Italy Honeymoon itinerary help

You should put all of your Rome stay together at the end. Three nights for Rome isn't enough if you haven't been before.

Are you picking up a car at the airport? I would head to Orvieto first, then Tuscany, Amalfi and end in Rome.

I would recommend validating your assumptions in your own mind first.

Santa Monica = city
Rome = city

So then, is Rome = Santa Monica? Rome is full of monuments. The closest US equivalent is probably Washington DC, but Rome has even more monuments spanning even longer period of time.

Siena is also a city, but its core is a fraction of Santa Monica with no visible sign of modern buildings. You walk through narrow cobblestone streets to go everywhere.

Sorry, to clarify- we live in Santa Monica but we have access to Los Angeles... that is our connection to big cities.

Kybourbon- good point regarding order, Orvieto before Tuscany.

I would like to avoid driving in Rome if possible, will have to do some research where the best spot to pick up a car for us. Also, wondering if we will be too jet lagged trying to get to Orvieto the same day we arrive?? Anyone with advice?

Also- regarding Amalfi, would it make more sense to go somewhere closer like Porto Santo Stefano?

Thank you for your help!!

Too jet lagged? Consider that jet lag is a condition. I think it is more effective to think about the implications.

To answer this, you need the arrival time in Rome. Is this early in the morning like 9am? The imagine yourself staying in Rome vs. traveling straight to Orvieto.

When going to Rome first, think of all the key steps you will take on that day. One of the step will be arriving at you hotel in Rome. If you land at 9am, you may be at your hotel at 11am. Then what? Can you check in? If not, what are you going to do in jet lagged condition?

Compare this to going straight to Orvieto scenario. By the time you reach Orvieto, you can probably check in on arrival.

if you are concerned about driving and jetlag, you could train to Orvieto from Rome and then pick up the rental car the next morning in Orvieto for your day trip. But with only 2 nights in Orvieto, you only have time for 1 day trip.

I think Orvieto would be a great place to recover from jet lag, and not that much more involved than getting to a Rome hotel. Plus it would eliminate a hotel change and maximize your limited time in Rome. This itinerary includes the suggestions so far:

Day 1: arrive Rome; train to Rome; connecting train to Orvieto
Day 2: Orvieto - get car - day trip to Civita di Bagnoregio, Lago di Bolsena
Day 3: drive to Siena (or in a smaller town/village in Tuscany)
Day 4: Siena / Tuscany
Day 5: Siena / Tuscany
Day 6: Siena / Tuscany
Day 7: drive to Amalfi Coast (undecided on exact location) - (could turn in car in Sorrento)
Day 8: Amalfi Coast
Day 9: Amalfi Coast
Day 10: drive/train to Rome - (turn in car on arrival)
Day 11: Rome
Day 12: Rome
Day 13: fly home

I like the itinerary above better than the first one - but I would do one day less in Siena and one more in Rome. But then I like cities.

Why not figure out what you want to see in each place - and you will have a better idea of how much time you need to allow.

Great points... Orvieto will be our first stop! Thank you for all of your input, I really appreciate it! : )

I am still undecided about Amalfi... will have to do more research.

I am curious. How did you come up with Rome few days at the beginning and one day at end itinerary? This is a popular itinerary people come up with first, but it consumes a half day or more for no good reason and costs more.

I am starting to think that bunching up all Rome stay at the end is somewhat counter intuitive. But if you think about what the arrival day looks like, traveling straight to a destination on arrival often turn out to be better in many fronts including the jet lag.

We found Orvieto to be an easy drive from the airport. It's a great place to recover from jetlag. Just pick up your car at the airport and drive there. You will be "Italianized" by the end of the trip and Rome will be more enjoyable.

I am used to making a LONG haul (i.e. 24 - 27 hours travel door to door) trip to a remote part of northern Sweden every year. I know how tired I am after that trip... this trip is not quite that long. You're right, traveling straight to a destination will save money and more importantly time.

uhoh- thank you for your input! a bit nervous about driving from Rome... maybe I shouldn't be? should we skip the train to orvieto, and rent the car from the airport?

on Amalfi- thinking Positano or Ravello... anyone with experience there?

The airport isnt IN Rome, you jump right onto the Autoroute and circumvent Rome so dont worry about that.

Jamikins- perfect, thank you!

Considering Cinque Terre to take the place of Amalfi Coast.. love the idea of hiking between towns and it is easier to get to after our stay near Siena.

My concerns for Amalfi- the bus/train transfers (time and moneywise), more expensive to stay.

My concerns for Cinque Terre- not quite as picturesque (in my opinion), higher chance of bad weather (depending on when we go Sept/Oct)

Cinque Terre and Amalfi Coast are similar only that they are both coastal destinations. Otherwise, they are very different.

Amalfi Coast+Gulf of Naples cover significantly larger area than CT. Consequently it takes both time and money to cover the area.

Each town in CT is tiny and close to each other to be able to hike in between. Amalfi cities are much larger and far away from each other for hiking.

CT towns, except Corniglia, are well connected by frequent trains. The Amalfi cities are connected by not frequent enough buses. All CT towns connect easily by train to other cities. Only Salerno and Naples are connected by main trunk rail. Sorrento is served by a commuter train.

Pizza is heavenly in Campagna.

If you do end up heading to Cinque Terre, be aware of where they stand in the recovery operation especially Vernazza and the old town side of Monterosso.

http://www.ricksteves.com/news/cinque-terre/cinque-terre-disaster.htm

Thank you Greg... love the wealth of knowledge here! : )

After doing some research Rapallo seems like a great base near CT, convenient for public transport, easy to get to Portofino as well as CT.

Now I may need to reorganize my itinerary!! An open-jaw Rome-Pisa makes more sense!

As it stands now we're looking at the last week of Sept and the first week of October (but if needed it can shift one week up or down), which place should I end with- Rome or Rapallo/Cinque Terre?? Weatherwise, more dependable weather in Rapallo/CT earlier??

Cheers!

I would end the trip in Rome (you are flying out from there, right?) oh - unless you fly out from Pisa - gotcha. But still, Rome is amazing and it's a great way to end your trip.

We were in Cinque Terre September 28-30, 2011 and the weather was GORGEOUS. BTW, I thought it was much more picturesque than the Amalfi Coast. There was nothing in the AC that compared with walking/training between those beautiful little towns. And I enjoyed taking the ferry back from Monterosso to Riomaggiore much more than the ferry to Capri. Just my opinion, but I'm standing by it

The terrible rains that brought about the mudslides were at the end of October...but they were totally unexpected and unprecedented.

UhOh - wonderful to hear your opinion. True- Rome may be a wonderful ending!

More report on current Cinque Terre hiking path situation.

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/cinque-terre-vernazza-370195-3.cfm

Cinque Terre rebuilding information can be found here - trail info, accommodation reopenings, and so forth:

http://www.rebuildmonterosso.com/p/visitors-information.html

as well as through savevernazza.com

Also, last September was gorgeous. It was the best month of the year, hands down.

Hello,
Renting a car is not advised unless you have had experience driving abroad before.
I would actually recommend starting in Rome - that way you have a couple days to recover from jetlag (its a real thing and will affect you) before going to the smaller areas.
Keep in mind that if you fly back from Pisa (or Florence) you may need to stay near the airport the night prior to departure as the flights will most likely depart early in the a.m. Or you could just stay in Florence the last night or two.
I have planned many vacations/honeymoons to Italy (its my job).
Hope this helps!
Leila

Ah, fond memories of a similar set of parameters for my own honeymoon, and a few fortunate returns since... Lots of good ideas, above, including a quiet start and Roman finish. Since you asked about whether to include the Amalfi coast, I'd mention that there is a fast train between Rome and Naples, but the onward connections are much slower, so it's coservatively the better part of a morning or an afternoon between Rome and Positano (more dramatic, lively) or Ravello (more serene, cultured; in either place, the best of it is to sit and stare at a view and then wander to dinner). Depending where you pass through Tuscany it may not be the hugest marginal difference vs Cinque Terre (can't go wrong for serenity in a beautiful place). As for driving, it's not really scary geting around place to place, but not that helpful in towns and only really useful getting around in Umbria and Tuscany, not Rome, Cinque Terre or the Amalfi coast. Buon' viaggio!