We need help with where to go in Italy...?

Question

I won a trip to Monte Carlo. We fly into nice. I want to take a train to Italy for 3 days, then back to Monte Carlo. I have NO clue and/or idea on where I should go for such a short time. I would like to go to a city with history...but close to the coast. And, it would be great to visit a different city every day. Help...Please...!!!!

Answer 1

Venice would be my choice.

Answer 2

http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/romantic.ht...

http://www.iexplore.com/dmap/Italy/Where...

go to google and type in where to go italy and it should help you a bunch I travel all the time and google helps me soo much everytime.

Answer 3

I would go to Ventimiglia and Genoa.  An easy train ride just to the south along the coast.  Beautiful voyage that you will enjoy.

Answer 4

Congrats on the win! I just came back from the French Riviera... I would recommend Rome... it's about 7 hours by train from Monaco. If you don't have enough time for Rome (I had a week to see it and felt I could stay longer!), try Genoa (right on the coast, about 3 hours from Monaco) or for a day and Florence for the other two...

Answer 5

Tuscany is incredible. I agree with a previous answer: Siena (the first city in the world to ban automobile traffic), is great. Its small enough to enjoy completely, but still large enough to have many things to do and see.

http://wikitravel.org/en/Siena

There are plenty of stores should you need to shop, but not so many peddlers as the bigger cities.

Other smaller cities within a reasonable distance are Orvieto, Montalpuciano and Montalcino. They each have their own distinct history. All are worthy but maybe a little too far.

All the people in Tuscany are pleasant and easy to communicate with. Most speak English and quite a few speak several other languages. But more importantly, they are willing to take whatever time is necessary just to be nice.

The one  area you should not miss is Cinque Terre. Five small villages on the coast North of Pisa. They are isolated and different than the the rest of Italy. Its a challanging drive. But you can get there by train from La Spezia. La Spezia is on rail from Genova and thus all of Italy. A train also runs between the villages making it easy to get to all of them. I don't think you can see them all very completely in a day. So you may want to just do a couple of them.

http://www.cinqueterreonline.com/

If you are in the area, Lucca is a very  interesting city , though I found it a little less friendly. But its probably within your distance limitations.

http://www.initaly.com/regions/tuscany/l...

Everyone feels they must see Pisa if they are close. This may be true, but I've never met anyone that felt any need to go back. If you have to miss something. I'd miss Pisa.  But since you may be trying to cover that area of Italy, take a few hours and get it over with. See the tower.

Don't miss Florence. It maybe the best place to spend a night or two. There is plenty to fill whatever time you have there.

http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgresul...

In order of preference: 1)Florence, 2) Siena, 3) Cinque Terre, 4) Pisa (Just because you are so close), 5) Orvieto 6) Lucca 7) Portofino

I would get an early start and go to Cinque Terre. Leave there and go to Lucca and or Pisa on the way.

Go to Florence. Then Siena. If you have enough time, you can go to Orvieto.

On the way back to Monte Carlo you can go by Portofino if you have the time. (or Pisa or Lucca if you missed them.)

Connections are a little more difficult as the cities get smaller.  

Its better to do a smaller area more completely than to try to cover too much. You will just spend too much of your time on trains.

Answer 6

Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, Palermo, Lecce and Alberobello! These are my favourites places in Italy.

Answer 7

Go to Rome and spend all of your time there. It's an amazing place with more history and culture than you can imagine. It's the beating heart of the entire country. Also not far from the coast.

Answer 8

Go to Sienna, It is a very small town and there are no cars inside the city limits due to narrow streets and it is surrounded by the Tuscany region on all sides. Go to the Piazza there with the church at the base of the square. Also Florence is not far from Sienna, about 2 hours or less. There you can see the Ufitzi (sp?) museum where the Birth of Venus painting is with the lady standing in the sea shell. And a block from that is the museum where Michelangelo's David is located. There is also the famous church there as well, with the huge cast bronze doors with biblical scenes is at (there was a HUGE competition as to who the artists were who would have their casts placed on the door). Start there and look at the region called Cinque Terra which is located on the riviera close to the French border, five very small beautiful towns that also don't allow traffic (they didn't even have access to any of them by train until the late 1960s!!). Have a great trip, hope this helps!

FYI: in regards to the first comment, Venice is FILTHY and smells and the square there with that church is about all there is to do there.

Answer 9

All roads lead to Rome, that would be a starting point, most of all the famous sites are there.