I was thinking of going to Italy for an extended weekend sometime in March. But I would like to avoid big touristic cities such as Milan, Rome etc.
Could somebody (specially Italians) suggest any nice little quiet villages with authencity while being accessible (good public transportation) at the same time. (Preferably north of italy as it is closest to Switzerland).
How about Cinque Terre (five villages connected only by footpaths and by boat, no roads) perched on high cliffs? The 'Net has lots of pictures and info.
We also found Varigotti and Finale Ligure (and the little towns on the coast in between) in Liguria charming in a quiet down-to-earth way.
I went last summer with my boyfriend to Brindisi, this is the heel part of Italy. Not as touristic as other areas, really cheap, infrastrucutres aren t perfect and i highly recommend to rent a car so you can visit villages in the countryside which are amazing
Thanks but I think the "heel" side of Italy will be a bit too far for me to go as I don't have too many days off. Would like to stick to the northern bit. Thanks anyway!
I did not say Easter time is best, I asked that as you appear to be travelling by car and you'll find the roads and tunnels busier the closer to Easter you go.
Venice is best done before it gets too warm. If you go when it's warm, you'll understand why.
www.venere.com is a good way to find nice places to stay. The last B&B I stayed in was lovely, had beautiful period features and was 2 minutes walk from Piazza San Marco (it was actually overlooking the Chanel store one block from there).