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Annecy France and Italian Adriatic Coast

Hi all!

We are heading to Annecy, France for a week and then to the Adriatic side of Italy for 5 weeks. Planning to hit Ravenna and Sirolo. We will have a car. Any suggestions on lodging, food or other sights. Thanks!

Posted by
2281 posts

hey hey vango
when are you planning this trip? we are going to annecy, middle of September this year, for 6 days.
don’t know where you’re flying from, if it’s from USA/Canada make sure to get an IDP (coincides with drivers license) from AAA/CAA, drop off fees are $$$ from one country to another. read up on driving laws for different countries.
can’t wait for this trip, someplace we haven’t been, then back to Paris for 8 days. found our apartment on TA. took a lot of researching, what do you want hotel/apt, how many people, mobility issues, parking available, budget in euros. if interested I’ll send you some info I have. another poster here has a blog about annecy. can’t find site, hopefully he will reply. happy travels
aloha

Posted by
2047 posts

One book we looked at before our trip to the Adriatic Coast was Fred Plotkin’s Italy for The Gourmet Traveler. He pointed the way to may great towns. We found not all of his restaurant recommendations were still open or as good, but we still had starting points. Also, inland Le Marche has many small towns worth visiting.

Posted by
26833 posts

When are you going? Annecy can be quite hot in the summer, so air conditioned lodgings are recommended at that time of year.

Posted by
649 posts

Vango 2004 - Just drove the Adriatic coast last year. A couple of suggestions of coast as well as inland. Depending on where your start point is - I will head down the coast from Venice. We stopped in Padua which we had not been to before for 2 days, the on to Senigallia - lovely town with miles of beaches and a great historic district. We had been to Ravenna before but it is a stop for the mosaics that you should do. We next ventured inland to Ascoli Piceno (based on some good comments on this forum) but I would skip. There are multiple small towns and cities that may interest you but I would recommend Polignano a Mare south of Bari. Not much to see historically but high up on the cliff. A boat ride would be recommended to see it from the sea .Inland the town of Alberobello (Trulli houses) . A lovely city and easy to get around is Lecce in the south (in the heel of the boot). It is a great place to stay and drive down to Gallipoli as well as the drive around the heel up to Otranto.
One thing if you are going to be more inland from Alberobello is to go to Matera. It is now a UNESCO site but the history behind this town is fascinating. Please research this area you won't be sorry. Hope this helps a bit.

Posted by
18 posts

PrincessPurple Thanks for your reply. We are flying into Rome and making our way to Annecy by car on Aug 10 staying for a week and then returning to Italy for 5 weeks. We would appreciate any info you may have on Annecy. Thanks!

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18 posts

Becky... Thanks for the info we will check into it. Yes we will be in Le Marche for a few weeks. Hoping to hit the best areas if we can figure out what they are. Thanks.

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18 posts

Acraven. Thanks for the info. Yes, our apartment has a/c...thank goodness!

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18 posts

Shelly... Thanks for all the info! We will definitely look into your suggestions.

Posted by
4213 posts

There are actually more posts here that mention Marche here than I would have expected if you want to do a search, but these are the books I used:
Le Marche: an insider's guide Greene, Peter (also a website I believe)
The Marches: A Complete Guide to the Landscape and National Parks, and One Hundred Towns Including Urbino (Heritage Guides) Heritage Guides, Touring Club Italiano
Blue Guide The Marche & San Marino: 2nd edition (2nd Edition) (Blue Guides) Blue Guides Grady, Ellen, imusti
Umbria & the Marche Landscapes Series Landscapes, Sunflower Books

Posted by
1674 posts

The street market in Annecy old town is a step back in time for in this evocative setting there are real country people offering small volume products cheeses and vegetables and such that you'll never see in stores. We came back to Italy with so much reblochon that it took me 2 weeks of hard eating to finish it. Tues., Fri., and Sat. morning https://en.lac-annecy.com/event/1/115417-old-town-market.html
The lake boat tours are very pretty and a good way to rest your feet.