JesseCapelli.com

[RoboJoe79]

Hey everyone,

The name's RoboJoe79, but I just prefer RBJ; in case you're curious, I'll just say that I've worked with them in the past (industrial robots - mechanical side of the coin) and I also do some freelance design.

Anyways, I've been finding myself a bit stretched thin lately with work and projects and I'm looking to take some time off in the next couple of months (about a week's worth). I really want to travel for this one (my last one sucked big-time; if you ask nicely, I'll divulge), but I'd prefer to avoid the tourist traps that are so common sites for many families and groups. It'll be a solo venture, and I'm hoping to meet and greet a few that are like-minded like me. The problem is that I have absolutely no idea of where to go; I'm currently in the "Heartland of America" (Ohio to everyone outside of these state borders), and I'd prefer to see a little more than grey concrete walls and brown dirt everywhere I go.

I'm sure I'm catering to an international crowd here, so I'd like to hear some places and ideas; no restrictions, just like in brainstorming - the most outrageous sounding can actually become the most practical over time. And if you fee that you have a special rememberance of that place, please give a little detail as to why it was such a delight.

Okay, a brief re-cap: overworked engineer (27 years old), American - Ohio environment, single male (looking), springtime vacation spots. Money's no object (doesn't mean I'd spend it anyways ).

Hoping to hear from you fellow furs and furettes out there.

Best,
RBJ

[admford]

Try the Lake Garda region of Italy. Sure it's a bit of a tourist trap in the summer but it's relatively unknown by Americans (the usual tourists that go there are germans, dutch, and french). Around March or April the weather starts to get warmer and the area isn't yet flooded with tourists. The lake is also the largest in Italy. The location is actually pretty nice, right smack between Verona, Brescia and Mantua (two of these cities should be fammiliar to you, due to Shakespear's "Romeo & Juliet"). Though the main city that you'd want to visit is Verona, the other one's aren't just worth it for tourism. One other thing is that you can take the Eurostar train to Venice for a day and see some of the sites around there.

Oh, and with Verona, there is one piazza that for most people who speak english natively, might sound a bit weird. That is, it's called "Piazza Bra".

As for the lake area, it's just nice to see. You've got three main towns on the southern edge (Desenzano del Garda, Sirmione and Peschiera del Garda) which are pretty large and nice to visit and see. The western side though is mainly mountains and there really aren't that many sites that might not be interesting there, other than the city of Saló (the last stand of italian fascists during WWII). The Easter side has a number of small towns and a very nice road going down the length of the lake. There are a few beaches (gravel) but the water is still too cold for swimming or sports. On the eastern side, there's also Monte Baldo (the area's highest mountain) which has a lift system that will take you to the top where you can get a full view of the lake and relax a bit. Going twards the north there's the city of Riva del Garda, the northern most point of the lake. It's a small town and nice to see. Going up twards the mountains though (to the city of Nago) will let you find some scenic points where you can get really nice pictures of the area.

The entire area has highway access and the roads are quite good. Also you won't find the usual traffic and insanity of italians driving in the area (well, maybe a pinch of it, but not as bad as let's say, Milan). There is also a large theme park near Peschiera, and it's possibly the largest one in Italy (recently bought up by an American investment group). There are a number of decent viniards in the area also if you're interested.

As for access by plane, I suggest you take a United or a Lufthansa flight down to Frankfurt or Munich, and then get a connecting flight via AirDolomiti from either of those airports to the airport in Villafranca (south west of verona). Those two are the best routes over all. Oh, and here's a suggestion, going to Italy, have the stop over done in Munich, while on the way out of Italy back to the states, make sure it's in Frankfurt. The reason is that Frankfurt has much better duty free shopping and a bit more hospitable concourse.

Like I said, even though it's usually full of tourists in the summer, the Lake Garda region is pretty much completely unknown in the States as a good vacation spot. Especially in the early spring (end of March, begining of April). Plus it's much more relaxing than running around a city like Rome or Milan where the traffic is worse than anything in the states and the air tends to be just as bad as L.A. Lake Garda is literally at the foot of the Alps and has a great climate around this time also. Air quality is quite good and you're still in the country side here, but with a number of cities which are close by (like I said, about an hour and a half by high speed train, and you're in Venice or Milan) and an airport with decent connections to the world.