Italy: planning Rome, Tropea, and… ??? Need recs on a third place to add within Italy, preferably taking trains!

Will also take any and all recs for things to do and places to eat in Rome and Tropea!

Question

Italy: planning Rome, Tropea, and… ??? Need recs on a third place to add within Italy, preferably taking trains!

Will also take any and all recs for things to do and places to eat in Rome and Tropea!

Brigid · Answer

Paestum: Worth renting a car in Naples and driving down. Go see the ruins in the morning before anyone gets there, go visit the buffalo at Tenuta Vannulo (go on the tour, eat the mozzarella, and also get the gelato), and enjoy Campania. We stayed at Tenuta Duca Marigliano and enjoyed it a lot.

Dylan · Answer

Bagni Misteriosi, Milan: The most incredible art deco swimming pool + theatre! You have to line up for a while to get in on a hot day & must wear a swimming cap if you go in the water (you can purchase there) but it is a pretty magical must see in my opinion. There's also cafes and bars inside so you can spend the day there.

Dylan · Answer

Forio, Ischia, Italy: heaven on earth

Dylan · Answer

Bologna, Italy: the most beautiful city

Jeanine Nault · Answer

Baths of Caracalla: Incredible ruins in Rome! Slightly off the beaten path!

Clara · Answer

L’Olivella B&B in Palermo: This place is magical, and also so peaceful. I could stay for weeks and weeks. Within easy reach of amazing beaches via train, as well as limitless supplies of cannoli, pizza, and gelato, of course. If you happen to go, check out Palazzo Abatellis - one of my favorite museums in the world, with probably my favorite painting in the world: Antonello da Messina’s Virgin Annunciate.

Clara · Answer

Take a walk from Piazza del Popolo: Start in Piazza del Popolo (you can take Metro A to Piazzale Flaminio) and, if you’re an art person, first and foremost go check out the Caravaggios in Santa Maria del Popolo (to your left, behind the altar). Then, choose your own adventure: meander down one of the three streets branching off from the piazza - my favorite is Via di Ripetta but they’re all good. If you haven’t yet had breakfast, you can stop at any bar and get a caffè (which is an espresso shot!) or cappuccino plus cornetto, and a spremuta (fresh squeezed OJ) if you like. Gianfornaio is a great local chain, and there’s one near Piazza di Spagna (down Via del Babuino) if you want a sure thing. Enjoy the journey, with the eventual goal being to arrive at the Pantheon and Piazza Navona; here, you might want to take a quick coffee break, then soak in the sights - I especially love the Caravaggios at San Luigi dei Francesi and the marvel that is Santa Maria Sopra Minerva.

Then, you decide: do you want to go to the Vatican and see St. Peter’s, or do you head towards the Colosseum? If the former, you’ll need to cross the Tiber - all of the bridges are just lovely, though Ponte Sant’Angelo is really famous if you’re up for that in the moment. You’ll have to wait in the line (and be prepared to cover your shoulders if you’re a woman), but usually it moves pretty quickly - and the Pietà is worth it. (I once met a rabbi who told me it so moved him the first time he ever saw it that he just stood and stared for 45 minutes.) If the latter, take the circuitous route via Piazza Farnese, maybe check out the Fontana delle Tartarughe, get some artichokes in the Jewish Ghetto, and make your way to the Fori Imperiali (and then perhaps Basilica di San Clemente, one of my very faves!) from there.

If you’ve gone to the Vatican, I was very impressed by Romanè for traditional Roman pasta (think amatriciana, carbonara, cacio e pepe) last time I was there - and definitely stop in at the Carrefour outside the Cipro station to get some late-night snacks. If you’re at the Colosseum, I really like Pigneto, which is sort of the punk neighborhood - you could take Metro C there and find a cool bar for aperitivi.

Clara · Answer

Where I want to go on the Amalfi Coast: Are you taking the train to Tropea? (Never been myself but wow, looks incredible!!) If so, might be really fun to get off at Naples or Salerno and stay in the Amalfi area. I had to change plans last minute because of a job offer but I wanted to go to Ischia this summer - I’ve linked to the place that I was gonna stay, and thought looked incredible. And here are the places on the mainland, in Scala and Positano, that I was gonna stay at as well. I think any (or multiple!) of these could be a really fun stop along your journey.