My husband and I are going to be traveling to Rome after which we would like to go someplace with a slower pace to relax. We are considering the Amalfi Coast, Tuscany or the Italian Riviera. Can anyone suggest which one they prefer and why it is their preference?

Dear Daria <BR>At what time of the year will your visit take place as this could influence your choice. The Amalfi coast is beautiful but there are very few nice beaches. Tuscany coast has great beaches but inland can be VERY hot in July/August.

Daria, I am very much partial to Tuscany or the Italian Riviera over the Amalfi Coast. Are you driving or going by train? I think you need a car in Tuscany but you don't on the Italian Riviera. The Amalfi Coast is not something I would want to drive and it wasn't easy to get around. Either a bus or scooter would do it but neither are my favorites. <BR> <BR>Are you active people? Cinque Terre has the beautiful hike and kayaking, I enjoyed being there very much. Tuscany is more driving town to town for a good glass of wine and wonderful food etc. Sam Gmignano was beautiful and if you have the time to add Florence you find so much there. I think there is much more to see and do in Tuscany but that may not be what you want. At least you have the option. <BR> <BR>

I was in Tuscany last fall and loved it, but for the most romantic, relaxing place, I would have to vote for the Amalfi coast. True, I wouldn't want to drive it. But you can get to it by train or bus. Once there, you cn settle into a lovely small village. Then you can take tours, like the boat ride to Capri. Amalfi is incredibly romantic, with intense blue skies and water, dramatic cliff drops, lovely gardens. Life slows down there. It would be a great place after the bustle of Rome.

Amalfi, Amalfi, Amalfi. I was unimpressed by the Italian Riveria. It looked polluted (air), crowded with people and cars (summer), and exaggerated with money. The Tuscany coast is less congested. But, Amalfi must be one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Thanks for your responses. Deborah, we want to ride the train, but I suppose we could drive. Why would that be a problem on the Amalfi coast? (We are from San Francisco and so we're used to some challenging terrain.) We are active people and enjoy hiking. So, we would like to go some place that would have those options. Thanks!

I've said it before, but will repeat it. We drove the highway from Mendocino to San Francisco -- now that was scarey! But we found the Amalfi coast no problem. There were much more adequate guardrails and far less traffic even though we were there in July. One day we took the boat from Positano to Amalfi, however, and when the weather turned bad and boats were cancelled we spent half the day trying to get on a bus. Finally by shoving our way on and pushing others out of the way (as we had been subjected to on the previous three busses) we managed to get on one and had the worst ride of our lives standing up on the bus swinging out over the cliffs in the pouring rain. I would not count on public transport in that area. The car was great for getting around when and where we wanted.

Thanks so much for your reply Patrick!

Hi, Daria, <BR> <BR>I can only speak to two of the three areas, Tuscany and the Riviera. We did a fast paced "formal" tour, Rome to Rome and then we rented a car and drove from Rome to Castellina in Chianti and then explored Tuscany by car - dropped off the car in Florence and train to Venice and then train to Santa Margherita Ligure on the Riviera. Stayed 3 nights and really liked it - day tripped to Cinque Terre and Portofino. then train to Milan and home. I mentioned that we could not have done it better - slowing down a lot in Venice and even more in SML. <BR>You did not indicate how long you had nor did you say you had to fly in and out of Rome. You could do both Tuscany (without Florence) and the Riviera. You really need a car in Tuscany but you could drop it in Florence and train to SML where you don't need a car and fly out of Milan. E-mail me if any questions.

Thanks for your help Larry. We are planning on going in May 2002. And, we will probably spend a week in Rome and week someplace else. We don't really like to do the whirlwind tours. We don't have and plane reservations yet, but if it is less expensive I would probably prefer to fly both in and out of Rome. <BR> <BR>I think we have actually ruled out Tuscany. I am leaning towards going someplace where I can hike, relax on a beach and see some sights. Would we be able to do that in the Riviera at the end of May? Thanks again. Daria

Daria, one of the biggest attractions of the Cinque Terre is the hiking between the villages. Alas, due to storms, the trails were closed when we were there. As far as airports, I have read that it is usually no more expensive or only slightly to fly "open jaws" - I have not done it but hopefully some Fodorites will come to your rescue on that one - you will actually lose the better part of a day returning to Rome, getting a hotel, etc.

O.k. Thanks Larry!