Flying into & out of Milan in early September. First time visitor to Italy. Interested in the scenery, culture (not so much art), history, people, naitve food & wine, a moderately strenous one day hike. What would you suggest to do in 8 days.
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2787 posts
I would recommend that you get a copy of RS 2012 Italy Guide Book if you do not already have it as it has lots of good information that we are using for our trip in Italy in September (arriving Venice on Sept. 4). It can be purchase thru this web site if you need one.
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
I would probably stay in the north with only 8 days. Look into Lake Como, CT, Venice and see what suits you. Hiking could mean CT is a choice. Will you have a car or use the train?
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32402 posts
Bob, With such a very short time frame, your choices will be very limited, and you'll only have time to visit two or three locations. You'll find scenery, culture, history, people and native food and wine anywhere in Italy. Given the fact that you're interested in a "moderately strenuous one day hike", I can't think of a better location than the Cinque Terre. For travel in early September I'd suggest getting some accommodations booked SOON! Some of the locations you might consider: > Varenna (Lago di Como) > Cinque Terre (stay in whichever of the five towns you can find accommodations OR stay in Levanto - in addition to the coastal trails, there's an extensive network or trails that go up into the hills - a "moderately strenuous" hike for me is the trail from Monterosso to Vernazza). > Tuscany - Siena or any of the other hill towns > Dolomites - LOTS of hiking locations in the area around Castelrotto & Alpi di Suisi You might be better to focus on one area, as that will make the return to Milan for your flight home a bit quicker. Be sure to do some research on travelling by train in Italy, as there are a few "pitfalls" to be aware of. I agree with the previous suggestion to pick up a copy of the Italy 2012 Guidebook. Happy travels!
Posted by
Texan in CA
4418 posts
...or head straight to Sorrento - plenty of hiking, native food and wine, history (oh, yeah!), people, Pompeii/Herculaneum/etc., scenery (oh, yeah!)...and not soooo heavy on the museums, cathedrals, etc. It's a 5-hour fast train ride from Milan to Naples, then 1 hour to Sorrento. I very much recommend RS' guidebooks, and (if you haven't already) watch his videos for a taste of some of the regions. Click on "Rick on TV" on the blue bar at the top of this page, then follow the links to either YouTube or Hulu (easier, I think; methinks he's goofed up his YouTube site). We just spent 7-8 days there, and didn't do everything we wanted to...so we've gotta go back :-D Anything in Italy will be great...