1/2 Northern Italy, 1/2 Southern France. Suggestions?
Hi Everyone, first time poster here, great site!
Anyway, I'm looking through the other posts and getting some great ideas. My wife and I were invited to the Cannes Film Festival by our friend who has a movie in it. However, we've always wanted to go to Northern Italy and so I figure now is the time. We will arrive in Milan around May 1, 2010 and leave from Milan on May 18th. This is the first trip without the kids so we want it to be special and romantic. Right now, we have ZERO plans other than to be in Cannes on May 14th.
The last 5 days of the trip will be Nice and Cannes, but we have nothing planned for the other 13 days. I'm thinking I would love to see Florence, and possibly Venice or Pisa but I don't know. I don't want to spend our whole trip on trains and I'd love to get out in the country a bit.
I'm not sold on Rome just because I don't want to wait in line and get overcharged in a large tourist city. Plus, there is so much there that I would want to do a week there and so think that is best left for another trip.
So, where would you go if you arrived in Milan and had about 10 days to explore Northern Italy? I know this is the Italy forum but if you have any suggestions for southern France too that would be wonderful. I really want to get this trip right so any little tucked away places or hidden gems would be amazing. We're not millionaires but are willing to splurge for what would make it a great experience.
I don't think you can go wrong visiting almost any place in Italy.
If you are concerned about tourists and long lines, beware of Florence -- it's much more touristy than Rome. I don't think Pisa is worth the effort, not on a first trip.
In your situation, I would take a train to Bologna and from there you have many options. You could visit places like Bologna, Parma, Modena, Padua, Verona, Ravenna -- all have great food and art. Venice is definitely worth a visit. All are easy train rides, and it'll be easy to get back to Milan and on to France. Look them up in any popular guidebook and you'll get an idea what they have to offer.
Don't be in a rush and try to see too much: spend a couple days in each place, enjoy yourself. The best advice I can give is to always assume you'll be back.
the train from bologna to cannes is not tidy. changed in genoa, changed at the french border. the last train was more of a streetcar than a train. the train trip was not attractive, which was the reason we took it.
get a room reservation, and dining reservations for Cannes. today.
florence is crowded, not of much interest for children(ages?) and the mother of all lines. to do the countryside, which is probably a good idea, rent a car. you should rent and return car in italy. you will have no use for a car in cannes, unless you tour hillsides, and parking in hotel when i was there was almost as expensive as the hotel.
the hill/mountain towns in se france are great. most of the small towns in italy are a delight.
That definitely helps, thank you. I agree that we want to stay a few days and not be constantly "on the go". However, if we find that a town is not that interesting, we can hop on a train and be in another little place in an hour which is very nice.
I have heard mixed opinions on Venice. One woman I spoke to said it smells. Like, really smells and it is hard to get over. Others say it is amazing... I don't know, what do you think?
Other than Venice, and possibly Lake Como, I think we're going to stick with Tuscany. Have you been to Lake Como? Is it a must? I think we will enjoy our trip more by not doing so many miles of travel. Although I know Florence is touristy, my family is from there so I must see it.
What I'd really love is to hear about some special places in and around Tuscany that you might have visited. I'd rather not just stay in mainstream hotels. I've seen stories of people staying in a farmhouse on a vineyard and having these amazing breakfasts. That sounds really neat and more authentic. I see a lot of things on Tripadvisor too, so I'm getting good ideas, but if there is a "must see or do", then I'd love to know.
I have heard mixed opinions on Venice. One woman I spoke to said it smells. Like, really smells and it is hard to get over. Others say it is amazing... I don't know, what do you think?
what places does this woman think not smell? the only places in venice that i have noticed with bad smells are near canals that are being redug. that is a bad smell. the canal is sealed off, drained, and the muck on the bottom is removed.
we have spent a lot of time in venice(always winter), and never noticed any foul odors.
lot of tourists go to venice to get a sniff.
Tuscany is a real big place. the hill towns are great. the vineyard farms are great. the non-chianti wine producing areas are great.
I worked in Italy for six years, have been back multiple times and have not see one-half of the country so you will have a lot to choose from. You can use this link for making reservations at the sights you want to see, such as the Last Supper and planning purposes.
Venice is like any other city invaded by tourists with the exception that the Venetian canals are the roads everyplace else and as such you will see litter. As for smell, how do some estuaries smell at low tide? Yes, there can be an odor but it is part natural and part man made so do not let that dissuade you from going to Venice.
Trains service almost every city and town so getting from one point to another should not be a problem. My preference is to drive as it allows you to go on your schedule and not the train, which is subject to scioperi or strikes/work stoppages. That could have an adverse impact on your travels. With the exception of getting around large cities (Milano, Firenze e Roma) you should not have too much a problem if you drive. Some cities such as Siena have limited in-town parking but offer parking lots away from the city center so you would want to factor that into your travel plans. Some hotels may have limited parking on the premises and may charge for parking.
I agree with ziobacio as for areas to visit and you may want to consider dropping your bags in one town and doing day trips from there. Easier on you and yours and you don't have to 'live' out of a suitcase for the time you are in Italy. If you are in Parma there are some places where you can tour the plants making Parmigiano and Prosciutto.
We stayed in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue for nearly one week earlier this year and enjoyed the area, again, doing day trips to Arles, Gard, Avignon, Marseilles and Provence. Driving was not a problem and I do recommend having a good map for both Italy and France. A phrase book is helpful for the rare instance when someone can only communicate in their mother tongue.
Side note - I prefer eating in places where the menu is not written in multiple languages as there is a noticeable difference between a dish prepared at a family owned trattoria three or four blocks down a side street than the same one prepared in some of the places that do cater to tourists.
Enjoy and travel safe.
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Every artist was first an amateur. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
And just to remind you that 1 May and 8 May are public holidays in France, and you may also find that May 1 is a public holiday in Italy - Worker's Day.
I did sort of the reverse of this many years ago. Flew into Nice from Paris, stayed there for a night, then drove to Tuscany and back with several stops.
Day 1 -- Arrived in Nice early evening - had a nice dinner.
Day 2 -- Day in Nice (mainly a day on the beach, walking around, Chagall museum).
Day 3 -- we drove through Monte Carlo on the way out of town (brief walk around) and then drove to Portofino. Spent the rest of the day there and had an excellent dinner down by the water.
Day 4 -- continued down the coast with stops in Pisa and Lucca (really cool town you can walk along the walls) on the way to our Tuscan base, San Gimignano. My wife's uncle used to run an inn in Florida and would have other innkeepers from around the world stay with them on holidays. One of these folks owned a place called La Cisterna in San Gimignano -- "The Well." It takes its name because it is right off the main square where the town well is -- but off the back of the hotel you get miles and miles of Tuscan countryside view. Because of the owner connection we had the most amazing room and view.
Days 5-7 -- one day exploring around San G., the other two we drove to Sienna and Volterra. Plenty of time to walk around those towns but also just stop wherever along the way -- relax, eat well, have a drink, etc.
Days 8 -- made a big loop east along the route of the wine -- eventually all the way out to Arezzo (I think) where we had dinner - then drove into Florence late. There were several cool stops along the way including a few wineries (the one or two open in August) and a castle. If you are into wine this is a very cool drive - but this could also be a part to skip and get onto Florence.
Day 9-11 -- Florence -- plenty to see here. There were plenty of tourists, but we made advanced reservations everywhere we could and did not have any issues (and this was August, high season).
Day 12 -- Got up early and drove to the Cinque Terre. Highly recommend a visit to these five small towns since you will be heading towards France - did the coolest walk between the towns up on the side of the hills - took most of the day. If you have time, you may want to stay there. We ended up driving back to the Cap D'ail Marriott near Nice, arriving very late.
Day 13 -- flew back to Paris
I have been to both Venice and Lake Como. Venice was my first city ever visited in Italy and was truly an incredible place. Yes, it smells in places. But you can deal - it is so worth it. You need a few days to really enjoy it - so not sure you'll want to jam it into this trip if Tuscany is the priority. Lake Como I am glad I visited, but would put behind so many other places you can visit on this trip. Make sure to visit the Duomo di Milano before you leave Milan.
Your wife may love Grasse, France. A short bus ride and good day trip from Cannes. The "perfume capital of the world". There are perfume museums and tours of perfume factories and of course shops. For a little over $100 I managed to gather 28 different scents to take home. A few samples, several assorted packages of tiny to small bottles, and a few full sized ones. Had great fun "testing" them all when I got home.
The perfume-making process is interesting enough you may also enjoy it.
And definitely a romantic thing to do, IMO.
I also thought Menton, France (right on the Italian border) a charming town. And it is in sort of a micro climate so tends to be warmer in winter than other nearby areas.
