Ruined on Italy!

Welcome to my world.

Greece...my favourite after Italy. Ancient ruins. Good beaches, warm weather, good food, wine, friendly people.

france and England also are spectacular. For scenery, Switzerland.

If u have not visited the Italian Dolomites yer that should be on your list in Italy.

In general, France comes closest. Big enough to offer a diverse variety of distinct culture, enough history to fill a library, along with their sites, ruins and landmarks, and a food culture that some will say is second to none.

For food culture and the la vita dolce, Spain.

For intense history, antiquities and ruins, Greece or, England

France. Brittany and Normandy are fantastic

Is there another European destination that offers a traveler as much
as Italy?

Short answer: Yes.

For you it's Italy. For others it could be any one of a dozen countries.

My "can never get enough of it" country isn't even in Europe.

I can very much appreciate your sentiments! Regardless of where else I've travelled in Europe each year, I always made it to Italy. That won't be true this year, but I'm already looking forward to getting back there in 2018.

Is there another European destination that offers a traveler as much
as Italy?

Yes. Several. Expand your sights and you'll find out. Although I think it's a folly to compare - although there are lots of similarities, the beauty is in the diversity of different countries and their cultures.

Spain. France. Germany. Maybe Greece.
When you dump the notion of country and go to region, you can go deep into the former soviet bloc, you can go deep into the UK. You can go varied and deep to basically anywhere.

But, then again, Italy has more UNESCO world heritage sites than even China (could change this year), much less anywhere in Europe. It has the Eternal City, the Serene, the birthplace of the Renaissance, and was once something like 87 different countries. Germany has something like that in it's past, without Rome, Florence or Venice.

Any thoughts on Croatia, Armenia, etc.? We are trying to plan Cotswold Way Walk in England and Guatemala is on my list because of my adopted daughter. I still think I have become an Italy Addict.

I don't know if this will make you feel better, but we have been to Italy 16 times. A few days ago, a question about Tuscany set me thinking about the places we've missed and those I want to return to. I think I see visit # 17 looming.

I have the same problem.
Doggone Italy, anyway. Scampered off with my heart and won't give it back.

We did take to Belgium, though. It'll never be #1 but it's a solid #2 so far.

I've long maintained that there is no other country on earth that can compare on a per-square-mile basis with Italy in ALL the following categories:

• Food
• History
• Natural beauty
• Music
• Language
• Fashion
• Art
• Architecture
• Weather
• And probably several other categories that I can't think of right now

Some countries can beat Italy in one or two of those categories, but none for all of them.

OMG, I LOVE Italy! This year I'm doing my 4th trip there, and I am already counting the days!

But I do also love Costa Rica with almost (almost) the same intensity. it's nothing like Italy, which is why this is so unexpected for me. But it's a gorgeous country. After that, I'd say Scotland has a wild magic to it.

Still Italy, but Sicily is amazing! Third trip to Italy, but Sicily captured us with the food, wine, history and people. It exceeded our expectations!

Spain and France vie for my time as much as Italy.

Everyone has their own "must see" countries. For you it is Italy. For others it may be someplace else.

We all travel for different reasons and in different ways. That's why a forum like this is fascinating because we all don't do the same things or like the same places.

Italy is my favorite foreign country. However, I am a huge Roman history buff.

I have enjoyed every country that I have visited. However, some more than others.

I will start away from Europe and work back to it.
China is amazing with all its history, and we loved Japan as much. The sights in Japan are not as awesome as China's but we loved the Japanese people. Travel there is fantastic. Also, we loved the food in both countries.

Alaska, Iceland, Norway and Around the Horn of South America are right up there for scenic places. Also, the Canadian Rockies. I expect Hawaii, we will go there next year.

Israel and Egypt are amazing. Egypt has a magnificent history and Jerusalem is a special place.

Europe has lots to enjoy.
Switzerland is great for scenery, but expensive, as are the Scandinavian countries.

Germany and Austria are cheaper.

Greece has the Greek Islands that are awesome and Athens is a must see for its ancient sights, however, the economic crisis has reduced the fun in going to mainland Greece.

France is a very diverse country, with Strassburg and Alsance, Lorraine a mix of German and French culture. Normandy is great and the people there love Americans. Provence and the South of France has much to offer in the way of history, particularly Roman, not just the beaches. The Loire Valley has it wonderful Chateaux.

Britain is probably my favorite country in Europe outside Italy. Yes, the weather is usually not so great, but I love the countryside and with Scotland and Wales there is some diverse areas. Also, it is the land of my ancestors and I love the history.
The people are very polite and friendly and the food is actually pretty good.

I'm with you - love Italy! We're going to Spain for the first time this year, and I've heard several comments from people that might put Spain into my #2 spot. ....and I'm back to thinking about Italy for 2018. : )

Enjoy exploring other countries, too. If omitting Italy is too difficult, consider Switzerland & Italy - fly into Zurich & take the train to the Lauterbrunnen area. After some terrific days of amazing scenery & hiking, take the train into Italy, stopping at Stresa & work your way south. France & Italy - fly into Venice, eventually work your way west (we loved Torino, too!), take the train to lovely Annecy, France, onto Lyon and finish in Paris.

Agreed, but I am Italian. France holds a close second for me because I lived there and survived. :)

It is the hospitality of the Italian people that make it so appealing I think.

Spain, hands down!

Just returned from second trip. Alrady talking about when to go again.

Is there a way to help one decide when to return? 1 year or 2?

ttmom--

We're shooting for every other year as long as the funds hold out. Three trips so far, between 2010 and this year: Sicily/Florence/Rome; Paris/Lucerne/Florence/Salerno; Rome/Sorrento. All have been great, and the trend for us is to do it better and cheaper each time, while not sacrificing creature comforts. We're also skewing towards staying longer in one spot, and renting apartments. Yes, it's cheaper, but it also forces you off the tourist track to a certain extent, which I love.

Next trip? Maybe March/April 2019, God willing. I've heard great things about the eastern coast around Bari and Polignano a Mare. Never been to Venice either. If I could parlay that with a dip into Slovenia and northern Croatia, I think I'd like that.

My husband and I have been to Italy x3 since 2012. I can relate to the other responses. At the end of each trip we start thinking of how to save and plan for the next one. This September we will go to Spain for the first time. It took a lot of convincing on my part as my husband wanted to return to Italy again. I wanted to try another country. We may try for Sicily in 2018 or 2019 so I may be back to this forum for guidance. Thanks everyone who helped me.

You can look for ways to incorporate Italy into your itinerary.
I recently "bracketed" the RS Best of the Adriatric tour with time in Venice, Matera, and Rome.
It would be easy to combine Croatia with time in Italy. And Croatia is pretty terrific.

I take my Europe trips every other year. Since I prefer to stay a month or two, I need to "save up" for it to happen. Ya only live once!

ttmom12, I plan to travel to Europe every year while we're healthy & able to go - one of the reasons why I'm still working. Each year my hubby says we don't need to go the next year, yet, he has a wonderful time when we're there (I do the planning work).

Sun-Baked, Italy is the only country that when we return home from the trip, we're happy to continue eating Italian meals the following weeks.

When I was in Greece this year, I thought that it was unfortunate that so many people go to Italy instead of Greece. I found the people friendlier. The landscapes are gorgeous. The art is more original; Romans did steal the techniques after all. I found the coast of Greece far superior to Italy, and as they need the funds, perhaps more people might consider going there and avoiding the crowds. But as much as we each like to proselytize, there is, of course, no one answer as we all have so many different ideas about how to travel and what our interests are. Generally, none are wrong, just different.

On the other hand, the only place I've ever been that I didn't like enough to want to return to was New Orleans, before Katrina.

PS. I'm not knocking Roman art...I love Renaissance Art, particularly Bernini, but there is so much more to see.

There's so much of Europe we've yet to see, including Greece and Spain/Portugal. Still, my wife and I feel tugged to return to Italy.

It's interesting since we're both primarily of northern European ancestry. I have a splash of Germanic regions and an even smaller slice of Iberian Peninsula. Even with that, we feel more in tune with the Italian temperament. We are trying to more closely embrace “La Dolce Far Niente" as well.

I guess our love for Italy was sealed when we shared our first kiss in Florence, August 10, 1966.

I love Switzerland for the scenery. I also love Poland. The people are wonderful and there is much to see. From Gdansk/Sopot on the sea to Warsaw and all its sights, Krakow with the salt mines, the concentration camps sites, Malborg castle, Boleslawiec.....with all the Polish pottery factories. it's a great country. But, I am like you, Italy is my favorite!

It's all personal opinion, but I feel about Spain like you do about Italy. Then again, I lived in Spain for a few years and we still return every few years. The world is a big place with many places to see. Each place in unique unto itself and not necessarily better than any place else. That's why I travel to other countries and continents.

For me, it's even more specific than Italy--it's Venice. Can't get enough of that place. Besides the history and beauty, I think part of it is that my work-life requires me to fight Southern California traffic every day, and an entire group of islands with no land vehicles, no signals or traffic signs, and no roads is very relaxing for me!

We traveled to Italy every year from 2004 to 2013 and loved the people,culture,history and food.Now we have discovered France and have been there in 2010,2013,2015 and 2017 as well as Spain in 2010 and 2015 as well as many trips to Prague,Austria,Hungary and Germany.
Mike

Another vote for Spain. I just spent 5 weeks there this spring and only traveled as far north as Madrid, west to Sevilla, coastally to Valencia and east to Barcelona. Did not make it to the Basque region, or east of Barcelona. Did not experience all I'd like to in 10 nights in Barcelona.

Spain deserves a long leisurely visit.

I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Thank you for this post. I thought there may be something wrong with me!

I felt that way too after my trip there a year ago, but I just got back from 17 days in France and loved it just as much. Five days in Paris (nighttime Seine cruise in the City of Lights...I'll never forget it), 2 days in Normandy: D-Day beaches tour. Wow. Four days in Provence: lavender fields and sunflowers galore, Michelin restaurants in tiny villages in the Luberon, incredible art experience at Les Baux with the light show, and then to top it all off foie gras, prehistoric cave art and castles in the gorgeous Dordogne.

It's so so SO hard to not just keep going back to the last place I loved!