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Northern Italy suggestions...

kitchenknightkitchenknight 4,922 Posts
edited February 2009 in Strut Central
Wife and I are going to Italy next month... have a few days in Northern Italy between Florence and Rome to kill in the countryside.I'm a neophyte in the country, she's been a few times, but mostly south of Rome...SOO, Strut...WHAT'S HOOD IN NORTH ITALIA?

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  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    Wife and I are going to Italy next month... have a few days in Northern Italy between Florence and Rome to kill in the countryside.

    I'm a neophyte in the country, she's been a few times, but mostly south of Rome...SOO, Strut...

    WHAT'S HOOD IN NORTH ITALIA?

    Riomaggiore in the Cinque Terre. It's my favorite place in the world.





  • disco_chedisco_che 1,115 Posts
    Bergamo is worth a visit and Verona too, although the latter it's usually overcrowded with tourists. April could be still off-season. For Venice it might be too late.
  • ToccuDomuToccuDomu 225 Posts
    Are your days between Firenze and Rome going to be spent commuting between the two?

    South of Firenze on the way to Rome there are a ton of great little towns in Umbria & Tuscany; Arezzo, Siena, Cortona, Assisi,Orvietto, Perugia, Todi - all have their charms. I suppose it depends on what you'd like to do, though. If you're just looking for a roadtrip kind of thing, get a good map, take back roads, and stop everywhere. Umbrians are friendly as hell.
  • kitchenknightkitchenknight 4,922 Posts
    Bergamo is worth a visit and Verona too, although the latter it's usually overcrowded with tourists. April could be still off-season. For Venice it might be too late.

    We're starting in Venice, tourists be damned. Only major city in Italy wife has never been to, so we wanted somewhere that would be fresh to both of us.

    F*ck 'em and their cruise ships.
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Dude, Gareth... I was there on my Honeymoon in Oct... hit me up. I know the dealz.
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Siena is amazing. Montalcino, Montepulciano, ditto... We stayed near Pienza, and I think you should def look into the place we stayed. It was amazing. We also hung out in Rome for a few days...
  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    my girl and I spent 2 weeks there a couple years back...rented an apartment in Florence (on del corso, right around the block from the Duomo), which was more economical than one would think and used that as HQ as we travled around on day trips....cant cosign on Cinque Terra enough...a MUST, you will want to pack up and move there after 5 minutes of walking around...also the apt was nice as we would hit the market in the evening and pick out amazing stuff for dinner and fix it back at the apt, another money saver...lemons the size of softballs, the most perfect tomatoes in the world, salamis, hams, cheeses...oh yeah, a nice bottle of grappa is a must to finish off every dinner...I heart Italy
  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts
    rented an apartment in Florence (on del corso, right around the block from the Duomo), which was more economical than one would think

    Sayin'! Two bedrooms, living room, kitchen, bathroom, balcony = $100/night. At least it did in 1998. They were on the lira then. Kinda fun going to the ATM and taking out 100,000, which was something like $60.
  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    You been to the Lake Garda area? Very beautiful, kinda touristy but not overwhelming and you can walk along the edge of the lake going from town to town.
  • breaxjunkiebreaxjunkie 97 Posts
    Well, sicne i live in Italy I can suggest you some places to vist in Milan:

    MILANO CENTRO (downtown) is beautiful I suggest you to se

    1)the "Duomo" (the cathedral) there's a beautiful sight there and on the roof you can see a golden statue representing the virgin mary.

    2)"Via Monte Napoleone" a little street in down town where all the most famous fashion designers has their show rooms (Armani, Dior etc.)

    3)ARMANI Showroom (located in "via psioni 1" near via montenapoleone) the entire showroom is designed by the architect TADAO ANDO and in the same building there's NOBU
    a famous japenese restaurant. food is delicious but mind the prices!"

    4)TEATRO ARMANI (armani theatre) designed by T.Ando. wonderful place to vist. it is located in "via ambrogio da fossano begognone"

    5)"Corso Como" corso como is a street that has been recently dedicated to art and design. you can find art galleries, restaurants, booshops, record stores and stuff.


    I hope i have been helpfu.

    enjoy Milan!
  • tripledoubletripledouble 7,636 Posts
    no offense, but i would skip milan....especially the bus station.

    rome is a must see, and the advice of everyone else is very good. i am more familiar with emilia romagna,bologna and tuscany, though. some of the finest cuisines in italy.

    breaxjunkie: scusami amico, ma in confronto a gli altri posti, milano e un casino. io ci vado cuando devo vedere familia, ma non la trovo afascinante. pero si mangia bene di sicuro! se uno vuole andare negli negozi o inserirsi in alta moda, va be, ma negli miei ochi, meglio vedere campagna, e paesi piccoli.forse prossima volta che ci sono ci possiamo incontrare. pastafrolla e di milano, no? ho sentto che cia dischi a pallate.
  • cadeauxcadeaux 208 Posts
    Wife and I are going to Italy next month... have a few days in Northern Italy between Florence and Rome to kill in the countryside.

    I'm a neophyte in the country, she's been a few times, but mostly south of Rome...SOO, Strut...

    WHAT'S HOOD IN NORTH ITALIA?

    Riomaggiore in the Cinque Terre. It's my favorite place in the world.






    Ilove this Place, but tends to be a little crowded from May till October.
  • tripledoubletripledouble 7,636 Posts
    i dont know what shape its in after the big earthquake they had, but Assisi is a sight to behold
  • ToccuDomuToccuDomu 225 Posts



    Ilove this Place, but tends to be a little crowded from May till October.

    There is a rhyme in one of the local dialects of Cinque Terre that goes like this;

    Monterosso has a beautiful well
    Vernazza has a beautiful church
    Corniglia has a beautiful plaza
    Manarola has beautiful daughters
    Riomaggiore is a beautiful place to take a shit.

    An altogether different song has a refrain that goes "We have a dream in our hearts, to burn Riomaggiore to the ground."

    Take from that what you will.

    Kitchenknight, if you end up going to the Cinque Terre, let me know, I can help you out.
  • DB_CooperDB_Cooper Manhatin' 7,823 Posts



    Ilove this Place, but tends to be a little crowded from May till October.

    There is a rhyme in one of the local dialects of Cinque Terre that goes like this;

    Monterosso has a beautiful well
    Vernazza has a beautiful church
    Corniglia has a beautiful plaza
    Manarola has beautiful daughters
    Riomaggiore is a beautiful place to take a shit.

    An altogether different song has a refrain that goes "We have a dream in our hearts, to burn Riomaggiore to the ground."

    Take from that what you will.

    Kitchenknight, if you end up going to the Cinque Terre, let me know, I can help you out.

  • hogginthefogghogginthefogg 6,098 Posts
    If you have a little extra time when you're in Florence, do a daytrip to San Gimignano and Siena.

    San Gimignano was especially charming.

  • NateBizzoNateBizzo 2,328 Posts
    Cinque Terre as everybody has said, is a must. I've had some great times there.


    Sienna, as JP said, is also amazing. A great place to be based out of for day trips around area. We had some great bike trips out of Sienna and the food, wow.
  • tripledoubletripledouble 7,636 Posts
    best food
    tuscany, emilia romagna
  • cadeauxcadeaux 208 Posts
    And
    on walking on the roof of the dome in milan, especially after a good meal with some wine, hanging there a little dizzy while the sun shines.
    there is an awesome good restaurant in milans via de amici, ricght next to the tramstation, i lost their card.
    Porto Venere and Portofino are beautiful places, too. and while you??re in the tuscany area, check out the Therme de saturnia.
    Hanging out at Lago di Como is nice, better than Lago di Garda.
    And when rolling thru Turino, check the Ital Eatery.
    Try to stay over night in venice, the tourist will leave at six, then everything will calm down a bit.

    and, wherever you stop by in Italy, don??t hesitate to have at least three meals a day.
  • kitchenknightkitchenknight 4,922 Posts

    and, wherever you stop by in Italy, don??t hesitate to have at least three meals a day.

    Dog, we ain't never met, so trust me when I say...

    Eating will not be a problem.
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