So my wife and I are going to Italy on Sunday for 10 days. We start off in Rome, then up to Florence, and then Modena and then back down along the western coast. The second half of the trip isn't completely figured out yet, so that return back on the coast is up in the air in terms of which cities to stop in.

Any suggestions on things to see? The stop in Modena is my one requirement... It being the location of the Ferrari museum.

-Tony

I've only been to Sardenia so I'm not sure. If I was going I would want to see the Coloseum and the Trevi fountain.

Maybe have lunch with the Pope or something.

It's been a dream of mine to go to the Bianchi Factory to pickup a new bike then follow the Giro.

Think I might curse myself after a week of living like a hobo on a bike though.

Don't take any pictures of the undersides of any cars.

Beautiful country!

In Rome things that I would not miss:

Sistine Chapel and tour of Vatican City
Catacombs
Site of Circus Maximus
Ancient Rome Ruins
Coliseum


If you get a chance to go south to Sorento make sure you take a drive on the Almalfi Drive up the coast. Also if the weather is clam a trip to the Blue Grotto on the Island of Carpi is spectacular...and don't forget the ruins of Pompei.

I'm envious! You will have a great time...such a beautiful country with amazing history.

Sounds like a fun trip! Are you driving or going by train? I drove from Lucca over the mountains to Modena, incredible road. The Ferrari museum is nice but not as large as I had expected. I hear you can tour the Maserati factory if you make arrangements.

I hear following the DaVinci code path is a blast and fun and going to Umbria/Tuscany is nice.

When you are in Rome make sure you rent a Vespa or something similar - Make sure you rent one for you and one for your wife - at least a full day if not more...
I spent 17 days in Rome on a job, and have travelled all over the globe for work -
The day and a half on the Vespa was one of the most memorable in my life -

They are about $70 a day each -

one of my swedish friends lives in rom, need a place to stay for free?

If you get near Pompei do your self a favor and go to Herculanium instead, much better and more interesting...spend the $ to hire a student guide, they have keys to the "off limit areas" and new discoveries. If you can, don't miss Venice..especially at this time of year (less tourists) have a Peach Bellini, a gondola ride and take the vaporetto to the islands...especially Burano (the lace island) and eat at the restaurant Gato Negri (black cat) if you like fish order the risotto Goa (sp) it is the best food we had in Italy, including some spectacular stuff in a little town in Tuscany called Impruneta, it was about 4km from our villa and the porcini mushrooms and bistek toscano was amazing....eat whatever they recommend and drink the local wine and beer and you can't go too far wrong. The italians are the friendliest people I've ever encountered....they wanted to help when they didnt even understand what you needed.....fabulous place, I'm jealous. Jim

eat, eat, eat

Bear in mind that Italians eat late. Restaurants might not even be open until 8:00 or later. Also, don't expect to rush in, get your food, and rush out. They may only be expecting to seat one party per table each evening.

Drink the limoncello and the grappa. Stay away from Fernet Brancha.

I'm jealous also. I've only been over on business, and have never been able to explore the country.

If you like the night life - the spanish steps in Rome !
Lots of neat things in Rome - really enjoyed looking at all the ruins that were unearthed (ancient collesiums (sp?) and such) - No Rust !!
Too many weirdos in Naples !!

Milano. if your wife loves to shop, this town will break you. But talk about beautiful.

i lived in Napoli for 3 years. check out the Amalfi coast down south.

Florence is beautiful.

Italy also has the best pizza. It's not americanized.

its oven baked and is just awesome.

leave your passport in the hotel. it will be safe than in your person. also, don't flash your jewelery. DRESS DOWN. DONT WEAR "FANNY PACKS"....

now that i've scared you..... enjoy yourself and enjoy europe!

BTW, they serve beer in Mcdonalds...

When you are in Florence try to go check out some of the surrounding cities. Sienna (one of those cities) was really neat and I can't remember the name of the other one (which was even neater. It had a crazy torture museum and some of the best restuarants we ate at).

Make sure you go to the traw market in Florence at night, and be sure to drop a penny from the pigs nose into the grate (thats in the straw market). Its a very unique experience. Try to mb the stairs of the Duomo too, thats a really cool view. There are lots of good places to eat . . . try to stay off the main roads and eat at some of the troterias.

I second the Herculianium vote . . . but if you can't get a student, make sure you atleast get one of the mafia guides. Venice is also a must see . . . thats a really cool city at night too and the people there were some of the frindliest I met in Italy.

I really liked the town of Sorrento and I would highly recomend taking the fairy to the isle of Capri. It a really beautiful island with a really cool palace on the top of it.

As someone said, don't go to Naples. Its a really dangerous place. Watch out in Rome too, its quite a bit more modern than all of the other cities. Its a really nice place though.

I can't think of anything else right now, but have a great time. I went last year and I wish I could go again.

BTW: Sunset in Sorrento from a beach near the Hotel Aden and A shot from St. Peters.

if you're up north (Modena) you should also visit Milano and maybe the wonderful lake como (George Clooney has a big villa there)

Gustl

Cinque Terra is my favorite Italy destination. Stay in Santa Margherita and walk the 5 cities trail. Awesome!

When I was traveling abroad I spent most of my time in Italy. On the Med and in Roma specifically.

If you haven't seen "Under the Tuscan Sun"... or i think it was "Room with a View" go see them before you go.

The Italians are like no other.

I was on the Eurail and met a nice family going to the beach from Lodi, Italy to Nice (a friendly beach town) We chatted a bit in my very minimal Italian and had to excuse myself to hit the head.

When I returned we were just arriving in Nice. We parted and I immediatly went to the beach. When I looked in my day pack these people had taken one of their sandwhiches and a piece of fruit from their picnic basket and gave it to me. I was amazed that they would do such a nice thing.

I experienced the same thing in Roma on several occasions.

There's plenty of romantic places to rent right on the water. It'll cost you a bit bit it's well worth it.

Remember to specify you want a room with a bathroom. Douche is the work for bath or shower. =-)

We went hear in 1997 on the advice of a couple of Americans we met in Rome. Civita di Bagnoregio and it was one of the highlights of our trip. No cars or mopeds in the town. Only way to get to it if on a foot bridge. When we went, there was a restaurant run by Franco. We had dinner at his place, one of the best meals of the trip. He told us he had a couple of rooms to rent but we had already made plans to stay in a near by town. We both regretted not staying hear. We will be traveling back next year for our ten year anniversary and we will be making every attempt to stay hear if possible.

As for dinner 9am is not uncommon for restaurants to open. They only expect to seat one parts at a table in a night and you will most likely need to ask for the check as it is impolite for them to being it to you.

As previously stated, you should see lots of menus. AND lots of bottles of red wine.

Limoncello is sweet, but Grappa I can't recommend.

You may also wish to take a drive down Christopho Colombo to count the hookers one evening, our record was somewhere around 63 and there is no mistaking them.

The Borghese Gallery gets you some beautiful grounds and gardens as well as some incredible works of art. The sculpture of Napoleon's sister is incredible to see as are the paintings esp Carravaggio's.

Order something to eat with truffles in it...............awesome.

Have fun.

Wow, Tony ! I am so jealous. A Subie conversion that runs AND a trip to Italy.

I lived there for a couple of years in the early '90s. And I'd agree with most of what's been said so far. About crime, I'd say there's absolutely no reason to fear violence of any kind - Italians are lovers, not fighters. But petty theft, especially targeted at foreigners, is common. And little gangs of gypsie children are imported specifically for this purpose. I kept my wallet in my front pocket and was fine. For your wife, I'd recommend not carrying a purse, or at least not carrying anything valuable inside. But really, as long as you are a little careful and not clueless, you've got nothing to worry about. Naples is another story... (If you do go south, just pass it by and go to Sorrento. My GF and I rented Vespas and headed down the Amalfi Coast. Deadly but spectacular.)


Apart from all of the obvious stuff in Rome (which is well worth it) there's one quirky little spot in Rome I always like to show people. On Via Veneto, about a block south (?) from the US embassy is a little Capuchin church. (A church in Rome ? Go figure !) Skip the upstairs and head down. An extremely cheerless bearded man (they all look that way) will stare you down until you give a small donation, although entrance is free. And what you see is a series of small chapels (dioramas really) constructed entirely of human bones. Clavicle lampshades, mandible trim motifs, it's really bizarre. All to turn your mind away from worldly attachments. And you're welcome to purchase postcards afterwards.

I don't suppose heat will be an issue, but if Rome feels too crowded and noisy, and you want to stay somewhere nearby that's a little more relaxing, Frascati is a great little town. Good walking, good food, and noticably cooler in the summer. Also, it's famous for its white wine.

If you're looking for a quest, I recall a restaurant in Piazza Regina Margherita (not a place you would go as a Tourist -- I was looking for a locksmith) that was kind of like a Dim Sum, but the little carts they wheeled around from table to table were full of marinated seafood - mussels, clams, squid, octopus, and about 30 things I didn't recognize.

You might want to see if this has changed in the past decade, but when I was in Rome, it was common knowledge that nobody ever checked for tickets on the orange city busses. It was specifically not the bus driver's job. So you could just hop on one, go wherever, and hop on the same bus in the opposite direction later. Driving (and parking !) in Rome is not something people do for enjoyment. But late at night, well after dinner, it can be a blast.

One bizarre little thing you should do while walking around Rome. Especially on weekdays, parking is just insane. If you're walking down a street lined with shops and markets, etc., you'll see cars not merely double parked, but even triple-parked. Go up and casually look into a triple-parked BMW, Mercedes, etc., and you'll probably find that the keys are in the ignition. I refused to believe this was possible, but it is. Give it a try.


The restaurant service was the hardest thing most Americans had trouble adapting to. Dining in a restaurant is what you are doing for the evening. If you ask an American waiter to "please spill coffe in my lap and then jab a fork deep into my hand" it would cause the same shock and confusion that Italian waiters feel when foreigners want their meal to pass quickly. Give it up -- it ain't gonna happen. And when a sufficiently long time has passed and you really do need the check, you still have to call out for the waiter ("Senti !" = "Listen !") or they'll just let you sit and enjoy your table until closing time. Just keep reminding yourself - it's not rude, it's good service.

Another thing you'll have to just deal with is the chaos and unpredictability of everything. Your favorite museum is closed, the directions some kind old lady gave you were completely wrong, the railroads are on strike, the highway branches in three and there's no sign. As long as you don't insist on things working out smoothly, it's alll part of the charm.

As for drinking, wine is the way to go. It's not as pricey as it is here, but if you're hemhoraging too much cash you can just ask for a caraffe of wine, or "vino sfuso". And when you've stuffed yourself, the traditional end of a meal (after dessert and coffe) is amaro, which is a brown bitter liquer made from herbs. My favorite brand was "Amaro Sasso"; stay away from "Fernet Branca" - it's just nasty. I tried to like grappa, but never really succeeded - it's usually just raspy and expensive. Another after-dinner thing that you can try is "centerba" = "hundred herbs", a bright green fluid not entrirely unlike Nyquil. Maybe an acquired taste.

Foodwise, I can't think of anything I ever regretted ordering. Seafood is awesome, pasta & pizza, .. this is hard to write about without a serious rush of jealousy... A couple of nice appetizers when it's hot out : bruschetta al pomodoro is a hard, well-toasted bread rubbed with garlic and topped with chopped tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. Every place in Rome will have it. And Caprese, often served as an alternative to a main course, is slices of soft mozzarella interleaved with slices of tomatoes. And again, basil and olive oil. Sounds simple (and it is simple) but they always have fresh awesome ingredients.

Well, I better stop typing or you'll miss your flight. Have a blast. Come back fat.

I was a few times in Italy and I must say that the most beautifull town I have ever seen is Venezia !

In my opinion the most beautiful town in the world. No cars ! ... Lot of tourists of course, but they all are in one aeria. Take time and visit uncrowded streets in the morning or in the evening ... take a map and walk around ... it's magic.
All this town was built at the italian renaissance and has been preserved as it was 500 years ago...


Near from Venezia, you have Verona ... absolutelly wonderfull town.



Tuscany is very nice. Rent a fiat barchetta and drive in theese beautifull landscapes ...





Try to find a restaurant (tratoria) that will offer "antipasti"

I think Tony is looking to travel the west side of Italy so I did not comment to his post to date since so many have already made great recommendations.

I've visited Rome, Florence, Naples and the Cinqueterra area but nothing in the world compares to Venice; its the one city in Italy above the rest that I would re-visit in a heartbeat! A few years ago we took a drive from Munich to Venice through the Italian Alps stopping off near Bolzano; that was a great trip too.