Italian Riviera Help With Itinerary
May 5th, 2009, 12:01 PM
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Italian Riviera Help With Itinerary
Hi,
So my husband and I finally booked our trip back to Italy!
We love the food in Italy as well as enjoying the Mediterranean.
Based on these 2 aspects, we decided on the following itinerary.
Your opionion are greatly appreciated (as always
)
We are flying into Nice and leaving from Milan.
Arriving 6/10 and leaving on 6/17
What we're thinking is spending a night in Nice since we've been there before.
Renting a car and driving to Camogli and spending June 11,12,13 there.
Then driving to SML and spending June 14,15,16 there.
Our flight from Milan is leaving at 10:30 am so we we would leave on 16th or potentially on the day of since it's a 2 hour drive.
What do you think? Does this sound good?
So my husband and I finally booked our trip back to Italy!
We love the food in Italy as well as enjoying the Mediterranean.
Based on these 2 aspects, we decided on the following itinerary.
Your opionion are greatly appreciated (as always
)We are flying into Nice and leaving from Milan.
Arriving 6/10 and leaving on 6/17
What we're thinking is spending a night in Nice since we've been there before.
Renting a car and driving to Camogli and spending June 11,12,13 there.
Then driving to SML and spending June 14,15,16 there.
Our flight from Milan is leaving at 10:30 am so we we would leave on 16th or potentially on the day of since it's a 2 hour drive.
What do you think? Does this sound good?
May 5th, 2009, 01:40 PM
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I live in Camogli. I would take the train all the way to Camogli. Picking up a car and driving in Genova is a nuisance. You can easily rent a car in Rapallo -- 10 minutes away by train from Camogli or a spectacular 20 minute bus ride. That is what I do when I want to rent a car for a few days of scooting around the countryside.
But you may not even want a car if you plan to spend all your time on the coast. Don't rent one unless you plan to leave the seaside.
I wouldn't pick two adjacent towns in the Riviera. I would either relax for the entire week in Camogli or Santa Margherita Ligure doing daytrips to Chiavari and Genova by train, and possibly into the Ligurian hills by car if you like driving in mountains.
Or I would divide my time between one location on the French Riviera, and one location on the Italian Riviera.
Bob's idea for Lago d'Orta is appealing, but you could also visit Parma (with nearby day trips), or parts of Piemonte, depending on your desires. Parma is an extraordinary art city.
But you may not even want a car if you plan to spend all your time on the coast. Don't rent one unless you plan to leave the seaside.
I wouldn't pick two adjacent towns in the Riviera. I would either relax for the entire week in Camogli or Santa Margherita Ligure doing daytrips to Chiavari and Genova by train, and possibly into the Ligurian hills by car if you like driving in mountains.
Or I would divide my time between one location on the French Riviera, and one location on the Italian Riviera.
Bob's idea for Lago d'Orta is appealing, but you could also visit Parma (with nearby day trips), or parts of Piemonte, depending on your desires. Parma is an extraordinary art city.
May 5th, 2009, 01:42 PM
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PS: Unless things have changed, it is also a nuisance to pick up a car in San Remo, since the car rental office (last I used it) is located at the old train station near the casion -- which is now defunct and trains from Nice stop at the other end of town. It's a long way to haul your luggage, as I once discovered.
But unless you are planning to stop somewhere between San Remo and Camogli for a real sightseeing reason, I would simply stay on the train. But go past Genova to pick up the car.
But unless you are planning to stop somewhere between San Remo and Camogli for a real sightseeing reason, I would simply stay on the train. But go past Genova to pick up the car.
May 5th, 2009, 01:56 PM
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Zeppole, thanks (and by the way how lucky are you to be living in Camogli!). The reason we wanted to split up our time is that we couldnt decide on where to stay. Seems like Camogli and SML are very different...maybe I am wrong here but I based my opionion on a trip report I read.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-much-else.cfm
Let's say we dont rent a car, how easy would it be to get to Milan? We have morning flight on 6/17 and I would hate to spend a night there...would prefer leaving very early from SML on 6/17.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-much-else.cfm
Let's say we dont rent a car, how easy would it be to get to Milan? We have morning flight on 6/17 and I would hate to spend a night there...would prefer leaving very early from SML on 6/17.
May 5th, 2009, 02:11 PM
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I don't believe you can make that early flight without staying near Milano. Bob's suggestion of Lago d'Orta is a good one for proximity to Malpensa with a car. But I wouldn't rent the car until I got near Rapallo.
There are subtle differences between the towns of the Riviera di Levante. Camogli is much favored by Genovese looking to enjoy a romantic afternoon or evening by the sea, or a pleasant dip in the sea. Santa Margherita Ligure is really second-home territory for wealthy Milanese, as well as a few other Italian holiday makers (and, increasingly, American tourists).
There is a much more noticeable difference between the Riviera di Ponente (between San Remo and Genova) and the Riviera di Levante (between Genova and La Spezia). Between San Remo and Genova, the landscape is much more flat, much more driven by export industries (olive oils, flowers, etc), much closer to what we think of as French sensibilities (although it all used to be Italian, right up to Nice, and Monaco almost still is). it is also much more the kind of silly Riviera of Italian movies -- with bathing beauties and sports cars, heavy tans and speedboats -- whereas the fishing villages in the area where I live still seem more rustic, more mountainous, filled with more people in hiking boots eating yogurt , and working class families with their children playing in the water -- although there is plenty of ostentatious wealth in Portofino, and even in Camogli.
If you want a very relaxing vacation, 7 days in either Camogli or the slightly larger and livelier Santa Margherita Ligure -- with a lazy day trip so often to Chiavari, into Genova to see the Strada Nuova and the Cathedral, a boat trip to Portofino, a long walk in the hills -- is really, really lovely.
But if you are eager for something more of Italy, I would enjoy a few relaxed days on the Riviera, then pick another place for contrast, perhaps picking up a car in Rapallo for the adventure.
Emila-Romagna gives you Parma and its environs.
Piemonte and Lombardia have many outistanding sights (scenic foothills and hazlenuts, great art and castles and lakes)
And slices of northern Tuscany (like Lucca or Pisa, Camaiore, Peitrasanta or even Castelnuova di Magra can be just fascinating after the pink pastel dreamland of sunny seaside Liguria -- and you can head up toward Malpensa without a lot of difficulty from there.
There are subtle differences between the towns of the Riviera di Levante. Camogli is much favored by Genovese looking to enjoy a romantic afternoon or evening by the sea, or a pleasant dip in the sea. Santa Margherita Ligure is really second-home territory for wealthy Milanese, as well as a few other Italian holiday makers (and, increasingly, American tourists).
There is a much more noticeable difference between the Riviera di Ponente (between San Remo and Genova) and the Riviera di Levante (between Genova and La Spezia). Between San Remo and Genova, the landscape is much more flat, much more driven by export industries (olive oils, flowers, etc), much closer to what we think of as French sensibilities (although it all used to be Italian, right up to Nice, and Monaco almost still is). it is also much more the kind of silly Riviera of Italian movies -- with bathing beauties and sports cars, heavy tans and speedboats -- whereas the fishing villages in the area where I live still seem more rustic, more mountainous, filled with more people in hiking boots eating yogurt , and working class families with their children playing in the water -- although there is plenty of ostentatious wealth in Portofino, and even in Camogli.
If you want a very relaxing vacation, 7 days in either Camogli or the slightly larger and livelier Santa Margherita Ligure -- with a lazy day trip so often to Chiavari, into Genova to see the Strada Nuova and the Cathedral, a boat trip to Portofino, a long walk in the hills -- is really, really lovely.
But if you are eager for something more of Italy, I would enjoy a few relaxed days on the Riviera, then pick another place for contrast, perhaps picking up a car in Rapallo for the adventure.
Emila-Romagna gives you Parma and its environs.
Piemonte and Lombardia have many outistanding sights (scenic foothills and hazlenuts, great art and castles and lakes)
And slices of northern Tuscany (like Lucca or Pisa, Camaiore, Peitrasanta or even Castelnuova di Magra can be just fascinating after the pink pastel dreamland of sunny seaside Liguria -- and you can head up toward Malpensa without a lot of difficulty from there.
May 5th, 2009, 05:32 PM
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Zeppole - thank you so much for taking the time to write all of this out. We really appreciate it. I think we are going to stay the 7 days in Camogli or SML...depending on hotel availability.
We want to relax and do the lazy day trips as you said.
I guess we would then need to spend the night either in Milan or some place close to it (need to further investigate), but this is a great start. I am so looking forward to this trip. Thank you so much!
bob - i wanted to thank you as well for your suggestion, Lago d'Orta. We will consider it for next time. I looked it up and it does look amazing!
We want to relax and do the lazy day trips as you said.
I guess we would then need to spend the night either in Milan or some place close to it (need to further investigate), but this is a great start. I am so looking forward to this trip. Thank you so much!
bob - i wanted to thank you as well for your suggestion, Lago d'Orta. We will consider it for next time. I looked it up and it does look amazing!
