Ciao Italia!

[BriarRose0708]

My mom, sister and I are planning our once-in-a-lifetime girls only vacation to London and Italy this coming July 2016! My sis and I have done London before and we are only going to be there from a Friday to Sunday so we know which highlights to hit to show our mom, and we are getting tickets to the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child plays!!!

Where we need help is Italy. My sister has been to Venice before but that's all. We are planning on spending Sunday to the following Saturday in the middle of the country using Rome as our home base. Our mom's side of the family hails from Ancona, a fishing port on the Adriatic about a 90 minute train ride north of Rome, and we will stay there for one night before making our way back to Rome. We know Rome is huge and exhausting and we'd like to hit the highlights there but also do some non-touristy things in some of the villages or nearby countryside. We feel a bit out of our element and we have an informative travel book to start with but I am wondering if there are resources out there that people have used? We aren't completely interested in a tour group because we want to set our own itinerary and my sister speaks fluent Italian, but anything as far as where to stay for a moderate price in and around Rome, transportation systems, and of course the food and wine!

Grazie!

[MNNHFLTX]

I went to Italy for almost a month with some friends just after I graduated from high school--too long ago to be helpful as far current hotels, transportation, etc. But I do remember that two of my favorite places were Assisi and the Amalfi Coast. Assisi was a beautiful town sitting on the side of a hill with an amazing basilica containing religious artifacts. I remember going to a monastery there, but can't remember the name; I'm assuming it must have been associated with St. Francis of Assisi. It was just such a pretty village.

The Amalfi Coast has spectacular scenery with the mountains, cliffs, towns and beaches. We did day trips to both Capri and Ischia. So beautiful!! We took a bus from Rome to Naples, where we stayed for four days. I remember the bus trip along the sides of the cliffs, with crazy drivers trying to pass each other and feeling like the bus was going to topple over the edge as it took the curves at what felt like break-neck speed. Lol! Obviously the trip there was a major part of the experience!

Hopefully I will get to go back to Italy in the next few years. I am so jealous of you, Nikki!

[NJGIRL]

Rome had so many cool places. I wouldn't do a general tour either. We were in Rome for 5 days (our whole trip was two weeks) and did the open bus tour one day for an overview but we had a much better time on our own....Loved Trevi Fountain. It was very cool. Do tours at individual attractions because they are much more in depth. The Colosseum was amazing. They offer a guided tour..take it, there is a lot of information the tour guide gives you that you wouldn't get just walking around on your own. The Vatican..take the tour of the gardens there. It is a behind the scenes that you can't see on your own and they are just beautiful. The most impressive thing that we visited was a little church called the Basilica San Clemente. It is off the radar but you have to make time to see it. It was a hidden gem....and bring a small flashlight with you.