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A different coastal destination? Beyond CT and Amalfi?

Posted by (Phoenix, Arizona) on

We will be in Italy in June 2017. To give you context. I am travelling with two teenagers who do love history and enjoy art, but who do not want to spend 20+ days in museums and churches. We fly into Naples and out of Milan (already purchased). We have 25 nights, at least 3-4 of which will be devoted to Switzerland or the Dolomites before we depart from Milan. The tentative plan is to go: Naples/Sorrento, Rome, Florence/Tuscany, CT- if included, Bologna (for car museums), Venice, Switzerland, Milan.

Pompeii, Pisa and the Lamborghini museum near Bologna are must see requests by the teens. We plan to mostly travel by public transport, but are not opposed to renting a car once we are beyond Rome and returning it before we visit Venice.

I am really torn on staying in Sorrento to visit the Amalfi coast or visiting Cinque Terre. I am not sure we want to do both. Our itinerary is already ambitious. I have read through some of the many previous posts in which the virtues of each are discussed which led me to the question: Is there some other coastal area we should consider that would be within our geographic realm? Or, are these two areas really "must-sees"? Beach time is not a requirement, but a nice option.

What other places on the coast have people visited? I would love you hear your experiences and recommendations. I thank you in advance for your comments.

Posted by
11851 posts

Having been to both and given that Pompeii is a must, I would recommend going to Sorrento and make it your base for Naples (day trip), Pompeii, and the Amalfi Coast. 4 nights should cover it nicely. The Cinque Terre are lovely, however terribly crowded. If you want a little coastal exposure, you might go to the Lido, the beach area outside of Venice for a day or half day, or you could take 2 nights north of Roma at Porto Santo Stefano, a pretty town with Isola di Giglio just offshore. But you have a lot on your itinerary already even with 25 nights, so maybe just skip the CT and PSS.

I would encourage you to spend at least 4 nights in either Switzerland or the Dolomites. It will be a refreshing change for you. The Dolomites are more affordable....

Posted by
219 posts

Thank you, Laurel, I always appreciate your insight and expertise. I know you are right about 4 nights in Switzerland/Dolomites and am working hard to make that happen.

Posted by
7054 posts

Ischia and Capri are both (island) alternatives...Capri is more upscale but still lovely to hike on. I don't think you need to do both Amalfi and CT (or either), they are not the same but still can serve as substitutes.

Posted by
16235 posts

Not sure where you plan to stay in the Gulf of Naples area (Sorrento is a good choice if you rely on public transport) but that area offers a lot of "seaside" options: Amalfi Coast, Capri, Ischia, Procida (the last 3 are islands). A bit further north there are also the Ponziane islands that are nice, Ponza in particular. I would increase your number of nights in Sorrento.

As you go north, if you don't want to go as far as the Cinque Terre, you might consider the seaside resort town of Viareggio, just north of Pisa. Your teens will definitely enjoy that area of the Tuscan coast called Versilia (lots of nightlife too). You could actually use Viareggio as a base to visit Pisa, Lucca, Carrara Marble caves, and the Cinque Terre. I used to spend my summers in that area (in Forte dei Marmi, north of Viareggio) and from there to the Cinque Terre was less than an hour, we used to go all the time with our motorbikes. The beach south of Viareggio, along the pine forest, is great and not crowded at all in June. Do a Google Image search for Viareggio, and take a look. Given your desires, and the fact you have youngsters with you, I'd spend at least 3 nights in Viareggio.

Posted by
3 posts

I just went to Cinqueterre and it has totally changed since I was there in 2007. There are so many tour groups, mostly Asian, that it's hard to even make your way through the streets of Riomaggiore and Vernazza. The trails are a constant stream of people going both ways. And this was October 11-13. I imagine the summers are incredibly packed. If you go to CT, I'd go to Portevenere or some surrounding towns that are away from the 5 town beaten track. I'm going to put in a pitch for the Dolomites. The peaks are really scenic and the people in the towns are extremely friendly and helpful. It was definitely less expensive than Switzerland.

Posted by
16235 posts

I'm also going to suggest the Dolomites over Switzerland, simply based on cost and the fact that Switzerland would be a major detour in your overall itinerary. The lakes would also be a nice '.beach' opportunity for your kids. Lake Garda has some great spots.
Before flying home from Milan, if you depart from Malpensa airport, you might consider 3 nights on Lake Maggiore. Stresa is only about 50 minutes from the airport.

Posted by
219 posts

Excellent suggestions. Thank you. I love all the points of view on this forum. James, I love the out of the box suggestion! I will check it out.

Agnes, Roberto, and Hegywt, I appreciate the additional insight and info. I am feeling better about maybe skipping CT. We are actually flying out of Linate as we are going through London on our way home. I will definitely check out Viareggio and will be sure to give the Dolomites a close look. I have found many recommending time there over Switzerland.

I welcome any additional comments. Thanks!

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