oldschool1

our initial plan is to fly into Rome and rent a van then head out on our journey. First stop for several nights in either Umbria or Tuscany region. From there on to the coast...maybe the Portofino area for a few nights. From there up to the lake country area...maybe Como for a few nights. From there over to Venice for a few nights...then back to Rome for the final night of our journey. Hoping this initial plan gives us a taste of several different regions. we have 12 nights total. any input we can get on where to stay and sights to see would be greatly appreciated!! thank you all!

raincitygirl

It doesn't sound like you are spending any time in Rome so I'm wondering why you are flying in and out of there? You would make better use of your time flying in and out of places that are close to those places you actually want to see.

For example fly into Venice and see that before you get the van as you can't use a vehicle in Venice and it will cost you money to pay for 24hr parking in the big parking garage outside of Venice while you spend a few nights there.
You could then proceed to Lake Como, down to Portofino area and then back to Tuscany and end up flying out of Florence.
And I am not sure of the parking situation in Portofino, you should do some research on that.

Also driving in Florence itself is not advisable due to all the restricted zones, Rome is the same I think.

What sort of things are you interested in? Art, museums, food wine? Give us some ideas of your interests plus the amount of money you want to spend on hotels and we can give you some input.

Is it 12 actual days on the ground or does that include travel days? Don't forget to factor in how long it will take to drive from place to place, find your hotel and the parking and get settled etc.
Usual rule of thumb is three night stay equals two days time to sight-see, two nights equal one day etc.

Is this the first time to Italy for everyone?

kybourbon

Have you driven in Italy before or after an overnight flight? It would make more sense to start in Venice so you could recover from jet lag. Pick up the car as you leave Venice and head to the lakes. Perhaps fly home from Rome (or Pisa or Florence).

adrienne

That's a lot of traveling and locations for 12 nights/11 days; either Umbria or Tuscany could easily take the 11 days.

Umbria/Tuscany are large regions so it's difficult to suggest lodging when we don't know where you'll base yourselves. I liked Pienza as it's a town with restaurants and there was no need to drive any place after dark on the windy roads.

When you say Como, do you mean Lake Como or Como City? The center lake area is so beautiful and there are plenty of towns to explore using the ferries to get from one place to another.

I'm also wondering why you're flying into and home from Rome when you're not spending time there and have to return to Rome for your flight home. You could easily leave from Milan or Venice.

You might want to rethink renting a van as the areas you mention can mostly be explored via train where you can relax and not have to worry about driving and find your way around. You have the rental costs to pay when you're in Venice and can't drive. Same with Como - you won't want to drive in the city and the small lake towns are very accessibly by train to Varenna.

mamcalice

Not only are trains easier, driving a van on tine country roads would be a job. You will probably want a car to see Umbria and Tuscany but otherwise, I would ditch the van.

Your itinerary is a bit ambitions for 11/12 days especially having to leave and return to Rome when you are not staying there. Consider eliminating at least one destination from your trip. If this is your first trip to Italy, I would keep Venice, Umbria and Tuscany. Perhaps eliminate one or more of the others.

HappyTrvlr

Rome, Florence, more of rural Tuscany, Venice. Ypu do have enough time. Can you extend?

oldschool1

thanks for all the input...lots of things for us to think about that we hadn't before. My initial post had a typo though...it should have read that we would return to Rome for our last nightS...as in 3 we were going to schedule. I did not know about driving being such a challenge. The idea behind the van was to keep the 6 of us...and our gear...together and mobile. we had heard the trains were easy, but we want to stay with the van. Split 3 ways the cost is not too bad. We like the idea of driving around and exploring the countryside, villages, country roads at our own pace. only 2 of us have been to Italy before...my wife and i in 2005. We drove from Rome to Umbria then down to Sicily and out of Palermo back home...all went smooth. Rome is a consensus visit. Moderate priced hotels would be fine...not cheap and no high end. We do love a great dinner at night. We all love to drink wine and would love to explore the best of the wine region. I think the suggestions to cut back on one destination makes sense...just struggling with which one. My wife and I really want to explore the coastal area and the lakes region to the north...maybe stay to the west and north and leave Venice for another time?

goldenautumn

Italian countryside roads are not so tiny that you can't drive a rental van on them. Where do people get these ideas?

Of course it will be cheaper if you drive the six of you.

Yes, leave Venice for another time. What I would recommend is that you go from Rome --- you will probably need to go to the airport to get the van -- and visit the Maremma area of Tuscany, and keep to the coast all the way to le Cinque Terre.

There are lovely towns and wine country are Magliano in Toscana/Scansano, and also around Bolgheri. Massa Marittima is a joy. So is much of the food along the untouristed coast. Go ask on Chowhound's Italy board for recommendations.

When you get to le Cinque Terre, you will need to book someplace to stay that has guaranteed private parking, and you must tell them in advance that you have a van. Personally, were it me, i would go to Sestri Levante and stay there, and visit le Cinque Terre by train. Everything will be so much easier, and Sestri Levante has marvelous, marvelous food and a glorious cafe scene.

From there you can drive to the Lakes -- but after that, I would ditch the van at Linate airport and take fast trains from Milano to Rome.

goldenautumn

http://www.deliciousitaly.com/guide/...ine-route.html

http://maremma.guidatoscana.it/en/sh...a-del-vino.asp

http://www.giardinodeisugheri.it/activities.html

http://www.poderecarceroni.it/eng/itinerari_32.html

I'm not recommending any of the above hotels or agriturismi, because I know nothing about them as lodgings, but just have linked to them to give you information about a wine route through the Maremma.

For Rome, take a look on booking.com at Gens Julia and see if it works for your group.

goldenautumn

PS: If you get intrigued by taking a wine route in the Maremma, post some questions on Frommer's or Slow Travel because there are people there who have done these routes.

adrienne

I would hesitate to drive the van to the lakes as the roads are narrow and winding, especially up the eastern shore. I felt a small car barely fit on the road. And then there's where to park a van with the small parking spaces. You would need a hotel with parking facilities.

Now that you're spending 3 nights in Rome you only have 9 nights for the rest of your itinerary - less time to explore.

You now have Portofino, Venice, Lakes, Tuscany/Umbria for a few nights each which adds up to more then 9 nights. 9 nights = 8 days. That means with travel time you have 1 to 1.5 days in each location. Not much time.

Check driving times and then add 25% more time (it always takes longer since the driving calculations are based on going at a fair speed which is impossible to do all the time).

Suggest flying into Milan or Venice and exploring the lakes or Venice then rent the van and drive toward Rome, making 1 stop along the way.

bilboburgler

"the best of the wine region" given that Italy is the world's largest wine producer (or second if Russia wants to slug it out every other year) it would be kinda hard to identify where you want to go. Any particular types of wine interest you?

oldschool1

this site is such an invaluable travel tool...when my wife...and our moms...travelled to Italy in 2005 to celebrate our moms' 80th birthdays we relied heavily on the input from so many helfpul folks on this site. In fact, in the end, i pretty much booked my trip from start to finish (lodging, sights, travel routes, restaurants, etc) based on wonderful tips from those who posted, including one bob the navigator who ended up being my personal, virtual tour guide...how would i have ever found the Villa Cheta in Maratea to overnight on the way to Sicily?? our moms still talk about Biaggio...the gorgeous Vince Gill look alike waiter dressed like James Bond! yeesh! As for the trip this summer, our main goals are to tour the wine country, explore the coast as well as the lake region. We will likely have to go in and out of Rome for cost reasons mainly. Portofino was suggested by a friend as a lovely scenic venue...but the hotels i have checked on there are really high priced. My wife and i have to get back home after the 12th day...but the others can stay longer on the back end and explore Rome for additional days. Maybe 3 nights in wine country, 3 nights on the coast, and 3 nights in the lake country before returning to Rome...your thoughts on that idea??

oldschool1

we are all red wine drinkers and i should say like the less beaten path when exploring. We love the charm of the small towns rather than the big cities, although we love Rome and will surely enjoy exploring there again. We stayed 2 nights in Orvieto in 2005 and loved it...day tripped out from there each day into the surrounding countryside. I would like to do that again from maybe a similar type base town in Tuscany...just to try something different. We have it in our head that the scenery along the coast heading north would be beautiful...overnighting somewhere overlooking the water...stolling the shops, dining and eating outside...then a change of scenery equally lovely by going into the mountains and lakes region before heading back south...this seems to be where we are headed. Goldenautumn...thanks for the great links.

bobthenavigator

Grazie---should I send you a bill-- LOL

Here are some suggetions for base locations that we have enjoyed:
1. Tuscany---San Quirico
2. The coast---Portovenere
3. The lakes---tough call with a van. Look at Albergo Lenno on the west shore, or a real sleeper, the Hotel Stella d'Italia on the north shore of Lago Lugano halfway between Lugano and Menaggio on Lago Como.

oldschool1

He's baaaaack!! the check is in the mail. i will get to work checking into all the wonderful suggestions and will report back with a follow up to all. thanks again!!

Dayle

oldschool,

We stayed in Santa Margherita Ligure for our visit to the Ligurian Coast area and loved it. From there we hiked the Cinque Terre and took the very short boat trip over to Portofino for the day. Hotel Lauren was reasonable and our room had a nice big private terrace facing the sea. Not the most unique hotel, but great location. We stayed 3 nights and would have liked a third. Our trip was way back in 2000, so check for recent reviews.

Two other towns I have especially liked - Spello in Umbria and Montalcino in Tuscany. Did daytrips out from both.

We also stayed in Orvieto 3 nts and did day trips. I remains one of my most favorite.

I have not been to Portovenere or San Quirico - yet. But like you, I tend to really like the same places bob likes. I am taking many of his suggestions for my upcoming Sicily trip in April.

Buon viaggio!

Mimar

The smaller towns in Italy have very narrow streets. Even with a car, it's best to park in a lot outside the town and walk in. But parking spaces are tight for small cars, let alone a van. That van is going to be hard to park. Maybe park in the bus slots?

In addition to San Quirico, look at Pienza. Both are well-located in the scenic Val d'Orcia.

Do you want to visit the Cinque Terre? If so, look for a town on the train line north of the CT. The towns in the CT are very small with no road along the coast; the parking options are few and mostly uphill. In addition to Santa Margherita Ligure, a great choice if you're especially interested in Portofino, there's Sestri Levante and Rapallo.

The road up to Bellagio on a peninsula in mid-Lake Como is also a bit perilous. But Menaggio would be OK with your van. Are you fixed on Lake Como? Lake Garda is farther south, less of a detour.

oldschool1

i am resurrecting this post as we are finalizing our plans for June travel...and i need some further advice. we are flying in and out of Rome. upon arrival we head up to Tuscany for 3 nights at either San Quirico or Montepulciano, the latter of which seems to offer more dining options...any suggestions on which town would be a better base to explore that region? Our next 3 nights take us to either Portovenere or Lirici to explore the coastal area. one of the couples really wants to visit Venice...the other 2 want to visit the lake Como area...is either of these two options more of a must see than the other? i know they are completely different...but if you had to choose? We end up back in Rome for the remainder of our trip before heading home. i don't think we have enouht time to do both...thank you!

oldschool1

let me see if i can do a better job of stating my last question. our group of 6 has time enough to visit one more destination. we have all agreed on rome, tuscany and the cinque terre. we are trying to decide between the Lake Como region or Venice as our last destination...that is our last dilemma...i hope.