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Trip to Italy

IAppreciateIt said:
i'm supposed to be planning my honeymoon there sometime in late april or may. flying in/out of rome and milan, not sure what order. chat-gpt gave me a decent itinerary (i will never know how to pronounce or spell this word).

casa artom is doing a 50th year reunion in may incidentally.
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Bring an empty suitcase to carry wine back with you. If you love wine, bring two empty suitcases.

Fly to Milan. Milan airport is closer to the lake region than Milan. IMO the lake region is superior to Milan. Go north to Bellagio on Lake Como and/or Stressa on Lake Maggiore. Very nice small towns. Drink coffee and wine. Hike above the lakes on beautiful trails. Spend 3-4 days on the lakes region. Go to the Apertivi Wine Bar in Bellagio and fill your suitcase(s) with 2015 or 2012 Brunellos. Spend one night in Milan. Eat pistachio gelato at OGGI in Milan.

Get to Rome and plan 3-4 days there. Book a colosseum tour at night. Get lost eating local food. Eat gelato at FataMorgana and pasta at Osteria Da Fortunata in Rome.

If you find Pistachio cream, try it. If you can buy it, buy it and put it in your suitcase.
 
So only go to the 2 largest cities / metro areas? Hmmm...
 
Hiking above Lake Como is pretty decidedly not an urban activity. I think 3-4 days is appropriate for Rome but YMMV
 
BarcaDeac said:
planning a trip for October or November. Originally we were gonna go in March but right before Christmas had a car wreck and we were waiting to ensure we'd get our car back and not have it totaled, so put off booking. got the car so now it's trip planning but trying to save money by going in the offseason.

Looking at flying into Milan, spending the night somewhere like Parma, renting a villa outside Tuscany for a few nights, then maybe a night or two in Milan. TBD.
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This is exactly where I am as we also got screwed on going this spring. We were thinking either flying into Milan or Florence and doing Bologna, Modena and/or Parma and possibly Verona although that's kind of out of the way but a place I really want to get to.

The other school of thought is to fly into Florence and head directly to Umbria region and do Perugia, Todi, Orvietto, & Assissi among others for full 8 nights.
 
DeacWatcher said:
This is exactly where I am as we also got screwed on going this spring. We were thinking either flying into Milan or Florence and doing Bologna, Modena and/or Parma and possibly Verona although that's kind of out of the way but a place I really want to get to.

The other school of thought is to fly into Florence and head directly to Umbria region and do Perugia, Todi, Orvietto, & Assissi among others for full 8 nights.
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I assume this means you've already done Florence, which is great.
 
DeacWatcher said:
This is exactly where I am as we also got screwed on going this spring. We were thinking either flying into Milan or Florence and doing Bologna, Modena and/or Parma and possibly Verona although that's kind of out of the way but a place I really want to get to.

The other school of thought is to fly into Florence and head directly to Umbria region and do Perugia, Todi, Orvietto, & Assissi among others for full 8 nights.
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we stayed here a few times when I was a kid and I think it's where we'll stay again as it still looks great (just outside Siena): https://www.montestigliano.com/

rates are very reasonable for the time we'll be there. there are probably some other places I should look into but haven't.

we would always fly into Rome and maybe spend a day or two there then head north. since my wife and I have done Rome a few times we're fine to skip it, and for me I've never been north of Tuscany, so interested to see some of that. and since Parma is on the way, it seems like a cool place to check out on the way.
 
We're trying to figure out a trip for this fall and one of the places on the list is Puglia. Anyone ever been?
 
what AI told me to do:


Day 1-2: Arrive in Milan and spend two days exploring the city and nearby areas. Use Milan as a base and take a day trip via train to nearby Lake Como. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Da Vittorio, located in nearby Brusaporto.

Day 3-4: Take a train to Venice and spend two days exploring the city. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Quadri, located in Piazza San Marco.

Day 5-6: Take a train to Cinque Terre and spend two days exploring the five picturesque coastal villages. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Miky, located in Monterosso al Mare.

Day 7-9: Take a train to Florence and use it as a base to explore Tuscany. Take day trips to nearby towns like Siena, San Gimignano, and Pisa. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Osteria Francescana, located in Modena.

Day 10-12: Take a train to Naples and use it as a base to explore the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. Take day trips to nearby towns like Positano, Sorrento, and Ravello. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Don Alfonso 1890, located in nearby Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi.

Day 13-14: Take a train to Rome and spend two days exploring the city. Use Rome as a base and take a day trip to nearby Tivoli or Ostia Antica. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant La Pergola, located in Rome.
 
I've got Osteria Francescana on my radar, with November reservations opening up in May
 
IAppreciateIt said:
what AI told me to do:


Day 1-2: Arrive in Milan and spend two days exploring the city and nearby areas. Use Milan as a base and take a day trip via train to nearby Lake Como. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Da Vittorio, located in nearby Brusaporto.

Day 3-4: Take a train to Venice and spend two days exploring the city. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Quadri, located in Piazza San Marco.

Day 5-6: Take a train to Cinque Terre and spend two days exploring the five picturesque coastal villages. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Miky, located in Monterosso al Mare.

Day 7-9: Take a train to Florence and use it as a base to explore Tuscany. Take day trips to nearby towns like Siena, San Gimignano, and Pisa. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Osteria Francescana, located in Modena.

Day 10-12: Take a train to Naples and use it as a base to explore the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. Take day trips to nearby towns like Positano, Sorrento, and Ravello. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Don Alfonso 1890, located in nearby Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi.

Day 13-14: Take a train to Rome and spend two days exploring the city. Use Rome as a base and take a day trip to nearby Tivoli or Ostia Antica. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant La Pergola, located in Rome.
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It would make more sense to fly into Venice then go to Milan.
 
IAppreciateIt said:
what AI told me to do:


Day 1-2: Arrive in Milan and spend two days exploring the city and nearby areas. Use Milan as a base and take a day trip via train to nearby Lake Como. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Da Vittorio, located in nearby Brusaporto.

Day 3-4: Take a train to Venice and spend two days exploring the city. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Quadri, located in Piazza San Marco.

Day 5-6: Take a train to Cinque Terre and spend two days exploring the five picturesque coastal villages. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Miky, located in Monterosso al Mare.

Day 7-9: Take a train to Florence and use it as a base to explore Tuscany. Take day trips to nearby towns like Siena, San Gimignano, and Pisa. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Osteria Francescana, located in Modena.

Day 10-12: Take a train to Naples and use it as a base to explore the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. Take day trips to nearby towns like Positano, Sorrento, and Ravello. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant Don Alfonso 1890, located in nearby Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi.

Day 13-14: Take a train to Rome and spend two days exploring the city. Use Rome as a base and take a day trip to nearby Tivoli or Ostia Antica. For a special dining experience, you might consider a reservation at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant La Pergola, located in Rome.
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Having been to all of those places, except Cinque Terre, plus the northern arc of Sicily, I would say 2 days in Venice is at least one too many, do not waste a day going to Pisa, I would strongly advise the lakes instead of Milan, and reinvest the extra day or two in Rome. And I recommend getting to Sicily at some point.
 
thatguy2016 said:
Having been to all of those places, except Cinque Terre, plus the northern arc of Sicily, I would say 2 days in Venice is at least one too many, do not waste a day going to Pisa, I would strongly advise the lakes instead of Milan, and reinvest the extra day or two in Rome. And I recommend getting to Sicily at some point.
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This is good advice. And Cinque Terre is worth the trip.
 
I thiiink I'm prob gonna end up just using Bologna as a hub to reduce the amount of accomodation switching which I hate and explore that area more.
 
Does anyone know anything about how the regional train system functions in Italy? I am not talking about the bullets or semi modern ones that go between big and semi big towns but the ones that go to every town no matter the size. Are the old and not dependable or well maintained and always on time?
 
I've used the regional trains out of Florence and not had any problems.
 
deacondamo said:
How soon should I start to plan a trip to Spain for summer 2024?
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Wait till after June of this year. I will have better understanding of where I will be living by then.

(Kidding, but you have plenty of time, Spain is awesome and easy to get around)
 
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