We have close friends who have a trip planned to visit Italy in a few months and would like some feedback from our Fodor's friends. They are staying in a condo in Civitanova Marche and will be visiting Rome, Florence and Venice. I am open to all suggestions, recommendations and cautions ....I know they are very appreciative for any feedback.....

Hi suwaneedad,

What suggestions, recommendations and cautions are they interested in?

Ira,
They are interested in sights, restaurants, "must sees" "must eat" etc..I am not familiar with the area where they are staying, but I am sure they could use any help or advise from you.

Hi suwanee (may I call you suwannee, suwaneedad sounds so formal)

I can't help with Civitanova Marche, but there is lots and lots of information on the cities if you do a text search for "Rome AND restaurants", etc.

Any information you could provide on Civitanova Marche? I'm intrigued.

suwaneedad:

Without some more specific information, there is hardly much help the people on this board can offer. May I suggest:

1. You invite your friends to visit this site and read all the posts already here that concern the places they are visiting, and

2. Buy a guidebook or two and read about Rome, Florence, and Venice. The must-sees are what guidebooks are all about.

We know nothing about these people - are they in the 20s or octogenarians? Are they interested in the Renaissanace or antiquity? Does architecture inspire or bore them? What's their budget? Do they enjoy public transportation or would they prefer a hired driver and guide? Are they gourmands or finicky eaters? What kind of pace do they travel at? Do they speak any Italian? Have they traveled in Italy before? In Europe?

See what I mean? We can't begin to help you at this stage of the game. Have them come on over to Fodor's themselves and give us some hints.

I think I am dealing with the same confusion ira has...

You don't mean to propose that they are going to sleep each night in Civitanova Marche - - and hope to make "visits" during their days to Rome, Florence and Venice, do you?

This is vaguely analogous to staying in Tampa, and hoping to visit Jacksonville, Palm Beach and Key West.

Will they have a jet helicopter?

Or is this going to be a trip to the "big three" cities - - AFTER they have spent a week in Civitanova Marche?

In which case, I _suggest_ a trip to a large public library to get a basic guide book to Italy; I _recommend_ reading the chapters on Rome, Florence and Venice cover to cover.

And I _caution_ against thinking that they can visit those three cities in fewer than 7-10 days, in the aggregate.

Best wishes,

Rex

StCirq
Thank you for your response...I am planning on inviting them over tonight and get them started...they will be excited to know what great feedback they can get from our Fodor friends...

<<Any information you could provide on Civitanova Marche?>>

While understand what suwaneedad is asking about is hard, finding some basic info on civitanova MArche is the easy part.

http://www.le-marche.com/Marche/html/civitanova.htm

and, on a map...

http://www.le-marche.com/Marche/html/maps.htm

It's south of Ancona, right on the Adriatic.

Bringing your message back up "to the top"...

t

A visit to Ascoli Piceno (citti vecchio=old city) and the San Marco (mts) is a must check out their antique market in the people's square.see the renaissance museo and gardens....Loreto is a must... ..Sasso Ferratti caverns are great, Roseto degli Abruzzi and San Benedetto del Tronto for Sunday promenade is lovely....Cupramarittima and Ripatransone are little towns along the coast with quaint restaurants...

I'm assuming they have a car...

Civitanova Marche is a little resort town on the Adriatic, about 45 minutes or so directly south of Ancona. It has a "sister town" just inland on a hilltop. A nice little area to explore & relax in, in good weather...car is useful here. And, it is near Macerata, with its summer festivals/perofmrances at the outdoor Sferisterio.

Definitely NOT a place for daytrips to Rome, Florence & Venice! Rome is a three hour train ride from Ancona. To reach Venice, you take a train from Ancona to Bologna, and then change trains for one to Venice. In total, about 4 hours.