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Old 03-20-2009, 02:54 PM   #1
milocali
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Default Southern Italy- any musts?

Hi guys! I am going to Italy this summer for 3 weeks and was wondering if there are any must-sees in Southern Italy. I am planning to go to Pompeii and probably some of the coast a little south of that, but other than that I have mostly central and northern italy on my itenerary (Rome, Orviedo, Venice, Florence, the Dolomites, etc...). I just wanted to see if anyone had any great places that would be a shame to miss in the south...thanks for the tips!
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Old 03-20-2009, 04:45 PM   #2
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Pompeii is incredible, and I really enjoyed Naples as well, though it's not to everyone's taste. If you can manage to get out to Vesuvius as well, it is well worth the effort. We climbed Vesuvius - not hard - in the morning and spent the afternoon at Pompeii. It gives a really interesting perspective going to both. There's a novel called "Pompeii" - I forget the author, Robert somebody, I think - that's a fun read beforehand and puts some of the stuff you see into perspective.

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Old 03-21-2009, 09:31 AM   #3
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I love southern Italy. The Amalfi coast is probably one of the beautiful in the world. I rented a scooter and zipped up and down it, which to me, is the perfect way. You can pull over and stop wherever you want (unlike with a car), you're not exhausted from pedaling up and down the hills like with a bike, and you feel so much closer to nature.

I stayed in Sorrento, which is a smaller, much more traveler-oriented town than Naples. It is also a stop on the local Circumvesuvia train. As its name implies, it circuits around Vesuvia with stops in Naples, Pompeii, Herculaneaum (another Roman town covered by the eruption), Sorrento, etc. I used it to go back and forth to Pompeii or Herculaneaum and Sorrento. The town is also a port for the boat trips to Capri and neighboring islands.

Another must-see are the ancient ruins at Paestum. These Greek style temples (southern Italy was heavily influenced by Greek culture, and was actually known as Magna Grecia) are the most complete you will find anywhere -- even more so than ones in Greece itself. There are other, though less impressive, ruins down at the bottom of the boot at Metapontum.

The Italian hilltop towns are great to see also. You'll need some form of transportation, though -- either car, Vespa or scooter (or a bike and a lot of time).

There's a wealth of stuff to see in Italy. I recommend getting a Fodors guidebook on Italy. I don't use them for hotels or restaurants or stuff like that, but they are great at providing good descriptions of the sights...

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Old 03-22-2009, 05:22 PM   #4
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Napoli for sure! Not everyone will agree, but its sooo worth the experience. Island hop a little from there maybe... Capri, Ischia...
The Amalfi coast as a whole is just breathtaking and you can't really go wrong! Enjoy
P.S. I can rec. some great hostels in Napoli/Ischia...
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Old 03-25-2009, 03:12 PM   #5
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thanks you guys! i checked out some of your suggestions and im definitely going to expand my trip towards the south a little more! i cant wait!
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Old 03-25-2009, 08:16 PM   #6
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Another plug for the Amalfi Coast...I stayed two nights in Sorrento and one in Atrani...just great great great scenery and awesome wandering to be had.. I made it out to Capri for the day and had good times just wandering around and enjoying the trails with a panini and beer in hand.
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Old 03-27-2009, 07:05 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by freespiritz View Post
just wandering around and enjoying the trails with a panini and beer in hand.
I can picture that...

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