Hello. I want to see the Med while we're in Italy- will be leaving Rome and driving to Tuscany for about a week there- and was wondering if anyone has any specific spots that they have been to that they can recommend- just for a day trip most likely. It's hard to find info because it's not a popular place for visitors to see. We are also open to driving to the Lazio coast before we head to Tuscany, but I've never even seen photos of the coastline north of Rome.
Posted by
Palm Beach, Florida, United States
536 posts
Hi Natalie - Tuscany is Incredible - I am slightly prejudiced, being Italian, but you will love it!! If you don't have a base of operations there I would suggest -
http://www.casolarelibbiano.it/
My friends Berta and her husband Andrea have a truly wonderful B&B , just outside of San Gimignano and easy driving to Siena and Volterra.
From there I would offer that you should drive to La Spezia and park your car in one of many areas and then hop on the local train to Le Cinque Terre and visit the five villages - Amazing!! If you need a nice spot to stay then I would suggest -
http://www.nerinarooms.it/ Located right on the harbor in Vernazza and right next to Al Castello, a very good restaurant with great sea views. If you go please be sure to walk the trail, at least from Manrola to Riomaggiore - check out the pic!
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=7210936
This section is fairly level and mostly paved and is called La Via dell'amore (lover's path) A cafe is part way across for a beverage and a snack and the whole walk only takes about one and a half miles.
Ciao, Greg
Posted by
OP
roanoke
36 posts
Natalie here- I was reading my post again and realized that I was not specific enough! What I woud like to know is, has anyone been to a coastal town in southern Tuscany, or north of Rome, where the beaches are pretty? We'll be there in early May so nothing will be overrun with tourists. We just want to do a day trip to a beach that's near where we will be staying in the Siena area(don't have time for the CT this trip.)Thanks, and sorry for the confusing nature of my above post!
Posted by
Saint Helens, OR, USA
304 posts
If you want pictures of the Lazio & Tuscan coast I would recommend using Google Earth. I too have been interested in driving the coast on our next trip. There are hundreds of photos, 360 views, street views & more. I'm addicted to Google Earth. It's better than any book or other website for letting you see what the area is like.
Posted by
OP
roanoke
36 posts
From Natalie- wow, thanks for the tip, Ray! I forgot about GE- I am now addicted I think- for good!
Posted by
Palm Beach, Florida, United States
536 posts
Natalie - North of Livorno is the town of Viareggio - On the beach - A fantastic location!!
You can certainly Google it to see just what it has to offer but - I've been there many times and - Beach, Great restaurants, shops, entertainment, etc.
Greg
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Viareggio could be pretty iffy in early May. The summer season doesn't really get going until well into June. And we found Viareggio in the offseason to be pretty dull.
Posted by
OP
roanoke
36 posts
Anyone ever been to Argentario, Porta Santo Stefano or the Grosseto coastal area? After Ray's suggestion, I spent a couple of hours on Google Earth looking at photos of that area and it looks amazing. It's a little sparse as far as advertised accomodations so I have a feeling it's not visited a lot by non-Italians.