Best Place To Relax

What time of year (generally) are you considering traveling? High summer, fall, early summer, spring?

We're hoping for end of May/beginning of June.. but obviously it's a wait and see :)

If you will have a car, outside of Sienna might be nice. The views are beautiful and it could offer short day or 1/2 day trips to the smaller hill towns in Tuscany.

Here are a few initial thoughts:

I was going to suggest Turin for a few days and then travel to the small villages in the Piedmont wine region but I see that Ryanair doesn't fly to Turin from Dublin.

As of now, Ryanair does fly nonstop to Bologna (from Dublin). Bologna is a great smaller city and there are many day trips that you can take from there depending on what your interests are. The restaurants there are wonderful!

I loved visiting Lecce and the Puglia region is great to explore but my first choice would be Bologna for many day trip options and ease of transportation.

Look at The Dolomites . Easy to reach from either Milan or Venice . The South Tyrolean Alps are stunning . and you can consider spots like Bolzano , Ritten , and Ortisei . Have a look here - https://youtu.be/gegTMCqF-M0

We love the lakes in northern Italy for relaxing, especially Lake Como. We love promenade strolling, patio dining, ferry meanderings, etc.

I’d love to do the Dolomites! It’s actually on our list of someday places, but I’m guessing flying into Venice would be the easiest? My problem is how to fly into Venice without wanting to stay there (I know it’s not everyone’s favorite but we love it). Our friends aren’t very active, so I’m not sure the walks/hiking would be for them :(

I also considered the lakes (Como/Garda) but wasn’t sure if it’s our style.. we aren’t fussy and don’t want to spend a ton of money.

We’ve done Siena/Tuscany and that region a few times and hubby doesn’t have an interest in returning this time around.

I’ll have to look more into Bologna.. we’ve had that area on our list as well. Any good agriturismos in that area?

I always travel in late May and it is not terribly crowded--but then I am usually going to smaller places. Outside of Venice, Rome, and Florence, plus Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast (where it is possible to beat the crowds), I don't think crowds will be a huge consideration.
You can of course fly into Venice and leave--no problem there! But I think the big hurdle first will be determining how to match the wishes of both couples. My immediate thought was also Puglia, so I would check the flights again. Perhaps let us know the other flight options. Ancona might be an option and I really loved the Marche region--very low key. How about Sicily? Yes you would have to be selective but you have to do that anywhere really.

It looks like the flight options to Bari are all 6+ hours with the best being an AirFrance with a 2 hour layover in CDG (doable but yuck). I really hate to waste a whole day flying.

How bad would Amalfi be if we stayed in Salerno/Vietri with just one or two trips to the towns? One of our group has high anxiety around crowds and couldn’t do a crowded bus.

I agree, I would definitely maximize time and choose the quickest, most direct flight.
There is always the option of ferry between Salerno and the AC towns. The towns at the mainland end are not so crowded, like Cetara, which has ferry service. We mostly hiked, so it largely depends on the day trips that are desired. I felt Pompeii was worth crowds, but I did not do a day trip to Capri for example. Paestum was a wonderful day trip.
Just a bit further south, the Cilento area is also nice. Pretty hill towns, gorgeous coast, etc. You would want a car, but you would not have to worry about crowds!

We definitely would like to see Pompeii again and we haven’t seen Herculaneum or the National museum in Naples. We’d love to see Paestum but not sure if we’d have the time.

Are the ferries less crowded or can you book a seat? That might be a better option.

Sounds like Vietri or Salerno would be great--I don't think ferries would need to be prebooked in May, but you will hopefully get more feedback from others on that aspect. I know they have to be less crowded than the buses (and maybe both will be less crowded next year, as I expect it to take a while for pre-covid levels to return).
If you have six nights, you could see Herculaneum and Naples on one day (or split it if you find more in Naples to see--it certainly has a lot), a day for Pompeii, a day for Amalfi/Ravello, and a day for Positano. And if it works out, Paestum is not a full day. You would still have time for Salerno or Vietri and just relaxing, as a ferry ride is somewhat relaxing in itself. If any of those don't appeal, a day hiking would be lovely at that time of year. You could even set out separately if you wish to hike and they wish to ferry, and meet up somewhere to ride back together. I found hiking along the coast a major highlight as you can tell, good luck!

Lucca.
A simply lovely small town, with way less tourists than others, and on the train line from Florence.
Some nice restaurants, plenty great walks, opera every night, and easy to get to smaller towns nearby.

Are you prepared to rent a car? You'd really want to do that for Puglia with this group.

Next year might be a good opportunity to see a less-crowded Amalfi Coast.

My first thought was Lake Como, but depending on your precise timing I guess it might still be cool/wet up there, though the temperature might be glorious, especially late in the month. But May is the wettest month, with an average of 8" of rain and 13 rainy days. June is quite a bit warmer but only a bit less wet.

We’re fine with renting.. we’ve driven Italy a few times so no worries there (we actually love driving in Italy except Rome lol). Our friends were hoping to avoid having a car since we’ll be driving around Ireland. I guess I’ll present the options everyone has mentioned and let them decide! They’ve never been to Europe before and we want them to love it as much as we do. This is the first year in 13 that we haven’t been on the continent and the withdrawals are serious :)

I would consider Santa Margherita Ligure, near Portofino and quick striking distance of Cinque Terre.

It's a 2-hour train ride from Milano, so it doesn't check the near large city box, but it is a fantastic area.

Are the ferries less crowded or can you book a seat? That might be a
better option.

Jennifer, your issue is that there's no estimation about crowd levels in late spring/early summer 2021. Hard to tell what a post-COVID spring season might look like. Ferries from Salerno to some locations in the A.C. can be very time-consuming (Capri) or not be possible at all (Positano) if weather doesn't cooperate.

You also haven't been specific about the sort of activities you and your husband want to enjoy that your traveling partners do not, or what your traveling partners DO want to enjoy. Your title states "Best places to RELAX" but it sounds like the two couples are at odds there. That's a recipe for trouble if they are not OK with you two heading off on your own and they are not prepared to do much beyond hang out at the hotel and end up bored with that. What if some of those days aren't dry and sunny? What if they are not prepared to do the reading up on how to get around, are not OK with trying to do that themselves, and are relying on you two to play Tour Guide for interests/activity levels which are very different from your own?

Have you and your friends ever traveled together before?

We have travelled together and we get along great so it works well. They are both laid back and the way we make it work is that we each come up with ideas on what we want to see, plan the itinerary and have the “rule” that either can opt out or do their own thing. They both are fine with hanging at the hotel and relaxing if they aren’t up to the activity. The reason I mention relaxing is that she has health issues that sometimes prevent her from participating so I’m looking for a place that will allow her to relax and hang out (with the option of going out if she wants/needs to) while having enough for all of us to do things.

Hubby & I like to hike, see historical sites, churches, some museums (but we get burnt out on those easily, esp art museums), good food, love to find local breweries and wineries, take cooking classes and food tours. We are the couple that leave the hotel at 7 am and come back at 10 pm having walked 10+ miles (if we don’t have a car).

As much as I would love to see the AC again, I think the crowds will be overwhelming for them. We might just talk them into getting a car and finding a lovely Agriturismo close to a medium sized town (Assisi, etc)..

To continue Kathy questions, why do your friends want to visit Italy? What are they looking forward to seeing or doing?

We are the couple that leave the hotel at 7 am and come back at 10 pm
having walked 10+ miles

HA! You travel like my husband and I do except that we haven't wanted to drive abroad. Have you looked at the Lake Como area? Lovely Varenna is a fave amongst RS travelers (been through it to ferry some of the lake but haven't stayed there yet), and there are any number of day trips around the lake by ferry or by train to other areas to keep you busy. Or not, if you want to just kick back a bit. Easy access by train from Milan: fly into Malpensa, train to Milano Centrale and change trains to Varenna Esino.

Bergamo is just one of the great day trips you can easily do. Take a look at Medieval Città Alta (upper Bergamo)? Terrific views from there, and even further above at the ruins of San Vigilio Castle. Don't drive: take a train into town and city bus and/or funiculars to the upper reaches. We spent 4 nights there (day tripped to Lake Como) and loved it!

https://www.visitbergamo.net/en/

We're still wondering how your traveling companions want to spend their time?

We have traveled all over Italy and found both the Piedmont and Umbria to be less crowded than many other areas. Rent a car in those regions.

I second the recommendation for Lucca - one of our favorites in Tuscany. Riding a bike or just strolling along the ancient walls is one of life’s great pleasures. It’s an easy, short train ride to Florence or Pisa for a day trip.
If your intention is to just chill out to the max consider Montecatini Terme for a few days... on the same rail line as Florence/Lucca/Pisa. Famous for the Belle Époque elegance of it’s magnificent spas, it truly is the place where stress goes to die.

We travel to take in historical places, art, culture and scenic places. You can relax at home.

A great place to stay and use as a base is Florence. The city is not huge like Rome or complicated with canals like Venice and you can do trips from there.

If you insist on a country atmosphere, consider a smaller town like Siena, Lucca, Perugia or Assisi.

There have been quite a few good recommendations so far but let me add one....

Sicily.

I agree with your husband's idea of Puglia. I was there last May and it was not very crowded. Lecce is wonderful and a good base but also look at Polignano a Mare, Gallipoli and Otranto.

Just as a reminder, the OP had said.....

We’ve done Siena/Tuscany and that region a few times and hubby doesn’t
have an interest in returning this time around.

They've also been to Florence, Venice, Rome, Naples, Orvieto, Assisi, and are looking for something "that we haven't done already."

What about Vicenza? Too big?

Puglia is a great idea --- Lecce or perhaps a rented trullo or a B&B out in the country. Can you fly into Brindisi's airport? We did that from Rome.

My other immediate thought, although the town itself is lacking in the kind of views I think you mean, is Treviso in the Veneto. Small, wonderful, walkable town with good food, many pedestrian-only streets, canals and little bridges, interesting art in churches and museums, porticoes, and lots of the buildings are decorated with old frescoes on the outside. Medieval city walls you can walk on the top of. Parking for cars outside the walls. In the week we were staying there (in a very nice two-bedroom Airbnb apartment in a medieval building), there happened to be an antiques street market and some kind of evening outdoor-eating festival on the island fish market. Plenty of small interesting shops, if you like shopping more than we do. Very untouristed by non-Italians. No crowds of any kind. Be sure to stay in the oldest part of the town. I believe there is a shuttle to and from the Venice airport.

With a car, you can get to wine country and the mountains. By train you can easily get to Padova, Vicenza, Verona, Venice, and many other places. Having previously stayed in Venice twice for a week each time, we did not feel the need to fight through the masses of people there in September, but we did take the train to Venice and ride on the Grand Canal just for fun and reminiscence, and to check out Chioggia.

When we traveled in Italy several years ago our adult daughter was ill for most of the trip and couldn't take part in activities. Thank goodness we were booked into hotels with air conditioning (in late June) so she could rest comfortably during the day. As she started feeling better she appreciated quiet gardens where she could stroll and sit, and street side tables in cafes where she could appreciate the vibrant life of the city but not exert herself. For example she enjoyed the beautiful and typically Italian Pitti Palace gardens in Florence. Our hotel was just steps away from it. We also stayed in a country inn in the Dolomites which was great for her because at that point all she really needed was rest but if she'd felt sort of OK I think the greater variety of low-exertion activities in a city would have suited her better, particularly in terms of feeling like she had experienced Italy.

Not sure how similar this is your scenario.

I think you'll find what you're looking for in Sicily. A quick search shows nonstop flights from Dublin to Catania on Aer Lingus. Then rent a car (or hire a driver or take a train or bus) and head for Ortigia, which is about an hour away. Ortigia is a lovely, walkable island joined by a bridge to Siracusa. It has beautiful views, good food, and plenty to do for 5-6 nights. It's almost everyone's favorite spot in Sicily and was not crowded on either of our trips.

Flew to Naples in February (Ryanair from Nürnberg), rented a car and drove to Carovilli in the Italian region Molise where my family is from for three overnights. It's about 1.5 hours north of Naples. Was really pleasantly surprised with the villages, landscape and mountains. We had really great food and the people where very friendly and helpful. Met some expats from Canada and the US returned to the "Old Country." We drove to surrounding towns: Castigilone, Frosolone, Pescolanciano, Pietrabbondante and visited the Teatro-Tempio di Pietrabbondante. I can recommend this region and I plan to go back. Seems the few tourists there are looking for their roots. My Father calls his family "Italian Hillbillys" no disrespect intended.

Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions!

We've asked our friends what they'd like to do and I think they don't really have any ideas on what they want to do. I know that he mentioned that he'd like to visit some churches (no issue there, it seems like my husband finds every single one to visit.. ) and I know they want to eat good food, but it's Italy, so again, no issues there. They aren't wine drinkers (but Italy turned my husband and I into big wine drinkers, so there's hope). I honestly think that they'd be happy doing anything really. Their first international trip was to Costa Rica with us in January and they were pretty game for anything and loved the experiences we had. We rented a huge gorgeous house with a pool overlooking the ocean and the days that she chose to stay back, she enjoyed the views and just hanging out. I personally don't want to rent a house in Italy.. but that's because I can't pass up homemade cakes and jams for breakfast that you so often find at great little b&bs/agriturismos. They've mentioned that they'll be fine with small hotels/b&b type accommodations, so I'm hoping to find a great agriturismo to stay in.

I know that he mentioned that he'd like to visit some churches (no
issue there, it seems like my husband finds every single one to
visit..

Laughing hysterically as I am the one who has dragged MY husband through every open church within shoutin' distance! And we're not religious! Still, old Italian churches are marvels of architecture and art so I love 'em dearly. What you have going for you is that you'll find plenty of them practically anywhere you go in The Boot!

Hubby isn’t religious either but we go in every little church. Some have been terrific finds, shabby nothingness on the outside and incredible marvels on the inside!