Overrated/Underrated in Italy?
 

The over/underrated topic for all of Europe has gotten quite a response, so I thought I would narrow the scope to over/underrated in Italy. Any thoughts? <BR> <BR>Thanks

My humble opinion--and I always have an <BR>opinion---are these: <BR>OVERRATED: Pisa, Capri, San Remo <BR> <BR>UNDERRATED: Lago Orta,Dolomites,Volterra

Over/Underrated by whom? I agree with Bob that the Dolomites are way underrated by Americans (not so by Germans). Among underrated cities by Americans I would include Naples and Milan. I would agree though that it's almost mandatory that one has to speak Italian to fully enjoy both. <BR> <BR>Among the overrated I would certainly include the Cinque Terre and San G. <BR> <BR>Personally, I like Pisa very much. Not so much the sites in Campo dei Miracoli, but the ambience at evening/night in the maze of narrow alleys. There's so much going on! If I were to go back to my twenties and attend university once again, Pisa would probably be my prime choice :-) <BR>Paulo <BR> <BR>

Just curious, Bob (and yes, I do intend to answer your e-mail - - it just might take me a little time cause it won't be 25 words or less) - - if Capri is OVERrated, have you been to any of the other islands around Naples? <BR> <BR>And San G OVER rated? - - I'm almost relieved to hear someone say that - - but it will be blasphemy to many. For what it's worth, I had a pretty crummy dinner there last summer (overpriced, next-to-terrible service) - - enough so that I've forgotten the name of the place, but it's within direct eyeshot of the main square/well. <BR> <BR>On a more positive note, EVERYBODY RUN to the video store and get "Tea with Mussolini" if you have not already! Almost like a quick trip back to San G for two hours WITHOUT the tour buses/ /traffic/parking headaches! <BR> <BR>Finally, it's interesting to hear about Pisa other than the Campo - - I always wondered if there was something worthwhile in the rest of the town. Corny and overpriced/overrated as it is, it still makes a good "break" before or after the 154 tunnels between Livorno and Nice. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex

I agree with Paulo about Pisa. It is absolutely lovely in the evenings, once you leave the campo dei miracoli. Little squares, lots of strollers--a well-kept secret. I also think Verona is underrated and that the Romeo/Juliet thing is completely overrated.

Sorry, Paulo, but I thought Milan was a cross between the South Bronx, Cleveland and East LA. Lots of fur coats, but filthy, dirty, graffiti-covered buildings and statues. Virtually impossible to find a place to eat (even in the 'tourist' areas), and I don't think fluent Italian would help make a restaurant materialize out of thin air. We found the Milanese extremely nice (more reserved than southerners, but just as helpful and full of personality) and the food excellent...once we found it. Via Montenapoleone was Rodeo Drive, Houston's Galleria or 5th Avenue - nothing different. It appeared to be the only place NOT covered in graffiti, which was a welcome relief. Rick Steves raves about the city, but for the life of me I can't figure out why. It's the only place we've ever been assaulted by aggressive, blatant pickpockets who actually grabbed one of our group when she tried to walk away. <BR>We're not 'country girls' afraid of big cities; we grew up in Kansas City, Houston, Boston, Dallas and have lived in other big cities. We like Paris and London and even Athens...but MILAN? I'd rather eat linoleum than ever go back there again. So, yeah, it's VERY overrated. <BR>I think Italy off-season is very UNDERrated...

Pienza imho is the most underrated place in Italy especially for a one or two night stay.

Fungul a dusibatso a scratziano!

I'll agree with Pisa overrated, food in Venice Overratted. Underrated -- Dolomites, Aosta and Courmayeur (for the skiing and atmosphere in the winter).

I love this topic -- only goes to show that one man's poison . . . <BR> <BR>Underrated: Bologna, Assisi at night after the tour buses leave, Napoli <BR> <BR>Overrated: Cinque Terre, Assisi during the day when the tour buses are in, and I'll really stick my neck out on this -- Firenze except for the Uffizi. <BR> <BR>BTW- I love Milano, and always try to arrive there from the US so that I can spend my first evening recovering from jet lag, eating at one of my favorite restaurants, and see what new carvings I can discover on the top of the Duomo. Cat

Overrated/Underrated or simply in/out of the beaten track? That is, in/out of the main travelguides? <BR>As an Italian, I would say that there are wonderful places in Italy which I almost never read of in this forum. Of course time is short and you have to choose, but... <BR>Here my suggestions for (at the moment) underrated spots: <BR>Bologna <BR>Parma <BR>Trieste <BR>Norcia <BR>Trento and Bolzano <BR>in from Florence to the North <BR>and the wonderful out of time countryside in Molise, Abruzzo and Basilicata in the South

Elvira, I agree with most of what you say, but ... <BR> <BR>How many times did you visit Milan? I would guess only once because otherwise you shouldn't have had any difficulty finding restaurants! <BR> <BR>Suppose your starting a strolling itinerary at the Castello Sforzesco. You could walk south to the Museo Civico di Archeologia, then west to Sta. Maria delle Grazie, then south again to the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale. From there you could visit the beautiful Romanesque churches of S. Ambrogio, S. Lorenzo Maggiore and Sant'Eustorgio. If you planned your stroll to end around about 6pm, you would be in position to stroll along the canals of the picturesque Navigli district. This canals are lined with small shops, art galleries, pubs, cafés, clubs and many many restaurants! At night, this is one nice place to hang out. The atmosphere in the whole neighborhood is very romantic and bohemian. <BR>The other place to hang out in the late afternoon, evening or night is the Latin Quarter (Brera District) surrounding the Pinacoteca di Brera. Once again, the narrow streets are lined with more of the same as above. <BR>In both places it's quite easy to "join" groups of Milanese having fun if you speak Italian. <BR> <BR>Whenever I have the opportunity, I go to a theater. The productions at the Piccolo and Mazoni are usually excellent, among the best in Italy ... of course, understanding Italian is a must. <BR> <BR>To complete the picture in my specific case, ever since I remember, my aunt has had a La Scala season subscription for 4 people. From time to time I thus have the opportunity to attend (less than perfect because they could have wider, nore confortable seats!). <BR> <BR>I can guarantee you, Elvira ... if you'd be able to hang out with Milanese at night in fun places, have the opportunity to attend a theater and/or La Scala ... you wouldn't complain :-) <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR> <BR>

Overrated: Milan in winter <BR>Underrated: Florence in winter -- Adora Firenze!

Hi I agree with Bob and the others. The Dolomites are spectacular. We visited there several years ago, stayed in San Vito, visited Cortina. We have also been to Bolzano, Merano and a city called Vicenza and even Verona. These were all very nice and pleasant cities. The passes in northern Italy are so spectacular and gorgeous. <BR> The most overrated is Venice. While not disputing its beauty or its historic importance, the number of tourists, the waits, the nasty food and waiters makes it feel more like Epcot Center than a real city in Italy. It was a sight to see but not return to, especially after being in northern Italy. alan

This is a great Post! To each their own, but here goes: Overrated: Excelsior Hotel on Lido, Food in Venice including Harry's Bar. Also overrated is Italian train travel. Underrated: Santa Margherita L., Portofino, Genoa, and Milano (we loved Milan).

Pietro: nice mouth, you kiss your mother with that? <BR> <BR>Paulo: We did go to the Navigli area, where we did find a really good restaurant (I don't think many, if any Americans, ever ate there because no English on the menu, no English from the waitress, but she did her best - so did we - and had a very nice experience and food). We did go to La Scala (no opera, violin concert instead) which was way cool (we had a box, almost on the stage, all to ourselves) and enjoyed it. We hit all the big stops, walking a great deal, which is why we were coming unglued when we couldn't find restaurants. If we were the sort who took a taxi from hotel to tourist spot to tourist spot, that would be one thing, but we walked a LOT, and saw few places to eat. If we were the only ones to experience this, I'd say that it was an anomaly; but a fellow employee and his wife had the same experience - no food! Are Milanese food places un-signed? or behind plain wooden doors? Honest, we did try to find something positive about Milan (the Loons aren't the negative sorts) but it wasn't easy....

My wife and I have been to Italy more than a few times and have toured by car, train, bicycle and boat (if you count the ferries to the Borromean and Aeolian Islands). We've been from Castelrotto to Palermo, Roma to the Gargano but we would not presume to "rate" any of it. Italy is a beautiful country, mountains and sea, go, enjoy. By the by, the bad press the CT has gotten is way wrong, unless you do it by car, but the trek from Riomaggiore to Monterosso is lovely.

Elvira: You got me puzzled about the restaurant issue. Once you had trouble with it, I do take it as a fact. When I started thinking about my own experiences I realized that maybe it never was an issue because I was able to count only a single time we went out for dinner on our own (and that was in the Navigli district). All other times, either when it was just me or with my wife, it was not an issue because relatives came along to lead the way. I've been to many places which I have little idea about (restaurant name and location) because you're in a car as a passenger, talking and not paying attention on where you're going. Of course, we usually were on our own around noon but then, for a snack, any bar would do. <BR> <BR>The first time we went to Cologne, we also had difficulties finding a restaurant. To make a long story short, we found ourselves in the vicinities of the Dom/train station around 11pm and very hungry. Believe or not, the only place we found to have something was a McDonalds. I guess we just walked in the wrong direction. Had we walked in a 90 degrees direction to our left instead, we would have hit dozens of restaurants, one on top of the other :-) <BR>Paulo <BR> <BR>