Seeking ideas for another adventure in Italy

[Tery]

April, May or September October are the best times to visit. Everything is still open, the weather is spectacular and in the fall the olive harvest is full on.

We are returning to Italy for a month in late September and will be spending 8 days in Puglia this time. We'll be spending the first week at our favorite place in Massino Visconti, Piemonte with a fantastic view over Lago Maggiore. We usually take a day trip to Torino while we're there. My Italian family lives only an hour away (in Lombardia) so I visit with them when we are there. Piemonte is one of my 3 favorite regions in Italy along with Marche and Puglia, and we'll also be spending week in Cagli, Marche on this trip. We're excited to return to Puglia as we haven't been there since our first time in June 2017. We loved it then but haven't managed to return until now. We'll be there the second/third week of October and we expect the weather will be just about perfect (cooler than in June)! We always lease a car through AutoEurope when we'll be there longer than 3 weeks and it's worked well for us. We also like going to less-touristed places in Italy and have always had the best time traveling that way (I'm fluent in Italian which helps being in those less-touristed places!). We've seen so many amazing things and sites in these less-touristed places that most American tourists miss by only hitting the main tourist sites.

 

[Fioridave]

I'm a reader and occasional contributor to these valuable forums, and would like to solicit opinions.

My wife and I have been fortunate to make a 5 trips to Italy in the last 15 years and are starting to plan another. I hope that with some context from me, members will offer some ideas about destinations.

We are late in life but active. We have visited a majority of Italy's 20 regions with the exception of:

Valle d'Aosta
Piemonte
Lombardia
Le Marche
Abruzzo
Molise
Calabria
Sardegna

We, like many of you, think of ourselves as travelers, not tourists. Keeping a distance from mass tourism hotspots is priority #1. There are countless special places and unique experiences away from crowds.

Our interests include art and archeology museums, architecture, music, and exploring by foot in towns and mild to moderate hikes in the countryside or hills. We aren't interested in beaches, adventure parks, skiing or water sports, or in self-drive.

No surprise is our love of local cuisine and the km-zero movement. I'm moderately fluent in the language so that doesn't present any obstacle. Train and bus travel are more an adventure than a burden.

Grazie mille, many thanks, for your advice.

We went to the Friuli region two trips ago. Really great. We were in restaurants in Trieste with hardly any other tourists. A lot of interesting other towns also, particularly Udine. Also, Puglia is very nice and away from the crowds.

My rule is I look at a map and when I see places I never or rarely hear about, that starts my planning

 

[FedericoBoston]

Yes indeed F-V-G is great and thanks for reinforcing. I left it off my OP because we were fortunate to do 2 weeks there in 2024; 1 week Udine; other Trieste. With side trips for example San Daniele, Aquileia.

We now have an itinerary for this Fall including bits of Umbria (Orvieto, Perugia) then Torino and Le Langhe, finally Valle d'Aosta. Non vedo l'ora!

 

[Alpinista]

We now have an itinerary for this Fall including bits of Umbria (Orvieto, Perugia) then Torino and Le Langhe, finally Valle d'Aosta. Non vedo l'ora!

Underground Orvieto and Bagnoregio!!

 

[Ian Sutton]

Torino my favourite city in Italy, and the walking in Le Langhe is superb (the wines are 'serviceable' as well, and the food wonderful). We enjoyed quirky Aosta as well, but a shame we didn't explore much more of the wider Vallee d'Aosta.

 

[Fioridave]

Torino my favourite city in Italy, and the walking in Le Langhe is superb (the wines are 'serviceable' as well, and the food wonderful). We enjoyed quirky Aosta as well, but a shame we didn't explore much more of the wider Vallee d'Aosta.

As a fellow Torino fan, I suggest you check out Trieste. A different flavor, but very low on tourists and lots of different things.

Of particular interest was the Risiera di San Sabba, one of the few concentration camps in Italy, but it wasn’t a death camp, but for internment. But prisoners wore their own clothes, could go into town and have a different experience than is normally associated with the camps. Italy was occupied by the Germans, and had to go along with it. But Italy had the highest number of “Righteous,” people who his and saved Jews, than any other country, of I remember correctly.

There were even Jews hidden in the Vatican.

There are also many other fantastic places, and you can walk to Slovenia if you want to add another country.

 

[Galgano]

Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far. I have "railfan" tendencies (fortunately not severe enough for a clinical diagnosis) so the historic trains are a great idea.

As for getting around without a car, I'm reminded that Italy, as well as elsewhere in Europe, has a substantial regional (extraurbano) bus network. We've taken buses from Amalfi Town to Ravello (and Taormina to Castelmola but that's really municipal service).

In Le Marche it appears that Adriabus (Home - Adriabus) will for example get you from Pesaro to Urbino in an hour. I expect to find similar networks in other regions.

Finally, we have friends also of the not self-driving type whose travel agent connected them with a car and driver (NCC - Noleggio con Conducente) for the majority of their trip in Toscana. Dunno the cost but if you really want to experience somewhere outside public transport I guess it's an option.

I'm another to recommend Le Marche. It's been a while since we visited; however, it is a province largely visited by Italians in summer rather than too many tourists. Other provinces have a saying, "Better a death in the family than a Marchese at your door." They were the Vatican's tax collectors.

"Le Marche's Renaissance fortresses resemble a playground of mathematical genius and eccentric shapes, where castles were intentionally sculpted into the forms of turtles, crossbows, eggs, and stars to deflect incoming cannon fire. Masterminded by visionary military architects like Francesco di Giorgio Martini, these bizarre stone geometries seamlessly blended artistic alchemical symbolism with lethal defensive utility. Beneath their sloping, multi-sided walls, these strongholds hid incredible engineering marvels, from secret underground escape tunnels bored straight through solid mountain rock to hollow helical staircases wide enough for soldiers to ride horses up to the battlements. Today, these stunning architectural anomalies still stand proudly across the rolling Italian hills, serving as timeless monuments to an era when warfare, geometry, and high art collided."

 

[Georgia & Zig]

I'm a reader and occasional contributor to these valuable forums, and would like to solicit opinions.

My wife and I have been fortunate to make a 5 trips to Italy in the last 15 years and are starting to plan another. I hope that with some context from me, members will offer some ideas about destinations.

We are late in life but active. We have visited a majority of Italy's 20 regions with the exception of:

Valle d'Aosta
Piemonte
Lombardia
Le Marche
Abruzzo
Molise
Calabria
Sardegna

We, like many of you, think of ourselves as travelers, not tourists. Keeping a distance from mass tourism hotspots is priority #1. There are countless special places and unique experiences away from crowds.

Our interests include art and archeology museums, architecture, music, and exploring by foot in towns and mild to moderate hikes in the countryside or hills. We aren't interested in beaches, adventure parks, skiing or water sports, or in self-drive.

No surprise is our love of local cuisine and the km-zero movement. I'm moderately fluent in the language so that doesn't present any obstacle. Train and bus travel are more an adventure than a burden.

Grazie mille, many thanks, for your advice.

The Dolomites in Orteisei are beautiful in June.

 

[wco81]

The Dolomites in Orteisei are beautiful in June.

Keep in mind, some of the services like cable cars shut down in the spring and some don't reopen until late June.

 

[Fioridave]

I'm a reader and occasional contributor to these valuable forums, and would like to solicit opinions.

My wife and I have been fortunate to make a 5 trips to Italy in the last 15 years and are starting to plan another. I hope that with some context from me, members will offer some ideas about destinations.

We are late in life but active. We have visited a majority of Italy's 20 regions with the exception of:

Valle d'Aosta
Piemonte
Lombardia
Le Marche
Abruzzo
Molise
Calabria
Sardegna

We, like many of you, think of ourselves as travelers, not tourists. Keeping a distance from mass tourism hotspots is priority #1. There are countless special places and unique experiences away from crowds.

Our interests include art and archeology museums, architecture, music, and exploring by foot in towns and mild to moderate hikes in the countryside or hills. We aren't interested in beaches, adventure parks, skiing or water sports, or in self-drive.

No surprise is our love of local cuisine and the km-zero movement. I'm moderately fluent in the language so that doesn't present any obstacle. Train and bus travel are more an adventure than a burden.

Grazie mille, many thanks, for your advice.

Off the normal tourist paths but great are Friuli and related area in the north or Puglia in the south. Those were the last two trips we did and loved them. Especially Friuli,
Had a little too much grappa with dinner, or I would give more info. If you want some specific info contact me. Otherwise have fun

 

[Georgia & Zig]

Keep in mind, some of the services like cable cars shut down in the spring and some don't reopen until late June.

They were open and running on June 18th.

 

[Fioridave]

We are returning to Italy for a month in late September and will be spending 8 days in Puglia this time. We'll be spending the first week at our favorite place in Massino Visconti, Piemonte with a fantastic view over Lago Maggiore. We usually take a day trip to Torino while we're there. My Italian family lives only an hour away (in Lombardia) so I visit with them when we are there. Piemonte is one of my 3 favorite regions in Italy along with Marche and Puglia, and we'll also be spending week in Cagli, Marche on this trip. We're excited to return to Puglia as we haven't been there since our first time in June 2017. We loved it then but haven't managed to return until now. We'll be there the second/third week of October and we expect the weather will be just about perfect (cooler than in June)! We always lease a car through AutoEurope when we'll be there longer than 3 weeks and it's worked well for us. We also like going to less-touristed places in Italy and have always had the best time traveling that way (I'm fluent in Italian which helps being in those less-touristed places!). We've seen so many amazing things and sites in these less-touristed places that most American tourists miss by only hitting the main tourist sites.

Puglia, La Marche, and Friuli are great. Torino is worth more than a day. We like cities and spent 4 full days there. My trip for finding places that aren’t crowded is look at a map, and find places that you don’t know anyone who has gone there.

 

[Ian Sutton]

Puglia, La Marche, and Friuli are great. Torino is worth more than a day. We like cities and spent 4 full days there. My trip for finding places that aren’t crowded is look at a map, and find places that you don’t know anyone who has gone there.

Indeed Torino has rewarded us on many visits, with many of the street names now indelibly marked in my brain.

We've never day-tripped into it, but it was in my mind as an option if we returned to Ghemme, visited Tortona, or stayed on the outskirts (e.g. Chieri). Stazione Porta Nuova fractionally more central than Stazione Porta Susa, but both are well positioned on the edge of the ZTL. I know it so well, that it would be a very good option for a morning trip to provision up, or an afternoon / evening visit taking in aperitivo hour and a favourite restaurant.


I recall many years ago chatting to a couple of young ladies who were catching the airport bus at the same time as us. It turned out that their whole visit was a day trip from the UK.

 

[Fioridave]

Indeed Torino has rewarded us on many visits, with many of the street names now indelibly marked in my brain.

We've never day-tripped into it, but it was in my mind as an option if we returned to Ghemme, visited Tortona, or stayed on the outskirts (e.g. Chieri). Stazione Porta Nuova fractionally more central than Stazione Porta Susa, but both are well positioned on the edge of the ZTL. I know it so well, that it would be a very good option for a morning trip to provision up, or an afternoon / evening visit taking in aperitivo hour and a favourite restaurant.


I recall many years ago chatting to a couple of young ladies who were catching the airport bus at the same time as us. It turned out that their whole visit was a day trip from the UK.

Day trips are okay for a very small village, after you have been to several before. If we do a day trip, it a max of one hour by train. Flying in for a day trip anywhere spends more time in airports and transportation to and from the airports. And Italy? I think Italy was invented as a beautiful place to have coffee and later a glass of wine. A sip of grappa also. And after 15 times there, I think there are some pretty cathedrals, ruins, and piazzas.