THR

Hi all,

So I am in the planning process for our Italian trip in 2015. Friday, June 12, 2015. As background, we travelled to Italy in 2012 and visited Rome, Florence, and the Cinque Terre. (We had about 10 days in total in Italy then as we visited other countries - but have decided to spend our full four weeks in Italy this time.)

I would appreciate your review of this itinerary - and whether there is too much time spent in a particular place, too little in another, too much of the same, any alternate suggestions, and generally any feedback you feel you would like to offer, if any.

Our interests are - sightseeing (obvious statement, but getting out and seeing the city/town/region we are visiting), museums and local history and, in particular, local cuisine.

We are fairly keen on the Positano stay given it is planned around my partners 30th. And it is our current plan to fly into Rome and out of Venice. Thanks in advance!

Day 1 (Saturday, June 13, 2015) - Arrive Rome (flying from Sydney)
Day 2 (Sunday, June 14, 2015) - Rome
Day 3 (Monday, June 14, 2015) - Rome
Day 4 (Tuesday, June 14, 2015) - Rome
Day 5 (Wednesday, June 14, 2015) - Positano
Day 6 (Thursday, June 14, 2015) - Positano
Day 7 (Friday, June 14, 2015) - Postani
Day 8 (Saturday, June 14, 2015) - Amalfi region (Salerno, Amalfi, TBC)
Day 9 (Sunday, June 14, 2015) - Amalfi region (Salerno, Amalfi, TBC)
Day 10 (Monday, June 14, 2015) - Amalfi region (Salerno, Amalfi, TBC)
Day 11 (Tuesday, June 14, 2015) - Naples (including visit to Pompeii)
Day 12 (Wednesday, June 14, 2015) - Naples
Day 13 (Thursday, June 14, 2015) - Naples
Day 14 (Friday, June 14, 2015) - Naples
Day 15 (Saturday, June 14, 2015) - Siena
Day 16 (Sunday, June 14, 2015) - Siena
Day 17 (Monday, June 14, 2015) - Parma/Verona/Milan?
Day 18 (Tuesday, June 14, 2015) - Parma/Verona/Milan?
Day 19 (Wednesday, June 14, 2015) - Parma/Verona/Milan?
Day 20 (Thursday, June 14, 2015) - Parma/Verona/Milan?
Day 21 (Friday, June 14, 2015) - Venice
Day 22 (Saturday, June 14, 2015) - Venice
Day 23 (Sunday, June 14, 2015) - Venice
Day 24 (Monday, June 14, 2015) - Venice
Day 25 (Tuesday, June 14, 2015) - Venice
Day 26 (Wednesday, June 14, 2015) - Venice
Day 27 (Thursday, June 14, 2015) - Venice
Day 28 (Friday, June 14, 2015) - Fly to Sydney (departing Venice)

Once again, appreciate any feedback

THR

Whoops, I made a slight mistake. Day 17 onwards should be:

Day 17 (Monday, June 14, 2015) - Bologna
Day 18 (Tuesday, June 14, 2015) - Bologna
Day 19 (Wednesday, June 14, 2015) - Parma/Verona/Milan?
Day 20 (Thursday, June 14, 2015) - Parma/Verona/Milan?
Day 21 (Friday, June 14, 2015) - Parma/Verona/Milan?
Day 22 (Saturday, June 14, 2015) - Venice
Day 23 (Sunday, June 14, 2015) - Venice
Day 24 (Monday, June 14, 2015) - Venice
Day 25 (Tuesday, June 14, 2015) - Venice
Day 26 (Wednesday, June 14, 2015) - Venice
Day 27 (Thursday, June 14, 2015) - Venice
Day 28 (Friday, June 14, 2015) - Fly to Sydney (departing Venice)

kja

Should be a great trip!

You are planning on spending a few more days in Venice than I would prefer - YMMV. I can imagine adding them to the Amalfi Coast (with at least one overnight in Capri, which is much more enjoyable IMO after day trippers leave) and/or Naples or elsewhere...

tuscanlifeedit

A lot of Naples and just a very little bit of Tuscany; I might switch there: a little less Naples, a little more Tuscany.

It seems you have 10 days (and nights?) devoted to Naples and the Amalfi Coast. Salerno is OK, but to my mind the best thing about it is the proximity to Paestum. Amalfi Town is close enough to Positano that I wouldn't need to stay in two separate places, and then include 4 nights in Naples. I will be totally honest with you and tell you that I don't adore Naples and think that three nights there would be plenty.

You could arrive in Salerno from Rome by fast train, and visit Paestum from there. There may even be left luggage at Salerno train station, although I'm not sure. In any case, you wouldn't have to overnight there. I guess Amalfi or Ravello would be my choice before moving on to Positano. Another place that's easy to get to from Salerno is Capri.

So then move on to Positano, and finally hit Naples, from whence you can get trains north. If it were me, I would train to someplace in Tuscany or Umbria and pick up a car, nipping a day or so off of Naples and adding it to Tuscany.

You have Parma, Verona and Milan grouped together. I'm assuming you want to choose one of them. No?

THR

Thanks for the feedback! Yes, one of my thoughts is that we are possibly spending too much time in Naples, given that we propose to stay on the Amalfi also. We might cut it back to two nights in Positano (the hotel we propose to stay at is quite expensive), and then three in Amalfi/Ravello/Capri, as you suggest.

In terms of Tuscany, we spent some time in Florence last time, but missed Siena. We were trying to avoid covering the same ground again (except for a few days in Rome), so will investigate if there are any other Tuscany locations we have missed.

And yes, you are entirely right - we are only proposing to select one of Milan, Verona or Parma. Milan is sort of in the wrong direction and I'm not entirely enthusiastic about it. I need to do more research into the other two.

kja

"one of my thoughts is that we are possibly spending too much time in Naples" -- there certainly is enough in Naples to justify several days there if those things are of interest to you.

And Salerno is, IMO, vastly underrated -- WELL worth time in addition to that required to pass through on your way to magnificent Paestum.

sandralist

If you are traveling from Naples to Siena on a Saturday, check to see what is open on Sunday to make sure that you can see what you want to see by going there in the first place.

Consider one more day in Bologna so that you can visit Ravenna.

THR

Thanks sandalist, kja! I forget to check the days. I'm so used to things being open seven days.

kovsie

If I had to choose between Milan and Verona, I would not hesitate to choose Verona. This is just personal taste, but I did not enjoy Milan. Verona - on the other hand - was absolutely charming.

msteacher

You really have a nicely planned trip! If you are interested in adding a few countryside days in Tuscany or Umbria, I would suggest shaving off a bit of your Venice time. Buon viaggio!

THR

Thanks kovsie; generaly consensus seems to be that Verona is a good option! I will investigate it further.

And thanks msteacher I think the construct of the trip is there, with some modification/detail required. Thanks for your feedback.

mamcalice

By and large, I like your trip. I would spend at least a day less in Naples and Venice and add the time to Tuscany. There is a lot more to Tuscany than Siena - perhaps the area arond Pienza or the Chianti region.

I, too, would stay on Capri for one or two nights. It is lovely before and after the onslaught of the cruise passengers.

kybourbon

>>>In terms of Tuscany, we spent some time in Florence last time, but missed Siena.<<<

I'm not sure what this means, but you've listed all cities, no small towns. Did you spend any time in the countryside visiting hilltowns? If not, I would drop days other places and add for rural Tuscany.

I don't see the point changing from Positano to Amalfi as they are just a few miles apart.

THR

Thanks kybourbon. It is true - we only went to cities - not the surrounding villages. That's a good point!

THR

Hi all,

Thanks again so much for your advice thus far. This is the itinerary we are currently working on (and booking around as we speak). Would appreciate any last minute suggestions on areas that we should go to.

We have decided to drop Naples as a destination and will instead use Salerno as our base (this may change to Amalfi as we are awaiting to hear back as to whether our desired Salerno accommodation is available).

We have elected to spend a few days less in Rome (we have been there before), add a day in Bologna (where we can day trip, if need be), as well as reducing the amount of time in Venice.

Finally, we have decided to fly out of Milan, rather than Venice, as it was a slightly better schedule and cheaper. I personally don't want to spend much time in Milan, so we are still considering where to go between Venice and Milan, or in an around Milan (Lake Como, for example).

We have three unallocated days, and we essentially have freedom to move things or add destinations from Rome onwards (we have booked up to Ischia).

Appreciate your time and any feedback. Now that we've booked our airfares and have started to book accommodation, it is starting to feel more real (despite being many months away).

Date Day Night spent
Thursday, 11 June 2015 1 Leave Sydney; flying...
Friday, 12 June 2015 1 Arrive Rome (~ 1pm); train to Salerno
Saturday, 13 June 2015 2 Salerno
Sunday, 14 June 2015 3 Salerno
Monday, 15 June 2015 4 Salerno
Tuesday, 16 June 2015 5 Salerno
Wednesday, 17 June 2015 6 Salerno
Thursday, 18 June 2015 7 Positano
Friday, 19 June 2015 8 Positano
Saturday, 20 June 2015 9 Capri
Sunday, 21 June 2015 10 Capri
Monday, 22 June 2015 11 Ischia
Tuesday, 23 June 2015 12 Ischia
Wednesday, 24 June 2015 13 Rome
Thursday, 25 June 2015 14 Rome
Friday, 26 June 2015 15 Rome
Saturday, 27 June 2015 16 Siena
Sunday, 28 June 2015 17 Siena
Monday, 29 June 2015 18 Bologna
Tuesday, 30 June 2015 19 Bologna
Wednesday, 1 July 2015 20 Bologna
Thursday, 2 July 2015 21 Venice
Friday, 3 July 2015 22 Venice
Saturday, 4 July 2015 23 Venice
Sunday, 5 July 2015 24 ?
Monday, 6 July 2015 25 ?
Tuesday, 7 July 2015 26 ?
Wednesday, 8 July 2015 27 Milan
Thursday, 9 July 2015 28 Milan (leave 10pm)
Friday, 10 July 2015 29 Flying to Sydney

kja

Much as I loved Salerno -- and I did -- it seems that you are planning to spend a LOT of time there, particularly when you are also spending time in Positano and Capri. It seems a bit odd to me that one would spend that much time in Salerno, while skipping magnificent, dynamic Naples, particularly given that you said your interests were "museums and local history and, in particular, local cuisine." And with those interest, I'm also a bit surprised you dropped so much time from Venice; I would think at least one more day there would be warranted. But perhaps I've misunderstood your aspirations.

I'm sure it will be a wonderful trip no matter what you decide.

THR

Hmm, I do agree that it does seem a lot of time in Salerno. We were planning it as a base, but did think about spending the first two nights in Naples before moving to Salerno. But then we thought we could just day trip to Naples and Pompeii (and Paestum) from Salerno, as well as some of the other areas around the Amalfi Coast.

In your opinion, would it be better to spend a couple of days in Naples before moving to Salerno (I know there are many thoughts/points of view that in fact, somewhere like Amalfi might be a better option than Salerno anyway).

As for Venice, we took one day from it to add to Bologna. But perhaps it might be good to add one of the spare days back to Venice.

As for aspirations, I think we're just a little overwhelmed with all of the options and choices. So I appreciate and thank you for your feedback!

kja

It really depends on what you want to see and experience. I enjoyed Salerno very much, used it as a base for the incomparable ruins and museum in Paestum, and saw what I wanted to see in Salerno itself in a day (don't miss the lungomare or the cathedral, and if you are interested in them, don't miss the ivories at the diocesan museum), although I think I could easily have found things to occupy my time happily for another half day or more.

In contrast, I could have easily spent 4 or 5 days in Naples just to see what I would consider its greatest highlights -- which might be quite different than how you define them. (Unfortunately, I didn't given myself enough time for my interests in Naples, and hope to return some day. I could easily spend a LOT of time there!) Some people are put off by Naples -- it is a bit gritty, and although it has a great deal to offer tourists, it isn't GEARED to tourists. But I loved its energy.

Some things you might do to help you decide how to allocate your time:

a) If you haven't already done so, identify the things you most want to see in each location, note their opening/closing times, and mark them on a calendar. Then pencil in your transportation, add some time on either side (for getting to/from the train/bus station or whatever) and see how things fit together.

b) Think about what you want to do in the evenings. For example, do you want to spend your nights along Salerno's beautiful and quiet lungomare or in one of Naples's vibrant public squares? (Of course, each city has other options; these struck me as the greatest extremes.)

c) How often are you willing to relocate and/or commute? For example, are you willing to commute between Salerno and Naples on multiple days if that's what it takes to see what you want to see in Naples, or would you end up skipping some things in Naples because you're tired of spending a lot of time in transit? (And don't forget that it isn't just the time on the train -- you also need to get to/from the train stations in each city, so you may be facing a trip of an hour or more each way.) Are you willing to add another hotel stay to your time, so you have some time in Salerno AND some time in Naples?

"(I know there are many thoughts/points of view that in fact, somewhere like Amalfi might be a better option than Salerno anyway)?"

I think it makes sense to choose between Amalfi and Positano. Even as a person who is willing to relocate VERY frequently, I personally wouldn't try to stay in both of them -- they are simply too close to one another. Some people say to choose a single location for the WHOLE area, and while I understand that logic, I was glad I did not. (I travel solo and don't mind relocating even as often as every night or two, so I stayed in Naples, Capri, Ravello, and Salerno. Most people would not like relocating that often. And most people prefer staying in either Positano or Amalfi to staying in Ravello.)

As for Venice, again, if you are interested in museums, it seems to me that you are cutting your time there close to the bone. It seems that you are planning only 2 or perhaps 2.5 days there (once you factor in transportation), which really seems to me to be a very short time unless you just want to walk around and enjoy some of the highlights. If you want time to see some of the incomparable works of art in Venice, or to visit Murano (etc.), you might want a bit more time there.

The areas you are planning to visit offer so many options that it is easy to be overwhelmed. When I get to that point in my planning, I try to focus on the things that matter the most to me and remind myself that the rest is all "icing" or "gravy" or whatever you want to call the wonderful extras that enhance (but don't define) a dish.

Hope that helps!

THR

It does help. Your insight always does. People like you make this forum so invaluable.

I've extended the Venice to four nights (very timely, given we just arranged the accommodation tonight).

For the Positano part, this is our "splurge" hotel (and a splurge it is!), as it is my partner's 30th while we are there. So while we might not ordinarily shift to locations so close, that is the reason for that.

Neither of us are sold on Naples specfically, so I think we're happy to day trip there. For the early part of our holiday, I don't think we want to switch hotels too often. Perhaps I'm not sold on Salerno as the base, but I don't really want to have a car (given the time of year), and it seems like it has good links to everywhere.

I think I'd rather book somewhere a bit 'safer' like Salerno, than not enjoy Naples and have booked a few nights there.

Things to ponder - but your advice is very sensible.

kja

I don't think you'll regret the extra time in Venice.

Sounds like you have well-considered reasons behind the choices you are making. And yes, Salerno affords very good transportation options.

When in Paestum, don't skip the buffalo mozzarella.