Luvmylab11

Hi folks- we've booked a 10 day trip (not including travel days) at the end of May flying into Venice and out of Rome. Our lodging is changeable at this point This is our first and probably only trip with a family of four which includes adult children. Our must sees are Venice, Cinque Terre and Rome. We'd like to include a day trip or two to either Orvieto or a similar town or village to see vineyards and escape the city. We only want to spend 3 days in Rome sightseeing there. As much as we will love to see the history and architecture in the big cities we'd really like to balance that with some landscape, villages, wine-tasting and small towns that Tuscany or the like has to offer- a little more quiet and scenic. Some of the villas and farms I've seen online are breathtaking! Florence was removed from our initial plan to accommodate seeing CT. Here is what we have so far:

Day 1 Venice (full day)
Day 2 Venice (full day)
Day 3 Venice travel to Cinque Terre
Day 4 Cinque Terre (full day)
Day 5 Cinque Terre travel to ?
Day 6 unknown
Day 7 unknown (day trip from Rome?)
Day 8 Rome (full day)
Day 9 Rome (full day)
Day 10 Rome - (full day)

Looking for suggestions and comments. Thanks in advance.

PalenQ

Going by train or car - if car cars are a liability in cities like Rome and obviously Venice and the car-less Cinque Terre- trains are great

If this is perhaps your only trip to Italy then I'd put Florence back in on days 5, 6, 7 and do a day trip by bus to say Siena or an extra day in Rome and day trip to Orvieto (which can also be a good stop en route to Rome - if renting a car a good place to return it and take train to Rome.

I'd only rent car if doing some kind of Agro-tourism stay and skip Florence (adults kids may find Florence - a university town too - more enjoyable perhaps.

Anyway for lots on Italian trains check www.trenitalia.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.seat61.com and www.ricksteves.com.

I think farm or wine estate stays may like more than one or two day stays though you are still ahead of high season -just a hunch don't really know.

winnieenglish

I'd go to Florence and it's in the middle/on the way to Rome. So much to see in Florence, old city, great shopping and museums, walks, food. One of my favorite cities. I've been there 3 or 4 times and still haven't seen everything.

frencharmoire

You could cut your train travel by going from Venice to Florence (about 2.5 hours) and then, if you want to experience a vineyard stay, arrange to have a car to pick all of you up in Florence and take you to someplace nice in the Chianti. Someplace like this (I stayed in a castle nearby but I think this might be a better choice)

http://www.salvadonica.com/

You'd need a car to take you back to the Florence train station, and then you've got about 3 hours to le Cinque Terre.

If you don't need Tuscany, you could also break up the long train trip from Venice to le Cinque Terre if you instead go to Parma or Modena for 2 nights. That would be approx 3 hours on the train. Then, from either of those 2 towns your trip to le Cinque Terre is, again, around 3 hours. If you would really like to experience an off-the-beaten track sweet town with great food and zero tourists, pick Reggio Emilia, which is the train-stop town in between Modena and Parma. But these stops are more about pasta & cheese & ham + art and cocktails, than wine + views.

I would also suggest that you stay in one of Rome's neighborhoods that is more village like. Those are the Jewish quarter, Trastevere or Monti. Rome isn't necessarily hectic feeling if you are in a pedestrianized zone, without much motor traffic + people strolling around at night.

jelopez33

Hi Luvmylab!

We were recently in Venice and the Cinque Terre, here are some suggestions:

-- Consider a private transfer from Venice to Cinque Terre, depending on your budget it is a great option, easy 4 hours trip. Cann do one or two "technical" stops.

-- La Spezia, is a great base for visiting the Cinque Terre. You visit all five places in a day, without any problem. Highly reccomended to to use boat , and train,

-- Day Five, do a beautiful visit to Rapallo, Santa Margherita Ligure and Portofino.
You can go and return via train from La Spezia to Rapallo, then visit SML and Portofino by boat, have lunch in SML with the best fritto misto and apple tarte in the world .

--Day Seven.
Orvieto is a wonderful day trip from Rome. Easy done by trail from Termini Station.
Of course, you have other options as day trips, but this is a good one.

Enjoy your trip!

PalenQ

another great short day trip from Rome goes to nearby Ostia Antica- which to some is about a good as Pompeii and without swarming crowds - Ostia A was ancient Rome's port:

https://www.google.com/search?q=osti...HUk8AHAQsAQIHA

short metro ride away right to near entrance.