From Venice to Rome: What to Do In-Between?
Jan 9th, 2011, 01:04 PM
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From Venice to Rome: What to Do In-Between?
Aaaahh! Posting again with more questions! Everyone has been so great with suggestions! Thanks.
We finally booked our flight after snagging a great price on Air France open jaw: SFO to Venice, then Rome to Paris, then Paris to SFO - all for less than a straight RT to Paris. DH had decided we should limit our time to Venice- Rome- Paris. Now he's changed his mind - and I'm going crazy. He's now talking of going to Cinque Terre in-between Venice and Rome, or somehow seeing Siena and other Tuscan towns. (Since I'm the newly retired person, I'm supposed to be the "travel agent"). To me, CT seems too far, using up too much travel time. So - I thought I'd ask Fodorites what they think.
What is definite: We only have 11 nights in Italy (unfortunately)
* Venice - 4 nights (3 full days) and I wish it were 5
* Unplanned 3 nights
* Rome - 4 nights
* Paris for the remainder
We have been to Rome previously and realize that we could spend many days there and not see it all. We have not been to any other area in Italy.
Under consideration:
* Cinque Terra
* Bologna
* Florence
* Siena
* Lucca
* A couple of hill towns in Tuscany
We'd really love to enjoy a natural environment or a smaller town/city in between Venice/Rome. We can only appreciate so many museums/art galleries/formal environments in one tight trip, so we'd like to walk and appreciate the culture of an area.
We were not planning on renting a car.
Which would you choose? What do you like about these towns? Any other ideas? (I had also longed to go to Bellagio, but that seems out of the way for this trip also).
Is it possible to hire a driver/tour guide to visit some smaller towns in Tuscany?
Italy has too many wonderful places to experience in a short vacation!
I really appreciate anyone willing to share their thoughts.
Thanks.
We finally booked our flight after snagging a great price on Air France open jaw: SFO to Venice, then Rome to Paris, then Paris to SFO - all for less than a straight RT to Paris. DH had decided we should limit our time to Venice- Rome- Paris. Now he's changed his mind - and I'm going crazy. He's now talking of going to Cinque Terre in-between Venice and Rome, or somehow seeing Siena and other Tuscan towns. (Since I'm the newly retired person, I'm supposed to be the "travel agent"). To me, CT seems too far, using up too much travel time. So - I thought I'd ask Fodorites what they think.
What is definite: We only have 11 nights in Italy (unfortunately)
* Venice - 4 nights (3 full days) and I wish it were 5
* Unplanned 3 nights
* Rome - 4 nights
* Paris for the remainder
We have been to Rome previously and realize that we could spend many days there and not see it all. We have not been to any other area in Italy.
Under consideration:
* Cinque Terra
* Bologna
* Florence
* Siena
* Lucca
* A couple of hill towns in Tuscany
We'd really love to enjoy a natural environment or a smaller town/city in between Venice/Rome. We can only appreciate so many museums/art galleries/formal environments in one tight trip, so we'd like to walk and appreciate the culture of an area.
We were not planning on renting a car.
Which would you choose? What do you like about these towns? Any other ideas? (I had also longed to go to Bellagio, but that seems out of the way for this trip also).
Is it possible to hire a driver/tour guide to visit some smaller towns in Tuscany?
Italy has too many wonderful places to experience in a short vacation!
I really appreciate anyone willing to share their thoughts.
Thanks.
Jan 9th, 2011, 01:54 PM
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Hello elnap, if it were my trip I would inclined to stop one night in Bologna, one night in Florence and one night in Orvieto. All along the train route that takes you from Venice to Rome. You could get a quite smattering of each place for future referance. Or you could stay the three nights in Florence and hire a car and driver to take you to some small towns in the countryside of Tuscany on one of your two complete days while staying in Florence. Personally I wouldn't try to go to the CT in April and with your limited time in Italy. And if you you decide to stay in Florence keep in mind that the major museums tend to be closed on Monday. You don't say when in April you will be in Italy but keep in mind that Easter Sunday is April 24th. Best regards to you planning your trip.
Jan 9th, 2011, 01:56 PM
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Only my opinion, but the best town between Venice and Rome, that seems to suit your desires is Siena. It is smaller than Florence, has enough good art and one fabulous cathedral, and lots of good food. I actually love the smaller towns of Tuscany south of Siena, and you could get a car and driver for a day driving thru the Crete Sinese, and the Val d'Orcia, but you'd have a nice larger town to wander.
I would make it three days, as you had planned, and did I mention great gelato in Siena, and good shopping if you wish....
I would make it three days, as you had planned, and did I mention great gelato in Siena, and good shopping if you wish....
Jan 9th, 2011, 03:17 PM
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Thanks, everyone. Yes, I was aware of the Easter holiday and planned our arrival in Venice a couple days after. However, I didn't realize about the May 1st holiday! (And, Suze, we will add an extra day back to Venice if we don't come up with a satisfactory plan).
Originally planned to skip Florence to save for a later trip when we will be in the mood to savor the Ufizzi and all the art. Bologna seems more appealing than Florence, but Siena sounds even better.
Bob, which towns in South Tuscany do you recommend?
Does anyone know about drivers out of Siena?
Investigating trains has been tricky. I recently found the www.bahn.com website which is fairly easy to navigate. Is this site reliable? Has anyone taken a Regional train to Siena or Orvieto from Firenze?
If going to Siena, would you stay in Florence or Bologna beforehand? Do you have lodging to recommend in Siena? Or Bologna?
Orvieto does not appear to be on the train line from Florence to Rome. Am I mistaken?
What is the CNL? (City Night Line) Is it the overnight Eurostar? Where does it come from before Firenze?
(Sorry for all the little questions, but after massive research on all the areas we're NOT visiting, it feels overwhelming to look at a new area, particularly for such a short time span).
Originally planned to skip Florence to save for a later trip when we will be in the mood to savor the Ufizzi and all the art. Bologna seems more appealing than Florence, but Siena sounds even better.
Bob, which towns in South Tuscany do you recommend?
Does anyone know about drivers out of Siena?
Investigating trains has been tricky. I recently found the www.bahn.com website which is fairly easy to navigate. Is this site reliable? Has anyone taken a Regional train to Siena or Orvieto from Firenze?
If going to Siena, would you stay in Florence or Bologna beforehand? Do you have lodging to recommend in Siena? Or Bologna?
Orvieto does not appear to be on the train line from Florence to Rome. Am I mistaken?
What is the CNL? (City Night Line) Is it the overnight Eurostar? Where does it come from before Firenze?
(Sorry for all the little questions, but after massive research on all the areas we're NOT visiting, it feels overwhelming to look at a new area, particularly for such a short time span).
Jan 9th, 2011, 07:17 PM
#10
I find it easier to research Italian trains on the Italian rail website:
http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/homepage_en.html
But I would rent a car when you're leaving Venice or perhaps in Bologna. FWIW, if it were my trip, I'd postpone Tuscany to the next trip when you have the time to explore Florence, the Tuscan countryside and the Cinque Terre on a more generous timetable. On the current trip, I'd drive south through Umbria and drop the car in Orvieto. Driving is easy. We're from SoCal, and the driving feels a lot like rural California to us.
http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/homepage_en.html
But I would rent a car when you're leaving Venice or perhaps in Bologna. FWIW, if it were my trip, I'd postpone Tuscany to the next trip when you have the time to explore Florence, the Tuscan countryside and the Cinque Terre on a more generous timetable. On the current trip, I'd drive south through Umbria and drop the car in Orvieto. Driving is easy. We're from SoCal, and the driving feels a lot like rural California to us.
Jan 9th, 2011, 07:36 PM
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How difficult would it be to leave this middle section of the trip open and plan it when we get there, depending on weather? This would be beginning of May, mid-week. Would it be difficult to find last-minute decent, clean and comfortable lodging?
Jan 10th, 2011, 04:05 AM
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I would skip the CT and visit Orvieto from Rome.
We are not fans of one night hotel stays. preferring to base in a few places and branch out from there. We rely on public transport for the most part.
If you go the private driver route, I second the recommendation for Luca Garapa. We have spent a half dozen days with him over the past years and enjoyed every one. Luca lives in Siena and has always picked us up in Florence at our hotel for our day trips to wineries and the countryside. They are highlights of our visits to Florence, a city we really enjoy.
We go to Italy primarily to enjoy the food, wine, public markets and the day to day lifestyle more so than to visit museums though we do include those as well.
We really enjoyed our recent 3 day stay in Bologna , more so than our visits to Siena. Bologna is one of the least touristy cities we have visited and its reputation for food is well deserved. The residents were delightful and we enjoyed it even more than we anticipated.
We spent the days wandering the city, enjoying the public markets and the lack of crowds. We discovered a great wine bar which became our watering hole for the trip. We hope to return next year and spend a few nights there, day tripping to Parma and Modena.
As to lodging, I like to have my hotels booked in advance and not leave things to chance nor spend time looking for a place to stay upon arrival. That is just personal preference.
We are not fans of one night hotel stays. preferring to base in a few places and branch out from there. We rely on public transport for the most part.
If you go the private driver route, I second the recommendation for Luca Garapa. We have spent a half dozen days with him over the past years and enjoyed every one. Luca lives in Siena and has always picked us up in Florence at our hotel for our day trips to wineries and the countryside. They are highlights of our visits to Florence, a city we really enjoy.
We go to Italy primarily to enjoy the food, wine, public markets and the day to day lifestyle more so than to visit museums though we do include those as well.
We really enjoyed our recent 3 day stay in Bologna , more so than our visits to Siena. Bologna is one of the least touristy cities we have visited and its reputation for food is well deserved. The residents were delightful and we enjoyed it even more than we anticipated.
We spent the days wandering the city, enjoying the public markets and the lack of crowds. We discovered a great wine bar which became our watering hole for the trip. We hope to return next year and spend a few nights there, day tripping to Parma and Modena.
As to lodging, I like to have my hotels booked in advance and not leave things to chance nor spend time looking for a place to stay upon arrival. That is just personal preference.
Jan 16th, 2011, 07:56 PM
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I've really appreciated all the thoughtful advice. We've gotten pretty excited about Siena, even though it sounds overly touristed. However, I'm concerned that it will take 3 1/2 hours to train from Siena to Rome. Is there a faster way?
Love the idea of Orvieto and, kfusto, you are right; it might be better as a daytrip from Rome.
Love the idea of Orvieto and, kfusto, you are right; it might be better as a daytrip from Rome.
Jan 17th, 2011, 09:10 AM
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elnap,
Personally, I like the smaller hilltowns more than Siena. Siena is bigger than you realize and yes, there are tons of tourists.
I would also vote for getting a car upon departure from Venice, and drive to southern Tuscany. 3 nts in the area will make you realize that even that won't be enough!
Ovieto is a special town. We stayed 3 nts at Palazzo Piccolomini and it's wonderful at night. I would not do it as a day trip!
Personally, I like the smaller hilltowns more than Siena. Siena is bigger than you realize and yes, there are tons of tourists.
I would also vote for getting a car upon departure from Venice, and drive to southern Tuscany. 3 nts in the area will make you realize that even that won't be enough!
Ovieto is a special town. We stayed 3 nts at Palazzo Piccolomini and it's wonderful at night. I would not do it as a day trip!
Jan 17th, 2011, 09:58 AM
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I'm sure renting a car would be easier for us, but DH just doesn't want to do that this trip. The idea of adding one more American-driven vehicle to the lovely backroads of Tuscany seems a bit off-putting. We've done some other trips with all public transportation, so we'll try to make this work. We'll probably do a different trip to really explore Tuscany in the future.
Dayle, I'm glad to know that Orvieto offered enough to justify 3 nights. One option for us would be to train from Venice to Bologna, then Bologna to Orvieto, then Orvieto to Rome.
Does anyone know if the views from the train along this route are worthwhile?
Dayle, I'm glad to know that Orvieto offered enough to justify 3 nights. One option for us would be to train from Venice to Bologna, then Bologna to Orvieto, then Orvieto to Rome.
Does anyone know if the views from the train along this route are worthwhile?
Jan 18th, 2011, 01:08 PM
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kfusto,
we are spending a week in Bologna the end of April 2011. Can you recommend hotels and restaurants? I would like to find a room that has a kitchenette so we can do some cooking. Would be nice to also have a patio or balcony to sit and sip our wine...if not, perhaps you would share the name of your "great wine bar which became our watering hole for the trip." Want to be within walking distance of the Piazza Maggiore.
We will also take day trips on the train to nearby towns.
Please share!
we are spending a week in Bologna the end of April 2011. Can you recommend hotels and restaurants? I would like to find a room that has a kitchenette so we can do some cooking. Would be nice to also have a patio or balcony to sit and sip our wine...if not, perhaps you would share the name of your "great wine bar which became our watering hole for the trip." Want to be within walking distance of the Piazza Maggiore.
We will also take day trips on the train to nearby towns.
Please share!
