Travel & Holidays Favourite places in Italy

Don't even think about it... you wont make it back to Australia

 

It cant be perfect, but hey as long as you don't plan to swim in it you all good to go

I guess I also don't like Venice as they absolutely rip off tourists. I only went there twice to visit my uncle... the buzzards... watch out the Italians are good at this one

Sewage disposal - Venipedia

 

Some towns are worse than others. My father lives in a small town of Sicily called Fiumefreddo and they have really small side walks on tiny cobble streets. When they walk their dogs like great danes, they leave large grenade poop bombs on the sidewalk that you have to dodge while keeping an eye on the cars that erratically speed up these little laneways of streets.

You have other towns nearby like Linguaglossa at the bottom of Mt Etna that are sparkling clean and that sort of thing is frowned upon there, they sort of accommodate for tourists a lot more as it's the route that takes you to the top of Mt Etna.

They actually filmed a few scenes of the movie 'The God Father' in Fiumefreddo, the house still stands where they decapitated his head. If you pay the local guides enough they might take you in there. The furniture in some of the old places is just so beautiful and artistic that you just want to take all home with you.

 

Love this......cold river. ... never heard of this town

Really want to get to Sicily, not sure we will get there this time

 

Most people go to Malta and spend a few weeks there then go across to Sicily.

I'll find some photo's for you when I can, Taormina that over looks the ocean, is built on the side of a mountain and is absolutely stunning, above that you have Castelamola that's just as good. At the bottom of Taormina you have a sea side village with coffee shops that's called Mazzaro, it reminds me a bit of Manaco but a lot smaller.

 

Bit of trivia .....
Taormina thats where Waterhouses go on holiday and to wed

 

It seems to attract a lot of the rich and famous, like actors and models, there's quite a few boutique shops. Converting to Euro from the Ausie dollar is just a killer for me.

 

thanks @Luca for the tip, partner very excited about this one, I never thought about this... Ferrari museum

Ferrari Museum in Maranello

We were going to hire a car, but friends have advised of another option, book accommodation close to rail, we were concerned about carting around luggage. So simple....
Perhaps hire a car on day trips where there is less congestion smaller villages/towns.??

MTR

 

Way to go, @MTR

 

Thanks. Pretty excited, not seen my relatives for about 20 years now, why did I do this?? Anyway about time.

I think Pavarotti comes from this region/area... there may be other stuff to look at.

 

You are heading over there for a specific reason and then doing the addons which is grand. You should be excited.

We've decided for a portion of our trip to base ourselves in Florence for a while and do trips out of there, ie one day in Florence, one day out concept. Easier than carting out luggage around each day. Got a rail pass in order to get from place to place as we've included seven major towns in our itinerary.

 

Florence is very nice, should go to Luca.

I think Florence is where they speak the proper Italian?? Perhaps someone can confirm this.

 

@MTR Even if you use the train I still suggest to travel with a small luggage. Hiring a car is not a bad idea, I always prefer this option as you have more freedom.

While you are around Modena you can also book in a visit to understand the process to do the authentic ACETO DI MODENA. See here for example:
Acetaia Rossi Barattini - Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP - home
30 years old, I think Euro 100 per bottle, soo sweet you can use it even on the ice cream.

What`s about a stop in Parma where they produce Prosciutto and formaggio Parmiggiano Reggiano?
Parmigiano Reggiano & Prosciutto di Parma Tour, Parma - Our Italian Journey

(note the links are just examples).

Plenty of options in Italy, depends what you want to do, food, beach life, history and so on...

 

Currently been in Florence for a couple of days now after catching the train down from Venice.
Doing a day trip out of the City every second day.
Leaving in a few days, travelling down to stay in Sorrento next.

 

Spent a nice day today along the Amalfi coast, both on land & on the water. Nice part of the World.

 

Spectacular

 

I'll be in the amalfi on Thursday, can't wait!!

 

Ok, let let anyone tell you should drive hire vehicle the way to go...

 

Italy is a delightful place although the press of tourists, even though it was in the shoulder season, is astounding.

Quite funny in Venice when it was hit with a high tide. Not many places in the world where the foyer of your hotel is flooded as an accepted event and you stroll around on temporary boardwalks.

Lake Como is stunning as is Tuscany and the Cinque Terre. Hit a couple of restaurants which probably are not on the tourist agenda where the cost was about 120 Euros but by heck were they worth it!

Went to many towns; Siena, Volterra, Arezzo, Greve, Lucca to name a few. Where it was practical, since we used major towns as a base, we used local transport such as the bus and it was great fun. On a spur of the moment we hired a car/driver for a day but not through local operators which wanted to charge between 350 - 450 Euros. Able to jag one using an Australia site which cost us a total of $AU300 and was a good deal.

Probably will never eat Prosciutto in Australia again. It pales in comparison which that we ate in Italy.