IF (as an Italy newbie) I need any special advice or instructions for the train system, I hope you will share it!
Also, still need more historical fiction novel recommendations to get primed for all my adventures!
Not fiction
. I enjoyed both
5 Likes
It’s been a while, but those hiking times seem long. We hiked from Vernazza to Riomaggiore in one shot in an afternoon (3ish hours?). It was hot and harder than anticipated, and we are hikers, but 1 1/2 hours from Monterosso to Vernazzo seems long. But maybe we pushed ourselves and it would be better to take it easy, or maybe that leg is longer than the others (we never hiked to Monterosso). Anyway, know that you will need to purchase a pass for hiking in the park. The trains between each villages run often and are easy. Re: staying in Corniglia. It is the only village that is not on the water, so take that into consideration. We really enjoyed the ability to swim, and walking around in the evening down to the water, grabbing a drink or a gelato, was really enjoyable as well. I think 2 nights in CT is sufficient.
2 Likes
Oops, sorry. Saw eastern coast and thought you might have input on the other areas. Yes please do report back after, and enjoy your trip!
1 Like
Is there any chance I can swim in mid may? I assumed the water would be frigid still. Im a water baby. Distressed that water will be cold in croatia, greece and italy !
From what I see that section of the trail is 2.5 miles with a lot of uphill so I’m guessing it will take me the full 2 hours. Maybe I should walk that section the opposite direction so its more downhill than up? Ha.
I’m not sure. We were there in late June. I guess it would depends on how warm it is and what your tolerance is.
1 Like
Non-fiction but a great read if you’re going to see the Sistine Chapel.
Also Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. Not exactly historical fiction, but a lot of it takes place in historic Roman sites.
2 Likes
My daughter liked Verona much more than Venice.
1 Like
@taverngirl I’ve been to parts of the Emilia-Romagna, Umbria, and Puglia regions. What did you want to know?
We have done two trips to different parts of Italy in May. The first one included Cinque Terre and my husband swam at two different towns. He wasn’t the only one in the water. Last May we went to Sicily and Puglia. Again he swam and I even went in several times. For the most part most people felt the water was still freezing. My husband is a water person and never travels without his swimsuit. He swims in the Pacific several days a week year round without a wetsuit.
That first trip we also went to Venice and Parma. Venice was beautiful but even in early May if was like Disneyland on a summer day. We had not planned ahead and could not get into many of the sights. We had been before so we enjoyed just wandering. We took the water buses out to several of the islands which was nice and got us out of the crowds.
I loved the mosaics in Ravenna which is south of Venice.
In Parma we stayed out of town as we had a car and did a food tour where we went to explore the making of local foods, Parmigiana, Parma ham and balsamic. It was during Covid and each tour participant drove their own car following the guide. One couple didn’t have a vehicle and they had arranged for a driver.
1 Like
I’ve been to Emilia-Romagna, Umbria and Puglia. I loved all three.
Not in Puglia but nearby is Matera. I wouldn’t miss it if you’re in that area.
I follow a mother and daughter who do food tours in Italy on instagram. I’ve not done one of their tours but I’ve found they are a source for lots of good info on Umbria and Puglia. Look for EMinchilli and her daughter Sophie.
1 Like
Ooh, okay, thanks! Here’s my loose itinerary. Would love any feedback you might have to share. Tagging @mom60 as well.
4 nights Emilia-Romagna using Castelfranco Emilia as a home base. Day trips to Parma, Modena, and Bologna
4 nights Umbria using Spello as a home base. Day trips to Assisi, Montefalco/Bevanga, and maybe Trevi
3 nights in Abruzzo using Santo Stefano di Sessanio as a home base. Day trips to Gran Sasso NP, Stiffe caves, hermitage of San Bartolomeo
5 nights Puglia, 2 in Gargano NP, 2 around Valle d’Itria, 1 in Matera (I know, not in Puglia but close enough)
Thank you!
2 Likes
I’ve met Elizabeth and I’ve taken one of Sophie’s tours in Rome. I think E’s tours are more expensive than some others These days there’s quite a network of tour guides.
Also look at ElaineTrigiani.com for tours and ideas. She has one to Puglia soon.
1 Like
I’m not looking at a map…are any of those locations in Puglia near the beach? They have gorgeous ports and markets.
Is that Otranto? If so, that is further south. Gargano NP has beaches, and the good thing about that proposed itinerary is that it doesn’t go so far south, (although Lecce is lovely!)
2 Likes
We loved the Emilia-Romagna area. For travel between towns you list the train is great and if you have cell data then the Trenitalia app is very handy. Note that even in the English menu it uses Italian city names only (Roma, Venezia, etc) and when registering you live in “Stati Uniti”. I’ve heard good things about food tours in the region where they drive you around and if ever back there would do one. In Bologna we had an enjoyable walking tour that left from the TI office.
Before your trip you may enjoy reading the book “Il Bel Centro: A Year in the Beautiful Center” by Michelle Damiani set in Spello. In Umbria I’m assuming you’ll have a car. It’s a convenience but be sure you know what the ZTL is to avoid expensive tickets. Almost all the towns will have them. Check with your hotel to see if they are inside it and if so to register your car for access. We’ve enjoyed visiting all the towns you mention on various trips. With a car you can visit 2 towns a day if you like. Go to one in the morning, stay thru lunch, then drive to another nearby town. Some towns to add could be Perugia, Todi, Cortona, and so on; really can’t go wrong! And we’ve had fun driving along and saying “hey, what’s up there?” and stopping.
Puglia is a big region, almost 200 miles in length. We enjoyed a visit to Vieste, all the white buildings almost make it look like a city on the coast of Greece. Haven’t been to the others you mention, we’ve been more to the Bari area (Trani, etc) and then down by Lecce. A car will be very useful in Puglia. When planning your time keep in mind most shops/churches/museums in Puglia close about 1pm until around 5pm and restaurants close by 2pm for the riposo. Tourism mainly happens before lunch or in the evenings and the afternoon is spent out of the sun or at the beach.
2 Likes
In Umbria you will get your steps in walking uphill into the towns. We stayed in Spoleto at the base of the old town. It was fine but in hindsight I learned I prefer smaller towns or countryside stays. Spello is a nice choice. If you like ceramics we made a stop in Deruta on our way to Umbria from Pienza. If you are there on a Sunday make your lunch reservation. We discovered it was hard to get a nice lunch spot on Sundays as many local families were out dining.
We loved Puglia. We started way down low near s. Maria di Leuca. One day we rented a small boat and swam in both the Ionian and Adriatic on the same day. We also stayed outside Otranto and also outside of Ostuni. We enjoyed driving the countryside and just wandering into the small towns and churches. As mentioned in Puglia the afternoon siesta time is taken seriously. If we hit a town around 1 everything was closed or closing. We also traveled in May and found that a lot of places on the coast weren’t open yet. This was especially true in the southern end of Puglia.
3 Likes
Yes, Polignano a Mare (our Valle d’Itria base) is on the water.
1 Like
Yes, I had to stop somewhere 
I’m trying to get my husband to add more days to allow more time in Puglia. We shall see…
2 Likes