Maya

Hi! I have searched through the honeymoon and Italy threads but I'm still looking for some more specific advice. We are getting married 8/2/03 and we will honeymoon in Italy from 8/3/03 returning on 8/23/03. We realize that this is the worst month to travel in Italy but we've moved past that 8-). This is our itinerary so far:<BR>8/4/2003 - Arrive in Nice<BR>4 nights in St. Paul de Vence <BR>4 nights in the Italian Riviera (probably CT)<BR>3 nights in Lake Como<BR>3 nights in Venice<BR>3 nights in Tuscany with day trips to Siena and Florence<BR>2 nights in Rome<BR><BR>How does this sound? Should we take some days from another part of the trip and spend more time in Tuscany? We have hotels in Vencie and Rome (hotel points with Starwood) but nothing else is booked. Any and all recommendations will be greatly appreciated!<BR>8/23/03 - depart for US

Peter

I wish there was some magic words to say that would talk you out of going to Europe in the summer. It will be hot, crowded and expensive !!!! You couldn't pay enough top go to Venice in August.

BOB THE NAVIGATOR

Hello Maya, I love your itinerary but it seems a bit frontend loaded. I would drop one nite each from the first two destinations and add them to Tuscany and Rome. August will be crowded at the coast and 4 days is too much. The other option is to drop Venice and add those days into the backend. Or, drop Rome and add those days--you can save Rome and the Amalfi coast for your second honeymoon. Buona fortuna &amp; best wishes.

Maya

Thanks Bob! You have some great ideas. I will talk to my finace!

Howard

For Venice, we'd recommend staying at the Hotel Colombina. It's a wonderful boutique-like hotel with 35-or-so rooms. Great service, amenities and rooms have a view of the Bridge of Sighs. Make sure that you ask for room 202 or 302, in that order, as they are the only rooms with a balcony (202 is larger and was identified as the best room here in CN Traveler's Hot issue last year). <BR><BR>http://www.hotelcolombina.com/

Heather

Maya,<BR>I recently vacationed in Europe and spent about 1 1/2 weeks in Italy. I went to Venice (2 nights), Tuscany region (2 nights in Radda, 2 nights in Siena), CT (2 nights), and Lake Como (2 nights). I thought I spent enough time in Venice and CT, but wished I had several more days in Tuscany. I barely scratched the surface in Florence. I would recommend only 3 nights in CT, increase Tuscany to 6 nights, and skip Rome this time around. I hope you find this helpful. Heather