Italy: A romantic 10 days is now a Bro's trip
 

I Have 10 days in Italy planned and paid for (flights only not hotels yet) for what was going to be my college girlfriend and I. needless to say shes out of the picture and I was stuck with a dilemma on who to take. I'm 24 and my brothers 21st birthday is coming up next week. the tickets are for the end of June. now my romantic 10 days is a bro fest and I have no idea how to plan this. I still want to see some of the more romantic areas Italy has to offer around the Amafi Coast / Capri, but I'm thinking some of the museums and cathedrals will need to be eliminated in order for bar hoping and clubs (i'm not big on art museums anyways, she was). I'm flying in and out of Rome and planned on spending 3 days there, then a divide the rest between Venice, Florence, Salerno or Naples, Capri and I would like to hike Mount Etna in no particular order. and im sure I wont make it to all these location on this trip.

Can anyone help me figure out what the night life is like for 2 bachelors in Italy.

Hi d,

You're better off without her.

> help me figure out what the night life is like for 2 bachelors in Italy.

Bring some nylon stockings, cigarettes and chocolate. The nightlife will come to you.

((i))
That's what my uncle said when he came back from WWII.

Question for you- does your brother have a plane ticket? Did the airline let you change the names on the ticket?

Rome and Florence are areas where there are lots of students. In Rome, the Trastevere area is full of cheap nightlife. There are bars, cafes and many students on the streets. The Spanish Steps area of Rome is also crowded with students (and tourists your age), as is the Trevi fountain.

Are you staying in hotels? You might want to consider booking in to hostels. Some are very nice and you can even get private rooms. Hostels often have a cheap bar and almost all of them offer free walking tours. This can be a great way to meet people.

The general tourist sights are full of girls your age. Walking the streets of these cities in the evening will give you an opportunity to meet lots of friends. Most of the young people will be on tight budgets so they won't necessarily be going to a lot of clubs.

These tips were given to me by my 24 year old son.

I think you need to do some work with a map and a train schedule - since you have way more places and space than you can cover.

Mt Etna is in Sicily for one.

In so few days I would pick 2 - or at most - 3 hotels.

Yea luckily the airline was able to change the name on the ticket (Delta was understanding). The plan was to stay at hotels rather than Hostels though it seems like a lot of Hostels especially in Rome go out to bars at night or have bars in them. I have yet to finalize an itinerary yet. as much as i want to hike up Mt Etna taking a train there is just to time consuming. a flight from Rome is about $225 round trip to the island. The major problem I'm having now is that all the websites i was using to help plan this trip where meant for couples as a romantic relaxing get away. now I need to find where the best bars are in these cities. Areas with students near by will primarily be where we will want to be at night.

Try the Lonely Planet website, specifically their Thorntree Forum. Lots of travellers on that site are in your age group and situation. They will know where the best bars are.

In Rome, the Campo di Fiori will be close to many bars frequented by young people.

In Venice, Cannareggio is the only area where I've seen a lot of local young people in larger night time bars and clubs. That means nothing; it's only what I've seen. Others may have more to offer.

In Florence, very generally, Santa Croce might be a good choice.

If you must climb a volcano, why not a dormant one? Will they even allow climbing on Etna?

The northern regions of Italy have a lot of climbing opportunities, and climbing is popular.

Go to Rome, Florence and Venice, then you can climb in the Dolomites.

Look at hiking and climbing websites. Look at any of the websites for any of Italy's national parks that are in the mountains.

I think I've seen Thorntree recommended here as a website for younger travelers.

My son visited Rome, Florence, Venice and cinque terra when he graduated college. Cinque terra was one of the tip highlights if his 6 week Europe adventure. He hiked from town to town and the views are spectacular. You may consider hiking there rather than the volcano.

Check out the Ice Club in Rome (it's an ice bar).
Also google "top Rome bars hostelworld" and you will see a list.

Hostelworld is also a good source for hostel rankings. You are going in a busy travel time so I would consider setting an itinerary and getting some accommodations booked.
Dgunbug has a good point about cinque terre, you might enjoy that.

Rome and Venice for sure. Rome has so much to offer and Venice is so unique.

I don't think you need some big confirmed itinerary planned in advance to do this trip. And I don't think there's anything necessarily "romantic" about Italy, so no problem there.

I would fly into Rome as planned stay 5 days, and train to Venice for 3 days, then Florence 3 days, than back to Rome 1 day for your flight home. That's perfect & plenty for a 10 day trip.

You can just plan things as you go along. Ask at your hotel, waiters, people in the park your own age, for where are the hot spots and their recommendations for nightlife. Pick up brochures about events, art scene, nightlife, special happenings in each place. Read the entertainment section of the paper.

>>>>needless to say shes out of the picture

Lucky you! The Italian people are wonderful - you two will have the time of your lives. Make sure to tell your story to the girls, they will be happy to let you cry on their shoulders ;)

I'd cut out Venice - Super touristy, hot and crowded! Also, doesn't seem to be good for a bro trip. Sure, Venice is unique, but it's pretty far out of the way.

You only have 10 days - are two of them travel days? If so, then it's only 8 days, and then you have to count the time traveling..

Maybe even just stick to Rome and the south this time. This way, you can see more, hike more, etc. Also, think about recovering from the bars and nights out! Trust me, I speak from experience.

Pick a few of these: Rome (of course), The Almafi coast, Ischia, Sorrento, Capri, Salerno, Naples, Mt Etna etc.. You can always do Florence and Venice another time.

<b>I HIGHLY RECOMMEND "Path of the Gods" on the Amalfi Coast for hiking. AMAZING!</b> The hike from Bomerano to Nocelle is absolutely breathtaking.

PS: There’s no train service along the Amalfi Coast. You can get as far as either Sorrento or Salerno by train, but then you have to take a bus, take a boat, or rent a car. Buses are the primary mode of transport between the towns of the Amalfi Coast, especially because they run year-round

For Venice, the area around Campo Margeurita, Dorsudoro, is a popular hangout for young people, as it is close to the University. There are half a dozen bars there, all pretty busy. If you drink spritzes, you’ll buy them for about 2.50 euro a drink. The Red Bar and Chets are very popular.

Also there is a bar in Calle dell’ Tentor (or Tintor) in Santa Croce. It is next door to the Ae Oche pizza place, near Campo San Giacomo. The action there is quite fun (we spent two months in an apartment over the top of that bar, so we know what we are talking about). Music on Tuesday nights.

Night life in Venice does not go all that late – most bars are closing by mid-night.

Click on my user name and you'll see trip reports for Venice. One thing we did in Venice was to take a full day kayak tour. Costs 120 euro per person. Google Venice Kayak for details, or take a look at
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...g-kayaking.cfm

I love Suze's itinerary and would seriously consider it! You and your brother are going to have a blast! My opinion is that going both north and south of Rome will be too much in the time allotted. There will be a lot going on in R-Fl-V and ending the the trip with one night in Rome will be smart (plus you will like being back in Rome!)

Forget the girl!

Thanks Livinright. I can't imagine skipping Venice. I never understand the "super touristy" comments. It is an incredible and unique city.

That said these two guys could easily just spend the entire 10 days right in Rome and take day trips around and have a fantastic time.

>>><i><b>I can't imagine skipping Venice.</i></b>

I enjoyed it when I was there with my wife a few years ago in the fall, but as a young guy many years ago (I was 23) in the summer, I didn't like it at all. And, by the way, It *is* hot and touristy in the summer, that's just a fact. No getting around it. To me, it's more of a place I go with the wife - not on a guy trip.

I'm just looking at it from their ages, the fact that they are guys, how many days they have and what they want to do. (bar hopping, clubs and hiking) -- Rome and the south have more of a "bro trip" feel. He already said he doesn't want to spending his days in museums and cathedrals..

I'm a guy, and From a guy's standpoint, I am thinking hiking, bars, swimming, hanging out at night where the young people congregate, etc..


>>>>><i><b>That said these two guys could easily just spend the entire 10 days right in Rome and take day trips around and have a fantastic time.</i></b>

My recommendation exactly. Unless they want to stay on the coast for a few days.

Try searching "bars" on yelp.com for Rome and other locations you re interested in. I just found 2237 bars in Rome.

I went to Venice with a girlfriend and we had a such a fun time. We had already been travelling for a couple of weeks and did not do one museum in Venice and the only church was St Marks. We walked from street to street to street.Small hole-in-the-wall restaurants and bars. It was great and so different from any other city. We were there for 10 nights and still had a hard time leaving.We were slightly younger than you David.There were LOTS of young people.

The great part about this is that no matter what you decide you will have an unbelievable trip and incredibly good time!!

You have to make choices.

For your first trip in Italy, Roma-Firenze-Venezia are more than enought if you have 10 days, believe me (I'm Italian!).
Venice is Italy's most expensive city, if you have a low budget stay only 1-2 night.

The Italian nightlife can be very "strenuous", don't plan too many spots...

About you ex-girl friend, in Italy we say: "se muore un papa se ne fa un altro" (If a pope dies, we make another one... ;-) )

Have a great trip!

I second Trastavere as a recommendation in Rome. In particular the bars "Fud & Bir" and "Ma che siete venuti a fa" opposite each other on Via Benedetta (close to the Ponte Sisto bridge).
Both sell a wide selection of "Artisan beers" - not the cheapest, but excellent.