.)

Rome. An incredible city and always more to see and do.

Northern Italy- Merano, Bolzano and the whole Alto Adige area.

I love mountains and the towns are very interesting.

For big cities rome and Venice are tops.

NAPOLI!!!!!!!

That was fun! I was glad to see Verona listed a few times as it is part of our itinerary for Sept. We will also be going to Riva in Lake Garda. Can't wait to see how it compares to Lake Como. Bolzano looks beautiful. I wonder if it can be a day trip from Riva? We still need someplace between the Lakes and Rome.

Timetables Riva - Bolzano/Bozen:
Riva - Rovereto: http://www.gardatrentino.it/en/Bus-timetables/
Rovereto - Bolzano/Bozen: http://www.sii.bz.it/en/siipdftimetables

Hello fellow panucci...yes, Bolzano is a day trip from Riva. We have been to both Lake Conmo and Lake Garda and cannot wait to return to Lake Garda. The villages around the lake are exceptionally beautiful. Returning to Italy in 9 days and cannot wait! This trip for our graduating granddaugher! A Panucci in Alabama wishes you happy planning!

I would go back to the roof of the Hotel Poseidon in Positano and only venture out for food at Lo Guarracino, on the seaside path to Fornillo Beach. And then if I really got tired of that, I'd go back to Naples and hang out in one of the rowboats on the Bay with the funny guys who are always singing YMCA in Italian.

well, laurie, my favorite is siena. but...looks like i'm headed for cinque terre!

Venice. For me, nothing even comes close.