Where to go in Italy?

Question

have the opportunity to go for two months. I am 18...I love the beach,shopping, meeting new people, and cities big enough to have something to do during the day/night. I don't speak Italian, but can understand a little. What city should I go to? Milan, Rome, Turino, Sicily, Florence, Sardinia??? Other cities?

Answer 1

Source for the following information is given:
Rome- (Roma): the capital, both of Italy and of the ancient Roman empire; centre of the Roman Catholic Church (the Vatican)

Milan - (Milano) - shares with Paris the title of fashion capital of the world
Florence - (Firenze): History, art, architecture. Uffizi gallery, David of Michelangelo Buonarroti
Venice - (Venezia): History, art. Saint Mark's Piazza. The city is built on a lagoon, filled with canals, with no roads for cars. Very poetic and romantic
Naples - (Napoli) with its famouse gulf and Vesuvius volcano, including Herculaneum and Pompeii
Genoa - (Genova) a vibrant and historical port city, birth place of Columbus
Bologna - (Bologna): A major trade fair city.
Palermo - capital of Sicily
Siena - a mediaeval town in southern Tuscany
Verona - a restored Roman coliseum is the stage for modern opera productions
Turin - (Torino): The first capital of modern Italy. Host of the 2006 Winter Olympics
Bari - the "Milan of the South," gate to the East
Bozen - (Bolzano): The capital of the most german-speaking region and home of the Iceman
Brescia - a vibrating financial and commercial centre, not far from Lago di Garda
Padua (Padova) - Home of Saint Anthony's cathedral and the second oldest University in the World.
Pesaro - the city of Rossini
Pisa - location of the famous Leaning Tower
Ravenna - also known as the "Capital of Mosaics."
Rimini - in summer the best place to join young style of life, discotheques and sea.
Trento - world-famous skiing centre
Trieste - 100 years of italian history in the city centre
[edit]Other destinations
Capri and Ischia - the famed islands in the Bay of Naples
Cinque Terre - five tiny, scenic, towns strung along the steep vineyard-laced coast of Liguria
Vatican City - the independent city-state and seat of the Pope, head of the Roman Catholic Church
Montevarchi - small town in Tuscany where the Prada outlet is located.
Monza - Hosts the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Imola - Hosts the Formula 1 Grand Prix of San Marino, also important for its ceramics
Vinci - home of the great Leonardo Da Vinci where there is a museum dedicated in his honor
Volterra - small Tuscan town with Eutruscian artifacts and the best olives ever tasted.

The climate of the costal regions is a typical Mediterranean climate with mild winters and generally hot and dry summers.

Italy and the large islands of Sicily and Sardinia have very changeable weather in autumn, winter, and spring in marked contrast to the settled sunny weather of summer. Disturbed weather can continue into late May and may commence any time after early September. Throughout the winter, however, cloudy rainy days alternate with spells of mild, sunny weather.

The least number of rainy days and the highest number of hours of sunshine occur in the extreme south of the mainland and in Sicily and Sardinia. Here sunshine averages from four to five hours a day in winter and up to ten or eleven hours in summer.

Generally, the hottest month is July (where temperatures can reach 32°C/34°C); the coldest month is January; the wettest month is November, with an average rainfall of 129mm; while the driest month is July, with an average rainfall of 15mm.

VR

Answer 2

My wife is from Catania, Sicily and I also got married there (I am English myself) and very FEW peopel speak English in Sicily, and as a young lady travelling I would NOT recommend it. Getting around is not easy in Sicily because the transportation is very poor. The beaches are excellent and the food excellent, but yu would find it very very tough. You should be real careful if you go to Sicily. The area where the youth hostel is is not the best also.
I woudl be much more inclined to recommend the Northern parts of Italy i.e. Rome or Florence etc. Staying in a good youth hostel in one of the big cities such as Rome, you will meet many other backpackers and meet peopel easily. Rome will also have more nightclubs etc than somewhere such as Sicily and its far easier to get about. You would love Rome I am sure. If you are flexible, I woudl also recommend Barcelona, Spain. 1 month Rome and Florence, then 1 month Barcelona.

Answer 3

I personally have been to Pisa, Venice, Florence, and Rome. Venice is definitely worth seeing. It's like nothing else, however, after one full day, I was ready for my next destination. Not a place I could live. I can say the same for Pisa. Rome is full of history, however, after I saw all the historical places, the Colosseum, The Vatican, and so on, I again was ready to go. Florence, on the other hand, was absolutely fabulous. I could definitely see myself living there for two months. The cafes, the bars, the shopping, the local nightlife, and there were even some man made beaches set up there too. It was gorgeous! So yeah, I would look into Florence. Here's the link to my web shots if you want a visual. To save time, Italy is towards the end of the "My Contiki Album" (http://community.webshots.com/user/novosel7 ) Whatever you decide or wherever you end up, remember one thing...Gelato! Good luck.

Answer 4

Italy is very beautiful. And there are many reasons. In no other country you can go for a hike in the Apennini mountains in the morning, and take a dip in the mediterranian in the evening. You can go skiing in the Alps or hiking in the beautiful forests. Nature has given much to that country. It also has a culture to be envied. Almost every city has something beautiful to see, from churches to mosaics to fountains and statues. Rome is one big museum, you can't walk down the street without seeing roman fountains, gorgeous statues or a beautiful church. And the same goes for many, many cities. On top of that the people are very warm and friendly. It varies from south to north, of course, but most everyone you find will be welcoming. And the cuisine! In the south you'll find the most seafood you've probably ever eaten. Ever had spaghetti and octopus? In the north there will be lots of meat, mushrooms, and more different types of pasta you ever imagined existed. And anywhere you go, the best pizza and ice cream in the world! I absolutely love Italy, and if possible, anyone should visit at least once in their lifetime.

Answer 5

Ok take it from someone who has spend 2-3 months there every year since birth...If your a beach person like me I would highly recommend southern Italy....Calabria (Tropea...Breathtaking) Napoli (Amalfi coast, Positano, Ravello) Isle of Capri & Ischia (easily accesible from Napoli or Calabria) and then there is Bella Sicilia (obviously Taormina is the place to go, climb Mt. Etna, its spectacular....(bring a jacket it gets cold on top of a volcano, even though its 90 on the beach... The thing about Sardinia is that is very rarely traveled by Americans...I speak Italian fluently and I have friends/family who live in Italy and that is where they holiday...but if you do go, you will never wanna return, it is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth (i.e. porto Cervo costa smeralda (the emerald coast) ....Great shoopping (prada, gucci..etc).....Save Roma, florence and tuscany for the end...yes they are all beautiful, but southern Italy is the place to be....ooo and BTW, Itlalian men/women are GORGEOUS!!!!

Answer 6

Sicily is a beautiful place to go - I'm a bit biased becasue my dad is from there , but it's gorgeous . Its not very cheap (!) but in comparison to the big cities like Milan and Rome its a bargain . Below I've listed its official site , which is very helpful . If I were you I would stay a week , and then another week at the end of your holiday in Palermo ( the capital ) exploring. There are lots of monuments and old buildings - check out its history ! I'm not sure whether you can rent motorbikes in Palermo , but if you can and you know how to ride ( of course ! ) I would definitely recommend it. And go on the bus to Mondello for a day, the beach where the locals go . Then I would go on a road trip of sorts (see if you can get a cheap car to last the rest of your trip but in Palermo a car is absolutely pointless , congestion you see) and dedicate four or five weeks to checking out some states : try going east to Messina, and from there catching a ferry to the Eolie Islands. You can get cheap or expensive packages : one company is listed below. Spend about a week and a half relaxing there , island-hopping. But don't do too many if you get seasick easily. Then go back the long way : through Catania , where you must visit Etna . Pack some heavy clothing because its freezing all year round ! Head down to Syracuse after because its beautiful and cheap , but with lots of tourists .Spend another week there. Then go back through a sliver of Catania at a leisurely pace until you get to Caltanisseta. See an old castle or two , spend the night there and leave early to get to Agrigento. Once in Agrigento , drive around for four days ,seeing various monuments etc etc. Then move on to Trapani to catch a ferry to the Egadi Isles ( Favignana in particular is beautiful , spend a day driving around and stopping at all the beaches that you pass ) or to Ustica . You might not like Ustica as much though, it is a very tranquil and serene place with , however , nothing much to do excapt relaaaaaaaax. You can even go to Tunisia if you really want ,but I wouldn't recommend it - the amount of planning needed stresses out even the locals , and it can be really overpriced. Anyway , the list of ferry sites is below. After that go back to Plaermo again and keep your car for a few more nights to go shake your booty at Il Moro , one of the hippest and at the same time most beautiful places. Francesco is the owners son , if you want to do some name-dropping ;-)
Certain things I would recommend in Palermo : *Shopping in the Via Roma . If you come mid-August-y , outrageous sales are on . Go for a day to Bagheria if you can , where there are shops and just about nothing else.
* Going to the beach at least once . As said above .
* Checking out all the gorgeous ice-cream gelaterie !
*Teatro Massimo - there is an inexpensive tour which letd you see the inside and explains it. There is English , Spanish and Italian tours. Don't touch anything unless they say you can !!
*Take a day trip to Cefalu , Isole delle Femmine and/or Monreale. Especially Monreale. ( links below)
*Be there in time for the Santa Rosalia festival.

Now to leave Sicily the easiest option is to take a flight Palermo-Rome , Palermo - Milan or Palermo - London. Beware :Easyjet flights are often the cheapest but are prone to be cancelled an hour before !!

Answer 7

Why not the Amalfi Coast? Did you see the movie "Only You" or Under the Tuscan Sun" they both have parts filmed in Positano. Take a look at www.exploring-the-amalfi-coast.com and see all the great things you can do there. It also has a learn italian page and recipe page.

Enjoy your trip - no matter where in Italy you go.

Lucy

Answer 8

Rome the big city in Italy, good food, heritage museums, night life, near the sea, a lot's of shops, nice markets, very friendly people.

Answer 9

Florence, Milan, and Rome

Answer 10

definately Rome, go into the Coloseum, its amazing! I'd also go to Venice, its slowly sinking and you might only get this one chance to go there. Florence is beautiful too! See as much as you can, but those were my 3 favourites! Have a safe trip hun!