Quote:
Originally Posted by 4X4
Damn. I spent a year in Italy and never bothered to go to Venice. But I did go to Milan and there's nothing there. For a first timer in Italy, the most important places to go are Florence and Rome and if you can make it, take a day trip down to Pompeii (Vesuvius). The very second you arrive in Naples, you'll want to leave. It is, by far, the dirtiest and sketchyist city I saw in Europe. There is nothing there that isn't in other, cleaner, better cities. Once you see St. Peter's Basilica and the Duomo in Florence, all other Italian churches will warrant a 'meh'.
If you consolidate your time in Italy into Florence and Rome, you'll see an assload more and you'll be glad. There are tons of museums and sites between the two cities that will give you the real feel of urban and ancient Italy without having to waste time in places like Milan and Naples.
Milan is fashion-ey and kinda modern. Not really "Italy". Naples is just a hole. Dilapidated, dirty, dog sh1t on the sidewalks, trash everywhere, laundry hanging off all the windows, nothing to see, people that like to rob.
Seriously, do Pompeii as a day trip from Rome and skip Naples.
And go to Florence. Probably the most beautiful city in Italy.
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Agreed. I think Rome, Florence, Pompeii/Hercalanium (sp?) are a must. My favourite part of Italy was Almafi Coast, but I don't know if that would be the same for everyone else.
Venice - I stopped by Venice and few months ago in between destinations, and it was a zoo. Packed, dirty, and quite possibly over 30 tour groups packed in one square. I remember staying at a sketchy hotel/hostel where the adjacent rooms had prostitutes entertaining clients and a new guy walking into their room every 30 minutes. Skip Venice, even the Venetien in Las Vegas or Macau will give you your fill if you need it. A more exotic Venice is Gongzhao in China, IMO.
(Above: Stopping in Milan reminds me of the time I stopped by Zagreb in Croatia for 4 hours. I remember having lunch, walking around for an hour then being bored and took a nap for an hour. That would probably describe Milan pretty well.)