Other places to visit while in Italy

Are you part of that funky bunch of foreign guests who plan to hang around for a few days in Italy before or after the wedding, but you don’t really know what you would like see/where you would like to go?


Well, there are plenty of resources in terms of Italians (and foreigners with vast travel experience in Italy) among the guests, so I hope we can all help out in giving some good advice by adding comments to this post. I can start with giving a few notes on places that I have enjoyed or would like to explore in Italy. To all Italians, sorry if I didn't put your fabulous hometown on the list. Just to much to choose from I guess. I will do my best to not write a book about it like I did in the last post. Thing is, pretty much every region has beautiful/interesting places to see (and some nice treats for the belly).

So here we go:

Exploring the Padua area

We’ll get back with a more detailed post on this later on. There a quite a few nice villages on the hills around Padua, like Arquà Petrarca, Este, Monselice, Montagnana etc.. Could be nice if you rent a car do to a tour on the countryside, have good food and wine, check out the castles and so on..

Venice

If you haven’t been there, you should pay a visit. Yes, it is very packed with tourists, but for a reason. A very unique place indeed. Could be a nice day trip from Montegrotto, and we might even try to organize a guided “tour” for all who are interested.

Liguria

Amazing place. Been there a few times and I can’t wait to go back. Doing some trekking between the Cinque terre (the five lands) offers spectacular views and the old fishing villages are really cute too. Also Genua is a cool city. Of the big cities in Italy it’s my favourite after Rome. Located next to the sea, it got charming small alleys to get lost in as well as magnificent old school palaces.

Tuscany (or Umbria)

Is probably the image many foreigners have of the Italian countryside, as well as renaissance cities such as Florence. Haven’t really been there much, but it’s nice. Also quite touristic, especially Florence, but there sure are some gems here. Been to Siena which is a nice place. If you have watched too much “Solens mat” (Swedish television show about Italian cooking) and have a vision of drinking nice red wine on a square surrounded by Italian old folks, a tuscan village might be the right setting for you. The neighbouring region Umbria is also worth checking out. I used to study there ten years ago and really liked it. A bit similar to Tuscany in some ways, but still different and less tourists.

Mountains

If you like mountains, a quick look on the map will tell you that Italy is the place for you. The Alps, the Dolomites, the Appenines… Stunning trekking aplenty. The Dolomites and the Appenines are both quite close to the wedding location. Went to Monte Baldo on the east side of lake Garda last autumn (which would be pre-alps methinks), and that was really nice too. Remember to bring some rough shoes and your set to go.

Lakes

Lake Garda is pleasant; we go there a few times each summer/spring. Only been exploring the east/south side yet, enjoying especially the part around Torri del Benaco/Malcesine. Haven’t been to Lake Como or Lake Maggiore yet, but they’re supposed to be nice ones as well.

City tour in northern Italy

Northern Italy is packed with old good looking cities. If you enjoy architecture, arts, shopping and so on, or just like the feeling of strolling around between really old houses, a city tour including a couple of cities could be an interesting option. I’ll just name a few good ones within a reasonable distance in random order: Padua, Verona, our very own Mantua, Ravenna, Bologna, Parma, Milano, Bergamo, Vicenza, Ferrara, Treviso… and the list goes on.

Rome

Rome is Rome is Rome, my favorite city. It could be the perfect final destination for your trip. If you hesitate about long distance train traveling, a cheap domestic flight might be the solution for you.

Southern Italy

Unfortunately I’ve hardly seen anything of the south – just Naples and Palermo. I would really really love to explore Puglia and Calabria as well as Sicily and the Amalfi coast. Top notch food, goose bump coast lines and more. Italy is a long country, so the south is far away. On the other hand, if you’re willing to go to Milano by train or car, an 80 minute flight Treviso-Bari with Ryanair for 20 euros is still within reach.

Sardegna

Been there a couple of times, and I’m in love with the place. Has those turquoise beaches that seems like the Maldives. If you’re planning to stay just a few days extra, it might be a bit too distant. However, for anyone interested, Ryanair will take you to Alghero for 20 euros from Treviso in 100 minutes.

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We would love to hang out with you all while you’re here, but... we will surely be very busy with preparations the week before the wedding, and then we’re off on our honeymoon on the 24th. So if you want to visit us in Mantua, it means that you have great reason to come back to Italy soon. In any case, on Friday night before the wedding we will organize a pizza or a drink or something similar so we all can meet up and catch up.