Travel Advice: Italy off the beaten path

[Charsiu]

Esteemed travel folk of Calgarypuck,

I have a wedding I'm slated to attend next May in Italy. I know it's super super far off but I'm bored at work and slightly depressed that Summer is starting to wind down.

So, I wanted to ask you all for suggestions on where to spend two weeks of precious holiday time in Italy.

I spent about 4-5 weeks and feel that I've hit a good number of the no brainer spots and wanted to ask people for "off the beaten track" type suggestions. The wedding is in a town called Orvieto, about 2 hours north of Rome and have about 2 weeks of time to travel around after that. I want to maximize my time there and would like to avoid too much time in transit.

I like food and I like booze but am open to all sorts of suggestions for other activities.

Enlighten me on what I should do and where I should do it!

[Fuzz]

Without knowing where you have been, I'd highly recommend to Siena, Florence and Chinque Terra. Not off the beaten path, but all fantastic.

[Since1984]

I recommend Monte Grappa if you are a WWI buff and enjoy beautiful Italian mountain towns. It is north of Venice in the Venetian Prealps.

[REDVAN]

Paging 4X4....

[Nufy]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinque_Terre

With a rail pass you can stop of at any of the 5 places and leave when you are finished exploring.

[Charsiu]

I suppose it would make it easier if I said where I've been.

Venice
Florence
Siena
Rome (and surrounding areas)
and
Reggio Calabria

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

The best place on Earth.

[Fuzz]

Absolutely hit Cinque Terre if you can then. We did the hiking trail between a few of the towns, then you can take the train back to get your bags. Spend a different night in each town if you want. We did it in 3 days, but if you have more, I'd take 4 or 5.

[Charsiu]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Absolutely hit Cinque Terre if you can then. We did the hiking trail between a few of the towns, then you can take the train back to get your bags. Spend a different night in each town if you want. We did it in 3 days, but if you have more, I'd take 4 or 5.

That does sound pretty great, so you just walk between the towns? How long between? How many hours per day?

[Fuzz]

Geez, I can't remember. I think it was a couple hours at most between towns. The whole route wasn't open as there was a landslide, but it should be cleared up. The south end was closed, but that is supposed to be easier. The North end was more of a hike, less of a well built path. Not hard at all, but not a walk on a sidewalk. We did the first 2 sections with our biggish packs. I think we stopped for lunch at town # 2, then stayed in #3. The next day we left our bags at #3 and walked to #4, then train back, to 3 for the bags, and on to 5 for 2 nights. My favourite are 3 and 5 (counting form the north to south.) They all have names, but I'm to lazy to look them up!

[Nufy]

Its all in the Wiki post above...

[troutman]

Ask Aeneas for advice - he's got a wealth of info on this . . .

[FurnaceFace]

Lucca - friggin love that town. I could end my days there. They have a wall around the old town which is basically a park above the town. Rent bikes and do a couple of laps around the town. Like most places in Tuscany and area it is really busy with tourists during the day but at night the buses are gone and it calms down.

The same could be said for Volterra and San Gimignano other popular day trip locations in Tuscany. We stayed in a farm on the outskirts of a little town named San Casciano In Val di Pesa which is south of Florence kinda in the middle of most of the places to see. The house was on the grounds of the family run olive farm. Getting to wander through the fields was a great experience, especially after the hustle of Florence.

The Cinque Terre would be a must too. The towns were hit hard by mudslides a couple of years ago so you're euros are going to support people who can use it for some more basic purposes.

We have also been up to Lake Como by Milan. We had a happy accident as we were aiming for Varenna but ended up at a little town named Olcio at a great B&B. They sent us off to a local restaurant for dinner which was so good we went back the next night too. It's a meal and place our friend and us still talk about.

If you're going that long Venice would be worth a couple of days. It is also quieter at night. Milan was fine, but nothing super memorable. Pisa really just has the tower and Duomo. Don't, for the love of Kiprusoff, do the goofy tower pose where you are holding it up or pushing it over. It looks stupid. The Duomo is much more interesting than the tower in my mind.

For the south get 4x4 to give you his rundown of Rome. I think I still have my copy he sent me. It's awesomely detailed and funny as hell. I should just post it up as it's hall of fame worthy in my mind.

Another place I very much want to visit on the next Italian trip is Civita di Bagnoregio. It's not off the beaten path as it's a Rick Steves favourite, but it looks awesome all the same.

If you're thinking of Sicily I have a pile of stuff for it too but I think I'll stop.

4x4 and Aeneas can fill you in on so much more.

[nickerjones]

Don't mean to hijack this thread but also need some advice.

I'm traveling to Salzburg for a hockey tournament at the end of the month. I'm an ancient Roman history geek so I have decided to fly to Rome (getting in 10am) on Tuesday, spend 1.5 days, then fly to Munich Thursday morning, and then take the noon train to Salzburg. I am really curious about luggage. I'll have my hockey stuff, suitcase with clothes, and a carry on with photo/video equipment for the tournament. Are there places I can pay to store luggage at the airport? Are they safe? Any suggestions?

[Tinordi]

Laugh. Guy asks for Italy off the beaten path and people respond saying Cinque Terre. WTF?

Puglia. Go to Puglia.

Big bold wines. Where mozzarella is actually from. Incredible hill top towns. Great weather and beaches. Beautiful people.

[Tinordi]

Also, Alto Adige. Man, the hikes I went on there were freaking amazing.

Picture this scenario. Hike for 3 hours through pine forests to find yourself at the midway point. Only, at this midway point, there's a small, family owned, chalet located at the maximal view point serving the coldest, hoppiest pilsner beer you can imagine along with polenta drenched in olive oil and mountain cheese to serve you up for lunch before you summit a peak with the most amazing views you can imagine.

That's Alto Adige. For dinner you eat pasta and speck and drink more beer and you thank yourself for being alive.

[opendoor]

I'd second the Cinque Terre and Amalfi Coast suggestions if you've never been. Both are very popular so can obviously get extremely busy, but May is probably going to offer the best compromise between weather and crowds so if you're ever going to go to those places, that'd be the best time.

If you have a car at any point and are in the area, some of the mountain drives through Tuscany are quite nice. Not essential by any means, but there are countless cool little towns with very few tourists that you can travel through. It offers a nice counterpoint to the busier areas. The countryside in the triangular area between Florence, Siena, and Arezzo is gorgeous. The area north of Arezzo is quite nice too.

The mountain areas in the north are stunning, but might be a bit out of the way depending on where else you're going. The whole Bolzano/South Tyrol area is absolutely amazing; almost indescribably beautiful, though it does feel more like Austria than Italy. Further south, Lake Como and Lake Garda are pretty impressive and have some cool small towns around them.

[Aeneas]

Despite Tinordi's in my mind correct assessment that Cinque Terre is not off the beaten path; at least half the people I talk to about Italy have never heard of it. Then they come back raving.

Furnaceface,as always, full of good advice.
I LOVE LUCCA!!!

Not sure anyone mentioned, but Orvieto itself is lovely. Visit the remarkable cathedral of course. In a country filled with Duomo's with fabulous doors and facades, Orvieto's will not disappoint. The art work within will amaze you. For such a smaller tourist attraction Orvieto's cathedral is filled with fantastic art.

Aside from the cathedral, just the sight of Orvieto high atop it's tufa plateau is lovely.

See the well. Walk to the bottom. That sounds simple and boring, but trust me you must go see the well.

Also you will be in Etruscan lands. Necropolis, tombs, artifacts from that time are all around. If you are interested in some history older than the Romans.

If you want Tuscany without the tourists, go to Umbria. Full of wonderful places.

I really think San Marino is astounding. The physical setting especially if approached from the east, is awesome.

I dare you to watch the program Magnifica Italia its called or something. Showcases so many amazing off the beaten path places in Italy. Has certainly added places to my must see list for Italy.

[Aeneas]

Originally Posted by FurnaceFace

Lucca - friggin love that town. I could end my days there. They have a wall around the old town which is basically a park above the town. Rent bikes and do a couple of laps around the town. Like most places in Tuscany and area it is really busy with tourists during the day but at night the buses are gone and it calms down.


Another place I very much want to visit on the next Italian trip is Civita di Bagnoregio. It's not off the beaten path as it's a Rick Steves favourite, but it looks awesome all the same.

.

It is really cool. Short visit, see everything in a couple hours. Also very close to Orvieto.

[InglewoodFan]

Near Orvieto there is always Puglia for chocolate and then on to Assisi which has a beautiful cathedral perched on top of the hill.

If you are there through the first week of June, the Infiorate in Spello is not far from there and really is quite amazing. http://infioratespello.it/ The streets of the town are turned into enormous murals using flower petals.

Further afield, Ravenna has beautiful mosaics. Urbino is a lovely little town with a very old and prestigious university as well as a Raphael museum.

The valley above Merano up to the Austrian border is lovely. Take a bike on the train up to the top of the valley and ride back down through the orchards on a well maintained bike path that has lots of cafes and bars.

If you get up to Emilia-Romagna, they have the best food. (Probably a controversial opinion)

A lot of suggestions depend on whether you have a car or are relying on trains. San Gimigano is tough to get to without a car for example.