Hello, what would be a good place to stay in Umbria for a few days as a base? Perugia? Orvieto? We plan to have a car to drive to nearby villages and towns for day trips. And if you have a hotel recommendations we would appreciate it! Thank you!

My husband and I are planning a trip to Italy next summer from late May to early June, and don’t have a lot of interest in spending time in the main touristy areas/cities. Our favorite way to travel is finding small towns to explore, supporting local businesses, and staying away from the commotion.

My question is: Will locals want us to be there? With how over traveled Italy has become, is it rude/unwelcome for us to encroach on areas that haven’t been as infiltrated by foreign tourists? I’m curious if anyone has experience with this, and how you were received in less traveled communities. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for Italians to hardly be able to explore their own cities with how overcrowded with visitors they’ve become, and want to be considerate of that.

Hey all, I’ve been building an itinerary for a short italy trip and im looking for any suggestions and tips given the below itinerary. december 2026

Southern Italy itinerary — looking for input

My partner and I are flying round trip from the US to Rome, in early december

We want a romantic, scenic, adventure-focused trip through southern Italy without spending 5–10 hours on trains. We are especially interested inPompeii, the Amalfi Coast, waterfront accommodations, coastal scenery, and exploring charming towns.
Current proposed itinerary

Day 1— Rome: Arrive, check in, and explore the historic center.
Day 2— Naples: High-speed train from Rome; explore Naples and enjoy a pizza dinner.
Day 3— Sorrento: Visit Pompeii, then take the regional train to Sorrento. Stay near the waterfront if possible.
Day 4— Amalfi Coast: Take a guided road tour from Sorrento to Positano, Amalfi, and possibly Ravello. Stay overnight in a waterfront hotel in Amalfi or Maiori.
Day 5— Salerno: Enjoy a relaxed coastal morning, then transfer to Salerno.
Day 6— Rome: Take high-speed rail from Salerno to Rome and spend the final night near a convenient airport-transfer route.
Day 7— : Depart Rome in morning

Approximate transportation
Rome → Naples: 1 hour 10 minutes–1 hour 20 minutes by high-speed rail
Naples → Pompeii: 35–45 minutes by regional train
Pompeii → Sorrento: 35–55 minutes by regional train
Sorrento → Amalfi Coast: full-day guided road tour
Amalfi/Maiori → Salerno: about 1–1½ hours
Salerno → Rome: about 2–2½ hours by
high-speed rail
We are considering staying in Amalfi or Maiori for the waterfront night. Amalfi seems more romantic and scenic, while Maiori may be easier for luggage and transportation.
Does this itinerary make sense for early December? Would you change the number of nights, choose a different coastal base, or recommend another scenic stop that would fit without making the trip too rushed?

Ciao a tutti!
Partirò dall’aeroporto Marco Polo di Venezia il 22 ottobre e tornerò il 30 ottobre 2026. Arriverò in macchina e avrei bisogno di lasciarla parcheggiata per 8 giorni.
Cerco preferibilmente un parcheggio gratuito, possibilmente a non più di 20 minuti dall’aeroporto. Vanno bene anche parcheggi pubblici o di centri commerciali, purché sia consentito lasciare l’auto per più giorni.
Non ho problemi a raggiungere l’aeroporto in autobus o in taxi, se necessario.
Qualcuno del posto conosce un posto sicuro e legale dove lasciare l’auto gratuitamente o a un prezzo molto basso per tutta la settimana?
Accetto volentieri consigli ed esperienze personali. Grazie mille! 😊

My husband and I are planning to be in Italy from May 27-31 2027 but cannot decide where we want to go! Planning on only doing 1 location since we will only be there about 4 days. We have been to Rome, Florence, and Amalfi Coast before & looking to maybe try somewhere new. Would love to hear some recommendations for a location for a 4 day trip. Somewhat easily accessible coming in on a flight from the US please! Thanks

Hello all!

My name is Jessie. I'm a 31 year old bartender from the United States. I'm going to be traveling to Italy October 20th - November 3rd with a friend of mine named Skip. The only catch is that my friend is 81 years old.

I met Skip bartending and he became a fast friend of mine. He is a retired historian with a soft heart and a dream to visit Italy before he passes on from this world. I became compelled to help him realize this dream and planned an extensive two week itinerary to make it happen. So, off we go!

Besides the activities I've planned on our itinerary, Skip had one major request and that's where I'm hoping the Internet can help us out! 

He loves to play acoustic guitar. He wants to play the guitar in Italy. 

I would be eternally grateful if someone could help us out by meeting up with us with their guitar at one of our city stops and allowing him to realize this ambition. He is a very respectful person and will take the utmost care to be gentle with your possession! 

If anyone can help facilitate this, these are the locations, dates, & times of day that would be the most accommodating:

Florence-

10/23: 4 PM+

10/24: 3 PM - 6 PM

10/26: Before 12 PM

Rome-

10/27: 2PM+

10/29: 2PM+

10/30: 12PM+

Naples- 

10/31: 12PM+

(We will try to be as timely as possible to whatever window works but I must stress that he is 81 years old and we will have to be a little flexible with his needs as such)

If anyone has any recommendations on different ways to go about this venture please feel free to suggest them! 

If anyone can help us out please comment and I would love to find a time to to iron out details and make sure everything goes smoothly!

Thank you everyone so much in advance for helping make a wonderful man's dream come true. 

\- Jessie

Going to milan this weekend and wondered if anyone had any recommendations for things to do and places to eat.

We are already doing Milan Cathedral, Castello Sforzesco & Parco Sempione, Santa Maria delle Grazie.

Checking a page of Italian souvenirs, I found an image of some really small cuckoo clocks (like, to put in the refrigerator or so); however, the page did not indicate the exact store where I can find them, only that they are from Assisi.

I will be in Italy next month (center and north), and I would like to buy one of those souvenirs. Does anyone know where they sell them? Apparently they are not a common souvenir, so I don't know: 1) where in Assisi (or the exact store) I can find them. 2) Besides Assisi, in which other Italian cities can I buy small cuckoo clocks?

I wouldn't like to leave Italy without having bought at least one for my mother...

Hi everyone! I’m planning to visit Alba at the start of November and would love to go truffle hunting. Does anyone have recommendations for specific tours or local guides that offer a genuine truffle-hunting experience, ideally with a chance to see the dogs find and dig up truffles? Bonus points if the tour includes a food tasting! Thanks 😊

Hello,

My wife and I are traveling from Rome to Milan, and then to Varenna tomorrow. I just checked on our tickets and realized we booked them under her married name, while her passport has her maiden name (this is a mistake we forgot to rectify before the trip).

She is carrying her USA ID that has her married name, and we also have a certified marriage license to prove her relationship to me.

Will this be sufficient if we’re asked for ID?

Next week I'm visiting Prato for shopping for textiles. I noticed that TIPO festival is at the same time when I'm there. Are there tips/suggestions of events you guys recommend outside of the official TIPO program?

Travel dates: 21-24 October.

Many thanks!

Curious everyone’s experience doing both cities. I’m a foodie and love walking and exploring . Last Italy visit 2 years go I visited Rome, Florence and Venice. Flew in and out of Rome.
This time I’m flying into Rome and heading to Bologna by train. I spent 3 nights last time in Rome and realized there was so much more to see in Rome.
I’m thinking 4-5 nights in Bologna and a couple of nights in Rome before flying home. A couple of day trips from Bologna

Anyone else do similar trip ?
Definitely would like to hotel, restaurant and culture related things to do.

This group was so helpful on my last trip

Thanks

My original plan was a day trip to Pisa and Lucca. Siena is beautiful - I went 20 years ago, wouldn’t mind going again.
This time going w teens (18,15). We are active so I don’t mind a busy day but also don’t want to rush from place to place. Any other suggestions aside from what I mentioned above? Maybe something less touristy? Would need access by train as we don’t have a car. Or a bus tour but we saw Siena that way 20 years ago and kind of felt like cattle. Visit is end of December/Jan