Hi. I live in Naples and just spent New Year's Eve in Venice. For culture and easy access by visitors, Venice can't be beat. I would highly suggest getting the Rick Steves guide to Venice to check it out in advance. I went with a small tour group, but the book was invaluable. I learned a lot more from the book (about the vaporetti, for example, and which places to go to buy the combination museum passes) than I did from our guides. I understand the canals ("rios") are a bit fragrant in the warmer months, but as we were there in winter, it was odor-free!

I love Naples and there are wonderful museums and archaeological sites all over the place. The garbage situation, if not resolved by the time you travel, may appall and frighten you, however. Most of the tourist areas stay clean, though. There is Pompei, Hurculaneum, Vesuvius, the Museo Archeologico, the Capodimonte museum, the Royal Palace at Caserta, castles, the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Ischia... and on and on! And of course, tons of great food!

Many of my friends have been to Florence for weekend trips and absolutely love it. It's a relatively short train ride away from Naples, so if you wanted to spend a bunch of time there but bop down here for a couple of days to see Pompei and the Museo Archeologico, for ex., that's doable.

If you are taking a summer trip and have any extra time, see if you can take an overnight boat to Stromboli to spend. It's one of the most beautiful places in the world!

Best wishes,
SW :)

Venice and Barcelona.. take 14 days and use a EurAILPASS.

I absolutely love The Netherlands. Amsterdam is wonderfully fun, with *tons* of museums and great people watching opportunities while you sip a coffee and snack on a little something at a sidewalk cafe. Of course, if you partake in smoking substances other than cigarettes, a detour to a "coffee shop" can be especially fun. But I particularly loved getting out to the countryside to explore. We have friends that live in Enkhuizen, about 30 minutes or so northeast of Amsterdam on the shores of the Zuiderzee. Super great "small town" feel and friendly folks. Pretty much everyone knows English (and usually 3-4 other languages), so it's very easy to get around and be understood.