Deciding on Village Italy over Paris and Southern France

Mike, can't compare the two RS tours, as I have only ever done the one Family Europe tour ,, and enjoyed that very much.
But, I do think you should consider trying France, I actually enjoyed it more then Italy, but I have to admit that my favorite city in the world is Paris( I have been there many times independly), and I prefer French food,, sorry pasta lovers..

Or, have you considered doing the Best of Europe tour and getting a taste of serveral places. They have a 14 or 21 day version.
Switzerland was amazing,, I don't think I have ever heard of anyone not liking Switzerland,,it is the most scenic country in the world.

The RS tours are such a good product, I really do not see how you could make a bad choice.

PS Have you gone on the tour pages and read the tour feedbacks for the tours you are interested in,,I think they provide alot of insight into the highs and low( what few there are) of any of the tours.

Mike - We have done both the tours you are thinking about and they were both great. I think since you just did Italy that I would choose France. We had a wonderful time on that trip. We have also done the Best of Italy and are leaving this afternoon for the Germany Austria Switzerland trip. I guess you could say "we really like the RS tours". I'm sure this one will be just as good as the others have been. Do check the traveler feedback on these trips to get a better idea of what to expect.

Mike. We did Village Italy May 2007 and Paris & Southern France May 2008. Village Italy is a great tour and we also thought about returning to Italy this year but after looking over the details of the France tour and looking at scrapbooks on RS site we went with France. No regrets! It is a great tour to compare and contrast many of the places you've seen in Italy with another country. The experience has opened us up to the entire area and we are now considering the Eastern Adriatic since all of the areas can be tied together through the Roman Empire, Venician rule and other things.

Thank you! Ed, Rosemary, Pat, and Joanne,

I have to confess, traveling is not a new idea to me and my wife. But not until we did our first RS tour in 2007 to Greece, we finally opened our eyes and minds on how to really enjoy the cultural experiences.

The Best of Italy tour in May truly was another great experience to us. I read people's comments on this forum and it seems to be a consistent testimony that many people are hooked to Italy.

Thanks again to you all!

I can't imagine anyone disliking Italy like one member here! It's nearly everyones favorite country, even Rick Steves! I'm glad Mike that you enjoy Italy like many other people.
However, because you have been to Italy, I think it would be nice to go to France. It's hard to compare two wonderful countries that are so beautiful and have so much to offer!

Yes, Lisa, I don't rate Italy in my top five list,, .. tried it twice, thought maybe with my first trip being over 20 yrs ago I would feel differently.. I discovered this summer when I returned again that I just don't.
Loved the history of Rome,, it is truly amazing, but, I don't like the food, pasta and pizza are boring, and they cannot make bread to save their lives..I also really hate having food with olive oil poured all over it,, yech, and the cheese, well I am sorry, a blob of white flavourless stuff they serve with tomatoes is so boring .Rome traffic is scary. And there are a lot of beggars in the main touristy areas. I was approached THREE times at one outdoor cafe near the Vatican, that really turned me off.
My 12 yr old had two parasol peddlers competing over her, she found it unnerving,, it was so like Mexico.. in fact it reminded me alot of Mexico.

The people are not any friendlier then any other nation, in fact in Venice I thought they were all so sick of tourists and burnt out that they were mostly rude.I felt like nothing but a walking dollar sign to them. And in some places the " friendliness" was so fake and insincere that it bothered me.I an mot into that " hi I just met you we are best friends " crap waiters hand over to you,, friendly and pleasant is one thing, but dripping in insincerity and flattery is another.

I don't think Italy is everyones favorite, in fact I have often thought mostly Americans like it, for a few different reasons. I think they find the food safe and familar, they like the Italians more forward ways( Americans often site other nationalities like French or Germans as being cold or too reserved) .

It is certainly one of the less clean countries in western europe, look at the side of highways ,, disgraceful,, drive north into Austria, Germany and Switzerland to see what truly clean countries look like.

I don't hate Italy, I would be foolish to not love all the history,,but it is not a favorite

Pat, you were talking about liking German food. You would get a kick out of this. I had lunch with my Mom today, and she said when she was giving birth to my sister in Rome, the best food she ever had was in the hospital! This hospital in Rome was run by German nuns,and they served the best German food she ever had!
Hey, lets go to a hospital in Rome to have some great German food! LOL!

Sorry Pat, but after burning Rome to the ground about her food, I gotta respond.
Obviously everyone is welcome to their own opinion, and I certainly don't expect everyone to love Rome. But I just had to laugh at your comments about the pizza and bread in Rome. My husband was born and raised in Rome, and while we really like living in Northern Italy, there are two things he always misses from Rome: its bread and its pizza. So much so he has his mother bring loaves of it when she comes to visit, which we freeze and store. And our favorite pizzeria in all of Italy is in Rome, we'll eat what we can find here, but we live our pizzeria in Rome. No trip "home" is complete without it.
Italians have many self doubts, but about the quality and taste of their food they are completely certain that Italian food is the best in the world. And I have to say that after living here for almost 9 years that I completely agree.

Claire, I imagine home made food is better then most of the food tourists are exposed to in a short time in a major tourist city like Rome or Venice.

Sorry, pizza is just dough with very little flavor or toppings, and the Pizza Diavolo( ok, I slaughtered that spelling I know) which the waiter in Rome said might be " too spicy" for my 12 yr old daughter, had us both laughing, we thought it was tame .. Perhaps we are used to spiceier food here, we eat alot of Thai, Vietmese,East Indian and we all love Sushi.

One dinner we had in Rome did have one very nice dish. It was a roasted rosemary chicken, served with potatoes,, done perfectly. Wish we had more good meals like that one.

If it is spicy you crave you should go down to Calabria, where peperoncino is king. It just sounds like you don't really like Italian food in general. However, if you ever go back it sounds like you should try renting a place where you can cook, that way you can buy the ingrediants and prepare them how you want.

Pat, Have you only been to Rome and Venice? There is much more to Italy than that. How can you put down a whole country if you've only been to two places??
That would be like if I said that I don't like Canada if I've only been to Toronto. It happens that I've been almost all over Canada by a Via Rail pass back in the 1980's and love Canada!
Also, is Paris really the most beautiful city in the world?
You must have traveled the whole world to be able to say that! Believe it or not, I know people that are not crazy about Paris or their food! It's only a matter of taste.
Claire, My parents come from Italy and I have a passion for Italy. I have not been all over Italy yet, but I love the places where I've been so far. I'm going back this November!
And I can't wait to EAT!!!

Lisa, I don't recall comparing French to Italian food. Try not to read in your own agenda.

As for Italy, I have only been to Rome, Florence and Venice. In Florence for this last trip( as noted first visit was so long ago I will not rely on its memories) we stayed 25 kms outside of city in an agritourismo, so did not eat in city, which is why I did not memtion it. The food there was actaully worse then Venice, but since that might have just been the place we stayed at I didn't bring it into discussion.

Lisa, you have to accept that I was not impressed with what I ate, I conceeded that homemade food would have been better, Claires exsposure to homecooked meals would be much different then my exposure to meals in tourist centers.

And Lisa,, btw, , yes, Paris is the most beautiful city in the world,, have you been there??

Lisa, I read back, and it is possible I did compare French to Italian food, so I recind my first statement. I did say I like it better, but I didn't mean to compare directly as that is never really fair comparing apples to oranges.

BTW , I actaully really like German food, which I think puts me in a minority,so we must accept we have different tastes.

I wont say that anyplace is the most beautiful in the world, unless I've traveled the whole world.
There are parts of Canada I would love to say is the most beautiful in the world, but I'm not qualified to say that until I've traveled the world.
But you are lucky Pat that you live in Canada. Canada is one of my favorite countries!
Paris, I yet need to go there!! Hope to very soon.
But no matter what, I'll still have a passion for Italy. My roots are there and I'm very proud of that! My Mom makes homemade Italian food. Homemade is best. But when I'm in Italy, I never eat in tourist centers. Like Rick Steves suggest, I eat in local places. So much better than the tourist traps!

Lisa we totally agree there, bad eating near touristy areas, unfornately its hard to go local if you only have a week . Another poster awhile back suggested I would have enjoyed the food better in small town Italy, which of course makes some sense.

That is funny Lisa, German food in an Italian hospital,, well, German food strikes me as " comfort" food, plain, homey and hardy,, just what one needs to rebuilt their strength I imagine!

Mike,
I am myself an italiophile and adore Italy (having been there twice and planning for a 3rd trip next year). Italy is beautiful. France is also a beautiful country. I have not taken either of the RS tours you menetioned, but I know the France tour does go down to the French Riviera and you will likely stay in Villefranche-Sur-mer which is basically Italy with a french accent and one on my favorite places in Europe. You should go to France, eat crepes, enjoy the differences and similarities to Italy - afterall, isn't travel learning and experiencing new places and people. I am sure you won't be dissapointed.
PS... If you do end up in Villefranche you should try LaCaravelle for dinner - excellent meal!

If you have not been to France I would suggest going there. Paris is indeed a beautiful city. Italy is my favorite country - I lived there for several years and go back often. The food is, of course, the best in the world. Pizza is a quicky meal, just like it is in the states. And pasta is just a side dish, basically served with every meal. Only eating pizza and pasta at tourist restaurants is not the way to enjoy Italian food. It does not take a week to walk around the corner to a local restaurant. If the menu is in english you should be able to figure out that it is not a local place. The food in France is also excellant, but once again, stay away from the more expensive and less tasty tourist places. The French do make better bread.

I'm pure Italian...but I loved Paris more! The architects of Paris in the 19th century planned those wide avenues for various reasons, but the sightlines they created are outrageous. Unfortunately it is virtually impossible to "see" the majority of Rome's most spectacular venues. (The Vatican notwithstanding of course.) Many just sneak up on you i.e. the Pantheon, versus the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Pompidou Center, and on and on. And restaurants? Take any side street in Paris, walk in and rub your stomach: that universal sign for hunger goes a long way. Just make sure you love pomme frite (french fries)! Try to spend some time off the tour; you'll be happy you did. Italy will still be there when you want to return. Southern France is so Italian you'll think you're in Italy anyway!