Three weeks in Italy in August: where would you go?
July 30, 2015 2:08 PM Subscribe
I am taking an impromptu solo vacation in Italy, three weeks starting Sunday when I land in Milan from NYC. Help me plan a brilliant, immersive trip! Where would you go in my place?
Of the three weeks, I am reserving four or five days in Venice to do the Biennale. The rest is wide open. I will have a rental car when needed and take trains otherwise. I will stay at AirBnBs. I speak Italian pretty well. The cities I've been to before are Rome, Milan, Torino and Trieste, but never as a tourist. I would like to revisit Rome and Milan. I am interested in art and design. If I can throw in a few days of swimming somewhere lovely that would be amazing but not required. Recs for places to see, eat, mingle with the locals, dance, shop, all welcome.
Of the three weeks, I am reserving four or five days in Venice to do the Biennale. The rest is wide open. I will have a rental car when needed and take trains otherwise. I will stay at AirBnBs. I speak Italian pretty well. The cities I've been to before are Rome, Milan, Torino and Trieste, but never as a tourist. I would like to revisit Rome and Milan. I am interested in art and design. If I can throw in a few days of swimming somewhere lovely that would be amazing but not required. Recs for places to see, eat, mingle with the locals, dance, shop, all welcome.
2015 Biennale in Venice? That was also get you swimming off Lido.
posted by NoRelationToLea at 2:42 PM on July 30, 2015
posted by NoRelationToLea at 2:42 PM on July 30, 2015
There is a worldwide exhibition of design in Milan going on now called Milan 2015
posted by parmanparman at 2:45 PM on July 30, 2015
posted by parmanparman at 2:45 PM on July 30, 2015
Il Palio happens in Siena on August 16th. My wife and I were there for it a few years back. It's busy, but a cool thing to be a part of.
posted by bajema at 3:09 PM on July 30, 2015
posted by bajema at 3:09 PM on July 30, 2015
We had an amazing air bnb on the lido for our bienniale trip. Swam every morning and loved the short commute by water.
Milan expo (The giant food thing) was not valga la pena imo, but the art show (at the triennale space downtown?) that's connected was.
posted by Mngo at 3:15 PM on July 30, 2015
Milan expo (The giant food thing) was not valga la pena imo, but the art show (at the triennale space downtown?) that's connected was.
posted by Mngo at 3:15 PM on July 30, 2015
Milan->Bergamo->Verona->Vicenza->Venice->Ravenna->Sansepulcro->Perugia->Spoleto->Orvieto->San Quirico d'Orcia/Pienza->Siena->Lucca->Lerici/Cinque Terre->Genoa->Milan
I admit, this is way too many stops for 3 weeks, especially if you will spend 5 days in Venice, and it doesn't get you to Rome...although thats not far from Orvieto, so continuing south is easy.
I love Amalfi, but its another 3+ hours south of Rome...not so convenient if you are flying into and out of Milan, unless you really like driving in Italy (which I do!) or will hop a short flight to Naples.
It could be really hot. If you don't like that, keep heading north. Como, Aosta, north of Venice into the Veneto and beyond, Trieste....
You could also skim the eastern coast: Rimini, Ancona, San Benedetto del Tronto, Ascoli Piceno and then across Gran Sasso to Rome.
posted by jindc at 6:14 PM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
I admit, this is way too many stops for 3 weeks, especially if you will spend 5 days in Venice, and it doesn't get you to Rome...although thats not far from Orvieto, so continuing south is easy.
I love Amalfi, but its another 3+ hours south of Rome...not so convenient if you are flying into and out of Milan, unless you really like driving in Italy (which I do!) or will hop a short flight to Naples.
It could be really hot. If you don't like that, keep heading north. Como, Aosta, north of Venice into the Veneto and beyond, Trieste....
You could also skim the eastern coast: Rimini, Ancona, San Benedetto del Tronto, Ascoli Piceno and then across Gran Sasso to Rome.
posted by jindc at 6:14 PM on July 30, 2015 [1 favorite]
I guess i should admit that I'm a sucker for hill towns. You could drop a bunch of those from that itinerary, if you are less enamored with them...
posted by jindc at 6:15 PM on July 30, 2015
posted by jindc at 6:15 PM on July 30, 2015
Orvieto is wonderful, especially if you're heading on to Rome. Spend a leisurely day wandering the town; take in the cathedral (with Signorelli's Last Judgment) and the view of the hills. Local specialties include wild boar and delicious white wine; it's a great place for a slow afternoon lunch. Like other smaller hill towns, it's a wonderful way to balance out busier touristy travels in places like Florence and Rome.
I would try to give yourself 4-5 days in Rome. Walk everywhere as much as you can. Do the major touristy things: the Pantheon (go at different times of day, including early morning, to see the changing light), the Vatican (give yourself lots of time), the Forum, the Coliseum, and the Capitoline Museum. Spend an afternoon hanging around the Spanish Steps, and visit the tiny Keats museum where he spent the end of his life. Go to the Villa Borghese and the Ara Pacis. Get coffee from Sant'Eustachio and gelato from Il Gelato di San Crispino and fresh panini from the Forno in the Campo d' Fiori. Go into lots of churches: St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. John the Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore, St. Peters, Il Gesu, San Luigi, Sant'Agostino, Sant'Andrea al Quirinale, and San Carlino. Have lots of long late dinners at local places. Visit the National Roman Museum, and especially spend time at the Palazzo Massimo, which has some of the best examples of Roman wall painting.
If you're looking for things to read as you travel, I think Ross King writes very compelling books that place specific pieces of art in historical context for Rome, Florence, and Milan.
posted by earth by april at 6:49 PM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
I would try to give yourself 4-5 days in Rome. Walk everywhere as much as you can. Do the major touristy things: the Pantheon (go at different times of day, including early morning, to see the changing light), the Vatican (give yourself lots of time), the Forum, the Coliseum, and the Capitoline Museum. Spend an afternoon hanging around the Spanish Steps, and visit the tiny Keats museum where he spent the end of his life. Go to the Villa Borghese and the Ara Pacis. Get coffee from Sant'Eustachio and gelato from Il Gelato di San Crispino and fresh panini from the Forno in the Campo d' Fiori. Go into lots of churches: St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. John the Lateran, Santa Maria Maggiore, St. Peters, Il Gesu, San Luigi, Sant'Agostino, Sant'Andrea al Quirinale, and San Carlino. Have lots of long late dinners at local places. Visit the National Roman Museum, and especially spend time at the Palazzo Massimo, which has some of the best examples of Roman wall painting.
If you're looking for things to read as you travel, I think Ross King writes very compelling books that place specific pieces of art in historical context for Rome, Florence, and Milan.
posted by earth by april at 6:49 PM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
I loved Monterosso al Mare (so much so that I didn't even make it to the other Cinque Terre towns). It's six hours from Venice by train, with a stopover in Milan. The swimming is great, especially on the private beaches. My favorite was the one furthest east, in the "new town" near Il Gigante. There are quite a few good places to eat; I particularly liked La Cantina Di Miky and the pizzaria on Via Molinelli, just past the bridge. There are some seriously overpriced restaurants in the "old town", but Rick Steves' guides have some good recommendations. I don't know if you already have your return ticket, but the closest airports are Pisa and Genoa.
posted by neushoorn at 10:31 PM on July 30, 2015
posted by neushoorn at 10:31 PM on July 30, 2015
Amalfi and specifically Sorrento, is not far from Rome by train (transfer in Naples to the Circumvesuviana) and would be perfect for swimming. You can see Mount Vesuvius from most of the Bay of Naples and Capri is not far away.
posted by soelo at 7:14 AM on July 31, 2015
posted by soelo at 7:14 AM on July 31, 2015
Response by poster: Fantastic suggestions, and so many places I have never even heard of, thanks so much.
posted by Dragonness at 1:37 PM on July 31, 2015
posted by Dragonness at 1:37 PM on July 31, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by poffin boffin at 2:37 PM on July 30, 2015