As RS alumni ( 7 tours under our belt ), we are now looking to tour areas in Italy not yet traveled between the dates of March 8th until March 29, 2018. With our past RS tours in Italy ( Heart of Italy, 21 Day Best of Europe, Best of Southern Italy and Sicily), we have not had the opportunity to travel the regions above Rome. We will be flying in to Rome but plan to immediately take a train to one of the cities we want to visit. Prefer to not rent a car so we will be relying on the train system as our method of transportation. Our thought is to select 3 cities as a home base for day tripping.
It will be chilly but we could not pass up a fantastic airfare deal ! Please provide any itinerary suggestions regarding the "home base " city selection or areas to visit. Also, we are playing with the idea of Rapallo as one of our home base options. Would definitely love feedback on Rapallo.
Tess
Posted by
11205 posts
Bologna, Florence, Turin, Verona
Choose Santa Margherita Ligure or Portovenere over Rapallo
Posted by
Abruzzo Mountains
1038 posts
I second Turin. It's a fantastic and walkable city in its own right, fantastic food and museums. Two don't-miss day trips:
-To Avigliana to see the Sacra San Michele, a pilgrimage abbey since A.D. 1000 carved out of rock on a mountaintop. It's the "provincial symbol" of Piedmont and very worthwhile. 20 minute train ride from Turin, then a taxi to the top. Avigliana is a great small town, more medieval than Renaissance, with wonderful views and great restaurants. In March, you could be the only tourists there. It was sparsely populated even in July last year.
-To the Langhe wine region for a tour up hill, down dale, to vineyards or regional wine cantine. Absolutely gorgeous small towns and countryside.
If Turin makes your itinerary, post again for more details. Highly recommended. And as a second base, I firmly believe you have to see Florence.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15597 posts
Bologna is a very good base for day trips because it's a rail hub, attractive historic center, great food.
On your way back to Rome consider spending 2 nights in Assisi, then 2 or 3 in Orvieto. They aren't really suitable for day trips without a car, but are worth the trouble to change hotels.
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8498 posts
why not fly to Milan instead of Rome?
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16894 posts
FYI, both Trenitalia and Italo have high-speed trains that run directly between Torino and Bologna, with stops at both of Torino's "main" stations. Hotel Torino Centro near Porta Susa station worked well for my family, but you may have different preferences.
I liked staying in Rapallo, which included a day of late-October storm-watching from a comfortable room at Residence El Convento with supplies from the excellent cheese shop on the main shopping street. Rapallo is a larger city than Santa Margherita, but their waterfronts and architecture felt almost identical, to me. In winter, beaches don't look like much, as storms can wash down a huge amount of debris from streams.