favorite region

I used Sorrento as a base in February to visit Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples. I didn't have time to explore the Amalfi coast (Positano, Ravello, etc) and the weather wasn't great. But I totally fell in love with Sorrento and hope to go back fairly soon. I have heard that "in season" the area is overrun with tourists. So it does depend partly on your timing. Two of my other favorites are Verona and Ravenna in the north.

Sorrento and the Amalfi coast area for sure, but you might also take a look at Sicily. Sicily is full of interesting places to see. And it has more well-preserved Greek ruins than Greece itself.

I have heard many good things about Sicily. What were some of your favorite things to see there? Thanks,
Jeff

Sicily has so much to offer. Palermo (driving is not for the faint of heart here) is a historical melting pot of different cultures - Greek, Arab, Roman, Sicilian, Norman. It's also close to a few other beautiful sites (Segesta, an unfinished Greek temple and a Greek theatre in the mountains; Erice, a beautiful medieval town on a mountaintop known for the beauty of its women in ancient times; and Monreale, the site of a fabulous cathedral with mosaics). Cefalu is on the north central coast, great historic city center with a beautiful Norman cathedral and exquisite mosaics, a beach, and a big rock if you like hiking. Taormina has a Greek theatre that frames Mount Etna, the theatre is still used for concerts and plays, and a great main street for shopping. Siracusa is one of the most important cities of antiquity, extensive ruins and a world-class museum, plus a charming old town (the island of Ortygia). Agrigento is on the south coast, famous for the Valley of the Temples - it also has a very good museum. Inland is Piazza Armerina, a hilly town with lots of stairways as streets, but best for its proximity to the Villa Romana di Casale, where there are acres of late Roman mosaics (including the famous "bikini girls"). Let me know if you want more specific information.

Since you loved Tuscany, have you considered Umbria? Orvito and Assisi are just a start.

Loved Bannereggio, Orvieto is our next day trip from Montepulciano. This is a great region with some of the best food I've ever had, and definitely some of the best wines. Red or white, name your poison, and you can find some of the best in the world. We are blessed with some great friends in MP, and enjoy a trip there as often as possible, but we always try to take another week or two to get a little deeper into the culture. I like the sound of Umbria, any other ideas for places to see in Umbria? By the way, anyone have experience with San Marino??
Thanks, Jeff

Loved Umbria as Michael mentioned, and Venice, but our absolute favorite part of Italy is Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. Perfect combination of fun things to do, gorgeous scenery and pure relaxation. We've been to Sorrento many times for a week in the summer and it was not packed with tourists. It was wonderful.

We were in Sorrento two years ago and then to Positano. LOVED it and we were in June which I guess is height of tourist season. We thought was best part of Italy.

Hi Jeff.
We loved Umbria, too. Spoleto for hiking, Spello because it is unspoiled, and the wines, of course. This past July, we went to i Dolomiti for the first time, specifically the Val Gardena, and fell in love. We plan to go back every summer for the remaining years of our tour here. You can read more about our experience here. Ciao!

Also love Umbria, a little more "wild" in appearance than Tuscany. Gubbio, Orvieto, Todi, Spello, Assisi - all of these places are well-covered in the guidebooks. Every time I go to Italy, I find new places to fall in love with - and you will, too, no matter where you choose to go.

Jeff- Why don't you come up to the north and check out Beautiful Torino? Torino is, what I consider, an undiscovered gem of a city. It is a beautiful city, the people are friendly. There are wonderful palaces, churches (the Shroud of Turin), museums and so much more. You are also not far from the wonderful wines countries of Barolo, Asti, Alba and many more. I don't think you would be disappointed.

Too many regions, too little time. I can tell you the regions preferred by Italians according to the most recent polls: 1-Sicily 2-Tuscany 3-Apulia For art/culture also add Veneto and Latium. For mountain/alpine enjoyment, try the Alto Adige. For best beaches, try Sardinia. Umbria is a cheaper and less frenzy version of Tuscany. For outstanding coastal villages and landscape, try Liguria or Campania. I'd choose an area of the country and concentrate in that area so that you save on transportation time. The areas you could divide Italy are: - Northeast (Veneto, Trentino Alto Adige, Emilia Romagna) -Northwest (Piedmont, Val d'Aosta, Lombardy, Liguria) - Central (Tuscany, Umbria, Latium, Marche) -Southeast (Apulia, Basilicata, Abruzzi, Molise) -Southwest (Campania, Calabria, Western Basilicata) - Sicily and smaller islands around Sicily
- Sardinia and Corsica (the latter was stolen from us by the French). Each area requires at least 10 to 14 days for a decent visit.

Don't forget you can use Google Maps Streetview to get a look for yourself at the places you're considering.

Good heavens! What a great problem to have. We are leaning toward either Umbria, which is a no brainer, because of its location, and our love for Tuscany, or The Piedmont, which sounds really beautiful. We want to do southern Italy one day, just not now. Because my wife is finishing her Masters, we are limited to certain times, and Mid may to early june is our best time. Does that effect anyone's suggestions, or make you think of something else??? I love Italy, and we can't wait to get back and see my new GOD daughter. Thanks again for all the help, and I am looking forward to hearing more suggestions from you all. Ciao,
Jeff

Mid May to Early June is the best time in any region of Italy, unless you like to ski, in which case it's a little late (although you can ski at the Stelvio in July). If you do Piedmont, you can also add Liguria to it and see the Riviera as well. Unless you want a fully Alpine trip. In which case the Region of Val d'Aosta can be easily added. In Piedmont visit the Langhe and Monferrato area (a must if you like wine). Never been to Turin in 30 years living in Italy (just passed by), if you can believe that, in spite of all the relatives I had there. Maybe one day.

Thanks Michael for the Google tip. I had forgotten using it to find out hotel in Rome on the last trip.!
Jeff

I vote for Sicily! We went there two years ago for a week and stayed eleven days. Fell in love with the people, the Volcano (Mt. Etna) the food, the Greek Ruins. We rented an apartment in Taormina and had the most delightful experience with the rental agent, who hired a driver/guide for us for a number of very reasonably priced side trips to a winery, a farm, Mt. Etna, to the village where the Godfather I was filmed, I could go on and on, but we plan to return soon! And we will use Taormina again as our base, but perhaps spend more time in Palermo and Cefalu.

If you like CT, go spend more time there. I spent 2 months there and discovered so many things off the beaten track, it was like a new destination from when I only spent a week there. Great food, incredible hiking, wonderful people, tons of towns you could see with a 10-40 minute train ride. But most of the time I slowed down and just went on a hike and ended at a cafe in one of the 5 towns. And ate and ate and ate....

We just returned from Italy and spent three days on a walking tour of the Maremma area of Tuscany. We loved it! It is a farming area with some fantastic historic towns. We stayed in Pitigliano and Sorano, and also visited Sovana. This is a part of Tuscany that most people miss. The food was a real treat, from the Cinghale (wild boar) ragu on Papardelle to the Zuppa Aquacotta, and the regional wines were fantastic. In Sorano we stayed in a B&B in a 11th century fortress with the most incredible view you could imagine. The Saturnia hot springs are there for a relaxing bath in the volcanic waters. I can't recommend this area and the people highly enough. If you want to see the real Tuscany away from the most touristy parts this is the place. There are extensive pre-Roman Empire Etruscan burial grounds here and our walking tour took us through the best of them. Check out Natural Italy for details. Michele was a fantastic guide, a native Florentine with flawless English and a degree in horticulture and forestry. We loved our Maremma experience!