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Where in Italy

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  • 08-03-2018 2:44pm
    #1
    noble00
    Registered Users Posts: 273 ✭✭


    Hi would love some help with deciding where to visit in Italy not really into staying in Rome , driving won't be an option for me , I also have teens .I would love somewhere that we can maybe do day trips or just things to do in that area not really into sunbathing,I don't really like the real tourist areas , my head is going to explode trying to decide , thanks so much in advance


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    #2
    naughtysmurf
    Registered Users Posts: 3,243 ✭✭✭naughtysmurf


    I'm not being funny but why are you picking Italy as a destination?


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    #3
    stimpson
    Registered Users Posts: 7,815 ✭✭✭stimpson


    You want to do day trips but you don’t like touristy areas? If you mean you don’t like Spanish Costa type holidays, then Italy really isn’t like that for the most part.

    We did Lake Garda last year with the kids. Plenty to do (although we did have a car) and the food was great. Gardaland is a good theme park if your kids are into that. We hired a boat for the day which was fantastic fun. There are also organised boat tours.

    Many moons ago I did Rome and Sorrento. Sorrento and the Amalfi coast are gorgeous and I’d happily go back. May not be enough to keep teens interested though.


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    #4
    Richard Hillman
    Registered Users Posts: 12,033 ✭✭✭✭Richard Hillman


    Treviso. Very close to Venice. A reasonable drive or train to Trieste, Verona, Padua, Trento, Lake Garda. Lovely town too, not that many migrants hanging around, very relaxed, lots of eateries and bars. Ryanair have a direct flight from Dublin. Prosecco country.


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    #5
    noble00
    Registered Users Posts: 273 ✭✭noble00


    Thanks for the advice I think I'll have a look at Venice , I don't mind some tourist areas just don't like the usual places like Spain or Tenerife, no particular reason for picking I just really love the country and the food is fab , thanks again


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    #6
    lawred2
    Registered Users Posts: 24,293 ✭✭✭✭lawred2


    noble00 wrote: »
    Thanks for the advice I think I'll have a look at Venice , I don't mind some tourist areas just don't like the usual places like Spain or Tenerife, no particular reason for picking I just really love the country and the food is fab , thanks again

    Venice is as touristy as it gets.

    Verona is a much better choice. You could easily day trip to Venice from there.

    But honestly I couldn't countenance visiting Italy without driving.


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    #7
    lawred2
    Registered Users Posts: 24,293 ✭✭✭✭lawred2


    stimpson wrote: »
    You want to do day trips but you don’t like touristy areas? If you mean you don’t like Spanish Costa type holidays, then Italy really isn’t like that for the most part.

    We did Lake Garda last year with the kids. Plenty to do (although we did have a car) and the food was great. Gardaland is a good theme park if your kids are into that. We hired a boat for the day which was fantastic fun. There are also organised boat tours.

    Many moons ago I did Rome and Sorrento. Sorrento and the Amalfi coast are gorgeous and I’d happily go back. May not be enough to keep teens interested though.

    We got married in Positano. Heaven.

    Lake Garda is beautiful.


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    #8
    noble00
    Registered Users Posts: 273 ✭✭noble00


    I have been to Italy a couple of times but that was without my children I just wanted to visit a different part of Italy and just want to get to visit and do as much as I can while there , you can easily do Italy without a car it probably would be easier but the roads are crazy over there , I don't see why not to pick Italy surely not everyone that goes to Italy drive, just looking for others experience that's it, again I don't mind tourist areas just don't like the usual holiday spots thanks


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    #9
    Hitman3000
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,596 ✭✭✭Hitman3000


    Family and I stayed in Verona last year. Great base for getting to Lake Garda and Venice. Hired a car but the motorways are good and driving out there is not bad at all. If you are prepared to spend some time behind the wheel there is great places to see off the beaten track.

    Edit
    Apologies just reread your OP again, a stay at lake Garda would be your best bet. Plenty for the teens to do and near lots of public transport. We stayed there a few times. Used campsites and they are brilliant.


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    #10
    tedpan
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 4,627 Mod ✭✭✭✭tedpan


    Florence is lovely. We stayed in a place nearby called Fiesole, unbelievably beautiful place.


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    #11
    noble00
    Registered Users Posts: 273 ✭✭noble00


    Thanks everyone I'm going to look up the places mentioned


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    #12
    munchkin_utd
    Registered Users Posts: 7,847 ✭✭✭munchkin_utd


    I missed the thing with the teens, so I'd throw in Venosta Valley north of Lake Garda into the mix too.
    Similar to the greenways in Ireland now, they are pushing the whole idea of trips on the bike, so you can get a bus or train up the valley, and then hire bikes and cycle back towards the main towns and drop the bike wherever it suits you .
    That area is class (i.e. the mountains towering over the valley are more than 1000m higher than the valley, often like a sheer cliff) and is well set up for tourism but still is far from overran with tourists.
    You could make your base in Meran (a spa town) or Bozen/ Bolzano (biggest city north of Verona, right on the motorway and main rail line between Germany and Verona) or just find a self catering somewhere picturesque.
    Bozen is a funny place too, as it is a centurys old mix of Italian and Austrian influences, so you'll get the best of italian food but at the same time other places serve alpine food like Schnitzels, some places will have Italian coffee and others the best of vienna coffees.


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    #13
    noble00
    Registered Users Posts: 273 ✭✭noble00


    Some great places mentioned thanks for the advice just need to make a decision now :)


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    #14
    VG31
    Registered Users Posts: 3,407 ✭✭✭VG31


    munchkin_utd wrote: »
    You could make your base in Meran (a spa town) or Bozen/ Bolzano (biggest city north of Verona, right on the motorway and main rail line between Germany and Verona) or just find a self catering somewhere picturesque.
    Bozen is a funny place too, as it is a centurys old mix of Italian and Austrian influences, so you'll get the best of italian food but at the same time other places serve alpine food like Schnitzels, some places will have Italian coffee and others the best of vienna coffees.

    I'm going to the South Tyrol this summer. We won't be hiring a car and the public transport seems very extensive. If you stay in certain towns (including Brixen and Sterzing) you get free public transport in the region for the duration of your stay. It looks like the South Tyrol gets very little English speaking tourists. On TripAdvisor there's some places with ~500 reviews and as little as 10 to 20 are in English! This is one of the reasons I picked the area as it seems to be more off the beaten track.
    The only slight problem is getting to the South Tyrol. If you stay in the Southern area, Verona's the closest airport. Aer Lingus flights to Verona are ridiculously expensive however. We are flying into Innsbruck with Lufthansa/Austrian which was much cheaper and is also nearer to where we are staying.


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    #15
    noble00
    Registered Users Posts: 273 ✭✭noble00


    Thanks everyone for taken the time to reply this information will definitely help when deciding where to go


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    #16
    david75
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 7,611 ✭✭✭david75


    Florence is brilliant and a stunning town in Tuscany called Lucca is well worth a visit.


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    #17
    dartboardio
    Registered Users Posts: 2,436 ✭✭✭dartboardio


    Hi guys sorry for hijacking, know this is ages ago now but would appreciate some advise

    Myself and boyfriend have never been to Italy, don't drive, but will be visiting lake garda this Summer (Peschiera) for a week

    where would be best to travel on from Peschiera ? like Venice maybe? to stay another week?

    We will be happy to use the train, or fly from Verona, whichever is cheapest!

    Something within 3/4 h distance would be perfect..thaanks


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    #18
    stimpson
    Registered Users Posts: 7,815 ✭✭✭stimpson


    Venice is only a couple of hours drive. And driving in the North of Italy is fine if you have your wits about you. There is a train that runs south of the lake and will bring you there too.


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    #19
    Ludo
    Registered Users Posts: 5,015 ✭✭✭Ludo


    We did Peschiera for a week a couple of years ago. Then got the train from Peschiera to Rome. 4 hours in total including change in Verona. About 100 euro for 4 of us (2 adults, 2 kids). Stayed in Rome for 4 days. Absolutely brilliant even though we had been there a few times before and the kids, 10 at the time, loved it.

    We are actually going back to Peschiera this year for a week and will only do a day trip to Venice by train. Not botheed about staying there so going to go on to Bergamo for few days after that and fly home from there. Prob not enough to do there for more than a weekend though so that suits us this year.


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    #20
    Tenzor07
    Registered Users Posts: 8,579 ✭✭✭Tenzor07


    Aerlingus fly direct to Sardinia from April, amazing place, not super touristy, lots of little towns to see, boat trips to Corsica and La Maddalena, cheaper than the mainland....


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    #21
    munchkin_utd
    Registered Users Posts: 7,847 ✭✭✭munchkin_utd


    Ludo wrote: »
    <snip>

    We are actually going back to Peschiera this year for a week and will only do a day trip to Venice by train. Not botheed about staying there so going to go on to Bergamo for few days after that and fly home from there. Prob not enough to do there for more than a weekend though so that suits us this year.
    just about Venice, its supposed to be heaving when the cruise ships are in but we went there for a day last summer when there was no ship in port (you can look that up online) and it was grand - as in massively quieter than a busy day on Shop St in Galway or Grafton st in Dublin. The main squares and alleys were grand, go anyway off the beaten track and it was deserted. Even the Rialto bridge was fairly quiet and this in mid August.


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    #22
    dartboardio
    Registered Users Posts: 2,436 ✭✭✭dartboardio


    Ludo wrote: »
    We did Peschiera for a week a couple of years ago. Then got the train from Peschiera to Rome. 4 hours in total including change in Verona. About 100 euro for 4 of us (2 adults, 2 kids). Stayed in Rome for 4 days. Absolutely brilliant even though we had been there a few times before and the kids, 10 at the time, loved it.

    We are actually going back to Peschiera this year for a week and will only do a day trip to Venice by train. Not botheed about staying there so going to go on to Bergamo for few days after that and fly home from there. Prob not enough to do there for more than a weekend though so that suits us this year.

    Hey, what would Peschiera be like for a week ? It's just ourselves, no kids. We don't drive either..

    Would we be bored there for an entire week? or is it a big enough area with lots of places to explore? As i said we don't drive so we won't be able to go to neighbouring areas...

    Never been to italy at all, so struggling to decide!

    Would we be better to do Rome--Florence--Bologna--Venice?

    Or Rome--Florence--Verona--Lake Garda(Peschiera)


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    #23
    munchkin_utd
    Registered Users Posts: 7,847 ✭✭✭munchkin_utd


    dartboardio wrote: »
    Hey, what would Peschiera be like for a week ? It's just ourselves, no kids. We don't drive either..
    as for the town, its not massive, not all that much to see but plenty of restaurants which is all you probably need as a tourist. Theres grocery shops slightly out of the centre should you be self catering.

    its by lake garda so you can take a boat or bus to any of the towns and villages there, or hire a speedboat and drive away yourself. Theres markets in various places on different days if youre into that sort of stuff

    You can hire a bike and cycle down the river Mincio to Borghetto which is a nice wee afternoon out and about.

    its also on the rail line between Milan and Verona (and beyond to venice) so should you want to get out of dodge then you can.

    North of Lake Garda is another whole area there to explore (Dolomites, Trento, Bolzano, the various mountain valleys- all VERY well connected by rail to Verona) but you probably have enough nearer to Peschiera to keep you busy for the 7 days.


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    #24
    Ludo
    Registered Users Posts: 5,015 ✭✭✭Ludo


    dartboardio wrote: »
    Hey, what would Peschiera be like for a week ? It's just ourselves, no kids. We don't drive either..

    Would we be bored there for an entire week? or is it a big enough area with lots of places to explore? As i said we don't drive so we won't be able to go to neighbouring areas...

    Never been to italy at all, so struggling to decide!

    Would we be better to do Rome--Florence--Bologna--Venice?

    Or Rome--Florence--Verona--Lake Garda(Peschiera)

    The town itself is pretty small as someone above said, but plenty of places to visit in the area by train for day trips. Verona, Venice, Milan, Bergamo, Florence all within day trip distance.

    Years ago, before we had kids, we did Rome for 5 days, Florence for 3 and then Desenzano (also on Lake Garda) for a week. But we got bored after 5 days days and just moved on to Milan for the final 2 days which was where we were flying home from anyway so it suited. It was fantastic. All by train also which is really the easiest way to get around that area.


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    #25
    dartboardio
    Registered Users Posts: 2,436 ✭✭✭dartboardio


    Ludo wrote: »
    The town itself is pretty small as someone above said, but plenty of places to visit in the area by train for day trips. Verona, Venice, Milan, Bergamo, Florence all within day trip distance.

    Years ago, before we had kids, we did Rome for 5 days, Florence for 3 and then Desenzano (also on Lake Garda) for a week. But we got bored after 5 days days and just moved on to Milan for the final 2 days which was where we were flying home from anyway so it suited. It was fantastic. All by train also which is really the easiest way to get around that area.

    Thank you! Yeah I think I'm gonna go with the bigger towns and city options. With no car I don't think we would appreciate lake garda as much.

    Were gonna head to Rome for a few days then Florence. Bologna etc.


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    #26
    CelticRambler
    Registered Users Posts: 6,720 ✭✭✭CelticRambler


    No-one ever seems to mention the Aosta Valley. Probably because, at first glance, it looks too hard to get to without your own vehicle. But it's well worth the effort. From Dublin, it's not really that hard - fly to Bergamo (also worth a visit in its own right) and Flixbus direct from the airport to Aosta. Great non-touristy part of the country, surrounded on three sides by high-but-walkable mountains; and the city itself has everything typically Italian - Roman ruins, highly decorated churches, ice-cream, local wines/cheese/meat ... and a great (trad) music&dance festival in late August (with tourist excursions laid on for those who want extra added value) (18-22nd August this year, 2020)


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    #27
    Ludo
    Registered Users Posts: 5,015 ✭✭✭Ludo


    Uh oh ...That area of Italy suddenly looking a lot less appealing :eek:

    https://www.breakingnews.ie/world/italys-second-coronavirus-death-sparks-fears-as-cordons-put-in-place-983359.html


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    #28
    CBear1993
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,397 ✭✭✭CBear1993


    Tenzor07 wrote: »
    Aerlingus fly direct to Sardinia from April, amazing place, not super touristy, lots of little towns to see, boat trips to Corsica and La Maddalena, cheaper than the mainland....

    Thanks for this info!! Just checked and it starts 24 May 2020, wanted to go in april but ill just wait!


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    #29
    Tenzor07
    Registered Users Posts: 8,579 ✭✭✭Tenzor07


    CBear1993 wrote: »
    Thanks for this info!! Just checked and it starts 24 May 2020, wanted to go in april but ill just wait!

    You can still go, just have to fly DUB - Bergamo - Alghero

    Just rent a car from the airport...


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    #30
    dartboardio
    Registered Users Posts: 2,436 ✭✭✭dartboardio


    Would ye need to stay in Florence for 3nights or should I add a night to Rome /bologna instead?


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