violetduck

Just purchased airline tickets for Italy for September, into and out of Rome. We will be there 15 days. So far I have no itinerary and that makes me very late on planning, at least for me. We have traveled a good bit in Italy and unless I get some exciting ideas may revisit some favorites. We have not
been to Lake Garda and for now planning to go there upon arrival in Rome. I would appreciate your
thoughts and suggestions to help me get a great itinerary worked out. All travel will be train and public transportation. We are getting to be ancient and had planned the last two years to be our last European visits, but it is calling again this year. Many thanks!!!!

PalenQ

Did you consider flying into Venice and out of Rome - Garda is close to Vienna but 4-5 hours or so from Rome - and if Venice were in your plans... but you have an open-ended question without saying what kid of places you want to visit - Tuwscany hill towns; the Cinque Terre, the Amalfi Coast, the lake district, etc. or cities like Florence or Rome, etc. and your interests - Roman ruins - then consider Pompeii and Hadrian's Villa a short bus ride out of Rome or Ostia Antica - ancient Rome's old port that is a substantial archaeological site - one of the best in Italy.

Sirmione on Lake Garda has stellar Roman ruins too. I love Lake Garda - get a boat pass and go up and down the lake - anyway for trains booking way way ahead can yield some ridiculously cheap tickets compared to walk-up fares - www.trenitalia.com is a fickle site to use for some novices if complaints here are to be any indicator - and such tickets are sold in limited numbers and I believe are unchangeable and non-refundable or have a heft refund fee so you book weeks in advance in stone - fine for most - everything buttoned down.

Well for lots of good info on Italian trains check: www.ricksteves.com; www.seat61.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - check the latter's free online European Planning & Rail Guide's section on Italy for lots of rail itineraries for different parts of Italy.

sandralist

Are you so familiar with central Italy that you want to spend 6 hours going past on a train to see the southern end of Lago di Garda? Are you planning on getting a night's sleep and renting a car the next day so you can see the scenic part of the lake, or are you planning instead to tour northern Italy?

I've nothing against Lago di Garda, but I wouldn't want to make the journey from Rome without stopping in some of the wonderful places along the way. Have you been to Arezzo? The Maremma of Tuscany? Any of the lakes or hot springs nearer to Rome?

denisea

If you have not been to Villa d'Este, you could pair it with Hadrian's villa from Rome. We also enjoyed Orvieto....I would love to visit Civita di Bagnoregio from Orvieto some day.

I loved Sirmione but it's been too long for many to really remember details from the trip to be helpful.

Not sure where you have already been but Italy has do much to offer, you can't really go wrong!

dgunbug

Have you been to Naples? We spent three days there and enjoyed it immensely.

dreamon

Your question is so open it's hard to answer. At the risk of stating the obvious, I'd grab a few photo gallery books from the library (e.g. 100 most beautiful villages sort of books) and find something that tickles your fancy. Or if you know you want to visit Lake Garda, get a guidebook on the lakes area. I can guarantee you'll find more than enough to fill your time in just one relatively small area. I know you're looking for more specific suggestions but everyone's got somewhere that they loved but that doesn't mean you'll love it too.

PalenQ

September - especially later in the month in northern Italy can mean rainy weather - you never know. One late September when I was in northern Italy it rained for a whole week - never hard but col and damp for Italy.

annhig

in 15 days you've got long enough to get to Garda if that's what you want to do [and in September you shouldn't have much problem with the weather unless you're very unlucky], but I would feel inclined to agree with Sandralist that if you are locked into your Rome flights both ways, you should make a virtue of necessity and explore Umbria, south Tuscany, and Lazio.

unless of course you've already been there - can you tell us where you have already been? what you liked or didn't like? and whether or not you want to go back there.

Also - do you want to include a few days in Rome in your trip, and if so, how many? it would make sense to put them at the end of your trip, as I think you may already have realised.

violetduck

Thank you to all for your thoughts and helpful information. Our trip is Sept. 7-23.
I spent many hours yesterday researching and for now thinking going to Sirmione,
(think there is an ES train from Rome to Lake Garda, 3 hours) with maybe day trip to Verona (been there), then Venice (been there) with day trip to Padua or possibility of staying in Padua and making DT to Venice. Then to Arezzzo which seems would be somewhat like Orvieto and it was a favorite. Then perhaps Assisi or Perugia before couple of days in Rome (been there) and then home. We have never been south of Rome and may need to give that some thought. All travel by train makes some places less desirable. This is a seriously fluid itinerary but a starting place. Your further thoughts appreciated.

sandralist

There are no ES trains anymore, and even using the new hi-speed trains to get to Sirmione from Rome's airport, there is only one train leaving per day that will get you there in about 5 hours (with 2 train changes + taxi or bus ride). All the other available trains (also with 2 changes + taxi/bus ride) will take between 6 hours.

By contrast, there are trains every hour that could take you to Venice in 4.5 hours (one change of trains) or to Perugia or Arezzo in about an hour less than that (2) changes of trains.

So were it me, I would consider going to Perugia first from the airport, seeing Assisi and Arezzo as day trips from there, then Venice, then Lago di Garda and finally Rome. If you are willling to drop Assisi, you could make Arezzo your first stop and see Perugia as a day trip from Arezzo and that would simplify your train travel even more.

violetduck

After more, more and more researching the as for now itinerary is:

Arrive Rome and go to Venice

Venice-Padua

Padua-Arezzo

Arezzo-Perugia

Perugia-Rome

Three nights each place. Thoughts, suggestions and hotel recommendations appreciated.

sandralist

I enjoyed staying at La Corte del Re in Arezzo. However, they serve an in-room breakfast rather than a buffet, if you have strong feelings about wanting a buffet.

There is such a range of hotels in the other places you are asking about that without giving some idea of budget and what ameneties you need it is pretty pointless to make suggestions. Also, it is usually just simpler to go to booking.com and search for hotels using your actual travel dates to see what is available. You can read reviews there, or ask about particular hotels here.

One of the most beautiful small churches in Tuscany is right at the edge of Arezzo, and it is simpler to take a taxi than do the long walk. It is Santa Maria delle Grazie.

One of the loveliest sights in Perugia that people often miss is the Tempio di Sant'Angelo. It is also worth a taxi or bus ride out to the Ipogeo dei Volumni (etruscan tomb)

http://www.perugiacittamuseo.it/en/test-inglese.html

violetduck

sandralist thank you for this helpful information. I will check out the hotel and museum. I hope I will hear from others especially regarding accommodations.

PalenQ

arrezzo was a nice town but not awesome - I liked Perugia a lot - a proper hilltown and a lively one with lots of students at the local university and well situated for day trips to Gubbio, Todi, Assisi, Cortona...

sandralist

I find Arezzo "awesome". I also enjoy Perugia. They are different places, each with their own character.

PalenQ

Yes it is all subjective - Arezzo was nice but not your iconic hill town. But a lively town with some neat sights and great rail and bus service is sans car.