Best Itinerary for 15 Days?

Old Feb 10th, 2017, 07:30 AM
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Best Itinerary for 15 Days?

My mom and I are doing a mother-daughter trip to Italy in early September. We are going to fly in and out of Milan because flight prices to Milan appear to be the cheapest. As of now we are thinking of taking a train straight to Cinque Terre and staying there for 2 nights, then renting a car and driving to Tuscany for 3-4 nights (we want to stay at a vineyard if anyone has any suggestions) , then dropping a car off and taking a train to Rome for 2 nights, next taking a train to the Amalfi Coast and staying there for 4-5 nights and lastly flying back to Milan and staying there for 2 nights before departing. We have both been to Italy before and have been to Venice & Florence so we want to go to different places this trip. Does anyone have hotel/villa/farmhouse/really cool accommodation recommendations? Does anyone have suggestions of places we should add or subtract? Does anyone have suggestions for what area to stay in in Tuscany, Cinque Terre, and Amalfi Coast? What really are the best modes of travel to get from place to place? We want the trip to be very relaxing and to experience the culture, good food and good wine. Let me know if you have any advice!!
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 07:39 AM
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Have you been to Rome before?
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 08:00 AM
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What you save by going in and out of MXP you pay for with inconvenience. Cinque Terre you should stay for 3 nights. Trains from MXP take about 4.5 hours, and the ones with 1 stop vs 2 run every 2 hours. Car rental depends on what part of Tuscany you intend to visit. Driving La Spezia to Siena/Chianti maybe 2.5 hours. A convenient place to dump a car on the way to Rome is Chiusi. Rome certainly deserves more than a full day. Naples, if you get that far, you take a train to Milano [4:15]. If you have an AM flight, I suggest you stay in Milan first, then at the end proceed directly to a MXP hotel the previous evening.
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 08:43 AM
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What really are the best modes of travel to get from place to place?>

Between cities trains - to the Amalfi train to Salerno or Sorrento then ferry or bus to wherever. Folks not on a tight budget may take a car/driver transport from Naples to their Amalfi base.

For lots on trains and booking discounted tickets to save a lot of money if you do it early enough to get those limited in number discounted ducats check www.trenitalia.com - Italian Railways site; www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 09:08 AM
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<We want the trip to be very relaxing>

Milan
Cinque Terre
Tuscany
Rome
Amalfi Coast
Milan

... is a lot to try and see in two weeks. Certainly not impossible but not really what I'd call a relaxing pace.
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 09:23 AM
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We have not been to Rome before, but we have heard it can be disappointing if you plan to stay for more than a couple days.

Is there something we should cut out to make the trip more relaxing?

Are there any specific hotels or cool accommodations you can recommend? We definitely want a hotel with a pool in the Amalfi Coast. That's probably the place we are most likely to splurge at.
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 09:27 AM
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Rome is not disappointing for more than two days. Whoever gave you that info is wrong.
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 09:57 AM
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I agree that Rome is fabulous and you should have at least 3 full days in Rome. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I loved Rome.

We are looking to do a trip to Tuscany but flying into Rome and taking train to Florence. We will base ourselves in Florence for at least 3 nights and do day trips to parts of Tuscany. Then we thought we would stay in Lucca or some other small ideallic town and do a few day trips from there.

My thought is that you depend on which part of Italy you want to do (Amalfi vs Tuscany) and not try to do so much train travel.
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 09:59 AM
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>

Really?? What was the source of this stunning bit of misinformation?

Your trip does not sound relaxing at all. I would cut the Cinque Terre. In September it will still be heaving with crowds.

Flying into an out of Milan limits you and is probably a false economy. I'd get open-jaw tickets, into your first destination and out of your last.
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 10:11 AM
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So is it better to spend more and fly into and out of Rome? I looked at openjaw tickets and the cheaper ones have a lot of layovers.

We are planning on doing 2 full days in Rome. We would rather spend more time in the other destinations than Rome. If we fly in and out of Rome, we would cut out Cinque Terre so everything would be much closer. We are also not at all opposed to renting a car to get around. We have rented a car during all of our previous Europe trips.

What places are the most relaxing, can't miss places?
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 10:13 AM
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Also, does anyone know of unique coastal towns in Italy that are unknown/undiscovered by most American tourists?
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 10:30 AM
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Just about all of them, other than Le Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast, plus maybe the Portofino area.
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 10:35 AM
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We have not been to Rome before, but we have heard it can be disappointing if you plan to stay for more than a couple days.

I would say it's just the opposite. The people who find Rome disappointing are those who arrive for two days, spend the first day fighting the crowds at the Vatican Museums/Sistine Chapel, and the second day fighting the crowds at the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain, and can't bear the idea of a third day.

Those who stay a week get a chance to stroll on the Janiculum Hill, sit in little piazzas nursing a wine, taking a side trip to the Castelli Romani, visiting some of the hidden-gem museums, passing an afternoon in Ostia Antica, and walking in the Villa Borghese Park. These people end up loving Rome.
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 10:57 AM
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Does anyone have a suggested itinerary for a relaxing 16 day trip to Italy?
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 11:34 AM
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I would eliminate cinque terre and add those days to the Tuscan countryside.

I'm a big fan of Fonte Bertusi. It's in a perfect location and a very special place to stay. Located just outside of Pienza.

If you want to keep things relaxing then perhaps skip Rome and add those days to the countryside.
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 11:39 AM
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<What places are the most relaxing, can't miss places?>

I don't think it's always about the place. Rather it is about your daily schedule, transportation, and what you see and do.

Personally I can "relax" in major cities, but it's because I don't over plan, and am happy to walk around a neighborhood, sit in cafes, stroll through the parks, like that.

I don't think you necessarily need to fly in and out of Rome, if Milan tickets are less expensive, better routing, etc.

I don't think you need to even include Rome at all, if you aren't interested.

Maybe just do CT and Tuscany including Florence as your big city stop?
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 12:04 PM
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CT in early September will not be relaxing but quite the opposite-mobs of tourists including many Americans still around negating what normally would be a relaxing place.

Like others say many of Italy's zillions of seaside resorts - including Venice' Lido - have few if any Americans- but they are seaside resorts with often rather blah rows of sea front hotels.
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 12:35 PM
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>

Gaeta. Sperlonga. Maybe Anzio and the island of Ponza. Do you speak Italian?
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 12:44 PM
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Maybe Anzio>

not to the many American GIs buried there but yes the town itself. But when I went to the memorial-cemetery there were lots of Yanks there- bus tours too. But again it is well away from the seaside resort.
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Old Feb 10th, 2017, 12:54 PM
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It depends what your goals are. We love spending a week in one place. So we would pick maybe Rome and say Tuscany. Do you see all if Italy..no. But you get the luxury of enjoying each location and getting to know it in depth.

I find the people that don't like people spend 2-3 nights in a place, rush around with all the other tourists and don't relax and don't enjoy the dolce vita.

But everyone has their own ideas about vacations.
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