Italian Ports help needed.

[Jools789]

I am looking to visit a number of Italian ports, probably next year year but will probably only be able to have a limited amount of time at each location (perhaps only 2 days)

 

Can anyone suggest as to what are best places to go to/see in any of the following locations:-

 

Capri

Florence

Genoa

Naples

Palermo

Portofino

Rome

Sardinia

Sorrento

Taormina

Venice

 

(The tour company recommends taying in the old parts of each town) but happy to read other suggestions and/or recommendations.

 

Thank you in advance for your help.

[euro cruiser]

Really? Perhaps you could spend a little of your own time and do a little research first, then we'll be happy to help you narrow down your choices.

[CruiserBruce]

If you read down the board, you will see a lot of info for your use. You ask what the "best" things to do/see are. Without knowing anything about you, your budget, interests and limitations, it is very hard for us to tell you what is best for you.

 

So, with some reading giving you some foundation for developing what interests you, then some more specific questions can fine tune your travel plans.

[cberge]

I am looking to visit a number of Italian ports, probably next year year but will probably only be able to have a limited amount of time at each location (perhaps only 2 days)

 

Can anyone suggest as to what are best places to go to/see in any of the following locations:-

 

Capri

Florence

Genoa

Naples

Palermo

Portofino

Rome

Sardinia

Sorrento

Taormina

Venice

 

(The tour company recommends taying in the old parts of each town) but happy to read other suggestions and/or recommendations.

 

Thank you in advance for your help.

All the info you are seeking is right here on this board. Also, a good guide book or two would be of help for you. Do some homework,and then see where you are.

[mrobstad]

Florence flea market for inexpensive souvenirs and the Ufizi museum.

Rome for the Vatican.

All other cities for food and wine

Will let you know about the others by Aug. 9!

[paul929207]

Get a good guide book. It will go thru each city and what to see there.

[Matcodixon]

Myself, like you, have never been to any of those places before, but in about 4 more weeks we will be visiting several of them. I purchased Rick Steve's Mediterranean cruise ports book along with some other guide books and started reading. I also used YouTube and Google Earth to look at photos and videos. That, combined with much information found here on the CC boards has prepared me for our cruise.

The more I learned, the more I realized that there was to learn. In the end I realized that we could easily spend a week in each port and not see it all. We just had to decide which things were of the most interest for us and limit our days to a realistic amount. After all it is a vacation!

This learning process has been extremely interesting for me, and has been certainly worth the effort.

[Travelcat2]

My first recommendation would be to visit this area when it isn't blistering hot and overly crowded (July and August). IMO, the best times to visit are May, late September and October.

 

We were on a cruise in this area a couple of months ago. My recommendations (obviously based on our likes and dislikes and considering the fact that we have travelled extensively over the past 20 years) are:

 

1. Venice. I avoided Venice for years thinking that it would be like Rome (crime-infested). We were surprised and amazed what a beautiful city this is. Taking transportation by water rather than roads is quite an experience. The views are amazing -- we would go back there without hesitation.

 

2. After badmouthing Rome, it is a must-see in terms of the historic value. Rome would be amongst my top places in the world if it were not for crime, pickpocketing, etc.

 

3. Taormina - one of our favorite port stops on our 20 day/20 port cruise.

 

4. Portofino -- it is worth going there just to take a picture of the port.

 

Hope this helps.

[griffy116]

Can only speak from our experience this past June, and only 2 ports you mentioned. I heard all the bad stories of Rome and honestly, I would return in a heartbeat. It was wonderful, fabulous and more than we could have ever imagined. The history, the people, the beautiful sights...are on every corner. Taormina was one of our favorite stops when we docked in Messina. It's absolutely like you were visiting a movie set..beautiful, charming, picturesque. I can't say enough nice things about Rome and Taormina. I'm envious that your trip is yet to come and ours is over. We have NEVER had a vacation fly by like this one!!!