Headed to Italy

[John6719]

I'm heading to Italy soon with the wife. I'll be spending most my time there for work, but have scheduled a couple days for personal time at the end. I'm flying in and out of Milan (LIN) and will mainly be traveling between there and Riccione.

Any suggestions for things I should see or do? Sounds like there are some things going on in Milan so maybe not a very good place to stay (likely won't be able to find a hotel). Are there any other nearby towns that would be good to stay in for a night or two? Suggested hotels, restaurants? --I have a hotel booked for most nights, just have a couple nights that are open so we can explore a bit without being tied to a location yet.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

[SOTB]

If you can lose the wife for a couple of days, I'd suggest hanging out with Berlusconi....

[Massgrunt]

Find a bunga bunga party.

[John6719]

Looks like he'll be at trial today, maybe he'll be back at throwing parties by the time I get there...:biggrin:

The last slide of my presentation should probably include pictures of the night before bunga bunga party...or first slide, may get their attention better!

[SOTB]

Find a bunga bunga party.Spammer....

[Massgrunt]

Spammer....Dude, you arE EVERYWHERE on this site! Edited the other post. :tongue:

[mdwest]

get on a train (theyre cheap) and go see the rest of the country.. you can do any one of the major cities in 2 days or less..

Florence is my favorite place in Italy.. the food in incredible.. museums on every corner.. everything worth seeing is within walking distance of any of the hotels in the tourist district.. etc..

Milan is cool.. but in 2 days you can see everything worth seeing..

Rome is cool.. not my favorite place.. but if youre going to Italy, you should spend 2 days there and hit the major attractions (vatican, colosseum, etc..)..

Naples sucks rocks... i'd rather go back to Monrovia than spend another day in Naples.. the Liberians have more class...

Almalfi coast is incredible...

Capri is cool.. but way over priced.. and you have to go through Naples to get there..

[Ranger1]

If I were you and it was a nice day, I'd drive out of town, head north to Como and drive around the lake (that's an amazing drive, bring a camera) maybe even cross the Swiss border into the hills/mountains. Stop in any really small hillside town overlooking a valley or the lake (on either side of the border), put your feet up at some cafe and have lunch. There's a smaller lake on the Swiss side, but that's a really nice drive as well.

Lots of cool little hotels/B&Bs along the way, and some amazing ones on Lake Como. It's the start of tourist season so they may be a bit pricier that normal, but at least you're not in Milan.

Milan is really sexy, but it's a 20 minute town unless you're really into churches and discos. And chicks are hot as hell, but as your bringing the wife it might not be the best time to be walking around with your jaw dragging along the ground.

[John6719]

If I were you and it was a nice day, I'd drive out of town, head north to Como and drive around the lake (that's an amazing drive, bring a camera) maybe even cross the Swiss border into the hills/mountains. Stop in any really small hillside town overlooking a valley or the lake (on either side of the border), put your feet up at some café and have lunch.

Lots of cool little hotels/B&Bs along the way, and some amazing ones on Lake Como. It's the start of tourist season so they may be a bit pricier that normal, but at least you're not in Milan.

Milan is really sexy, but it's a 20 minute town unless you're really into churches and discos.

That sound about perfect. We are bringing our good camera with and would love to get some good pictures. Small towns, lakes, and cafes... I think we have a winner. I like that it isn't far from Milan. We fly out mid morning and don't want to get up and drive a couple hours to get to the airport.

Best thing about the expense...the added cost of a couple nights hotels is cheaper than flying in and out of the country without a weekend in the mix (by a lot!). --This means the company pays for it, I get a vacation, and the company still comes out ahead. Compare a Sunday through Thursday trip to a Sunday through Sunday trip....amazing difference.

[Kip]

If you have time I recommend seeing The Last Supper(it's in Milan). Even if you aren't big into the religious aspect(I'm not) it's worth seeing, IMO. Tickets weren't outrageous, but IIRC they're timed.

[iraqgunz]

Rome is great and I highly recommend seeing the sites there. The history is spectacular. The Vatican, Coliseum, catacombs, Appian Way, etc...If you can break away for 2 days I say go for it.

[Ranger1]

Cool, come back here and post some shots. It really is an amazing area, the wife will love it. I've brought a couple chicks out there, it always does the trick.

[coloccw]

Skip the mainstream places and hit the small B&B and cafe's in the middle of nowhere, especially in the northern regions. You'll meet some of the nicest people ever and eat/drink stuff that words cannot describe. Churches, plazas, downtowns get old afterawhile and are soon forgotten. Spend time with the people, you and your wife will never forget it. Do learn a few phrases/directions in Italian and the locals will warm up to you immediately. Avoid political discussions, don't point with your fingers, and never refuse more food...

[Dumpsterchair]

Last time I was there I stayed in Ispra which is like 30 minutes outside Milan. We saw a castle and there was a big lake with some cool islands you can tour but it's seasonal so the islands might be closed still. I agree Milan is marginal compared to other locales in Italy but the countryside nearby is cool. And I would avoid Alitalia if possible.