Where to go next?

OK, so you’ve “done” the Big Three--Rome, Florence, Venice. You’ve seen the Sistine ceiling, crossed the Ponte Vecchio, and taken the gondola ride--or at least the vaporetto ride, depending on your budget. But you still want more of Italy (after all, who wouldn’t?), and you’re not sure what to do next. So here are a few suggestions to get you started with your research for your next trip. . .

1. Naples. Sure, Naples has a “reputation,” but then so do a lot of my closest friends! Just kidding. . . As you’ll see from the article at http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/97aug/... , Naples is much cleaner and safer than it used to be--it also offers visitors a taste of a very different Italy than they may have seen in the aforementioned Big Three cities.

2. Umbria and Le Marche. From Assisi and Arezzo to Orvieto and Urbino. . . lots of stuff to see and do around here! And don’t forget Perugia, where the chocolate “Baci” (kisses) come from. Take a look at http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/95sep/... and http://www.le-marche.com for more information.

3. Tuscany--beyond Florence. Check out the “Excursions” page on Philip Henderson’s Mulino dell’Opera web site. As a free service totally separate from his B&B and cottage rentals near Bagni di Lucca, he has put together a great itinerary for people who want to “do” Tuscany over a two-week period, including suggested restaurants and places to stay.

4. Liguria. I don’t know a lot about Liguria, other than the fact that it’s where I’ll find the Cinque Terre on my next trip (http://www.initaly.com/regions/liguria/m... ), but earlier this week I picked up Annie Hawes’ book Extra Virgin : A Young Woman Discovers the Italian Riviera, Where Every Month is Enchanted. I’m only half-way through the book, but I can already tell you that it’s way more fun than Frances Mayes’ stuff! Mayes puts me to sleep, while Hawes energizes me. OK, so it’s yet another book about fixing up an old dump in Italy, but it’s a good read. It also seems much more accessible than Mayes’ stuff, since Hawes seems to be working with the kind of budgetary restrictions that most of the rest of us face.

5. The Aeolian Islands. I haven’t visited any of these seven tiny volcanic islands--yet. But if you click on http://www.meonline.it/eolieonline/ (in English) and http://www.enexa.com/eolieonline/index.h... (in Italian, but fairly easy to decipher), you’ll get an idea of what the area has to offer. You could also rent Nanni Moretti’s neat little movie “Caro Diario” (1994), part of which takes him and a friend on a tour of this area.

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