Travel with Angela Lansbury: Why Go to Viareggio? It's In Tuscany in Italy. Why not?

Problem
My British friends want to know whether I recommend Viareggio in Italy for a holiday. They are retired and not into beach holidays but want to use it as a base for touring, not by car but public transport. What is for and against going to Viareggio?

Answers
First, how do you pronounce it? Via - reg - ee - oh. The double g makes a soft J sound.

All the Brits have loved it for years. To put it another way, it is popular, like Benidorm and Torremolinos and Blackpool. It's popular. It's full of tourists. Why does everybody go there?

Firstly a huge long straight sandy beach edged by hotels. Miles of sun loungers and sunshades. Yes, you may have to pay, if those beach items are the property of some business other than your own hotel.

It's a strip. I was disappointed. I'd previously done the Amalfi drive, all scenic hilltop views and cute little coves. But not room for coachloads of tourists, huge hotels, and yards of ice cream sellers, which is what you get at Viareggio. (Also check whether you get a white sandy beach, a grey stony beach, or rocks, or a harbour with boats and no swimming but lovely for sitting in the sun and shade under an umbrella by the water.)

I suggested that my first my friends should use Streetview to take a look at the resort and any hotel which is offering them a good deal.

Next, they should make a list of their favourite destinations or excursions. Check in both directions. For example, it might be cheaper to stay in New York and visit Washington DC, or cheaper to stay in Washington DC and visit New York. Similarly compare London and York, or Viareggio and tourist sites.

Which cities offer the most accommodation? And is it mostly big expensive hotels, or little family run guesthouses? Will you be near the pick-up points for tours at the big hotels? Or near the bus stop and train station at the guest house?

Tuscany or Umbria or both?
Tuscany is on the west coast of Italy and had famous tourist sites such as the leaning tower of Pisa. If you want beaches, go to Tuscany.

We once stayed in Lido de Jesolo - and took an excursion (at extra expense) to Venice. We were disappointed to be not as near to Venice as we had expected. We spent more time and money than expected going to Venice, and less time than we had intended in Venice.

Why Umbria?
I travelled most recently to Umbria as a guest of the tourist board. I was very taken with the cpaital Perugia, with its huge Etruscan gate against the gigantic sheer cliff face. It does involve some uphill walking on cobblestones.

If you want to swim and have a generous budget, a couple of the larger hotels have wonderful indoor and outdoor pools. One hotel's spa has underwater jets and an indoor-outdoor pool.

The other top hotel has an indoor swimming pool with views of historic ruins.

We stayed in a romantic restored castle. The outdoor pool was closed in the off season.

Try Tuscany
If you want flat sand to stroll along the water's edge, the sea with waves, people, then you want Viareggio in Tuscany.

My relatives did a driving tour of Tuscany and Umbria. See my other posts on Italy.

The Viareggio carnival is held early in the year, between January and March.
The Puccini music festival is in July-August.

Excursions
Puccini's house.
Pinocchio Park.
Lucca towers.
Pisa - about 20 miles.
Florence - about 60 miles.

Useful Websites and Links
LANGUAGES

http://duolingo.com
http://www.dummies.com/languages/italian/italian-greetings-and-good-byes/

earwormslearning.com

https://translate.google.com/ (Useful for translating into English.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

LEARNING ITALIAN LANGUAGE

https://wikitravel.org/en/Italian_phrasebook (pronunciation)

TRAVEL
Tuscany
http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.com/2018/06/see-rossi-multiple-motorcycle-winner-on.html