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Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,880
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Rick Steve's also has guided tours of Rome (and maybe other Italian cities) free from Amazon and Apple Store.  These are about 1 1/2 hrs and include Colisseum, Forums, Parthenon, St. Peters.  I have used all of the above and they are terrific.

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Registered: ‎08-23-2011
@Sammijo10
Mail I ask, where did you find the villa to rent?
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Posts: 3,237
Registered: ‎03-29-2011

@MissMaggieMoo wrote:

 My hubby and I are planning a trip to Italy in the fall of 2019. We have never been. I'm contemplating going with some type of tour company but my hubby doesn't want to do this. He thinks we can navigate on our own. We aren't much for museums and art but do enjoy the countryside and ocean. We are thinking about the Amalfi Coast area at this time. 

@MissMaggieMoo

If you have never been to Italy, I highly recommend a bus tour for your first adventure.  Navigating Italy, when you do not know anything about the country, is not easy.  Traveling on your own, you will not be able to see nearly as much as you will with a tour.  Lines can be hours long at main attractions, when your with a tour, you jump the line. Your tour guide is such a wealth of knowledge.

 

Truthfully for my first trip, I would not focus just on the Amalfi Coast.  It's pretty yes, but a coast is a coast anywhere.  Italy has so much history to offer.


 

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Posts: 3,842
Registered: ‎04-23-2010

@lulu1 wrote:

@MissMaggieMoo wrote:

 My hubby and I are planning a trip to Italy in the fall of 2019. We have never been. I'm contemplating going with some type of tour company but my hubby doesn't want to do this. He thinks we can navigate on our own. We aren't much for museums and art but do enjoy the countryside and ocean. We are thinking about the Amalfi Coast area at this time. 

@MissMaggieMoo

If you have never been to Italy, I highly recommend a bus tour for your first adventure.  Navigating Italy, when you do not know anything about the country, is not easy.  Traveling on your own, you will not be able to see nearly as much as you will with a tour.  Lines can be hours long at main attractions, when your with a tour, you jump the line. Your tour guide is such a wealth of knowledge.

 

Truthfully for my first trip, I would not focus just on the Amalfi Coast.  It's pretty yes, but a coast is a coast anywhere.  Italy has so much history to offer.


 


Lulu1, if you are not a museum, art people then why bother, go to Amalfi Coast, it is doable. for novice people without a tour. It is amazingly beautiful, romantic and safe. Go in September so the sea is warm and swimmable.

Here is easy itinerariy for you. Fly to Naples, take a limo to Sorrento, stay  3 -4 days there, do trips to Pompeii, to Vesuvius vineyards. Then hop on the boat to Capri, the most amazing island ever, stay at least 3-4 days, enjoy it, then go to Positano(40 min by boat) , stay there 3-4-5 days, visit Amalfi, Ravello, swim, eat,love. Then go home ( limo to Naples is 1 hour) . You can stay in Naples for A day or too and then go home. Overall nice relaxing tour without going crazy. You would love it!

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Posts: 3,842
Registered: ‎04-23-2010

@debcakes wrote:

@Sammijo10,  October in Italy should be wonderful. Actually, anytime in Italy is wonderful. I think I have seen every church in Italy. I was first there when I was 15 so much could ha e changed since then. When I was there with my family we had a car a drove up and down the entire country. Both Orvieto and Assisi stand out as being really nice. Look into it and you may find interesting things to do. I enjoyed just walking around town in Orvieto and peeking into the lovely courtyards of the homes. I enjoy the Orvieto wine and I’ll bet you could find a cooking class to take using the wines. 

We also visited the small country of San Marino and enjoyed that, too. 

I would also suggest the Villa Borghese and its  gardens, much if not all of which is free. To really see it all, you can rent a bicycle. I was in Rome in December and had wanted to do this but my mom could just not walk any further. Next tome. 

If you enjoy food and cooking, I would suggest going to Eataly in Bologna. This is more like a foodie’s theme park than their stores in the USA.  Free admission but of course you will buy things. 

Your trip sounds fantastic and will be great no matter what you choose. Since you will have a car, exploring the small towns and villages can be a lot of fun. Also, it would be good if you have a phone you can use. You can get an Italian SIM card if your phone is unlocked.

 

Have a terrific time! 


Villa Borghese is in Rome, requires a special reservation on line on specific time since they can accept only 200 people at a time. It is a fabulous museum of Bernini sculptures. Not feeling it would be an interest of this particular group though. Vatican would be enough.

Pizzeria EST,EST, EST  is amazing!

 

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Posts: 3,842
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@MissMaggieMoo wrote:

@Sammijo10 My hubby and I are planning a trip to Italy in the fall of 2019. We have never been. I'm contemplating going with some type of tour company but my hubby doesn't want to do this. He thinks we can navigate on our own. We aren't much for museums and art but do enjoy the countryside and ocean. We are thinking about the Amalfi Coast area at this time. 


CocoaMolly, please read what I accidentally wrote for Lulu1, it was meant for you.

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Posts: 1,448
Registered: ‎05-14-2011

Re: Italy in October

[ Edited ]

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions!  Sanna, those are exactly the kinds of things I'm looking for!  A pasta making class might be fun.  I know my step-son would get a kick out of it too.

 

HBGlamma,I found the Villa/hotel while digging around first with Google Maps to find a geographic 'center' for all we wanted to see, then spending some time on Hotels.com (or any such site) looking at photos, reviews etc.  The one we chose is a restored 14th century villa with 20 rooms, a restaurant on site in/near a small town called Poggibonsi, Villa San Lucchese. The reviews were stellar (4.6 out of 5, I think, or similar).  I'll let you all know about it when I get back.  

 

Keep the advice coming!  I'm loving it!  

Regular Contributor
Posts: 227
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

 @SANNA Thank you Sanna! I knew your post was for me. I am printing out your recommendations. Sounds like a wonderful timeline. We plan to be there for 10 days probably in Oct. 2019. Thank you again!

@CocoaMolly wrote:

@Sammijo My hubby and I are planning a trip to Italy in the fall of 2019. We have never been. I'm contemplating going with some type of tour company but my hubby doesn't want to do this. He thinks we can navigate on our own. We aren't much for museums and art but do enjoy the countryside and ocean. We are thinking about the Amalfi Coast area at this time. 

CocoaMolly, please read what I accidentally wrote for Lulu1, it was meant for you.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 3,842
Registered: ‎04-23-2010

Very welcome. Also I always go to the Tripadvisor forums of particular places I am going to and those people are the wealth of information. You can ask anything you need. I am now sitting on one French Forum  fishing for needed info.

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Posts: 12,844
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

We went to Italy a few times and there were some definite highlights from our trips.  The thing is I just don't remember the names of tours, guides, etc.

 

In Tuscany we went on a wine tour that was so much fun!  Our tour guide took us first to a small village then on to two very different (from each other) wineries.  The scenery, wine & food were all so lovely and he had a great personality which made it extra fun!  We also met some wonderful people on the tour.

 

I enjoyed the town square in Sinena (in Tuscany).  Some great shops to wander into.  Lots of outdoor cafes to just people watch.

 

I love seeing the Sistine Chapel in Rome.  There's a way to get into it faster than standing in a long line and I don't remember what we did but I do remember getting the tips over on TripAdvisor.

 

I loved Venice but my husband felt like it was a tourist trap.  He did like the small boutique hotel that we stayed at just off of St. Peter's Square.  By staying in some unique family owned hotels you get more of a taste of the country rather than staying in a hotel chain.

 

We also loved Cinque Terra! You can hike between the towns, take the train or go by boat.  When you go by boat you can see the colorful pastel buildings & homes perched high on the cliffs. I think it was one of the highlights of the trip!...Beautiful but very hilly. We stayed in a small and beautiful B&B.  Each afternoon the owner had a "happy hour" with wine grown from his cousin's vineyard which we could see in view of the hotel which also had an amazing patio overlooking the Mediterranean.  Lots of great restaurants there too!

 

There were a lot of other fun places that we enjoyed as well...Pompeii, Sorento, Sicily...  I spent a lot of long hours researching and getting a lot of information from TripAdvisor.  There is a message board on each area and reviews with extensive customer photos.  It's a lot of work though so I understand if you would want some of the others to speak up about what they would like to do and see.

 

I'm sure you will have a wonderful trip! Smiley Happy

 

I'm getting excited about my family's trip to Ireland in September.  There will be 12 of us and we're going on a private tour....it's just easier for me since no one else made an effort to step up at all so a tour it is!