Italy in May
 

My daughter will be studying abroad for five weeks in May/June. She will be in Florence, Rome and the Marche. She will have 3-4 days free at the end of her stay in Rome. I am going to visit her with my other daughter. We will not have a Car so would take trains. Where should we go for three nights?
Thanks!

Venice

If you don't stay in Rome then go to Venice. We've been all over the world and Rome is one of my favorite places ever!

Florence or Rome.

What are your interests?

Thanks everyone. I was thinking of Venice but someone told me not to spend more than a couple of days there. We will meet her in Rome. We have been to Rome and Florence before and she will be spending one week in each place during the trip. Is there anywhere between Venice and Rome where we could spend a night or two? Easily accessible by train? Doesn't have to be a big city. We just want to spend good time together, walk a lot and eat good gelato and pasta!!!

Also, what do you recommend that she do for a phone? She will be there for five weeks. Buy a cheap phone there, get a SIM card there,meta. She has an iPhone.

Thanks.

Bologna.

No idea Re the phone, sorry.

I guess I don't understand your question. Are you looking for somewhere in Italy to stay for 1 to 3 nights in June with both your daughters or are you looking for places to go in May with one of your daughters before meeting up with the daughter already in Italy?

Personally I am not all that fond of Venice, but as for someone telling you not to spend more than a couple of days there, did they mean less than 3 nights? If you had bumped into someone else, they would have told you not to go unless you could spend at least 3 or 4 nights there, and ideally more like a week. I'm serious! Did this person explain to you what he or she thought the problem with Venice is after a few days? (Fish and visitors stinking up the place?) Venice is more expensive, so if you need to watch pennies, you might prefer someplace cheaper. But I am curious if they gave you an explanation of their advice.

Someplace along the train line between Venice and Rome where you could spend a night or two would be Orvieto. It is very hilly so if you would prefer someplace flat then consider Arezzo. Best wine and food and least number of tourists is Chiusi, but it is hard to find accommodations there.

But if you are not going to Venice, then you could go anywhere, including south (where the food and gelato is definitely better).

<< I was thinking of Venice but someone told me not to spend more than a couple of days there. >>

You asked for a recommendation for 3 nights which equals 2 days. Why did that person say to only spend 2 days in Venice?

It's difficult to give you recommendations w/o knowing your interests.

You might also consider Assisi, which is a lovely Umbrian town, apart from the associations with Saint Francis and the art in its basilicas. Spello, very near Assisi, is a little jewel of a town, but rather small. Spoleto is another lovely town in Umbria. Perugia is a bit larger than any of these, but has a university, including a faculty for foreigners, so it has a big student population from all over Europe, and the rest of the world. All are easily reached by train.

Go to Venice. There is nothing else like it in the world.

If the first and last nights touch on travel days, you really have only two days there: one day for the Big Sites, one day for walking around and hitting the second tier sites.

If you really have more time, take the ferry to the Lido or Torcello, or do a day trip to Padua or Vicenza.

Go to Venice; 3 nights is hardly long enough and it is the perfect place without a car since you can't have one there anyway.

For the phone, if your daughter's iPhone is a GSM phone, as all AT&T phones are (or if it's a hybrid) AND if it's unlocked or can be unlocked for the trip, the simplest thing to do would be to buy a SIM card in Italy. If that's not the case, your daughter might want to buy a cheap unlocked quadband GSM phone on Amazon or EBay. If she also wants to use data services, there are cheap Android phones, without all the latest features, but perfectly functional, that have all those features.

The best providers are TIM and Vodafone. They have very similar prices and features, but TIM has one option that's very attractive for foreign visitors or residents. For the same price as a normal SIM card, your daughter could get a TIM International New SIM card, which would allow her to make calls to other EU countries, and also to the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand for 20 cents a minute, plus a 16-cent connection charge.

There is a monthly bundle available from TIM that's good for people under age 30, called TIM Young & Music, which costs 15 euros per month, and would give her 100 minutes of calls, 1000 text messages (both only within Italy) and 1 gb of data, to be used within the month. This bundle gets renewed automatically from her monthly credit, so she would need to put at least 30 euros of credit on the card, plus whatever she might use for making calls to the US with the TIM International New option. This plan also includes something called Cubo Music, which I think allows streaming music without eating into your data allowance.

There is a similar monthly bundle, called TIM Special Limited Edition, for the same price, for people over 30. It has 200 minutes, 200 texts, and 500 mb of internet. There are lots of other options, many of which serve only to confuse you. Here is the web site, only available in Italian, but fairly easy to decipher:

http://www.tim.it/tariffe/chiamate-sms-internet

Your daughter should also look into getting a Skype account. Apart from the free internet account, if she pays a minimum amount ($10, I think), she can make calls to any US phone number for a few cents a minute. The Skype credit never runs out, so she could even use it years later when she makes another trip overseas.

She could also get a Skype US phone number, which would allow others to call her without paying international rates or figuring out how to make an international call. I have a US Skype number; if I'm online and connected to Skype when somebody calls me, I can pick up the call on my computer or Android phone at no additional cost. I have it set up so that if I don't answer in 5 rings, it transfers the call to my Italian cell phone. The transferred calls cost me 30 cents a minute, deducted from my Skype credit. I usually keep the call brief and call back later when I'm connected to Skype. I forget what the Skype number costs, but I think it's something like €15 (or $15?) for three months.

I'll cast my vote for Venice! Go, before it sinks! Venice is extraordinary, and I honestly can't understand why anyone would say that 3 nights would be too much there. I spent 4 nights, and did NOT have time to see everything I wanted to see there!

There are beautiful places to see and charming walkways and canals to roam. (And roam you will - just about everyone gets lost at least once in Venice!) Consider spending a day visiting Murano, Burano, and Torcello. What better place to "spend good time together, walk a lot and eat good gelato and pasta!!!" Well, maybe fish rather than pasta in Venice....

Thanks for all the great advice. I have a lot to consider. We will actually have 4 nights and 4 days. We will meet in Rome and then she has to be back in Rome. I will arrive in Rome with my other daughter the day before so I will have one night in Rome before we go to Venice or wherever. Any suggestions on nice comfortable hotels in Venice? Day trips sound like a good idea. Spoleto also sounds nice for something different.

I appreciate all the information about the phone. Good to know. She probably already has a skype account. I will check.

Thanks again.

Another vote for Venice. This is because, if you do decide you've had too much, you can take a day trip to Verona or Padua or Bologna.

But, I think you'll find plenty to do in Venice. It is a very unique place, and made for wandering and wine. :)

We stayed at a lovely B&B owned by an American mom/daughter. Lovely, lovely place. And great location (close to vaporetto, but buffered from all the noise!). http://www.corte1321.com/en/description.htm

I would suggest going south to Sorrento. After time in the big cities your daughter might enjoy a change of pace. You could do day trips to Capri, Positano, Pompeii. Get a hotel room with view of the water. I think you'd enjoy it.

That's another interesting idea. Is it easy to get to sorrento by train and then do day trips by train also? Do you have any favorite hotels you can recommend? Thanks

It's very easy to get to Sorrento from Rome. Take the train to Naples Centrale, walk downstairs and buy a ticket for the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento. You can take the bus to the Amalfi Coast towns, boat to Capri, train to Pompeii.

However...Sorrento in no way compares with Venice. Venice is like a small town. No cars. You walk or take the vaporetti. It's quiet and peaceful once away from St. Mark's square and there are tons of things to see and do apart from the things on the square.

Actually, I think the Amalfi Coast area deserves at least 6 days, so I don't think its as good an option as Venice. Just my opinion.

Agree with kja (as usual, hee)--I have not been to Venice yet but think three days would be a minimum. I spent time on the Amalfi coast last year and easily could have spent weeks there. I know Sorrento is not on the AC but close by and usually used asa base for Pompeii, the AC, and Naples. If you are excellent at prioritizing then maybe it would work, but I feel like you would be so torn as to what to leave out it would be difficult.

( @ yorkshire: :-) )

The B&B in Venice that was suggested is booked. Any other ideas for hotels in Venice? Thanks.

Have you looked at booking.com? Be sure to pay attention to the cancellation policies.

I am not sure how long it has been since some people have been to the city of Venice, but I think it is misleading to describe it as a small town and peaceful in May. it is true that the city doesn't have cars but it is filled to capacity with very busy-minded tourists. One has to go well away from San Marco to find quiet places.

I also think it is misleading to suggest the Amalfi Coast is someplace to go for a minimum of 6 days. The original request was for a small town, not a city, where the family could spend good time together, walk a lot and eat good gelato and pasta!!!

If that doesn't describe the Amalfi coast or Sorrento, I don't know what in Italy does. It is a place to hang out and see jaw dropping views, catch the sea breeze, and enjoy wonderful southern Italian food.

Not everybody has to sightsee Venice just because they happen to be in Italy and haven't been to Venice yet. Not everybody has to spend all their time in southern Italy visiting Pompei and town hopping and island hopping.

Some families have a great time in beautiful small town Italy spending good time together, walking a lot and eating good gelato and pasta!!!

I just don't see how Venice qualifies for much of what was being asked for. I realize people are free to express opinions that they think the Amalfi coast should be a big time sightseeing agenda. No doubt people are advising with the best intentions, but the OP deserves to know that millions of visitors to Italy would never pick Venice as a place for pasta, gelato and just kicking back, and millions of visitors to Italy are really thrilled with a weekend in the Amalfi coast doing nothing but having fun with each other amid spectacular views.

<< I think it is misleading to describe it as a small town and peaceful in May. >>

You don't like Venice so it would never be peaceful to you.

It is peaceful to me. And it is charming. And it is beautiful.

<I>" I realize people are free to express opinions"</I>

Really, sandralist? You could have fooled me! Do you ever look in a mirror? You spend so much time tearing down other poster's comments- what a waste of time.

If you have something positive to contribute to the OP, then why can't you do just that, without trying to make other posters feel like their opinions are crap?

Instead of, "I just don't see how Venice qualifies for much of what was being asked for", can't you just write, "I think Sorrento would be a lovely place to go for a relaxing time in a small town."

To the OP, I hope you find what you are looking for, too. Have a wonderful trip!

"millions of visitors to Italy would never pick Venice as a place for pasta -- I have to agree with that. Venice is not known for its pasta.

If she has an iPhone 5 it is unlocked and she can buy a SIM card in Italy from TIM for example and replace the US SIM with a local one. Under no circumstances use the US SIM iPhone for anything other than wi-fi or iMessaging as you can easily run up a fortune in charges.

Go to Venice and Bologna; short travel distances, good pasta in Bologna and good seafood in Venice. Try Oltre il Giardino in Venice, a charming little hotel out of the usual tourist paths but still conveniently located. You may or may not like Venice (I love it and will be there in May) but it is unique. You should see it.

sarge56,

This is not at all about me. It is about someone else's trip with their family.

Not a single one of you objected when I pointed out to the OP that she was being misled by the person who told her that she shouldn't go to Venice for more than a few days. Why didn't you attack me personally then for pointing out to the OP how ridiculous that was?

I am trying to help the poster find what she wants. Your only post in this entire thread is to louse it up by turning the thread into an attack on me. If childish insults is your idea of a positive outlook, then I will reply in the way you like: "Go look in the mirror."

shellio,

It is not a short train ride between Venice and Bologna and the OP has said very plainly that for her short trip she would prefer one place that is NOT a city. I think it is a pity that the OP phrased her first post by asking: "Where should we go for three nights?" because it invited in a lot of people who feel that going to Italy (and advising others about it) is all about "SHOULD" and "MUST".

By her second post, the OP had made it clearer that she did not want a sightseeing destination. But all of you Venice-pushers keep insisting she SHOULD SEE IT. IT IS UNQUE SIGHTSEEING. The OP isn't looking to check off a MUST SEE. She has asked for a different kind of help.

adrienne,

It is irrelevant whether you or I think Venice is "beautiful" or "peaceful." The OP deserves to know that 20 million people visit Venice every year, mostly between April and October. It is the single busiest tourist city in all of Italy. She also deserves to know that very, very, very few of those people go there to relax. Most people get to Venice and feel it would be a crime not to take an interest in the art, the history and the sights, even if they don't go into museums. But they don't look at it as a beautiful place to eat gelato and pasta, and that's it.

The OP has provided a description of what she is looking for Italy probably because she believes other people know the country better than she does and can point her to places that fit the description she gave. Instead, several of you have pounced on her open-ended question "Where should we go?" to push your own agenda about how to travel to Italy. I would object just as strongly if she indicated she wanted to go to Venice and someone told her not to go for such a short trip because it "deserved more time." In fact, I did object to that --- but the rest of you are just so determined to attack me personally whenever you can you can't be fair, either to me or the poster.

I thought the gelato/pasta question was about finding a town to stop on the way to Venice, not about whether Venice was a place to stop, relax and eat gelato and pasta. Here's her comment:

"Is there anywhere between Venice and Rome where we could spend a night or two? Easily accessible by train? Doesn't have to be a big city. We just want to spend good time together, walk a lot and eat good gelato and pasta!!!"

Could be Vincenzo! Although later the OP expressed interest in going to Sorrento or the Amalfi coast.

Just for the record, here is a thread where I advised a family to include Venice in their trip based on what they said they were looking for. Different family, different trip, different advice. No EVERYBODY SHOULD SIGHTSEE MY FAVORITE and no number formulas for X-PLACE MUST HAVE X DAYS OR LESS OR MORE. Just trying to deal with what people come here asking for help about for their individual situations. I haven't got anything for or against Venice.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...elp-pronto.cfm

Sorry-It was not my intent to create a problem. I have been to Venice before, my kids have not. A few years ago we all went to Rome, Florence, drove through Tuscany and went to Bologna. My Daughter will be in Rome and Florence for one week each and then will be in the Marche for three weeks. I don't feel compelled to go and be a tourist-I just want to spend time with my young adult children (I am thrilled that they want to be with me!) and enjoy Italy. I would be happy going to the Amalfi coast or Venice. Unfortunately, we are going in about 6 weeks and don't have hotel reservations yet. Are there any nice hotels in Sorrento or AC that aren't outrageously expensive or is that an oxymoron? I will also be spending one night in Rome with one of my daughters and stopping in London for two nights on the way home. Any hotel recommendations are appreciated. Thank you everyone!

You did not create a problem, neglex!
I hope you find a destination that suits your goals.

The Hotel Mignon Meublè is a budget hotel in Sorrento, in a position with great sea views. A friend of mine stayed there maybe eight years ago, when it was called the Loreley et Londres. Then it was remodeled and renamed, but it still has the same owners, I think. My friend called it "quirky".

Sorrento and the whole Amalfi Coast will already be very busy in June, and Venice is almost always extremely busy, although it's not difficult to get away from the tourists, who mostly stick to the overly beaten path between St. Mark's Square and the Rialto Bridge.

Another town that hasn't been mentioned, unless I missed it, is Ferrara. It's a lovely small city, where nearly everyone travels by bicycle. It has a magnificent ducal palace. Ferrara and Lucca are two small Italian cities where I always think I wouldn't mind living. I think you might enjoy renting bikes and spending a few days in Ferrara. It's an easy train ride from Bologna. I also enjoy Bologna, another university town, but it's much more frenetic than Ferrara. There are great shopping possibilities in Bologna, if you have a little money to spare!

Where will your daughter be studying in Le Marche? That's the region where I live.

She will be in Castelraimondo.

<I>" She also deserves to know that very, very, very few of those people go there to relax."</I>

Funny. I'll be arriving in Venice this Saturday and that is precisely what I intend on doing. (And this is my 5th trip there- the 4th in April.) Just sayin'...

@ sarge -- enjoy! I know I would. :-)

"we are going in about 6 weeks and don't have hotel reservations yet"

Even if you haven't decided, check booking.com and book something! If you pay attention to the cancellation policies, you can change your mind later. You can even hedge your bets and reserve rooms in several locations.

I've used booking.com for years without problem, and if you look, I think you'll see that many other Fodorites also recommend it. AND you'll see that many rooms come with the option to cancel up to 24 hours in advance - which is why I recommended that you check the cancellation policy (because if it DOESN'T say that, you need to know what your cancellation options are!). The reviews on booking.com are limited to those who actually reserved through the site, and so they have a degree of credibility that is worth keeping in mind. (I always look at tripadvisor reviews, too, but with a heftier degree of skepticism.)

The fact is, you don't have a BAD option. And if you follow the best tip I know for packing -- which is to bring your sense of humor -- you'll have a great trip no matter what you decide and no matter what anyone else says! :-)