Non-Fitness Post Regarding Italy

S

Shelbygirl

Cathlete
I was wondering if any of you have ever traveled to Italy. My husband and I are going in late September. We are going to Rome, Florence, Venice and Lake Como. I was wondering if anyone had an opinion on whether it would be time well spent to take a day/night out of our time in Florence (which currently clocks in at three days) to drive through the Chianti Region.

I know this topic has nothing to do with fitness, but I'd love to get your thoughts. (Although I will add that after a lot of searching, I did manage to get three out of four hotels with fitness centers. That's not as easy as it sounds in Italy, let me tell you!).

Thanks,
Shelbygirl
 
I'll bet you are excited! Here is a link to a thread where Jillybean described her trip to Italy. Hopefully she will see this tomorrow as she could give you more insight on your specific question.

Take care!
 
Oooh, when I graduated from college my mother and I took a trip to Europe and traveled through Italy (Rome, Florence, Radda in Chianti, Milan) and to Paris. We did it semi on our (ie, not with a tour group), but we got a lot of help from a company called Arts & Leisure Tours www.artsandleisuretours.com They booked all the hotel rooms, car rentals and train tickets for us and then sent it all over in a little packet along with a really awesome itinerary. We rented a car in Rome and then drove up to Florence so that we could see all the country side and they had recommendations of towns to stop in along the way and what to see. We also stayed overnight in a town called Radda in Chianti, which was wonderful. It was the nicest hotel of our visit and was soooo relaxing and beautiful. We drove around the country side and looked at old villas and castles during the day. I have to say that some of my best pictures from the trip were from that portion - everything looked like a storybook. It was a great breather becasue Rome was so bustling it was overwhelming... I think our trip was better for the break from big cities while in Radda.

I will have to say that driving the car was quite an experience! Rome is CRAZY - if we'd had any idea what the traffic was like I don't think we would have had the guts to rent the car. Then on the big highways people drove very quickly and would tailgate us every time we tried to pass someone - you would think the coast was clear only to have a sportscar going 120 kph cath up to you in a heartbeat. Finally in the countryside the roads are extremely winding and it's a bit stressful to be the one WATCHING someone drive, although my mom was having a GREAT time driving. I'm so glad we did it though. The whole trip was a really wonderful experience.

Amanda

Edited to add that I think for the driving guide and itinerary from the Tour company we didn't pay more than $100 beyond what all the train tickets and hotels cost anyways. By far the best value we could ever have gotten. Another really awesome thing that I lucked up on was guidebooks by Cadogan. They're a British company, and provided lots of history and background to each place that was hilarious to read, and some of the best restaurants we found were from that book. They were way better than the more tradiitonal Frommer's guidebooks in my opinion. The reading was so good that I've actually read them here at home just for fun both before and after the trip.

Sorry, once I started typing about that trip I got all excited thinking about it again. :)
 
Thanks, Amanda, for all the great info. You are making me lean towards staying overnight in Chianti. Our original plan was to stay three nights in Rome then take a train to Florence and stay there for three nights (followed by Venice and Lake Como). Then we thought, why don't we drive from Rome to Florence to see the countryside of Tuscany and hit some wineries. Then we thought, why don't we stay overnight in Chianti and drop a night off of Florence. We are using a travel agent, even though we are not taking a formal tour, and she recommended keeping our original plan for Florence, but taking a day trip to Chianti (either by driving ourselves, or going with a small group or hiring a private driver). I'm not sure if her motiviation is the loss of one night's hotel commission or the idea that driving on our own and stopping at a few wineries is not a good combination. In either case, I'll definitely check out that travel site you recommended. Thanks again.

Shelbygirl
 
I hate to chime in but if you want to see some beautiful coast lines, I would recommend you drive south a couple of hours and drive along the Amalfi Coast line (or, take a tour). That coastline is BEAUTIFUL (and, they say that it's the most beautiful coast line in all of Europe). M.C. Escher loved to draw several pictures based on the Amalfi Coast line for you mathematicians out there.

I agree that you don't want to drive. I was working at the Navy base in Naples for a couple of weeks in January. I am sooo thankful that I wasn't driving as they were CRAZY out there. In fact, people coming to the Navy base for their assignment were told "when you get into an accident..." instead of "if".

Enjoy Italy. You will love it (I'm saving my miles so I can go there for fun in a couple of years).

Lorrayne
 
Thanks, Lorrayne for the suggestion on the Amalfi Coast. There are just so many options on what to do, it's difficult to narrow it down. (Doesn't it sound like I'm talking about Cathe workouts?!).

Thanks,
Shelbygirl
 
Hi - I second Lorrayne's suggestion of Amalfi Coast. It is absolutely breathtaking, although it can be a treacherous drive. If you or your husband don't mind driving, I say go for it. I also think you should drive from Rome to Florence. Beautiful scenery. Although I must say I also enjoyed the train ride there.

Have a wonderful and safe journey. Watch out for people/kids on scooters!!

Mar:)
 
I agree with the watching out for people on scooters or any pedestrian. I was in a van for a tour of downtown Naples during rush hour. It was absolutely crazy! Pedestrians and people on scooters were walking/riding in any open space they can find both on the road (mostly in the center) and on the sidewalks!
 
Naples is the craziest city in Italy and also charming in so many ways. I saw two car collissions and the people just backed up and left the scene. No law and order. I don't even remember traffic lights and the cab drivers are even crazier. They shout at each other on the road and the traffic jams are unreal.

It's a wild place, but fun and a great experience nontheless.

Mar
 
I went to Rome, Florence, and Verona back in September and I'd say three days in Florence would be a bit much. I've never been to Chianti, but if it were me I'd prefer seeing a new city to staying that long in Florence. Verona is a lovely little place with a very well-preserved Roman coloseum. You might want to stop there for the day also if you get the chance. Lake Garda is not far, and that's beautiful too.
 
Thanks, everyone, for all the great ideas. I'll have to check them out. I don't know much of anything about Verona or the Amalfi Coast, but that's what the internet is for (besides talking fitness, of course). We chose Chianti as a possible stopping point because it is conveniently located on the way from Rome to Florence, it's supposed to have amazingly beautiful scenery, there are castles there and we just love good wine. But, we are definitely open to other ideas, like you all have been providing. Thanks again.

Shelbygirl
 
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