This will be our 6th trip to Italy. Have been to all the "main" places. So far planning on flying into Venice, out of Rome. Must stay is Cinque Terre 4 nights (have friends there).
Need ideas for other small towns, have been to Siena, Lucca, Montalcino, San G, Orvieto, Amalfi.
Have not been to Ravenna, Assisi, Perugia, Loro Ciuffenna. Nowhere on the east coast. Husband wants to see Herculaneum, so stay in Naples? Any other ideas?
I have not stayed in Naples ( drove from train station to Sorrento) and fell in love with Sorrento.
If it were me I would stay in Sorrento, vs Naples.
Have no specific town to suggest on the east coast, but drove from San Giovanni Rotundo up the coast to Milan and went through many towns that looked like great places to just 'be'. Beaches reminded me of Florida, but with rolling hills just to the west. It was an interesting drive with guys on Vespas carrying their surfboard and weaving through traffic.
Up near your starting point in Venice, you have Padua (larger), Vicenza (smaller), Verona (which I haven't seen) and Ferrara (ditto, but everyone who goes seems to really like it). Padua has quite a lot to see and time-wise is very workable as a base for seeing the other places I've mentioned.
Bologna is larger but has a really good historic district, and it's a great transportation hub. You can visit Ravenna (one of my favorite small cities anywhere), Ferrara, Modena and Parma from there.
What time of year is your trip? If not in the summer you could have a good time visiting small towns in Puglia.
Well the possibilities are endless! Are you looking for somewhere near the other places on your list, or is there anything else you can tell us about what kind of place you are looking for? Also, what month? as that can influence recommendations.
You are traversing so much of the country it is hard to come up with a solid idea--how many days do you have? I would tend toward breaking up the Venice to CT time with something like Ravenna.
Once you get south, I would split the stay--part in Naples for the history, the archaeological museum, the Herculaneum day trip, etc., and then in a small village on the coast (whichever one floats your boat).
Since you are flying into Venice, consider Padua, Vicenza, and Verona. Since you are flying back from Rome, I'm not sure I'd go south to Naples and Herculaneum on this trip if time is tight since you will have to back tract north to Rome. But if you have enough time then go for it.
Another idea not mentioned, yet, is to head to the Dolomites since you'll be in the NE section of Italy. We really enjoyed our time at Moena. We took the train from Venice to Verona & headed north, catching a bus at Trento.
A town that often is ignored as a "main place" is Torino (realize it's not small). We enjoyed two days and could have easily stayed longer.
Thank you all for your suggestions. I should have mentioned this will be in May. So many cities...so little time...
I really loved Ravenna as a charming walkable town and the 5th-6th century churches and mosaics are stunning. Assisi surprised me with its charm and sights - not just St. Francis. Bologna is a great base to day trip to nearby towns, even Ravenna although it's better as a 2-day visit. Verona is another of my favorites.
Naples is an experience. If you want to live it, go for it, but it is far from a picturesque small town. If you want to visit Herculaneum, you can do it as a day trip from Rome - combined with the terrific National Archaeology Museum in Naples.
