singer8

Hi all. Only have 10 days to see Italy this summer and have been reading that it is better to narrow down 2 cities instead of 3. Which would you choose and why? Would also like to take a side trip if possible. Thanks for your help. We are actually still deciding between California and Italy; totally different, I know.

Grandma

I would do Rome and Venice....unless you're interested in art and art history. Then, it would be Rome and Florence. Two cities will keep you busy...forget any side trips. Where do you live? We are New Yorkers and one year did both CA and Italy (Piedmont).. both were equally enjoyable.

singer8

We live on Long Island. You wouldn't recommend a side trip from Venice? Where did you stay in Rome and Venice

suze

I think you can do all 3 with 10 days. Fly into Venice (4 days), train to Florence (2 days), train to Rome (4 days). Fly home from Rome.

LucieV

Rome & Venice. Simplistically put, Florence, though very different from Rome, is still more like Rome than is Venice.

BTW, CA &amp; Italy aren't <i>totally</i> different ... as a native Californian who has travelled many times to Italy, I am always struck by the geographic/scenic similarities between the two places!

NeoPatrick

I'd agree that you can actually do all three. Starting in Rome for 5 nights, training to Florence and arriving there mid morning for the rest of that day, spend one night and most of the next day before going on by train to Venice for 4 nights. Or you could spend two nights in Florence taking one from Venice.
I think it makes more sense to &quot;do&quot; all three rather than cut it to two and do a day side trip somewhere else.

alcorjd

I agree with NeoPatrick. Make Florence your &quot;side trip&quot;. 10 days in Italy is an &quot;hors d'oeuvre&quot; trip, so you may as well see 3 different cities. Make the most of your time by planning ahead. By the way, &quot;Rome Walks&quot; is a great way to see Rome.

singer8

dear alcorjd, How do I find out about Rome Walks.

sharon1306

I agree that you can do all three in 10 days. We did 3 nights in Venice, 2 nights in Florence and 4 nights in Rome when we went to Italy last year. I think it was enough time to get a feel for each city, and we're planning on going back to explore other parts of Italy.

gard

Hi

I have only been to Rome and Venice so I can't comment on Florence. But Rome was amazing and my wife and I had a great time when we went there. I have posted this trip report with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy.htm . I have also posted a similar trip report from Venice on http://gardkarlsen.com/italy_venice.htm . Hope this helps in your planning.

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

Traveling_Mum

Florence and Venice are both beautiful, your selection depends on the type of holiday you want to have. Florence is great for art and the architecture whilst in Venice being on the water and getting lost through all the little alleys and streets is truely different and magical. Also take a boat trip to the liitle islands off Venice like Burano (postcard perfect). The seafood risotto is to die for!

ira

Hi S,

I would do it in this order:

4 nights Venice, 5 nights Florence - day trips to Siena and Orvieto.

What suze suggested.

4 nights Venice, 5 nights Rome

sanschag

I would agree with the above posters that said you could do all three in 10 days. A couple of years back, my wife and I did Rome, Orvieto, Florence, Venice, and Pisa in 9 full days. Did we see everything? No, but we really enjoyed the trip. (We generally like to do more than many people here would.) Our itinerary was as follows:
Fr - Fly into Rome late evening
Sa - Rome (Ancient)
Su - Rome (Ostia Antica in morning, misc)
Mo - Rome (Vatican)
Tu - Morning train to Orvieto
We - Morning train to Florence
Th - Florence
Fr - Morning train to Venice
Sa - Venice
Su - Train to Pisa
Mo - Morning flight home
We would have skipped Pisa and added a day in Venice, but our flight home (Ryanair back to Germany) was from there. You could easily skip Orvieto to get an extra day in Florence or stop in Orvieto for the day on the way between Rome and Florence. Now, I do have to admit, that we're planning on return this fall and spending a whole week in Rome and three days in Venice.

Whatever you decide, enjoy your trip,
Paul

rbnwdln

I think 10 days is enough to get a taste of all three without too much hassle. I would spend the majority of time in Rome, then Venice, and a day or two in Florence, unless the artworks of Florence is a special interest. It's Italy, you can't go wrong.

Tiff

Hi singer, this is such a personal question and you will get many different replies. I think the best thing to ask is what your interests are, and how fast you like to travel.

Rome is fabulous, Rome is big, do you prefer a larger city? Florence &amp; Venice are very walkable small cities.

If I had ten days I would only do two areas, but that is just my DH and I, I have been to R, F, and V. Florence &amp; Venice were my favs of the three because I prefer smaller areas.

Do what you are doing, research. That way you will discover what is best for you. Look at books, continue to read posts. As rdnwdln said, it is Italy, you are going to have a wonderful time!

Enjoy!

singer8

Dear Traveling Mum, Did you mean the island of Murano? I saw that on the food network a couple of days ago.

Tiff

singer8 ~ Murano, Burano and Torcello are three lagoon islands off Venice.

missypie

I'd try to do all three. If you don't have a lot of interest in touring many of the churches in Rome, you can cut days off of Rome. If you don't have much interest in art, two days in Florence will be enough. Or maybe you're like me and love it all.

Try 4 days in Rome, 3 in Florence, 3 in Venice.

NeoPatrick

One thing I think is interesting is that some suggest limiting to two cities -- let's say Rome and Venice. They they suggest various daytrips -- let's say Padua or Orvieto. Now I'll be the first to agree those are nice day trips, but why would anybody totally ignore Florence (which I don't really care for that much anyway) in favor of spending time in Orvieto or Padua on a FIRST TIME Italian trip? It seems to me it makes more sense to do the three main cities rather that just two of them and then several &quot;less important&quot; ones.

LucieV

Because, Neo, it depends upon what your travel style is. Orvieto could be a lovely respite from the intensity of two bigger, more emotionally- &amp; intellectually-demanding cities. And, without knowing the interests/personalities of the op, who's to say which places are most &quot;important&quot;?!