Off the beaten path in Italy
 

Has anyone found a "must see" thing and/or place they've experienced in their travels in Italy that are off the usual tourist path?

You are aware that "must see" and "off the beaten path" is a contradiction in terms?

Well, here are some places which are at least less frequented than the usual attractions:

- Riviera del Brenta, a canal near Venice with gorgeous historical mansions on both banks.
www.riviera-brenta.it

- Cappella degli Scrovegni in Padova, not just one more church but a masterpiece of Giotto which triggered a revolution in painting. Limited access, reservation mandatory. www.cappelladegliscrovegni.it

- Populonia - an Etruscan necropolis in Tuscany. http://www.parchivaldicornia.it/parc...codex=bart-gen

In all of the entire country? How would one even judge whether it was truly off the tourist path? And what is this obsession with finding such places?

I've found loads of "off the beaten path" places in my travels to many countries, or at least places that seemed to me to be such. Including a prehistoric site in the Dordogne that hardly anyone but die-hard locals know about. Why would I broadcast that to the world at large on a message board?

If you want to experience this type of place, go find your own, is my advice.

Isn't your trip already planned? It might help if you post the regions that you will visit...

It will hardly help you if we mention, for example, the mountains of Abruzzo, if you are headed for Florence.

Sorry. Yes our trip is already planned. We'll be 5 nights in Rome, 3 in Florence and 3 in Venice.

In Tuscany, I really enjoyed staying in the tiny (I mean tiny!) village of Montefollonico, and exploring the countyside from that base.

Hi Stacey,

It's difficult to determine what is off the usual tourist path (it very much depends on the person) but in Venice my favorites were the Ca'Rezzonico and Miracoli church. In Florence the Brancicci chapel.

Stacey--

I didn't think to ask our driver what neighborhood we went to but it was great. Had a beautiful market with wonderful fruit and vegetables (my picture of the produce is so colorful and one of my favorites). He also took us to a great outdoor cafe to eat.

Our driver who took us to out of the way places was Salvatore Coppola with [email protected].

He was a great driver--not a tour guide, but we couldn't ask for a better one.

If you use Salvatore, tell him hello from the family from Magnolia.

Hope this might help.

Garibaldi: You would not happen to be WebVision Italy, would you?

Still plugging those videos and still not answering the question. If you read the OPs posts, you would have seen that she already has her trip planned, and it does not include the places you list. In fact, she is headed, along with the "lemmings" to R,F and V.

ekscrunchy - Not sure what you're meaning by lemmings (and I'm guessing that's it's not a nice thing) but I was just asking a question.

Stacey, I was responding to a post by the Web Vision/Garibaldi guy who wrote that people that go to those three cities are lemmings....thankfully his post was removed...so forget my comments, please..

EK - OK, I'm sorry for jumping on you about it. I couldn't find the post so I didn't know what was meant by it. Thanks for clarifying it.

It occurs to me that ItalianNotebook.com, which is a daily e-mail, will tell you about some places in Rome.

In Rome the rose garden on the Aventino hill is wonderful. It is built on an old Jewish cemetery.
Depends on when you will be there if it is open.
http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/rome/roseto.html
Mainly Italian tourists

Ostia Antica the old Roman port, is a not very frequented place.

http://www.initaly.com/regions/latium/ostia.htm

They are both accessible places but a little off the beaten track.

I think the best way to discover things off the beaten path is to wander in the opposite direction to the 'must sees'. Venice is great for this, as is Florence. We haven't been to Rome so don't know if that is true there. Some of my best photographs in Italy were taken when we were just wandering down interesting streets. We got lost a few times, but that was part of the adventure. If you want to look at our photos, here's a link.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34985411

There are a bunch of "must see" places in Naples, partly because some people who don't know better, look down on Naples, and mistakenly will not go there. Many of those people read the bum raps that are given to Naples, so are leery of going to the most misunderstood city in Europe. Napoli is loaded with places that are absolutely must see, but go unnoticed. I can reel off a bunch of those places, but it probably wouldn't do any good.

I suppose you are off the beaten path when there are few or no other tourists, yet the site is a rewarding one.

In Rome, the most remote yet gorgeous place we went to was Subiaco, the amazing monastery on the side of a cliff, where the Benedictine order was born. It requires a car rental or a car and driver as few tours go there and there is no bus. It is a 1 hour drive from Rome.

I would also echo the previous posters about Ostia Antica and the Brancacci Chapel, which is inside a church called Santa Maria del Carmine.

To Waldo: I am going to Naples in a couple of weeks for the first time and would love to hear your recommendations.

To Stacey: I would echo what some of the other posters said; the cities you're going to are full of marvels. You just need to follow your nose and wander away from the crowds. In Venice, I loved the island of Torcello. Not many people go there; there's a small church with a stunning golden mosaic of the Madonna. Very quiet, and you can get a feel for the landscape of Venice before it was developed. In Florence: Lucca makes a great day trip if you get overwhelmed by the crowds. Have a great trip!

In Tuscany :
The Villa Medici in Poggio a Caiano
The Museo Civico in Sansepolcro (paintings by Piero della Francesco)
The Museum in Vinci where Leonardo was born
The "Madonna del Parto" in Monterchi (Piero della Francesco.

Katherineg-
The first thing you should see in Naples is the view of the Bay of Naples from Via Petrarc. You have to take a bus (I forget which number), from Piazza Garibaldi. The bus eventually goes up a hill and around a curve, and suddenly before you, opens up a fantastic vista. Go a few bus stops and get off the bus. There is a railing and benches from which you can take in the great panorama. Believe me, words cannot describe the view. I'm sure you've seen many pictures of the bay of Naples, but seeing it in person has no equal. After your fill of this, get back on the bus, and ask the driver to let you off at "Mare Chiare". You get off the bus and walk down a small incline, and you get the same view, but from sea level, with all the green environment that you generally don't see in Naples. Incidentally, right there is a great restaurant with that fantastic view and great food, La Fenestrella di Mare Chiare. Next sight is the Capella San Severo. You have to go near the Duomo (another must see) and walk to Spaccanapoli. There you will be able to spend a day just walking around and enjoying. You will get to Capella San Severo, and get to see the most amazing sculptures ever. The Veiled Christ is unbelievable, and the adjoining sculptures, including one in which a net is sculpted from marble is outstanding. I'm not an artsy type, but these are outstanding. The Galleria and the Opera House are adjoining sights. They are must sees, as is the Piazza Plebescito and the Castello Royale, all in the same area. Take a fenicular up to Vomero, and go to Castel St. Elmo. From there you will see all of Naples and the surrounding area spread out before you. The roof of the Castello is like a small village, it's so large. Just walk around and enjoy it. There are many more, but I won't belabor this. One other activity, which I like to call my very own private one, may seem strange, but I go there every time I go to Naples. On the Via Toledo, across from Piazza Dante is a MC DONALD's. Believe it or not, I go in there and order anything, and the go up to the second floor, where the wall facing the Piazza Dante is all one big window. I sit at a table by the window and just take in all the action going on in the extremely lively Piazza Dante for an hour or so. It's something you not see anywhere else. WHEW!