Originally Posted by
travelmom4
I am taking the first steps to plan a trip with my family and another family to either France or Italy this summer (posting in the France forum, too). There will be 4 parents and 7 "kids" ages 13 to 21. We have all been to Italy before so the point is to be together in one of our favorite European countries, enjoy the culture and eat and drink. Our priorities are good food and local flavor in the form of sights, cafes, events, shops. We like to stay in one place and explore nearby as opposed to hotel hopping. Husband and I are planning to travel for one week with our brood first and then join the other family for week 2.
I am looking for suggestions of where we might create a home-base for week 2. We are hemmed into the second or third week of July so weather is an issue. I am from the deep south where we get more than our share of heat and would prefer more moderate weather. I spent a week on Lake Como (Varenna) once in July and we called it our "Streetcar Named Desire" holiday-no air-conditioning and crowded, hot beaches so a mandatory cool shower every afternoon was our primary relief-would prefer to not repeat that experience. We are looking for a town or village so that we can access a few restaurants and cafes by walking, although we will have a couple of cars. Are there some charming towns in the Dolomites? Other suggestions for more moderate climate with culture and good food?
First, this is an extremely broad question, because you are asking where to go with the whole country as a possibility, rather than coming up with a few regions where you might hope people can provide some guidance.
If you think that Varenna is hot and crowded, then there not much of a chance you'll be happy. They are at decent elevation, and the average high in July is 76-77, and low is 65-66. People are quite comfortable in a t shirt and shorts. And since you are on the lake, if you get hot, just jump in. It's a small town, with only a few hotels, so it doesn't get that crowded. If you rented a room without an air conditioner, that's not their fault, it's your fault. Pretty much every where in the world, if you rent a room in the summer without air conditioning your going to toss and turn all night from the heat. That's not Varenna, it's choice of accommodation.
Anyway, just by going north doesn't alway help because elevation has a lot to do with it. Milan is pretty far north, but is a sweat box in the summer. I had friends who live in Cuba visit me there, and they couldn't take the heat.
Going up in the Appenines it will be cooler, but pretty rural. The villages in the mid-Annenines are largely destroyed.
Italy is hot in the summer, and there's no way around it. This is why in August most of the country shuts down. Most of the population goes to the beach or to the mountains, and may you should consider that. In June, find a nice beach where you'll have a breeze at night. Positano comes to mind. Typical high of 80, low of 65 in June. Crowds not overpowering yet. Plenty of thing to do, hike, visit the other towns, boat, kayak, visit Capri and the other islands.
Even if you go up north to the Dolomite to Bolzano, Trentino Alto Adigo where there are winter ski resorts, it's going to be 80F in the day. Only the people still consider themselves german, and you will be eating strudel, not pasta.
On the west, Val d'Aosta is pretty small towns, without a lot to do. The capital is just a small town square. It's very wonderful, but not much to do. You'd have to drive down to Torino - where it is hot.
Piedmont comes from piede, which means foot, and mountain. Piedmonte means foot of the mountain, referring to the alps. It borders France and Switzerland.
It's the wine capital of Italy, and arguably the food capital as well. It's relatively undiscovered, unlike Tuscany which has become so americanized and touristy that all you hear spoken in the streets is english, even by the storekeepers and waitstaff. It's pretty unusual to hear italian spoken in Tuscany anymore. Even the road signs are in english.
Piedmont hasn't been ruined yet. It is usually in the mid 70's, but can get up to the low 80's. This is the wine capital of Italy, and you have quaint towns and festivals. There are many festivals in June, July and August, and white truffle festivals in the fall. Torino, the capital, and 4th largest city in Italy, is hot. But it's not crowded in June. It's the only large italian city not spoiled by Tourism. from Torino you can even take the train down to Italy and spend a day on the beach, then go to a festival on the border of France. You can even combine with your French trip, as the Cote d'Azur and Rhone in France, and Ticino and Valais border it on Switzerland.
Overall, you're going to have to narrow it down yourself. Italy is too large a country to narrow down a single recommendation for you. Make some proposals. You're going to have to realistically deal with the fact that it's hot in Italy in the summer, no matter where you go. And it's crowded. Italy has 2.5 times the population density of China, and six times the population density of the USA. Add in that it's the fifth most popular tourist destination, bringing 50,000,000 people in on top of the 60,000,000 residents, expect heat and crowds, unless you want to go camping, or to really out of the way places.
Make choices like not staying in hotels without air conditioning, etc.