MoJo1314

My two sisters and I will be traveling to Italy for the first time in September and I am trying to put together a good itinerary. We are late 20's, early 30's and while we don't mind moving around, we want to have a balance of relaxation and sight seeing. Right now, we are planning to arrive in Rome and stay 3 days / 2 nights, leaving the 3rd day for either Florence or Tuscany.

We are more foodies & wine lovers that art buffs so although I had originally planned to take the train from Rome to Florence, I am considering staying in Tuscany for 3-4 nights. Is it crazy to try and do Rome - Tuscany - Florence and then take a train down to the Amalfi Coast to end our trip there for 2-3 days, flying out of Rome?

Thank you in advance for any advice!!

ira

Hey M,

>Is it crazy to try and do Rome - Tuscany - Florence and then take a train down to the Amalfi Coast to end our trip there for 2-3 days, flying out of Rome? <

Yes.

Just how much time will you have in Italy, not counting the day you leave?

sarge56

mojo- You don't say how much total time you have. But if it is 7-8 days, you really should stick to two places. You must take into consideration the time to check out/get to station/train/find new hotel/check in, etc.

You don't want to waste even a day of it by moving too much.

Decide what is most important for relaxation- beach/sea views or olive groves/sheep traipsing through the hills/endless green.

Once you decide on Amalfi vs Tuscany, then plan accordingly. Most experienced travelers will tell you to end your trip from where you are flying home.

So, sample: Fly into Rome and train/bus to Siena. Spend 4 nights Siena for relaxation. (If up to it, you can bus to many Tuscan towns from Siena, for day trips.)

Then train to Rome and spend your last 3-4 nights there.

Sample AC: Fly into Rome and train to Sorrento. Spend 3-4 nights Sorrento. You can relax there or can do day trips via bus to the other small towns along the coast.

Then train to Rome and spend your last 3-4 nights there.

Have fun! Italy is magical.

sarge56

PS Tuscany in September is most lovely. (And you should know that Florence is only an hour away by bus from Siena, so that could also be a day trip. [And well worth it, in my opinion!])

Jean

How many days and nights do you have altogether?

The way you've laid out your plans, you'd be staying in Rome twice. Once on arrival and the second time the night before your flight out.

Instead, consider heading to somewhere in the direction of Tuscany after you land in Rome. For example, you could train from Fiumicino to Orvieto in about 2 hours. Explore Orvieto the rest of your arrival day, rent a car the next day and move to your Tuscany base town. See Florence as a day trip, keep the car and drive to Sorrento, return the car. Lastly, return to Rome for your days there.

Also keep in mind that every time you move from hotel/town to hotel/town, you lose a half day or more of walking-around-sightseeing time, and the drive from Tuscany to Siena will take 6 hours or more. For that reason alone, unless this is a 2-week trip, I'd skip the Amalfi Coast area and concentrate on Rome, Tuscany small towns and Florence.

bobthenavigator

How can we answer since we do not know how many nights you sleep in Italy. If it is 10 or less then pick 3 destinations but not 4. And, do not start in Rome--end in Rome since you fly from there. Florence and Tuscany are seperate destinations.

sarge56

Jean, Orvieto is just about one hour via train. And I think you must have meant that the trip from Siena (in Tuscany) to Sorrento would be 6 hours or more.

MoJo1314

Thank you SO much for all of the replies so far - I am sorry I left out the total days we have but we have 10-12 days available to us while there (plus one day on each end for traveling to and from the U.S., so a total of essentially 2 weeks).

I think we would be happy to fly into Rome, and then go directly to the Tuscany area with Rome sightseeing on our last days.

Because it seems like traveling north of Rome and then south is not a good idea for time budgeting, do you recommend that we go north to the Tuscany/Florence area for our first time to Italy, or should we head south to the Amalfi Coast?

Thank you again!

Jean

From the Rome airport to Orvieto is 2+ hours by train. From Rome, it's just over an hour.

But thanks, sarge56, for the correction... The drive from Tuscany to Sorrento is 6 hours or more.

ira

Hi MJ,

>do you recommend that we go north to the Tuscany/Florence area for our first time to Italy, <

Yes.

Why are you leaving out Venice?

Have you considered
Fly into Venice - 3 nights,
Train to Florence - 3 nights
Train to Rome - 4 nights
Fly home?

sarge56

I'm with Ira. That's a very good itinerary for a first visit.

If you want to get more "Tuscany" in the mix, you can take a one-hour bus ride from Florence to Siena for the day. Very doable.

Have a great trip!