We will be taking the bus from Rome to the Adriatic coast, and need to be in Ancona 3 days later for ferry to Croatia. Looking for someplace to stay & explore on the coast, not looking for high tourist, prefer more local vibe. Any ideas of places to stay?? Thanks
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Will you have a car? A friend of mine wrote an article for the NYT about Le Marche, the region in Italy you're talking about. Check it out: Le Marche
Posted by
OP
Fairfield, CA, USA
7 posts
Thanks Michael for responding.. Yes we will have a car for all travel in Croatia, I'll check out the article..
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10720 posts
Are you planning on renting the car in Italy and returning it in Croatia?
Posted by
Sacramento, California U.S.A.
10720 posts
Are you picking up your car in Italy? I ask because there is a hefty surcharge to rent a car in one country and return it to another.
Posted by
OP
Fairfield, CA, USA
7 posts
Car rental only in Croatia, no crossing boarders with the car..
Posted by
Vancouver, BC, Canada
175 posts
It may be very difficult to find a little untouristed town with a good vibe on this coast. We drove from Umbria through le Marche and up to Ravenna last month and the whole coastline seemed to be one long overbuilt beach resort; very Italian and very congested. IMO, it would be almost impossible to find a haven on this route esp. if travelling by bus. We stayed in Cesenatico and after the initial shock of seeing the thousands of beach umbrellas and the many many tacky tourist shops, we actually didn't mind the town at all - it might be the best of the line-up; I'd certainly stay away from Rimini if you want peace and quiet, lol! Of course, if you leave the coast and go inland there are some lovely little villages like St. Leo - but how you get there by bus is the problem. You may have to give in and become an Italian beach-goer for the
few days...
Posted by
Centennial, CO, US
2191 posts
Instead of going all the way to the coast, consider stopping along the way for a night or two in Matera. From there, you can easily catch a bus to Bari, and then a train to Ancona. We haven't been there yet (will be in October) but Matera looks amazing and well worth a visit.
Posted by
Vancouver, BC, Canada
175 posts
...that's good advice! Matera is the most amazing place
I've ever seen - absolutely unique and haunting.
Posted by
Boise, ID, USA
2333 posts
I certainly agree that Matera is worth visiting, but it's WAY out of the way between Rome and Ancona. You might look at Ascoli Piceno. It's about 20 miles inland, so not "on" the coast but, as another poster suggested, that might be good! There are direct buses to Ascoli Piceno from Rome and good connections from there to Ancona. Pesaro also might be worth a look. It has an historical old town as well as the beach scene.