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What is your favorite town/village in Italy?

Pauline

Forums Admin
Post on this thread with some information and photos of your favorite place in Italy. I thought this might be a fun exercise to make us think about the places we love. It will also be a help to travelers trying to decide where to go next. Tell us why you love this place.
 
The place that will always amaze me is Ascoli Piceno. Beautiful, vibrant, with fabulous lanes to wander, great places to eat, gorgeous countryside surrounding it, I'm always amazed that it isn't more well-known. And it will always feel like home.
Ascoli%20Palazzo%20Capitani.jpg
 
I really struggled with this one. My first response is Rome, but in the last five years the place I've gone back to over and over is Naples. I really, really love it there. The energy of the place is infectious, and there's so much to see and do in the area that I never run of options. Plus, the food is amazing.

This is the cloister at Santa Chiara, an oasis of quiet in the middle of the city.

Santa Chiara Cloister.JPG
 
I really struggled with this one. My first response is Rome, but in the last five years the place I've gone back to over and over is Naples. I really, really love it there. The energy of the place is infectious, and there's so much to see and do in the area that I never run of options. Plus, the food is amazing.

This is the cloister at Santa Chiara, an oasis of quiet in the middle of the city.

View attachment 199
Ellen, I never thought of going to Naples, but your post has made me change my mind. I doubt I'd go on my own, so I'd have to find a very small tour to the area....or go with a seasoned traveler *wink wink* LOL.
 
Mindy, although I'd been to Naples three or four times before, I didn't really fall in love with the place until Colleen and Shannon turned me on to the apartment they'd rented. I've been back now four or five years in a row; the apartment and the owner (Marco) are both fabulous. I'd realized a couple of years ago that he worked at Teatro San Carlo, but only this year discovered that he's a lead dancer (ballerino). I went to the opera a couple of weeks ago and he danced in the first and third acts ... the next day when I saw him and asked him about it he said he thought I knew what his "real" job was. He probably did tell me, but between his limited English and my limited Italian it likely got lost in translation.

I was fortunate this year to be there with a friend who is a scholar of ancient Rome. It was fascinating to tromp around the ruins at Baia, Pozzuoli, Cumae, Oplontis, and Santa Maria Capua Vetere with her ... my own personal master class. We were there for two weeks attending a language school each morning, then touring around in the afternoons and over the weekend. Both the language school and her historical tutoring reminded me how little I know (insert deep sigh here).
 
We love most of the hilltop towns in Tuscany, but we really love the stunning little town of Varenna on Lake Como. It's small and right on the lake with views that stay in our minds forever. They have some wonderful restaurants and the people are so warm and friendly. We've seen several weddings in the church on the town square. Friendly dogs, belonging to the store owners napping by the doors. We always feel like we're part of the community while staying there, perhaps, because it's so small. Can't wait to return
 
Mindy, although I'd been to Naples three or four times before, I didn't really fall in love with the place until Colleen and Shannon turned me on to the apartment they'd rented. I've been back now four or five years in a row; the apartment and the owner (Marco) are both fabulous. I'd realized a couple of years ago that he worked at Teatro San Carlo, but only this year discovered that he's a lead dancer (ballerino). I went to the opera a couple of weeks ago and he danced in the first and third acts ... the next day when I saw him and asked him about it he said he thought I knew what his "real" job was. He probably did tell me, but between his limited English and my limited Italian it likely got lost in translation.

I was fortunate this year to be there with a friend who is a scholar of ancient Rome. It was fascinating to tromp around the ruins at Baia, Pozzuoli, Cumae, Oplontis, and Santa Maria Capua Vetere with her ... my own personal master class. We were there for two weeks attending a language school each morning, then touring around in the afternoons and over the weekend. Both the language school and her historical tutoring reminded me how little I know (insert deep sigh here).
Ellen, thank you for sharing your Naples love story!
 
We spent 3 nights in Naples about 10 years ago and my back was very bad (bad before we left and then I tripped in Naples), so I did not see as much as I wanted to and I have always wanted to go back. I remember reading about Colleen and Shannon's trip and the apartment. Thanks for posting Ellen - Naples would be a very good city break for us.

We spent two weeks in Sorrento in 2001, but I would like to see Pompeii and Herculaneum again - as well as the sights in Naples.
 
We love most of the hilltop towns in Tuscany, but we really love the stunning little town of Varenna on Lake Como.

We stayed across the lake in Menaggio and went to Bellagio, but not to Varenna. I agree, this is a beautiful area. Did you stay in a vacation rental? If it was good, can you post a link? We stayed in one, but I couldn't recommend it.
 
Pauline, We have always stayed at the Albergo Milano, http://www.varenna.net/. The two rooms on the second floor, each have a large terrace, overlooking the lake. Room #1 is the largest and our favorite. The rates are very reasonable and the property is owned by a couple. The husband is a chef and they serve dinner on the large ground floor terrace. The restaurant is open to the public. They have recently renovated a couple of apartments, close to the Albergo. They do not have outside seating, however, which is important to us in Varenna. Also, we unload our luggage in the small town square and then park our car on the street, where parking is free. The town has a parking garage, but it is NOT free. Once we are in Varenna, we never use our car again. It's a very easy walk from the square to the Albergo.

I would like to add that we usually no longer stay in hotels, but the Milano is just too perfect. However, if we couldn't get room #1, we probably would choose an apartment or small house to rent. The room with the terrace is one of our favorite place in Italy to sit and enjoy the view. The little cafe at the water's edge serves great food and pizza and a fun place to people watch.
 
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I have been thinking and thinking about this. We have not traveled to Italy recently - the last trip was just a week in Umbria in 2007. My pick is Siena because of the beautiful main square - Il Campo - and the church. I remember the first time I saw Il Campo, it took my breath away.

This is a photo from Sept 1996, the first time we went to Siena, sitting at a cafe on Il Campo.

siena-1996-001.jpg
 
I have two, if that's ok.

I second Naples. I too have stayed in that apartment as well as in hotels and I just love Naples. It has so much to offer in terms of art, culture, history and amazing food all with very friendly locals.

My other favorite is Siracusa in Sicily - in particular the island of Ortigia. It's such a special place - beautiful, historic, wonderful food, within an hour or so of other great places like Taormina, Noto, etc. It's just about the perfect place, in my opinion.
 
This site (http://www.cir.campania.benicultura...ra/baia-parco-archeologico/?searchterm=bacoli), the scavi and terme at Bacoli, blew me away. It was easy to get to from Naples using the Cumana railroad from Montesanto.

After visiting the ruins we ate at an amazing restaurant that we'd passed in the morning as we walked from the station to the ruins. It was one of the best meals I've ever had in Italy, a variety of different small plates that the chef came up with after I told them I am a vegetarian. We mentioned to our waiter Antonio, who is also one of the owners, that we were in the area to attend a language school; after that we wouldn't let us speak in English and he took the time to correct our mistakes in Italian.

Ristorante Il Paolanto, Via Ottaviano Augusto 13, Fusaro
 
Florence...sigh. I don't even know where to start with the why. There's so much more than just the main sights (of which I am extremely fond, don't get me wrong!) But I also loved just wandering around and checking out whatever strikes my fancy. Some wonderful ways to pass the time in Florence are:
...wandering alone around the hills above the Oltrarno, then heading over to San Miniato in the late afternoon for the Gregorian chant service.
...visiting Santo Spirito, then eating lunch on the steps watching the comings and goings of the neighbourhood.
...sitting for an hour looking at one Ghirlandaio painting in the Ospedale degli Innocenti.
...taking the bus up to Fiesole, wandered around the town and also hiking through Monte Ceceri park.

As for smaller towns...I like Cetona very much. We spent two weeks there a few years ago, in this incredible rental (although we didn't go through airbnb). Cetona is a charming little hilltown, perfectly situated for daytripping around Val d'Orcia and visiting many towns in southern Tuscany like Montepulciano and Pienza, and also within easy reach of places in Umbria such as Orvieto, Citta della Pieve, or Lake Trasimeno.
 
I'll revive this old thread for my first post on this forum. :)

I LOVE the quiet side of Venice - away from the tourists, attractions, and San Marco. We've found a hole in the wall bar with a few flimsy chairs/tables that sells decent table wine in a location prime for sitting and wasting your day away. The owner learns your name and hope it's still there when we return for our third time in June. In Venice, I love how quiet it can be and the echo of the sounds you can hear if you listen closely especially at night. Only wish I liked more varieties of seafood. o_O

A close second are any of the wine villages in Piedmonte. We stayed in LaMorra one October during the wine harvest. Quiet and relaxing except for the trucks loaded up with grape crates whizzing through town - which added to its charm. Plus, white truffles aplenty!
 
Too tough!!! :sour:

Honourable mentions to:
- Torino. I'm not a fan of big cities in general, but Torino won us over with great food, wine, classiness, mountains in sight, wonderfully functional and all of it done without self-sacrifice at the altar of tourism.
- Molveno. I ought to dig out a photo, but the photos can't really do justice to a view that has Lake, Mountains and none of the usual 'filler'
- Ghemme. Totally unphotogenic, a criss cross of roads and barely any green in the centre, some historic buildings but not much, no fancy restaurants, .... Oh come on Ian you can't be serious! Yet despite the criss-cross of roads there is virtually no traffic, even the bypass isn't exactly busy. Charming people, tasty unfussy food, a great place to stay, good walking/cycling nearby and wines that are still a little under-appreciated. It's plainness seems to count in its favour for us.
- Ravello. Maybe the 1st place you stay, sticks in the memory the most, but perched high up on the coast, gives you the most peaceful view of what's below.
- Cuneo. Charming in a slightly quirky way, the locals may be referred to as 'cone-heads' as a term of disparagement, but they've chosen a place of genuine charm to live in. The central square is a masterpiece with porticoed pavements all around. A market that has tractors for sale is a proper market!

The winner for me must be the place we've yet to discover
 

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