Italy Honeymoon help

Old Jul 12th, 2006, 07:07 AM
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Italy Honeymoon help

My fiance and I will be going to Italy for our honeymoon (leaving Sept. 23 and returning Oct. 8, 2006) and I would really appreciate some assistance in travel planning. We were thinking of flying into Venice and spending 4 nights there. Then, taking the train to Florence and spending the remaining 11 nights there. Is that too long to be in Florence? I have been many times, but my fiance has never been to Italy. We were thinking of using Florence as our base for day trips to Tuscany. If anyone has suggestions as to how to spend our two weeks in Italy without moving around too much, please let me know! We would definitely consider Venice, Florence, and one more town, but help is needed (hotel suggestions too). Thanks in advance!
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Old Jul 12th, 2006, 07:17 AM
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For starters, I would add 2 or 3 days to Venice.
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Old Jul 12th, 2006, 07:25 AM
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We loved Florence, but 11 nights there?? Have you already seen Rome? You have 15 nights, non? I'd suggest Venice, Florence, Italian Riviera, Rome. Or Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Rome. Or...
Do you have airfare yet? Definitely get an open-jaw into one city and out of another, to avoid backtracking.
 
Old Jul 12th, 2006, 09:08 AM
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Hi S4842! My hubby and I did Italy for our honeymoon almost the exact dates as you, give or take a few days, a few years ago.

To me, 11 nights anywhere is way too long, but that's just me. I like to move around a lot.

Ditto the others - have you been to Rome yet? How about the Cinque Terre?
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Old Jul 12th, 2006, 09:24 AM
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I agree with bardo1, I'd add a couple of nights to Venice. It's a very romantic city with so much to see and do. Firenze? As far as I'm concerned,a year wouldn't be enough time!
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Old Jul 12th, 2006, 10:09 AM
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Hi S4,

With the time you have, I suggest adding 1 night to Venice, 6 nights in Florence with a daytrip to Siena and another to Bologna, train to Rome for the rest.

Fly into Venice and out of Rome.

You could skip Rome and spend 2 nights in Orvieto, taking the train to Rome FCO - 2 hr by train.

Have a happy honeymoon.
((I)

Add a night to Venice and one to Florence.

Train schedules at

From there you could train to Rome and on to FCO if you have an afternoon flight out.

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Old Jul 12th, 2006, 11:51 AM
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Congratulations! I suggest-

4 nights Venice

3 nights Florence

7 nights in a nice farmhouse apartment in Southern Tuscany, exploring the area

1 night in city closest to departing airport (Florence, Pisa, Rome, Bologna).

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Old Jul 12th, 2006, 12:13 PM
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congrats

may I suggest

Venice 5
Florence 4
Rome 5
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Old Jul 12th, 2006, 07:54 PM
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You mentioned you didn't want to move around much. But if you use Florence as a base for 11 days for day trips to Tuscany, you (albeit without luggage) will be moving around much. I think if your third "desire" after Venice and Florence is the Tuscan countryside, then you should base yourselves (with a rented car) in a smaller town for a few days (taken away from the 11 in Florence).

I suggest you do some research about which towns in Chianti/Tuscany you want to see and then, if necessary, come back to us for suggestions of a good base town. If Pisa and/or Lucca are on your list, you could keep them on the agenda for your time in Florence as they are in a different direction than most places in Tuscany people want to see, and they are easily visited on day trips.

I'd also suggest you nail down your itinerary soon and get your hotels booked. Happy planning!
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Old Jul 12th, 2006, 08:43 PM
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Thank you everyone for such wonderful suggestions! I am now considering spending 5 nights in Venice, 6 nights in Florence, and 4 nights in Rome. Now, does anyone have hotel suggestions - especially for Venice and Rome?
BostonGal - Did you stay in Cinque Terre? If so, did you take the train from Florence and how long did it take? I would love to hear about your actual itinerary on your honeymoon and how the weather was.
Zoecat - Do you have farmhouse suggestions?
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Old Jul 12th, 2006, 09:11 PM
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A farmhouse implies staying in the country rather than in Florence -- and it also implies having a car. Do you intend to drive? Or perhaps hire a driver?
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Old Jul 13th, 2006, 04:39 AM
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ROME HOTELS:

budget: http://www.hotelnavona.com
moderate: http://www.albergosantachiara.com/
expensive: http://www.hotelpontesisto.it/web/
splurge: http://www.raphaelhotel.com/

VENICE HOTELS:

budget: http://www.venicelaresidenza.com/
moderate: http://www.sancassiano.it/ or http://www.casaverardo.it/site/index1.php
expensive: http://www.baglionihotels.com/
splurge: http://tinyurl.com/phh8m (Gritti Palace)
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Old Jul 13th, 2006, 05:33 AM
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Hello!

We like to move around a lot, so we did a bunch in a short time.

I'll start off by saying at the time we were kind of on a budget, and only splurged once - the other hotels were more budget, 2-3 star places that were teeny tiny because we love to get out in the city and do stuff, so we just chose clean places in good locations.

We stayed in Rome for 2 nights. We stayed right on the Spanish Steps. I loved the location, and it reminded me of home with the boisterous activity at night to help me sleep.

Then we went to Florence for 4 nights and stayed about 5 blocks from the train station, I remember we were right by one of the big markets. We took two days to be mad crazy tourists, one day to drive the Chianti trail and visit Siena and San Gimignano (a MUST imo), and then our last day we sat at a cafe all day and people watched.

Then, we moved on to Cinque Terre. The train ride took about 3 hours, it was a bit rough because you're going in and out of tunnels so my ears were wacky the whole time. But then you emerge out of the tunnel and (for us, at least) you are perched atop a cliff and the HUGE waves were crashing along the rocks down below, it was great! We stayed at Hotel Porto Roca, which was recommended to us and I'd recommend it to anyone else. Request a top floor balcony room. We stayed there the minimum 3 nights and it was our down time. We were a little bored, because by the time we got there it's very quiet in the towns. But it was good for us, we needed rest after getting hardly any sleep while in Rome or Florence.

We ended the trip with 2 nights in Venice, and we stayed at a cute place right near the Rialto. The only thing I wasn't crazy about was waking up at 4am to hear the fish stalls/carts being dragged down the street to prep for the market later in the morning.

We took a train from Venice back to Rome, which took almost 5hrs. We stayed very near the train station in Rome because the following morning we had to get up early to catch our return flight home. The hotel was actually a hostel and it was SO NICE I couldn't believe it! It had a rooftop deck and everything, so after dinner instead of hitting the bars, we just bought a bottle of wine and enjoyed it upstairs on the roof before retiring to bed.

WHEN we go back (because we will), I'd love to head to Montalcino and stay at least 3-4 nights in Rome. If you are staying in Florence for longer than 4-5 days, you will probably have enough time to head to Montalcino if you like, you may just want to find a little place to stay there so you're not driving back to Florence late at night (like we did).

Oh, and you asked about the weather. PERFECT. We arrived in Rome and it was hot, probably 85ish and sunny. Florence was my favorite weather, probably in the 70s and it only rained one night on our way to dinner. Cinque Terre it stormed the first night (hence the massive waves crashing) but then cleared up just in time for our hike along the goat paths, and it was probably low 70s, and high 50s at night. Venice was the chilliest - but it was still warm and sunny during the day, probably mid-high 60s and chilly at night, I remember I wore a sweater and jeans on the gondola ride. In my opinion, it was the perfect time of the year to go. It was such a superb trip, it gave me the travel bug. Now that I've been traveling for a couple years, I definitely plan to return to Italy someday and do it all over again.

Good luck planning and let me know if you have any other questions!
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Old Jul 13th, 2006, 09:33 AM
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S4842,
Send me an e-mail and I will send suggestions for day trips in Tuscany.

Henry
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Old Jul 13th, 2006, 11:28 AM
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Its a ways from Florence, but I would recommend taking half your time in Florence and going to the Amalfi Coast instead. My husband and I finished our honeymoon there and loved it. It was very romantic. We stayed at Villa Rosa Positano and I would highly recommend it. From there you can day trip up and down the coast, go to Capri and Pompeii. If you don't want to go all they way to the coast, I would recommend renting a car and moving to a smaller town in Tuscany and day tripping for half your Florence time. We stayed in Montalcino and loved it.
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Old Jul 13th, 2006, 11:38 AM
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amalfi coast.. actually I suggest Ravello..heaven on earth.. check it out.. ciao, lisamarc
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Old Jul 13th, 2006, 11:45 AM
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Some places to stay in southern Tuscany:

www.santantonio.it

http://www.tuscany.net/lucignanello/pages/profile.htm

http://www.foresteria.it/eng/index.html

http://www.amorosa.it/en/index.html

http://www.bravohr.com/properties/licig.php

http://www.bravohr.com/properties/poggio.php

http://www.villacicolina.it/eng/villacicolina.htm

http://www.tuscany.net/vergelle/pages/profile.htm

http://www.cretedisiena.com/Casa_Picchiata/prezzi.htm

http://www.cretedisiena.com/agrituri...ia/english.htm

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Old Jul 13th, 2006, 12:57 PM
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Personally, and remebering this is a honeymoon, I'd swap the 6 days in Florence for 4 nights Fiesole, in the hills above Florence, or in the Tuscan countryside, followed by a week in rome - you won't regret spending that long there. THen you could do day trips into Florence, but "chill out" before you hit Rome.
Congrats, & Have a wonderful time!
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Old Jul 13th, 2006, 02:06 PM
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Go to Lake Como!

My husband and I just spent 3 days in Bellagio, 3 days in Venice, and then 3 days in Florence. We wished we had done this trip in reverse. We found Florence to be noisy and crowded with tourists and peddlers. We highly recommend the Vivahotel Laurus Al Duomo - modern rooms, great location, and breakfasts on the terrace with view of the Duomo.

The Lake Como area is absolutely beautiful, relaxing, and romantic. Stay at the Hotel Du Lac and ask for a room with a view of the Lake. In addition, you can have breakfast on their terrace with panoramic view of the lake/mountains - what a wonderful way to start the day. We got better deals contacting them directly via their reservation request form than booking through other websites. www.bellagiohoteldulac.com
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Old Jul 13th, 2006, 02:29 PM
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I reiterate Ravello.. check it out!
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