europe travel suggestions? quesion for italian catholics?

[Twoplanker]

well, just found out that my skiing season is over...

looking forward to an upcoming europe trip this summer with my wife (no kid), i need suggestions on cool things to see. i have google and guide books, so don't bother giving the obvious suggestions. tell me something truly unique and special that i should not miss in any of the following cities. or maybe some unique aspect of an obvious attraction (e.g., whats the best thing to see at the vatican?)

barcelona, spain
messina/taormina, sicily
naples, italy
rome, italy
florence, italy
nice, france

for the european catholics: we will be in rome on june 29 which is st paul and peters feast day. what kinds of things go on in the city on that day? any special ceremonies or celebrations a non-catholic might appreciate?

also looking for good websites with more information and pictures of these cities. it's tough to weed through all of the junk and commercial sites.

help me take my mind off the fact that my season is kaput. thanks!

[AKPogue]

I guess I will be the first to ask WHY?

Destination, I don't know it is like picking ski resorts to go to.

[Hicks]

I'm not a Catholic but highly recommend San Sebastian and the rest of the Spanish Atlantic shore. Else Portugal is really nice in any place.

[PNWbrit]

whats the best thing to see at the vatican

The huge kiddy porn collection next to the Sistine Chapel?

[Twoplanker]

I guess I will be the first to ask WHY?

Destination, I don't know it is like picking ski resorts to go to.

why my season is over? i had carpal tunnel surgery on my left hand and must let it heal for 2 months. thus, my lame typing...

[Twoplanker]

I'm not a Catholic but highly recommend San Sebastian and the rest of the Spanish Atlantic shore. Else Portugal is really nice in any place.

i'm only going to the cities listed above.

[grizzle6]

TP--
I lived in Italy for a couple years and would be happy to give you an inside scoop on some cool out of the way places. Are you traveling by train or car? That will limit what you can/can't see. Feel free to send me a pm.

[Tectonically_Neglected]

Gorges du Verdon in France spring to mind...

Chill out in a small village in Tuscany for a while (instead of trying to see "everything")

And along the lines of seeing everything, I notice Venice missing on your list...

Are you a climber by any chance? Lots of nice climbing in that part of Euroland... If you are more specific in your interests you'll get less diverse answers I guess.

[robokill1981]

Sounds like you already have a great trip planned but if you can tweak it a bit and get to the Croatian coast and Sarajeavo/Bosnia it'll be worth your while. They're both off the beaten path (not for long), much more affordable, and jaw droppingly beautiful.

[AKPogue]

why my season is over? i had carpal tunnel surgery on my left hand and must let it heal for 2 months. thus, my lame typing...

Oh I was thinking it was something else. I guess I have been hanging out with Splat too much Is it in a cast and can't you just ski w/o poles? Have you checked tech talk there are some pics of the new ski.

[Buster Highmen]

Sienna.
Florence is amazing and overwhelming, but it ends up being like Disneyland. See "Stendahl's syndrome". Sienna is more relaxed and has boatloads of Rennaisance Art, architecture, great food much cheaper than Pisa or Florence and weird traditions. Look up Il Palio. The Cathedral there is amazing and not as much as a zoo. San Gimanano is similar to Sienna.

A good little hotel in Florence is Hotel Degli Orafi . Right on the Arno between the Ponte Vecchio and the Uffitzi.

Lake Maggiore is really cool too and really expensive. But sitting on those porches with a drink and looking out over the lake with the mountains is great.

Torino/Turin is a pit. Cesana is cool and Briancon, France is just another 40 minutes by car.

If you have the time, follow the Sesia river up to Alagna and hang out for a night there. It's gorgeous and be sure to get in the church to check it out.

[Tippster]

When in Naples - and if you have a car - there's actually not a whole lot to see in the City itself beyond the Castello. I'd rent a car for a few Euro and Head to Vesuvius, Pompeii, or further South to the Amalfi Coast.

West along the bay, past Pozzuoli, is a little town called Baia that has these ancient roman baths (Thermae) that go all the way into the water. As a kid we used to snorkel around the sunken parts of the ruins, but that may no longer be possible due to preservation efforts or the raising of the Ocean Floor - the whole area is very volcanic and I thought I read something like that.

Another cool place is Solfatara - these Volcanic Sulphur pits just outside Naples. Herculanaeum is another Roman ruin within an easy drive.

Naturally taking the Jet Boat from the Napolitan harbor to Capri or Ischia would be highly recommended. The reason they're so popular, especially Capri, is because they're beautiful. You could go snorkelling in the Blue Grotto last time I was there. If that's still allowed DO IT.

[Twoplanker]

Are you traveling by train or car?

by boat - norweigan cruise line. we have a day in each city, 2 in barcelona.

[Tippster]

In that case see my last paragraph.

[Buster Highmen]

by boat - norweigan cruise line. we have a day in each city, 2 in barcelona.

Oh. Then in Florence see the Uffitzi, walk from there across the Ponte Veccio and walk the Pitti Palace. Then try to get in for dinner at Enoteca Pinchiorri.

[bbirtle]

Barcelona - "Tapa Tapa" near the big central square - ask around it's popular. Rollerblading is a really great way to see that city, if you're into that. The Guady stuff was all sort of a let down except that famous church he's building whose name has slipped my mind was worth it.

Florence - The whole city is amazing. Don't miss "Apertivo" at the bars - the game is, you buy a glass of wine and then stuff yourself with free food until they kick you out, it rocks! The city is really just very cool and was pretty much the highlight of Italy for me.

In all places, check out local papers and so forth and find out where/when the summer festivals are. Europe really has a lot of them and they're usually a good party. In Florence they had a cool jazz thing going on in one of the main squares I stumbled upon one night and it was one of the highlights of the trip. In Bolonga we stumbled upon a big festival in the town square involving some pretty impressive fireworks above some very old buildings. Mmmm gelato and cappuchino... Italy is fantastic.

[hemas]

If you're into climbing or hiking, Monserrat (from Barcelona) is a nice place to visit. The monastery is nice, as are the hiking-routes up and between the congloromete (sp?) spire's. Only roughly 1h away from Barcelona, so should be doable as a daytrip.

As for Vatican, well I really digged the Sistine Chappel.

[freak]

hi!

if you got only 1 or 2 days in this cities, it maybe will take you the hole time ti do all the "tourist things"

but if u find some time:

barcelona: montserrat is really nice, and i can recommend to visit one of the two hills to get al "all around view"

naples: there is a little village called castello (ok, every 2nd village in southern italy is called castello) on a little mountain. you can reach it from the road to sarno/salerno, not that hard to find. truly original there, maybe never any tourists have visited this village. and there is a pizzeria with a veranda. and from this veranda you can get the best view you maybe ever had while eating a pizza . especially in the evening, when the sun sets.
ok, maybe not the best tip for a one day visit^^

rome: there is just too much...

freak~[&]

[Stoysluttie1]

by boat do you mean cruise ship? Man, say it ain't so..say it ain't so

[Twoplanker]

by boat do you mean cruise ship? Man, say it ain't so..say it ain't so

cruise ship = one of the cheapest ways to see several european countries. it only costs about $125 per person per day, including all lodging, transportation, and meals. we hang out in cities all day, travel to another city while we sleep, wake up in another city.

edit: in fact, because of the inclusion of the airfare in the package, we'll the airfare to spain is about 1/2 price.

[verbier61]

I live in milan, and see you'll visit the south of italy. It's actually ANOTHER COUNTRY ;-)..... I'm afraid there will be nothing special on st. p + p day in rome, but I'll try to check it for you

[bigtrubs]

I'm going to say you may want to avoid the Vatican, I think unless you go REALLY early in the morning, it will be disgustingly busy. Instead, check out some of the lesser known works by artists like Bernini (e.g. the Ecstasy of St. Teresa in the Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome, and Borromini's San Carlo Alle Quattro Fontane...)

I actually did my 4th year paper on the artist Benvenuto Cellini, he's pretty dope, went from being a goldsmith to a colossal bronze statue maker, killed some people, maimed some others...


My 0.02.

[Mulletizer]

Damn, I wrote this earlier before the posts saying that you are tied to those places.

I'll leave what I put anyway. A couple of additions to what I wrote, still knowing that you are tied to those places.

Florence - try to get a ride out to St Gimigniano, even if you lose an afternoon in Florence it is worth it IMO.

Nice - don't bother with the city, get straight out on the train, it is a very efficient service, the best way of getting around. Try Monaco or Villefranche instead (really close and try the African Queen restaurant in Villfranche, fun place, classic Cote d'Azur) or Antibes (about 40 mins away, you can see some amazing yachts and pretty walled town). There are some cool glass-blowing places and walled villages near Antibes, such as Biot, also near the trainline but you might need a taxi to get up there. PM Me nearer the time, I'll be able to give more info about this area.


_________________

I don't know all the places on your list but here are a few comments:

Buster's on the money about Florence, St Gimingiano and Sienna although I personally would not miss Florence; although it is a bit nuts there with the number of tourists there is some amazing stuff to see. They key is to get up really early though, or go in autumn.

St Gimingiano is a hill town - there are loads of them and most are stunning, they define the image of Tuscany IMO. Definitely worth getting a car or on a tour to see a couple of them, I would go as far as saying "unmissable". Pisa is also worth a day visit IMO. If you have the freedom, the southern Tuscan coast and islands (the Argentario Penninsula, islands like Elba) are very civilised and beautiful too.

Nice, on the other hand, is distinctly missable. I spent several months working/living two towns along the coast, about 10 miles away so know it reasonably well and can't think of a single special reason to recommend it to a visiting foreigner. Plus the whole coast is horribly crowded in summer, difficult to get around and there are so many tourists that you must expect to be treated badly by the French. Monaco and Villefranche are nice places very nearby to spend an afternoon.

As mentioned already, there is some nice stuff nearby. The Gorges de Verdon are amazing, as is the drive to get there, which will make you feel like James Bond. Do it and you'll see what I mean. There are some nice small villages a little inland on the Cote d'Azur (try Tourettes sur Loup) but nowhere really special on the coast except St Tropez IMO. I was expecting the worst from St Tropez (its reputation is really glitzy) when I went here but found the place beautiful and the atmosphere really nice. Very expensive to stay there but you can stay in St Maxime or Frejus and get the ferry across the Golfe de St T to visit.

[Twoplanker]

Some great advice here. Thanks for the input. If anyone else has any suggestions, please do tell.

[Dam Skier]

Barcalona- I second brittle on Gaudi's Sagrada Familia church. Go up on the bridge for some great views. They light up a bunch of his stuff at night which is cool, and the Park Guell is a cool place to check out. If your eating dinner, which I think your not, eat late 11:00pm can be early.

Rome- Yea bigtrubs, Bernini is the shit, we saw a sweet Salvidor Dali exibit when we were there. Look for current exibits. I was going to suggest getting a T-bone for two at this local resturant, but I 'm sure the ship has good food as well.

We walked around the Vatican because the Sistine chapel was closed, the whole country, I don't recomend it.