sherry_toly

I have been researching destination options for our first trip to Italy and I am overwhelmed! We will be traveling (we are in our mid-late 40's) for part of the time with our older parents (aged 70). We plan to arrive in Italy around September 10th, leaving around October 10th, 2012. I'd like to present a proposed month-long itinerary to my Dad and then he can choose which parts of the trip (or all) he'd be interested in and then firm up our accommodations once we have those details sorted out.

We enjoy art, history, architecture, food, wandering, some light hiking (probably not too much hiking for our parents), beaches, shopping, museums. My Dad thinks he'd be interested in most of the same things, but I also know as a car buff, he'd probably love the idea of renting a car for part of the time to do some scenic driving/sightseeing (if this is plausible).

We like to stay in one place for a few days (no "If it's Tuesday, it must be Belgium" kind of trip), so we don't really want to try and fit in TOO much, but would rather spend some quality time in one location/area as much as that is possible. We also prefer to rent apartments, although staying in a hotel for a few nights is OK too, particularly if we're changing locations after a couple of days.

We're thinking that our itinerary might include Rome (for one week or so), Amalfi Coast, Tuscany, Florence and Venice, but don't know if this is too much geography to cover.

Can't wait to hear some suggestions for all the Italy specialists here! Thanks in advance for your help!

PalenQ

Cars in cities like Venice, Florence, Rome, etc are useless and really a liability - large swathes of city centres off limits to private vehicles - parking can be hard to find and very expensive and many hotels do not offer parking.

Take trains between major tourist cities and rent a car to say meander thru Tuscany, etc so try to put all your large cities in one segment then rent a car for the other.

anyway the Italian train system is excellent - lots of great info on Italian trains at these fab IMO sites - www.seat61.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com. www.trenitalia.com is the official site of the Italian Railways - check them for schedules and fares - if traveling much on trains the Italy Railpass can be a good deal - especially in first class which my decades of Italian train riding makes me exhort any first-time traveler on the trip of a lifetime to do - first class is so so much more relaxed and especially if hauling luggage around it is IME much much more easy to store it in first class cars - seats are much bigger and there are often IME several empty seats - IMO pay extra for first class!

mamcalice

With 30 days, you definitely have time to visit all of the destinations you have listed and spend quality time in each. I would suggest starting in Venice and working your way south. Venice, Florence, the Tuscan countryside, the Amalfi Coast and Rome. If you travel in this order, fly into Venice and home from Rome. A car would be handy for the rural Tuscan portion of your trip. Otherwise, except for the Amalfi Coast, you definitely don't want one. Since you prefer apartments, you should consider them for Venice, Florence and Rome.

All of the things you enjoy can be found in abundance except for beaches which you will find only on the AC where the beaches tend to be rocky and narrow.

Enjoy the planning. You can get lots of ideas from this forum.

joannyc

I spent 22 nights in Italy in 2009. I flew into Venice and out of Rome. Here's my itinerary:

Venice for 5 nights
Florence for 4 nights (day trip to Lucca and Pisa)
Pick up rental car and drive to San Gim for the day, then onto Sienna for 2 nights
Drive to Assisi for 1 night
Drive to Orvieto for a few hours and then onto Sorrento for 5 nights and drop car after checking into hotel (Day trips to Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, and Capri)
Bus to Rome for 5 nights
Fly home from Rome

Obviously, you have more time available so maybe you would prefer to fly into Milan and see Milan and Lake Como area before continuing down to Venice. Or spend more time in Umbria or Tuscany.

scrb11

For hiking Cinque Terre is popular -- probably too popular and crowded. If you're set on Amalfi Coast then no sense adding CT to this trip. There are suppose to be hiking paths there but you will do a lot of walking without going on specific hikes.

For long distances, definitely look at trains. Where cars would be an advantage, despite the expense and the hassle of parking/driving in the big cities, is if you want to stop by certain places between major destinations. For instance, stopping in Bologna while going from Venice to Florence.

JBX

You mentioned your Dad is a car buff ...... a visit to the Ferarri Museum ??

http://www.ferrari.com/English/about...ome-Museo.aspx


http://www.motorstars.org/


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

PalenQ

for many folks, me included, the Cinque Terre is a one or one and a half day stay before we start to get bored - you could use it as a base however from which to hop to gems along the Levante Riviera (name?) coast and to places like Portofino - by train to Santa Ligure Magarhita (sp?) also a lovely place to base and day trip to Cinque Terre from there like I did - but only a few miles from fambled Portofino, which at that time of year may not be elbow to elbow like in summer.

kickikicki

Rome is a must, but there is never enough time 2 see it all....every corner has something 2 tell, yes in every city Italy is a cuntry of treasures every where.

Then go south this time... Formia, Napoli, Amalfi and of course Capri...
-Rent car or take the Intercity train,( not the Regionalit stops at every station and is always packed) easiest to get a ticket is to buy them at the automates located at the beginning of every binario/ platform.

I suggest u 2 rent an apartment in Rome.
I always rent from www.rentalinrome.com, (catrin) they have excellent apartments/service and international staff.