Italy tour?: chapter 2.?

Question

thanks everybody who answered my former question (Italy tour?). me and my friend decided to skip venice, we will be in Rome, Florence and Pisa.

do you have any good recommendations for these places?

Answer 1

If i were you, i would skip Pisa and see Venice instead. i know it's far away from these other cities, but it's so beautiful. I grew up about a 45 minute train ride from Venice and it's such an amazing city to explore. Pisa is pretty boring. Rome is definitely a city you should visit also--there's the Roman ruins (i fori romani), the holy stairs (that Jesus went up), the Catacombs (Le Catacombe), st. Peter's basilica, The Sistine Chapel (la cappella sistina) and the Vatican museum, etc... In Florence--there's IL ponte vecchio (the old bridge), gli uffizi (the museum with statue of David), etc.. You should buy a travel book on Italy before you go.

To Genius Cook (below me), Catholics do not believe that Jesus was born/lived in Rome. We know that the stairs were brought over from Jerusalem.

I was wrong about the statue of david though, sorry about that. I have not been to Florence in many years.

Answer 2

Near Florence you can find also Siena

Answer 3

very nice cities, good for the eating, and sightseeing...... make sure you see the major landmarks, and enjoy a little bit of the countryside as well!!!

hope you have a great time :)

Answer 4

Have to agree with Perla...skip Pisa (the only really significant thing to see there is the Leaning Tower) and go to Venice instead.  There's no place like in on earth.  Please, please, PLEASE reconsider!

However, Perla is wrong on one point:  Michaelangelo's statue of David is NOT at the Uffizzi Galleries (there is a copy outside) but rather at the Accademia Gallery.

Answer 5

As opposed to some of the other people, I would recommend that you do go to Pisa to see the Tower, Baptistry, and Duomo. It's an easy train trip from Florence. However, after you've seen those sights, head back to the train station and go to Lucca for the rest of the day (20 to 25 minutes by train; 2.30 euro). There's a lot more to see and do there. Lucca has a full set of old city walls that you can walk, many good churches - the Duomo, San Michele, San Frediano. There are some interesting towers, one with a large tree growing from the top (Torre Guinigi) - you can get good pictures from the clock tower (Torre delle ore). The Puccini birthplace is there too. The Piazza del'Anfiteatro is a good place to stop for a caffe. The last time I was there they had a Ferrari show in the Piazza. http://www.globopix.net/photos/lucca_1.h...

Another great option for a day trip from Florence is Siena.

The guide books and internet sites cover the major attractions of Rome and Florence in great detail. However, there are some lesser known places that you might be interested in.

There are tons of lesser known, but interesting things in Rome. San Pietro in Vincoli displays the chains that St Peter was brought to Rome and the Moses of Michelangelo. Santa Maria Sopra Minervanear the Pantheon is worth a visit.

Some of the more obscure, but interesting, things are:

The view through the keyhole at the Consiglio di Malta on Aventine Hill. There's a picture here: http://www.theculturedtraveler.com/Archi... and others:

http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/photo23...

http://www.troise.net/photonikblog/2005/...

This is worth the effort to find (close to Circus Maximus) - relatively few do. This site give directions on how to find it: http://wikitravel.org/en/Rome/Aventino

The Crypt at Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini is also worth a visit if you're interested in seeing works of art made from the bones of .more than 4000 monks. http://www.cappucciniviaveneto.it/cappuc...

The Museum of the Souls of Purgatory is essentially a ghost museum.

Or you could go to the Pasta Museum or the Presepi (nativity scene) museum across the street from the forum. There's also a 2000+ year old pyramid but it's a little more out of the way.

In Firenze, do go to Piazza Michangelo for the views looking over the city. While you're there, it's worth continuing up the hill to San Miniato al Monte - there are some really nice frescos in the church, a nice small gift shop run by the monks, and some good photo ops from the small cemetary in front of the church. The walk back down through the rose garden is nice when the flowers are in bloom. Definitely do go in the Orsanmichele. Santa Maria Carmine is another church worth making a point to visit. You might also find the Pharmacy of Santa Maria Novella interesting: http://www.smnovella.it/ - they've only got the front page of the website up so far, but it has the address.

While you're in Florence try the Ribollita (a peasant vegetable & bread soup) and cantuccini with vin santo for dessert.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

for rome i would recommend you hotel Ranieri, it is located near the centre 15 minutes from all the monuments..

www.ranieri.com

Answer 7

The link below so that everyone is clear that Jesus Christ was never actually in Rome (as many a Catholic and non tend to believe). He wasn't born there either!