ABklyn

Hello all:

We are planning our honeymoon for July 2009 and will have about 13 days (12 nights).

I'd like some downtime in Lake Cuomo or Cinque Terre,and also see Sienna or another wine region my future husband would like to see some Roman Ruins and at least one fine art museum.

On my potential list is Lake Cuomo area, Amalfi Coast/Pompeii and Sienna. I am not too interested in Rome but think that might be the best for ruins if we can't make it also to see Pompeii

When we travel internationally we generally like to hit the least touristy spots and see the "real" country.

Any suggested itinerary would be much appreciated. Thanks!

vjpblovesitaly

It's Siena with one N and Como.

Not like Mario Cuomo

shormk2

There are a lot of posts about Italy and suggested Itineraries. Therefore, you may be better served to do a search and read other people's itineraries and trip reports and develop some more ideas of what you want to do. You may also want to get a general guidebook from a bookstore or rent one from your local library. It's often best to have a "general idea" of where you are going and ask more specific questions on this forum. Or, get an itinerary together and post it here and people will surely critique it.

All that said, if it is your first time in Italy, I would definitely suggest you see Rome.

ABklyn

Have a guidebook just thought I'd get some personal responses (other than spelling lessons-someone has nothing better to do with their time I guess......)

vjpblovesitaly

I have a lot better to do with my time, but many people spell Siena wrong.

It is helpful with googling and searching for info here if you spell the words correctly.

bobthenavigator

With 12 days I would stay north or south but not both.
So, do Rome, Amalfi coast, Tuscany----or, Como, CT, Tuscany. In July I would do north.

shormk2

A lot also depends on your budget and other 'wants'... are you limited as to where you can fly into? Do you want to stick only to public transportation or are you willing to rent a car? Do you like to hop around a lot or spend multiple nights in one place?

July is the height of tourist season, for a lot of the major sites you'll need to be prepared to wait in line or get reservations, etc.

Most people would recommend flying open jaw if possible- ie: into Rome and out of Milan (or something like that)... then you could do 3 days in Rome, 2 days in Florence, 2 days in the Chianti Region based out of Siena, head to Cinque Terra to hike for 2 days, head over to Lake Como for 3 days to relax, and then fly out of Milan. It's a lot of traveling and jumping around, but it's doable.

bobthenavigator

BTW, It was my 8th trip to Italy before I set foot in Rome. Then, it was a week. Not a bad idea.

lowcountrycarol

Normally my husband and I do not like spending much time in cities, preferring the quiet, sometimes out of the way travelling that Europe so easily affords. Well...Rome has been the exception...three times in 2 years (combined with other parts of Italy)
Why not start your honeymoon there as you will not have to drive or deal with other transportation so soon after arriving being tired from the wedding and jet-lagged? Then get a car and do other exploring.
With only 12 nights it would be quite a lot to head north and get Pompeii in also. (Rome will fill you up with antiquities). My neice did this for her honeymoon and regretted it.
Poster right on with advice to pick either north or south of Rome.

ABklyn

Many thanks for the thoughtful responses.

We're not on a serious budget. We're willing to rent a car and have done so in Ireland and Portugal but I have read lots of folks say it's more relaxing if you don't drive yourself in Italy.

I think staying North is a good idea. I need to figure out how to get in some interesting ruins or other history activities for my future husband though. Maybe we can fly into Rome and then head north and fly out of Milan. Or the reverse, so we can have some lounging about the lakes for the first few days.

What do you all think of Venice? I have heard mixed reviews

kfusto

I would choose the Lakes over CT in July personally.

Perhaps fly into Milan and train directly to Como where you can either stay or make your way by ferry to a less touristy area as you mention in your post. (The CT is about as touristy as you can get IMO and July will be busy most everywhere). I am sure others will be more helpful here with info on the lakes. It will be a nice way to ease into your trip with some genuine relaxation.

After 3 nights head south to Sienna if that is your chosen base in Tuscany and stay here for 4 nights. I personally enjoying basing in Florence and daytripping to the wineries in the countryside from there because I enjoy the many options Florence offers. But in July it will also be mobbed.

The A/C is going to be packed with tourists in July IMO and I agree that you should stay to the north or south this trip and not try to pack too much in.

Wind up with the last 5 nights in Rome and fly home from there.

As for Venice, some love it and some don't and I am in the second group. That being said, you say you want to see the "real" country yet your list of destinations is heavily weighted to the most touristed spots. IMO, that is the first decision you and your fiance need to make.

If you really want a itinerary that is less focused on the main tourist areas, consider the Ligurian coast, the Dolomites, Emilia-Romagna, etc. and build a trip that meets your desires to enjoy a more authentic experience.

StCirq

Well, there's a bit of a dichotomy going on here.

You say you usually like to hit the least touristy spots and see the "real" country.

Then you list major tourist spots.

Which is it?

ABklyn

We generally do like the less touristy route.

I would like to see some wineries and relax and my future husband is into history so wants to see some "roman ruins" which I translate into Rome, though I may be missing something. He'd also like to see some art museums so that means a major city too I'd think.

We have friends who just rave about Lake Como and we figured since it's so hot we might try to relax at the lakes.

I welcome any suggestion for a less touristy trip.

JeanneB

4 things I would <i>not</i> want to do in Italy in <u>July</u>:

1) Rome
2) Venice
3) Florence
4) Cinque Terre

Fly into Milan, spend 3 or 4 nights at the Lakes. Train or drive down to Tuscany for the remaining time. Perhaps split your remaining nights: San Gimignano/Siena area and Val D'Orcia. Fly out of Pisa or Rome.

From Tuscany, you can go into Florence for a &quot;museum day&quot; (or days) and you'll certainly see lots of antiquities there. From southern Tuscany you could even go into Rome for a day---though it <i>would</i> be a long, tiring day.

It's your honeymoon. Keep it simple.

JeanneB

PS: If you fly out of Rome, you would probably want to spend the last night there.

From southern Tuscany, you could train to Rome on your last day and be there by noon. You could see Roman ruins that afternoon. Fly out the next morning.

ABklyn

Thank you all-very helpful!

We decided to take your well-travelled advice and stick to the North. Maybe we will fly out of Rome since there are no direct flights from Florence to NYC

Lexma90

Re flying from Rome, another possibility is to fly direct to some other city, then on to Florence. From where we live, we can only fly direct to Frankfurt, Munich and London. So we fly direct to one of those cities, and can get short flights to almost any city we want - Florence, Bologna, etc. But if you want to visit Rome for a day, it's certainly a great city!

Re Roman ruins, they're all over, though of course there are more in Rome. But there's a great Roman theatre just outside the city walls of Volterra. Verona still hosts opera performances in its Roman arena. There are also many Etruscan (predecessors to the Romans) ruins in Tuscany, as well as good Etruscan museums in Volterra and Chiusi. I'm sure there are other ruins that I'm just not thinking of.