Naples/Pompeii vs. CT

With only 8 days you would do much better with just Venice, Florence and Rome.

I agree. You will already be rushed with just venice, florence and Rome.Don't push it by adding more than that. Or extend the vacations :)

Rachel,

With only eight days, it's going to be somewhat challenging to even see Venice, Florence and Rome. I doubt that you'll even have time for the Cinque Terre?

I'd suggest limiting your trip to Rome and north this time, and planning to visit Naples & Pompeii on a future visit. As Rick frequently says "assume you will return".

Happy travels!

agree with the other posters; the 3 big cities are plenty for 8 days. And are those 8 full days, or is one of them an arrival day and another a departure? If so, depending on the arrival/departure time you may really only have 6 days.

One thing that stands out, to me, as an aberration of Steves' usually good travel advice, is the weight given to CT in his Italy Guides: That, and his Tuscany Hill Towns.
There is no reason to see Pienza or San Gimignano, if you've gone to Lucca and Siena.

With limited time, and people thinking about their first trip, no one should be including CT or Hill Town places, like Montalcino in their travel plans as a first SEE to the exclusion of more interesting sites. Rick makes these a first see. My Opinion is that he is wrong about that. These places are Secondary. You can always go back and then see these other places like CT after you've seen other more core stuff.

You will be going back. Everyone who has seen Italy, will tell you what their NEXT TRIP will be.

Personally, I got nothing out of seeing CT that I didn't see elsewhere, in equal or better measure, than any other set of small coastal towns in Italy. They Most all have walking trails. You can pick anywhere else, and not suffer the crowds, or lodging problems that Rick has created by making CT popular.

CT isn't a unique destination.

Sometimes, I wish Rick actually read, and posted on this site.

Thank you to everyone!

Ha, I totally agree about CT being overrated. It was boring boring boring.

Hmm, CT has perhaps become overrated because peoples expectations have become too high. A few years ago these were sleepy, small villages that were a welcome rest to Italy's more known sites. They are beautiful and charming and that was their appeal. Those looking for historical sites or museums should look elsewhere.

I would have to agree, with just 8 days to spend, stick to Rome, Florence and Venice. You will be going back to Italy again, plan on seeing the other sites then.

Hi Rachel, I couldn't believe when your post said "Hamel", as I live in Roxana. I also agree with what everyone is saying, I would definitely stay with Rome, Florence and Venice. There is so much to explore, it is overwhelming! I can't wait to go back. Have a wonderful trip!

I don't think the issue is that CT is "overrated". It is indeed a very pretty and quite unique place. However, it is completely "overrun" by tourists.

If you go to Rome and see thousands of tourists running around the Colosseum that is in fact only adding to the original atmosphere as this place has always been part of an urban environment that was meant to house tens of thousands of people at a time. So it still works.

If you go to CT and see hundreds and hundreds of people on narrow hiking trails and in small cafes that is just unbearable. Those trails were not meant to carry more than a handful villagers from one place to the next. Nor were the villages meant to house twice their population. Especially not in such a restricted geographic environment.

As pretty as our hike from Monterosso to Vernazza was, it is no fun to get there at 1.30 pm not being able to find a single table at a restaurant for lunch and have to fight for a spot to sit somewhere on the street. CT is no less pretty than it was when Rick "discovered" it, but not much of the sleepiness or romantic atmosphere has survived.

As to the original question: I agree with everyone that those 3 places are more than enough if you have only about 8 days to spend there.

Though previous posters have given all the advice needed, I can't resist throwing in my two cents. I think Francis has mirrored my viewpoint exactly. (The other "aberration" I would mention is Civita da Bagnoregio.) Beatrix does a good job of explaining what has happened to the CT. But, for me, even without the crowds the CT are boring. When I travel for 15 hours at the cost of more than $1000, I want to see something I can't see close to home. Even midwesterners are just a couple of hours from beautiful hiking trails, with marine views, on either coast of the U.S.; and it will cost much less to get there.

I agree, I wouldn't want to travel half-way around the world to see something that I could find closer to home. Disney Paris comes to mind for that ...

And yes, there are many beautiful marine hikes on Northamerican shores to be find. For me, nothing could beat a hike on Vancouver Island's coast.

However, there is one big difference between these ones and the Italian coast lines: the imprint that more than a thousand years of human inhabibation has left on the landscape creates a truly unique combination of natural beauty and human history and culture. CT is a great example of that - but not the only one in Europe. You don't have to go out of your way just to travel to CT if there is another similar spot closer to your itinerary.

If you want to see something really unique head for the ALPS!

Hi Beatrix, I was at the CT a few years ago in the month of Sept. and my experience was much different, the crowds were not bad at all and the trails were empty. Most of the towns still had the sleepy, quiet feel to them. I'm sorry to hear that things become too crowded to enjoy. Rick needs to discover another overlooked part in Italy.