If you were going in late July or particularly in August, when urban Italians desert their cities en masse and head for the countryside and the coasts (or for neighboring countries like Greece, Croatia, and France), then I’d say, yeah you’ll probably be surrounded by tourists, particularly in Rome’s and Florence’s city centers.

But this won’t be the case in June. While May/June has always seemed to me to be peak season for Americans and Canadians visiting Europe – namely the big four (the 4 countries in Europe that receive the lion’s share of Americans/Canadians: Britain, Germany, France, and Italy), North Americans compose only a small fraction of total visitors to Italy, and there will be plenty urban Italians staying put in their home cities during the month of June to outnumber tourists. Unless you hang out in/near/around major tourist sights all day, like Rome’s Colliseum and the adjacent Forum, then yeah, you’ll be amongst fellow travelers.

If anything, staying away from cities or city centers is a sure way not to connect with the real Rome/Naples/Florence, because you’ll be away from the city for most of the morning and evening [when Italians are most actively going about their day] and you’ll only be visiting city centers during the afternoon at the height of siesta time when tourists are the most active (compounded by the fact that you’ll be cramming all the major sights into the limited time that you’ll be spending inside city centers) giving you a false impression that these cities are simply open-air museums without locals.

My advice: stay in the cities. Do your sightseeing in the mornings, relax in the afternoons, and go for a leisurely stroll in the evenings just as the locals do.

Thank’s for the tips!
I have another question though. I’m going to Venice and I heard that there’s a nice beach around called Lido, is it worth it going ?

i stayed at florence plus in pisa, it was nice, clean, cheap and there was a restaurant (so so food) and a bar in the hostel that actually had a decent little thing going on .

Thanks that helps me alot!

ugh, I meant I stayed at Florence Plus in FLORENCE….haha, I’m an idiot.

Amalfi coast!! GORGEOUS.

Sorrento, Pompeii and Capri are not far from Naples. And from what I hear they are a lot prettier than Naples.

I remember Assisi being really pretty – but it will most likely be crowded by tourists.

But yeah, I’d say stay near or in the city – much more likely to experience the italian life that way.

400mc,

I’ve personally never been to Lido. I believe that either Cil or Oldlady has been to Venice’s outlying islands. But from what I know about it, I think you’ll like it.

All,

Definitely some great suggestions for trent and pacopup, and indeed my suggestion to teachermegs is to mix this itinerary up by incorporating smaller towns, not just big and mid-size cities.

We are going to Sorrento instead of Naples and do some day trips. We will also go to Cinque Terre. We have to be in Brussels to head back home. So keep the tips coming I am soaking them all up!

LIDO BEACH NAMED ONE OF AMERICA’S ‘BEST RESTORED BEACHES’ REVISED Sarasota. Lido Beach is being recognized as one of the Best Restored Beaches for 2009 by the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association.

It all depends on how much time you have….your covering naples, rome and florence….but for how long in each city and how much longer do you have to get back to brussels?

Lake Como up in the north is rather picture card perfect.

Naples is a dump…big, dirty, crowded polluted port town. Crime capital of europe. Unless you have a specific reason for visiting (i.e family, doing a study on the effect of pollution on criminals, etc.) give Naples a pass

A better option in the Naples area would be Sorrento

I didn’t know there was American territory in the Mediterranean next to Venice.

Let’s not reinforce misconceptions. Naples has its camorra problems, but there are quite a few cities that can compete for the title “crime capital of Europe”, and Naples isn’t one of them.

We are thinking about 3 to 4 days in each city. I just love all this info.
Our orginal plan was to make it to Switzerland to see my sister, but her plans changed and that is why we are flying out of Brussels, they were suppose to meet us there.
We are leaving the states June 7th and return the 25th. We are flying into Barcelona for friends and flying over to Italy. We have more interest in Italy, right now, and will plan to go back to Europe in another year to see more since we have summers off.

I agree with Finnegan. You will want less days in Naples (Napoli).

Florence is beautiful and has an alluring character and charm. However, 3 in 4 individuals in Florence on any given day are tourists. Keep this in mind, before you become disillusioned by the number of non-Florentines walking the streets.

Ah, Rome! You will love Rome! Mi Amore Roma! (I love Rome!) Our of the 3 cities in question, I would try to spend the most amount of time in Rome.

I have had a blast getting lost in Rome: http://www.nomadback…

It’s perfect! Well, no city is perfect. It’s absolutely, positively Rome! Any you will love it.

Oh, and I forgot to address your question regarding where to stay “outside of the cities”.

You have received a lot of good advice from other comments. I would recommend to consider what type of person/traveler you are and go from there.

For example, a car fanatic will want to check out the Ferrari Museum, www.galleria.ferrari…
while a shopping fan that wants to purchase a leather jacket and a new purse might head to Milan. If you want to go wine tasting head to the hills in the both the tuscany and umbria provinces. If you like the coast, head to a beach! If you want to hike along the coast, head to Cinque Terre, http://www.nomadback…

Try not to fall off a cliff. Explore Italy by knowing who you are and what you want to experience. Ciao Bacio!!!

No misconception on my part Luv-the-beach. When wwas the last time your were in Naples? No one ever came back from Italy wishing they had spent more time in Naples.

*“Naples has the highest murder rate in Europe — more than 100 people were killed last year. The region has Europe’s highest ratio of drug dealers to inhabitants.” *
National Public Radio, 2008
http://www.npr.org/t…

“Watching the police try to enforce traffic sanity is almost comical in Italy’s grittiest, most polluted and most crime-ridden city. “
CNN, 2008
http://www.cnn.com/2…

2001

The article doesn’t mention that the vast majority of these murders are mafia members killing each other. This doesn’t affect tourists one bit. Nor does the article mention that the murder rate has spiked big time only in recent years as a result of heightened camorra (mafia) turf wars. Regardless, the total number of murders is still exceeded by London (among other cities). Naples had just over 100 murders on a bad year, yet London has around 170 murders on a good year. And while the murder rate in Naples is mostly mafia killing each other, in London there’s a worrying trend of teenagers killing each other.

(click on highlighted phrases for citation)

I’ll take Italy’s most crime ridden city, over America’s or Britain’s safest city any day.

That’s a good point. Any city in Italy, even Naples is more tempting than most British or American cities. Oh, but DC is so beautiful with the cherry blossoms right now.

But if you are in Naples, you can hop on a train and arrive in a better city in Italy within an hour or two. So, I guess DC can keep the cherry blossoms, because Italy is rolling into festival season soon!!! People, wine, and Italy, a perfect threesome.

Bottom line is that in Italy there are far more beautiful, sagfer, cleaner and friendlier cities than Naples. I had the misfortune of spending a month in Naples once and simply cannot recommend this city to anyone…doing so would be a disservice to my fellow traveller.

Naples is the downtown Detroit of Italy

I am currently in Detroit. Man this city blows!!! Naples is the Detroit of Italy, that is an amusingly accurate comparison.

100% agree.