re: Two weeks in Italy. Tell me pros/cons of what I am thinking already...

quote:

---

I considered it. It sounds like it is just a bit more work/trouble to see all of the small towns there. It sounded like you were either hiking to each town; which is fine since we're in great shape, or you were waiting around for a commuter train. We want our last stop to be where we pump the brakes and really relax.

---

I went to Sorrento, Capri, Positano, and Amalfi in 2014, this year my fiancé and I did Cinque Terre and hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza and then took the train to Manarola. While I thought Positano was beautiful, I don't know if I could spend 3 full days there, and if you want to leave to explore nearby it has to be via car (possibly boat too) which is expensive unless you're renting - I wouldn't want to drive those roads though. The beaches are nice but, like most Amalfi beaches, they are rocky. Personally, I think if I had to spend any extended amount of time in a coastal town, I'd go Cinque Terre. Maybe get a hotel in Riomaggiore or Monterosso, spend a day at the beach and leave yourself the option of having 4 easy to reach towns to explore. The train honestly isn't as much a headache as it seems...plus if the weather is nice you have the option of water taxis too.

Another idea to unwind, Lake Como is breathtakingly beautiful and also offers a relatively unknown wine region in the nearby Valtellina valley. I can recommend an excellent tour guide for a full day. I actually proposed in Varenna last May and part of me wishes I'd have arranged a nights stay in one of the nearby hotels/villas. Proposal aside, that day was one of the major highlights of our trip.

ETA: just checked that tour...$140ish per person and that includes tour of Varenna, lunch + bottle of wine at a local Agriturismo, tour of the agriturismo's cheese making facility and grounds, tour of Nera cellars + wine tasting, and basically anything you want to do - just tell him.