My first Italy trip..Please help me finalizing the destinations..?

Question

I am going to Italy from 18th until 26th September as a backpacker from Germany (a foreign student here). I will arrive in Pisa and depart from Rome and travelling around by trains.

Current plan is Pisa - Cinque Terre & surrounding beaches - Genoa (maybe) - Milan - Verona - Venice - Bologna (maybe) - San Marino - Florence - Siena - Rome. I just mostly want to go to the tourist attractions without really care for the lifestyle (due to budget).

Interested in: Beautiful Buildings & Constructions, Beaches & Coastal Scenery, Wandering Around in a City

Not interested in : Arts and Museums, Fashion & Lifestyle, Nightlife & Party ( I know I'm lame).

1. Where should I spend longer or shorter in time?

2. Which destinations should I skip (I heard Milan is only good for the Duomo, fashion and nightlife and Florence is only good if youre into arts)

3. Could someone please recommend good, beautiful, sandy, clear-watered beaches around?

Thanks so so much for helping. Any help is much appreciate

Answer 1

I think you are doing yourself an injustice if you don't go to Pompeii....

Answer 2

Venice, Venice, Venice!  There are a couple little islands a short ride away from Venice (sorry, I've forgotten the names) where you can walk around and see people blowing glass and peruse a plethora of little trinket shops - I know you said no arts, but glass-blowing is more like "action"... =)

Answer 3

Please go to Lucca. Really, Pisa does not have much to offer outside the Piazza Dei Miracoli. Lucca is only 1/2 an hour away and it is much more beautiful. Also, I noticed that you said Bologna (maybe). Make sure you go to Bologna. It is a great city and extremely beautiful. I lived there for a year and couldn't stop walking around with my mouth open.Genoa has not much to offer, but the coast from Genoa to Pisa (Cinque Terre) is wonderful. Make sure to see Monterosso, Vernazza, Porto Venere and Lerici. The best place in Italy is between Viareggio and Lerici (look at my screen name for a clue).

Looking at your itnierary, you have a lot planned and very little time to do it in. I would seriuosly consider extending your trip.

Answer 4

Go to Adriatic side of Italy near the spur (Foggia, Puglia) especially town of Vieste (my grandparents birthplace) Beautiful and small village spot on the coast--like Capri without the snobs. Distinctive and unusual homes and buildings (white adobe-like).  Fab food--simple and tasty. Sail or ferry to Greece or Serbia.

Answer 5

the Island of Capri is wonderful!! its just beautiful!

Answer 6

The Duomo is in Florence, not MIlan.

If you like the Duomo, you will also like going to St. Peter's Bascillica in Vatican City.

Answer 7

I'm Italian... I suggest you Tuscany, in the coast, from Viareggio to the Cinque Terre (which is in the Ligurian Riviera)... for beautiful buildings: the Leaning Tower of Pisa is a must (I suggest you to see it early in the morning, without crowd of tourists, you will appreciate it much more)... then Rome is a spectacular place with breathtaking buildings and ancient ruines: il foro romano, l'altare della patria, il colosseo, etc.

Have a nice holiday

Answer 8

OMG u will love it there i used to live there for 3 years!! well i cant really answer all ur questions since im only 12 but what i can say from experiance is DEFFINATLY go to Pisa and the Colloseum! it is beautiful there and breath taking! yea the beaches are beautiful i prefer Gela beach but thats in Sicily so ur probably not gonna go there! so yea my aunt and uncle traveled with us there and they stayed in the most beautiful hotel EVER!! (hint: dont stay with nuns, they are kinda mean!) anyways i forgot what its called its The something House i dunno i'll call her and let u know cuz it was gorgeous!! so yea good luck on ur travels and have fun! hope i helped!

Answer 9

Alright... so you have discovered my secret passion... planning other people's trips to Italy! Thanks for checking out my other answers... I hope I do your question some justice.

Okay so, it looks like you are planning on visiting eleven places in nine days. You wont really have much time to see them if you are on the train the whole time, so I am going to try and give you some more time in some important places based on what you have requested.

First off, the order of locations is a bit out of the way for traveling to some of these places. Pisa is about an hour away from Florence or Siena in bad traffic (of course all traffic in Italy is bad, ha!). So, going back to Tuscany later is a bit of a waste, and on the way to Venice, you will have an overchange in Bologna. I am going to suggest that you change up the route of your trip.

Try: Pisa > Siena > Florence > Bologna > Milan > Verona > Venice > San Marino > Amalfi > Roma.

I would skip Cinque Terre and Genoa...It is a bit out of the way and not really worth it.  The beaches there are nice, but instead I am going to suggest that you go to the Amalfi coast. You have nothing here that is south of Roma, you are missing out on some of my favorite places... I would suggest staying in Positano, Amalfi, or Salerno. I absolutely love these places, and they are great for coastal scenery. The Amalfi coast contains small gems of beaches tucked among the beautiful Amalfi cliffs. They are gorgeous... my favorite for a great beach is Positano. All three of these are a short cab or bus ride from Naples.

Now, I'll do my best to answer your specific questions.

1. Where should you spend longer or shorter time?

     I would suggest spending the greater amount of your time in Rome. Rome is a huge city and if you are feeling like wandering you can take your time seeing the sites. Rome is truly the perfect capital city. It highlights the history of the country from ancient Roman cites, to its rich culture tucked into perfectly appointed cafès. Whatever you do, make sure that you get to see the Roman Forum and the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon. The best part is that the best Gelato in Rome is located around the corner from the Pantheon, when facing it, the street on the right, about three shops down. They have funky hours, but it is worth it.

2. Which destinations should I skip? If you feel that you don't have enough time to visit some of these places, I would say that Milan is skip-able. You may even consider leaving Bologna in the morning and stopping in Milan for about two hours and catching the next train into Verona. You will have enough time to see the Duoma there and enjoy it, snap a few pictures and then head to Verona. Verona you can do in a the afternoon, its mostly Giulietta's balcony, Verona's arena, and Piazza Del Erbe has a great open air market. I think it is doable to attempt to manage those two in one day.  If you can make it work, try and make it to everything. Oh, and tell me how San Marino is, I've never been there!

3. Recommendations for a nice beach.  Of course! Italy is a peninsula surrounded by water.  At Venice there are awesome beaches on the Lido. You may want to take a ferry (4 Euros) to go and see them if you have time. I also recommended traveling to the Amalfi coast to visit the beach there. The Amalfi has my favorite beaches. You will also like the beach there in late September because it is further south and will be warmer.

If you want to wander around a city, my favorite places to do this are Bologna, Florence, and Roma.  

I hope that I have helped you out. If you have any more questions, you know exactly how to reach me! I hope that you have a great trip and that my suggestions help you out. If you have anything even more specific (though unlike others you have done this) please feel free to ask. As I do for everyone else, I'll try to help you with the best answer I can give you.