testad

This will be our third trip to Italy. We've done the major cities, Amalfi Coast, northern lake region and Cinque Terre. Now we're planning for next year and are torn between spending time in Tuscany or venturing down south into Southern Italy and Sicily. Anyone have experience in Montecatini?

zoecat

What time of year?
Will you be renting a car?
How much time?
Where in southern Italy?
Where/what in Tuscany?
What do you like to do when in Italy?

I have been to Montecatini and would not base there to explore the Tuscan countryside. It is not central to the most beautiful areas. But perhaps my reasons for a base are different from your reasons. It is close to Florence, Lucca and Pisa (among other towns), so if those are a priority, then it may not be a bad place to base.

bobthenavigator

What Zoecat said---especiallly when.

testad

We will be traveling in June of next year. Florence, Lucca and Pisa are on our list to see, along with San Gimignano, Assisi, Siena, Torre Del Lago Puccini and Forte Dei Marmi. In the past, our favorite parts of the trip is exploring the small towns and eating.

As for Southern Italy, we've already done Capri and Pompeii, but not Sorento, Taormina, and Palermo. Don't know much about Agrigento, Erice, Enna. We're planning on a little less that 2 weeks, because we also want to hit Paris this year.

Michael

You might want to take a look at my trip reports: one for this year of which the latter part covers Florence, Pistoia and Lucca; and the other one from last year covering Sicily. Click on my name to find them.

adrienne

If Sicily is your goal I would not stop in Sorrento first. It's a nice town but not worth the detour. It's only a half hour from Pompeii. Also you'll need 2 full weeks (and more IMHO) to see Sicily.

Of Sicily and Tuscany, I preferred Tuscany. I'd rather stay in Florence than in Montecatini.

mamcalice

Does the two weeks include Tuscany, Sicily and Paris? If so, you really need to cut one destination out of your itinerary. We spent 10 days in Sicily and saw only the eastern half of the island. Tuscany deserves a week and Paris at least 5 or 6 days if you have been there before.

Think about what you want to do but don't try to do everything on this one trip.

uhoh_busted

We did a three week driving tour of Italy years ago and are now going back to 1. see more of Rome, and 2. visit some places we missed with " quality" time. After a week in Rome, We're staying for 2 weeks in Umbria, then a couple nights in Cinque Terre (unless the weather dictates otherwise) then off to Lake Como for 4 nights. We know we will go back again someday for Sicily, but
not this trip.

The older we get, the slower we take it...and we are really looking forward to this trip. I used to be interested in seeing all the "musts" but now I find I prefer taking it easy and seeing what it's like to live there.

Right at the moment, we are sitting on our screened in porch enjoying a splendid summer night at home. And we are thinking about what it will be like sitting in the garden at the place we're renting in Umbria, watching the sunset, listening to the sounds of the night, and enjoying a bottle of local wine.

Which ever destination you choose, make sure to savor that trip and those moments. There is always another chance to visit another location.

testad

The first two weeks will be in Italy alone and then one week in Paris alone. So much to see, so little time.

casinadirosa

I always wonder why people want to go to Montecatini when travelling to Tuscany... it's such an industrialized area... barely representative of the region. My opinion of course.

TDudette

You could fly into Naples and hire a driver or take the train (Circumvesuviano) to Sorrento and visit that area for a few days. If you are into palaces, Caserta is nearby and I think not so well-known. I can't speak about Ferries to Sicily so other Fodorites will have to advise.

You could work your way down the Amalfi Coast to Salerno and ferry or train to East Coast of Sicily from there. It will be a long travel day. Taormina or Siracusa as possible bases? We took a train from Siracusa to Naples and the train cars actually went into the ferry at the Straits of Messina! Amazing.

I do recommend Palermo and triple star a side trip to Monreale. Again, help from other Fodorites but since we took a bus from Palermo to Siracusa, we missed the northern coast of Sicily and others told us of its beauty. Fly out of Palermo to Paris.

Will you be driving?

In my opinion only, Tuscany would be a more gentle trip with a smaller area to be exploring (even though some of the hill towns can be challenging) and fewer long drives. Your levels of fitness might come into play here.

bobthenavigator

Do not try Sicily until you have at least 10 days.
Here are some reasons why.
http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=3828

Mimar

You still haven't said whether you'll be renting a car. Driving is the best way to see rural Tuscany and Sicily.

You can spend some days in Florence and do daytrips to Pisa and Lucca by train. (Or do both in one day.)

Then move to Siena and do driving trips to San G. and the other pretty hilltowns in Tuscany. I love the scenery in southern Tuscany. It's what you see on travel posters.

Assisi is an outlier, probably too far for this trip unless you make a special point of it.

What do you want to see at Torre del Lago Puccini? It and Forte dei Marmi seem to be yet another stop. Both can be reached by train, also from Florence, but then what?

Sicily has lots to see. How would you get there?

zoecat

For Tuscany, with your "to see" list, you will need two bases. We still don't know if you will be driving. since you like visitng the villages, I suggest a car. Maybe a week near Lucca or Sarzana and a week near Siena. If planning on not renting a car, Lucca or Pisa and Siena or Florence seem like the logical choices.

Any particular reason for wanting to visit Forte Dei Marmi and Torre Del Lago Puccini?