Hi all,

We are about to head to Rome and (possibly) Ravello for our honeymoon but are not totally convinced that Amalfi is the right choice. I understand it's beautiful, romantic and all that, but are the towns in that area overrun with tourists and souvenir shops? The plan is to stay in Ravello and see Positano, Capri, etc. from there. We have seen quite a bit of Italy and the one place we did not care for was Bellagio, which, while beautiful, we found to be filled with tourists and mediocre food, and I am concerned that we won't like Amalfi for the same reasons. I am most grateful for any guidance. Thanks.

All the major cities have lots of tourists and souvenir shops..you see what you want to see. Rome and especially Capri are the same. Just go for a walk outside the main center of the city and find that special place to watch the sunset or sit with a glass of wine. Just look the other way when you pass those places and see the beauty in the city.

I cannot think of anyplace more romantic than Ravello and Positano. I was not as impressed with the town of Amalfi. If I had a honeymoon to do over that is exactly where I would go!!!

This may sound like sour grapes, but if you don't want to see tourists and tourist shops, then you can't go much of anyplace that is either famous or outstanding. Unfortunately the major beauty spots of Europe have been discovered and others want to go there for the same reason you do.
If you wish to avoid such touristy areas, you need to go to small places on the lower East coast of Italy, or to more remote areas of less charming places.

Or you can choose to go to the places that others have already discovered and ignore them, finding your own special place there.

To be perfectly blunt I'm trying to understand how someone could overlook the incredible beauty of Bellagio on Lake Como and only focus on the tourists and "mediocre" food. I'm not sure what to suggest in your case. Somehow I see you having the same reaction to Ravello or certainly to Capri.

hi jeepyland,

I shared your reaction to the town of Bellagio, beautiful as the view is, so I know how you feel. The cuisine is better in Amalfi, to my taste buds, so you can scratch that worry. Ravello has several excellent restaurants.

You don't say what time of year you are going, but Ravello gets less of the mass tourism that congregates in the other coastal towns and Capri. It hosts a lot of arts festivals, so it has that atmosphere as well -- very refined and tony.

When I stayed in Ravello, I really enjoyed the view and the feeling of isolation, relaxation and peace. (I was there in April.) I did not enjoy touring Amalfi or Positano as day trips, and felt that almost everything about the two towns was like an Italian stage set inhabited by Americans and tourists from England, Germany, France and other parts of Europe. I didn't even go to Capri as a daytrip because I had heard too many negative reports of doing Capri as a day trip.

For a honeymoon, I think hiding out up in just Ravello for a few days might be very recuperative. But if strolling in gardens, reading on the terrace, writing letters and just generally letting time go by is not your pace or temperment, there are very beautiful coastal places in Maremma or landscapes in central Tuscany that you might find offer more easily accessible sites of interest for day trips, equally good food and, if you pick carefully, not so touristy.

PS: If you are curious about investigating beautiful honeymoon spots on the Tuscan coast or the Tuscan wine country, you might post on the Slow Travel website and explain your interest in hearing about places that aren't absolutely clogged with tourists. As I'm sure you know, most of Tuscany is heavily touristed, but there are still many lovely places where tourism is lighter.

It's also possible they could suggest to you lovely places in the Amalfi that are less well known to tourists, although I suspect few of them will have any 4 or 5 star hotels, if that is part of what you are looking for.

Just to give you an idea (I've not stayed here myself):

http://www.pellicanohotel.com/

Nessun -
Which slow travel website are you recommending? There seem to be a bunch of them. And have you stayed in Porto Ercole, at a hotel other than the Pellicano? I'd love to hear about it.

Jeepy & Nessun -
I agree with both of you about Bellagio. Certainly, many cities in Italy are overrun with tourists, but Bellagio is one of the few where they've apparently won. In the immediate vicinity, Varenna is about as heavily visited, but is still charmingly oblivious to it all. (Check it out, Neopolitan. A good test is whether it's actually possible to get a menu written only in Italian.)

"A good test is whether it's actually possible to get a menu written only in Italian."

How many of the restaurants of Bellagio did you eat in? I've eaten in a number of them, and I don't recall seeing an English menu at any of the ones we chose. Did you stay there two weeks or three to try a decent sized sample of the restaurants? Funny enough, the worst meal we had in the area was a lunch at a little place tucked away in Varenna!

Incidentally we spent two nights in Ravello two summers ago. We loved our little hotel with a giant (and I do mean giant) private terrace hanging over the cliffs. This little hotel, the Parsifal is unfortunately no longer operating as the nuns who owned the building took it back over. Meanwhile the turn off for us in beautiful Ravello was that any restaurant or bar we went to, and particularly sitting on the main square -- we saw absolutely nothing but Americans. There were several American weddings going on in town and it seemed the wedding parties had taken over the entire town. A Ravello wedding apparently has become quite the thing. So I guess it's all in where and when you happen to go or the luck of the draw.

Hi Jeepy,

You don't say when you are planning to go? I have to assume during the popular season.

I have visited the Amalfi Coast in March and in Sept. If I were ever to visit in Sept again, I would pick a town and park myself there. Not try to visit the other towns. Not be totally turned off by the hoards of American, British, and ITALIAN (yes there are many) tourists. Just enjoy where you are and relax!

I would stay in Praiano (again) and Ischia. Praiano is a "locals" town, no shopping to speak of, a handful of hotels and restaurants. Not a lot of tourists. I haven't been to Ischia yet.

If staying in Capri, I would hire a private boat to take me straight into Marina Piccola (bypassing the hoards at Marina Grande) and would stay there and not go anywhere else except to boat around the island.

For what it's worth. Buon viaggio!

Mollusk,

http://www.slowtrav.com/

They have a message board and I believe at least one of the posters lives in Southern Tuscany.

I've yet to stay in Porto Ercole but I am in the process of planning a very long trip along the Italian coast for November, from Maremma to the Riviera, and it is one of the towns I am considering. I was in the southernmost part of the Maremma last year, in early October, and it is very peaceful and full of interesting, historic towns which seem not to have any foreign tourists in them at all.

In defense of Bellagio, it has been a "special occasion" destination and fancy weekend destination for affluent Italians for eons, and much of the embedded touristy feel and twinkle-light kitschiness pre-dates affluent foreigners coming in. The different Italian lakes all seem to attract a different group of people: Como, Americans; Maggiore, Brits; Garda, Germans.

jeepyland,

If you do go to Ravello, I heartily concur with Dayle's advice: Go with the idea you are staying put.

You should also check out whether any festivals in Ravello coincide with your stay. June through September are the usual festival times, and some might interest you -- or not!

Thanks everyone for your helpful replies!

Nessundorma, your postings only confirmed my suspicions and, believe it or not, we are now considering Umbria in lieu of the Amalfi coast. I spent much of this afternoon reading about Spoleto, Orvieto, etc. and think that may be more our speed. A few years ago, we rented a car and drove around Tuscany - it was perfect in every way.

But now I need to figure out which towns, where to stay, etc. and, if any of you are still reading, I'd love to hear any suggestions you may have. This is our honeymoon so we're looking to keep it on the upscale side. And we'll be traveling in mid-May. Thanks again.

It always amazes me that so many people want to go to Europe as long as its not touristy!! It's touristy for a reason; there are things to do , places to see of interest that draws crowds, it does nto make it any less authentic! And it also amazes me how many threads here of people who want to make sure they don't look like a tourist: you are and will always be, get over it!

I've gone to many places that are considered not tourist places around the world, and while certainly nice, frankly for me, I find them boring. Give me a place filled with much to do and see and just enjoy in the face of the crowds.

P.S. Make that Umbria and/or coastal Tuscany. We haven't figured out the particulars just yet. Thanks again everyone.

Hi again Jeepy,

By the way, I'm on my third Jeep.

If I were going on a honeymoon to Umbria, one of the places I would stay and am highly recommending to you - is Palazzo Bocci in Spello. You will also find your money goes a lot further in Umbria than in Tuscany or the Amalfi Coast!

Renting a car is essential to get the most out of seeing Umbria, so I hope that is in your plans.

This is a good website for Umbria that lists several 4 star accommodations:

http://tinyurl.com/gumn7

There are no doubt many special upscale villas that would be marvelously private. One with a magnificent view of Todi is this one:

http://tinyurl.com/fvagq

But if you would rather be in a town (which is convenient for dinners, especially dinners with wine), I would see if you can find anything suitable in Spoleto or the tinier but more atmospheric Spello.

I'm sure if you put up a thread asking for information about honeymoon places to stay in Umbria you will get some responses.

There is an extremely lovely and homey perch in Montefalco -- a private suite in a separate house owned by the Frantoio Brizi, which produces olive oil. It has a view of the entire Umbrian plain, no doubt covered in sunflowers in May. It is in a secluded and lovely part of Montefalco, among a row of convents, so it is away from the main tourist section. (Montefalco attracts many daytrippers for its wine and olive oil.) You should e-mail the owners -- the Brizi family -- and tell them you are on your honeymoon and ask if they have special accommodations available away from the main house of rooms.

http://tinyurl.com/lw346

They speak fluent English. It is not a luxury hotel, but the Brizis will take better care of you than most hotels.

One more thing, jeepyland:

If you are in Umbria in May, please try to go to the Piano Grande. Ask the locals in Umbria if it is the right time to go (flowers bloom at certain times.) You should not miss it. It is one of the great sights of Italy, at least as wondrously beautiful as the Amalfi, if not more so.

Buon viaggi!

This place looks special:

http://www.sanpietroinvalle.com/eng/

I was having fun going through that Bella Umbria website. What is fun is to use the search function to search by town, and to pick towns you've never heard of, and then if the pictures and description appeal to you, click on "Hotels."

Umbria is not that large a province and has many good roads, so you can stay in remote parts of it and still easily get to other places for lunches and sightseeing. But I think it is a good idea to stay where you know there is a good restaurant. The restaurant for the hotel I linked to above seems to have gotten some writeups in italian magazines.

I love the Palazzo Bocci in Spello, and I love Spello itself, but for something more upscale and more intimate, consider L'Orto degli Angeli in Bevagna.

http://www.ortoangeli.com/