the big three are the must – rome, florence and venice. i recommend you go there during the off season coz’ it’s a lot enjoyable when you don’t need to elbow thousands of tourists. i visited venice once around x’mas and it’s hauntingly beautiful.

i also like amalfi coast, verona (romeo and juliet) sienna and orvieto. the stone city matera to the SE is prety interesting too.

if you want some true experience of Italy, head to Silicy. and the sicilian food is amazing. i would say silicy is the highlight during my 3 months in italy.

Wow, I didn’t expect such a response. I put in a quesion on the Russia page, and I only got one comment. I am impressed, and thank you for all of your input. I welcome any more ideas. I am close to just going now and not worrying about waiting for my honeymoon. Thanks aagain you guys.
Kris

If you love architecture, try going to the Brion-Vega Family Cemetery, designed by Carlo Scarpa in the early 1970s. It is in a village in the northern part of Italy: San Vito d’Altivole. I have never been to it, but wish I could go. It looks amazing! You could go to it on the way to Venice. I stayed at Ca’ Foscari in Venice. It was a b & b-type place run by a mom and pop. This was way back in 1995, though. It was a lovely place to stay at the time. Can’t remember where I stayed in Florence, Rome or Verona. Try an opera in Verona’s huge, 2,000-year-old ampitheatre! Of course, you will see so many wonderful things in Rome, Florence, and wherever else you may go. Yes, take advantage of the gelato. YUM!

Well, I have lived in Italy for half a year and it was simply wonderful.. I lived in Genoa, which is a beautiful city and there are no tourists, so I loved it! Liguria is definitely worth to visit, the Cinque Terre is a must.

I suggest you to go to Rome, it is an amazing city. I went there 3 years ago and 2 weeks were not enough to see everything. I always travelled alone, so I don’t know what’s the best place for a honeymoon.

If you ever have the chance to visit Genoa, the hometown of Christopher Columbus, make sure not to miss this little kitchen where the locals gather. It’s called Trattoria da Maria. I was taken there by a friend of mind,
Ophelia, who was working at the studio of the internationally-famed Italian architect Renzo Piano. In April, please try the fresh, sweet, raw fava beans. Savory seafood dishes, such as the stockfish with potato are not to be missed.

My one week in northern Italy, the region called Liguria, started out as a Spring Break/culinary school research project would not be possible without a great host/guide, my friend Ophelia. The memories will last a lifetime.

These days, back in my hometown of Beaumont, Texas, riding around town on my Italian-made Aprilia scooter with a smile, I am constantly reminded of my trip to Italy and how much it has changed my life, especially in the ways I approach cooking and food.

Recommended things to do in Liguria: hike the Cinque Terre in spring. Recommended reading: “Sprezzatura” by Peter D’Epiro and Mary D. Pinkowish.

Good luck, Enjoy Italy, Stay safe,

I am so jealous;)

sushiman007

Another good book about Italy—“Extra Virgin” by Annie Hawes. It’s a culturally revealing story about two British women who ended up buying an olive grove in Liguria.

I agree with the person above who said go to Rome, Florence, and Venice. I would add Milan to that as well. In Florence, you could spend hours and hours in the Ufizzi galleries, and in Milan, the Villa Borghese. In Venice, besides the big places, there’s the Peggy Guggenheim collection of modern art. Amazing.

Here’s a REALLY important thing to remember, and to accept and enjoy. The Italians practice siesta. Lunch is eaten at noon or one, then EVERYTHING shuts down for the afternoon. You cannot get an ice cream at 3 o’clock. You cannot shop, or eat, or anything, so don’t even try. (Except at the busy tourist stops. And the big museums are open etc.) You can get a coffee and snack around 4 or 5 p.m. when shops start opening again. But don’t even think about eating dinner before 7 p.m. Even at that hour, you may be the only person in the restaurant. Eight, nine or even ten are the dining hours.

Go to Italy soon by yourself, then again for your honeymoon!

Wow! Florence vs. Rome. That’s a tough one. For anyone to argue Florence beats Rome in terms of art and architecture, they clearly haven’t spent time in Rome. Yes, Florence does have David, but Rome (the Vatican) has La Pieta. And, for that matter, Milan has the Last Supper… If you want to see art in Italy, you can land pretty much anywhere and throw a stone and you will hit something breathtaking.

In addition to La Pieta, Rome also has Michelangelo’s Moses (the church where it is located is kind of out of the way), the Sistine Chapel, and also a very neat little museum up on the hill by the forum that has some amazing sculpture from ancient Rome and from the Etruscans that you absolutely must not miss. It also has quirky little “art” projects such as the incredibly elaborate church a bunch of Franciscan monks decorated with the bones of their dead brothers and a few Barbieri princesses thrown in for good measure. If you want to see art in Italy, make up your mind that this is going to involve LOTS of church-going because that is primarily where the art is located—it was commissioned by popes and prelates and is displayed in cathedrals, chapels, basilicas, and sanctuaries throughout the city.

The architecture in both Florence and Rome is awesome, but I am partial to Rome. And, of course, if you are looking for ancient, Rome is a better bet. There is more architecture from ancient Rome there, in addition to architecture from the Renaissance. Florence felt more like a Renaissance-forward city (although the duomo with the dome by Brunelleschi is a must-see), but Rome feels more like ancient-Rome-forward city. It not only has architecture by Michelangelo and the best of the Renaissance designers, but also things like the forums, the colosseum, etc. In addition, it is a short train ride from Pompeii.

I tend to get fed up with Rick Steves, who seems very pleased with himself all the time and who, by the way, thinks the best gelato in Italy is in Orvieto, which it is not.

I would recommend, if you go to Rome, find an out-of-the-way apartment in which to stay. We stayed in an apartment that was very affordable in the San Lorenzo district. The entire city was very accessible from there by subway or bus. Don’t worry about the recent story about the subway crash in Rome; that sort of thing is very rare. The nice thing about San Lorenzo is that it is a neighborhood and the prices are very reasonable, especially compared to the areas with which tourists are more familiar. For example, gelato in San Lorenzo is about 1.5 euros as opposed to 3 in the areas more typically frequented by tourists. If you do some research, you can find some reasonable accomodations on the web.

The best place would have to be the Sistine Chapel! The walls and ceiling paintings are great! Also, you should visit St. Mark’s square in Venice!!!!!!!! The facade of the Church is elaborate! You should also try riding the gondola along the Doge’s palace. It’s very romantic. If you could watch how Italians make a Murano Glass that would be also worth your time. Aside from the Vatican City and Venice, Rome, of course, is the best city I’ve been! The architecture and sculptures are breath-taking! You should try going to Rome on off-peak season because the city is crowded! Another tip that I would like to give you is buy a map and try to familiarize yourself because Italians hardly speak English. So,don’t ever leave your hotel without a map.

Thanks you guys. I have enough info to go to Italy a thousand times now. I can’t wait. Now I gotta snag someone to share the honeymoon with. Or, just go with friends. Who cares. I want to go there so much more now than I ever did before.