italy2005

I came across a website and had some information on Tropea. The beach looks beautiful. If possible I would like to get some information on this place.

1. What's the best way to get from mainland Italy to tropea? (we might be coming in from venice)

2. Hotel suggestions

Thanks in advance.

AP6380

Tropea is on the mainland. It's 265 miles south of Naples. From your previous posts it sounds like you don't want a rental car, but if at all possible I would encourage it so you can see more of what the region of Calabria has to offer. Also further out the cape past Tropea there is Capo Vaticano which is also beautful.

I would recommend you pick up the "Blue Guide to Southern Italy" which has some info.

AP6380

By the way I should add that in August you may find it very difficult to book accomodations for less than a week at a time, it just seemed when I had inquired that is the way they do it in August. You should research and see if any of the budget airlines in Italy go Naples-Lamezia Terme.

DonnaD44

We spent a blissful week in Tropea two years ago in October. It's a tiny, cozy town and we got there by flying into LaMezia Terme airport (one hour north) and renting a car.
We rented an apartment in a converted convent with a beautiful view of the Sea--Stromboli volcano sent fireworks into the sky every night!
We were the only US tourists there at the time--only UK, Dutch and Germans seemed to know about it.
Gorgeous place--you'll love it.

italy2005

Hi Donna. I am seriously considering to go to Tropea instead of Sardinia or Sicily because we are a bit pressed for time. We will be coming in from the North. What city did you fly from to get to Tropea? Do you remember if the place you stayed at has a website? Are there things to do in Tropea @ night?

italy2005

AP6380 - Can I pick up the "Blue Guide to Southern Italy" in a bookstore? I have sent some emails to several hotels in tropea and capo vaticano to some information as to what the rates are during the time of August. We have this cities to consider:

Venice (I've been there before but I'd like to visit again)
Capri
Positano
Tropea
Rome (I've been there before but I'd like to visit again)

How many days would you stay at each city?

What's the best way to get around this itinerary? Which city should we go to first?

DonnaD44

Italy2005,
We actually began our trip in Sicily, flying into Catania and renting a car. After a week there (near SIracusa) we drove to Messina and took the ferry to Reggio Calabria and drove to Tropea.
From Tropea we left to come back to the states from LaMezia Terme. You can get to LaMezia from Milan on Alitalia.
There are several top quality restaurants in Tropea--the best swordfish I've ever had! People watching in the Piazza is also a fun nighttime activity and there are lots of folks out late, walking with gelato,etc. By the third day you will know everyone in town--it's that kind of place.

DonnaD44

here is the website of Il Convento.

http://www.ilconvento.com/site/default.asp?lang=ENG

italy2005

Donna - I'll email the apartment and get the rate information. I know its a year from now but We are really excited I can't wait. Do you think the itinerary I listed above is possible to do?

DonnaD44

Everything is possible, but I have to admit that when I travel I pick one or two bases and explore from there.
Trying to cover everything from Venice at the north to Tropea at the south sounds way too stressful to me. But, that's just me.

AP6380

The Blue Guide only has a few pages on Tropea, but that's probably more than you will find in other Italy guidebooks. There's also a lot of info about the surrounding areas. I bought mine on Amazon.com, but you may find it at a Barnes.

I think I would work south to north. Fly from NY (that's where you are, right?) to Lamezia Terme in Calabria (you'll switch in Rome or Milan). I'd rent a car and drive to Tropea and spend 4 nights. The car will allow you to see Capo Vaticano, Pizzo, even a day trip to Serra San Bruno.

I would drive to Positano (maybe others can advise of trains/buses if you'd prefer to do this without a car) and spend 3 nights, I'd get rid of the car when you arrive. Then do Capri for 3 nights. Fly/train or bus it to Rome for 4 nights. Then go to Venice for 3, fly back from there.

italy2005

AP6380 - I discussed the temporary itinerary with my friends. We all finally agreed as to which cities we are going to visit. We defenitely would want to go to Tropea. Do you know if there's a train that will take us from Tropea to Positano? Thanks.

Mic

DonnaD44...Would you mind answering a few more questions? What is the beach at Tropea like? Sandy or rocky? Is this a destination that children would enjoy? Also, how far is Il Convento from the beach? Many thanks!

GAC

From Tropea to Positano, you will need to get off the train in Salerno, and then take either a direct ferry or the SITA bus (which requires a change in Amalfi).

www.trenitalia.com
www.salernocity.com (ferry schedule Salerno to Positano)
www.sita-on-line.it (bus schedule Salerno to Amalfi and Amalfi to Positano)

italy2005

hi GAC - Thanks. im just a bit confused now how to go about this itinerary. AP6380 has suggested as how to go about which city to visit first. we will be coming in from NYC. we are going to look for a flight from NYC to London. From London we'll just use a low-cost carrier to Italy. So the final cities are:

Venice
Capri
Positano
Tropea
Naples or Rome.

There is a flight from Venice to Tropea for 280 Euro one way. I think that's a bit too much. What's the best way to go around this itinerary?

AP6380

Are you flying into London so you can try and get a cheaper fare? Are you going to work from North (Venice) to South (Tropea)?

Your itinerary is already pretty busy, I'm not sure if I would want the added stress of booking separate flights, but who knows maybe others can advise you on this. I would just book NYC to Lamezia Terme (flight change in Milan or Rome) and fly home from Venice to NYC (there are direct flights I believe). Generally it's recommended to book flights about 90 days out, unless you are using ff miles.

italy2005

AP6380 - Yes, we are flying into London so we can get a cheaper fare. Unfortunately the ticket from Venice to Tropea is a bit pricey I have no idea how I'm going to go about this. I'm going to have to convince my friends that we need to drive to Tropea. Can we rent a car from Positano? The only problem is that there might be a few of us and that we'll need 2 cars. Do you know how much they usually charge for a rental car in Italy? At most, there's going to be 7 of us.

AP6380

I would venture to guess that it won't be cheaper at all once you book your additional flights, but I certainly could be wrong. Both of my car rentals, which were automatic cars (which are much more expensive than stick shift cars) were about $600 American dollars per week.

I would start a seprate post with the cities you want to go to in the title and perhaps you could get more specific advice.

italy2005

Are you familiar to Trenitalia? I went to the website. I think there's a train from Naples to the Train station in Calabria and from there take a local train to tropea. Maybe that's another possibility