nikidav

I had a previous post on needing a ROMANTIC/10 year anniversary getaway trip and good lots of great advice. This is our first time in Italy (1st time in Europe). It has been a struggle deciding where to go because I would love to go everywhere and everyone has terrific opinions! I believe we have decided on this trip for this time over, but I am scared it may be too much and if so, what would you leave out or substitute? Fly into Venice for 3 days (take a day trip to verona), train to Florence ?(2 days- not sold on Florence), train to Rome (2 days) then to Postitano (4 days) fly out of Naples. I will say that I am definitely wanting to go to Venice and I am wanting a coastal/beach area as well. (Heard Postitano was a bit more scenic than Italian Riviera areas). We will take the train everywhere We are going end of Sept or beginning of Oct. We are in our mid 30s. We enjoy great food, sitting outside and strolling. Lots of charm and quiantness and views. Thanks for your advice.

JerryS

I would skip the day trip to Verona and Florence.
If it were me, i would rent a car after leaving Venice and travel through Tuscany and Umbria to Rome. I'd probably leave Positano for another trip.
Whatever you choose, have a great trip.

annhig

Hi nikidav,

well, you don't need to decide on your day trip to Verona until you get there - if you want to do it, just turn up at the station and buy a ticket. but with only 3 days in Venice, you may decide against it when you are there.

After that to fit in with your wishes, train to Rome - very fast - stay 4 days, and then end in Positano.

why not? no-one said that on a first trip to Italy you HAVE to go to florence or tuscany. and you won't get bored in 4 days in Rome. in fact, you'll probably decide that you want to go back!

Golfergal

I LOOOVE Positano! For my 40th, DH told me we could go anywhere in the world, I chose to go back to Positano. For my 45th next year .... you guessed it back to Positano. Hard to beat for special romantic moments. If you want the beach for swimming/sunning then watch the timing of your trip; you might be hitting a little iffy whether in early Oct. I also love Florence and personally would take it over Rome, but since you aren't sold on it and haven't been to Rome, I'd move the days to Rome since 2 days is not enough to enjoy Rome in a relaxed, romantic way.

I also agree with JerryS in that Venice and then renting a car through Tuscany and Umbria to Rome would offer you lots of charm, quaintness and views. You could even make Verona one of those stops. The lake region might offer a more convenient stop with a water view, but not coastal/beach. Personally I think the Sorrentino/Amalfi coast area is more scenic than the Italian Riviera and even Lake Como is more scenic than the Riviera. But it is important to keep in mind that ALL are beautiful.

Finally, if you are looking for lots of charm and quaintness, I'm not sure the "Big" 3 offer as much of that. I think they are key for a first time visitor in general, but not always the right choice. So getting a quick stop in each or just 2 and then several days in lovely Positano doesn't sound too bad either. Your trip sounds wonderful and if you can't or don't change it, I'm sure it will still be wonderful and you'll find ways to make it romantic.

Enjoy!

Mimar

When you said romantic, I thought of a slower-paced, enjoy-the-moment trip, not one where you're rushing to pack up and catch a train to your next destination. And then figuring out how to get there.

It's your first trip to Europe, your first trip to Italy. You want to see everything. And everybody you know wants you to go to their favorite place. But allow yourself extra time to get acclimated to traveling abroad. And travel in Italy is not always straightforward. There are strikes, breakdowns, etc. It's good to have a little ease in your Italian itinerary.

Also allow some time to get over jetlag. 3 days in Venice, is that 3 days, 4 nights? The minimum I would think.

In fact, think of your trip in nights, not days. And every time you move you must pack up, check out, get to the train station, travel to your next spot, get from the train station to your hotel, and check in. 2 nights in Rome is, at most, 1.5 days. And there's so much in Rome....

All of which is to say, I think you should skip Florence this trip and add those days to Rome. As Rick Steves says, assume you will return.

jamikins

I think thats too many locations for a romantic trip to Italy. The romance is in lingering over wine or coffee in a lovely piazza, eating great food, and enjoying the views. I loved Positano and it is definitely romantic, so is Venice (avoid the main tourist track between Rialto and St Marks and it is heavenly).

I also agree - think of it as nights 2 nights = 1 day, 3 nights = 2 days, the travel days are really 1/2 days at most. With 11 nights you will have 11 days I am guessing you have 10 days, and if you move 3 times you will lose another 1.5 days. So that leaves you with 9.5 days - therefore I would pick 3 locations at the most. If you want to do Venice, Rome and Positano then focus on those three places and enjoy them!

Enjoy!

easytraveler

You don't have to day trip to Verona from Venice, it's on the way to Florence. Venice to Verona - 1 hour, non-stop train; Verona to Florence - 2 1/2 hours, with a change of trains in either Padua or Bologna. Get on a website like bahn.com which will not only give you how long it takes to get from point to point but also the major stops in-between. Obviously, the fastest train between Verona and Florence has only one or two stops, like at Bologna. The slower local trains take a different route and stop at every little town imaginable and some not imaginable and take twice as long.

If you left Venice early in the morning, train to Verona, leave your luggage in the left luggage office (don't believe they have self-serve lockers), enjoy Verona for the day, then train in the early evening to Florence - that'll be a nice sidetrip to Verona. (Make sure you get up to Juliet's balcony and holler out to the crowd below - "Romeo! Romeo! Where art thou?" )

In a way, it'a matter of how one travels. I travel very light, don't unpack everything and can be packed and ready to go in 15-20 minutes, so this thing about "having to pack" is a non-issue for me. What's your travel style?

Mimar's advice about factoring in strikes and breakdowns is good advice for Italy.

If you really want to stop in Verona, I can give you a few tips to make this "sidetrip" easier to do.

You trip looks eminently doable to me. Have a fine time!

nikidav

I think I am flawed as being more of an underpacker than overpacker (even whenI go with my 4 little boys). I think this is because my mom has ruined me by being an OVERpacker (everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink-lol!). We can move it pretty quickly but not sure if I completely want to. Should we try and rent a car and drive from Venice to Rome and stop in Umbria or other places and walk around? That sounded really nice but I also read on other sights that the drive is a pain in the butt. Not sure why? OR Should we just say forget it and train it? Can we get on and off the train and take in a little 1/2 day trip going to Venice to Rome? I feel I am stuck again too because people are saying not to leave out Florence but how can I see Florence with the amount of time? I have to make it to Postitano the last 4 days for sure. Maybe I should skip Rome entirely?

jamikins

Some of these things are something you need to decide yourself. You have a finite time, so how you spend it should be based on your interests. Do you want to drive or not? Do you want to include Florence or Rome or Venice? Italy isnt going anywhere so you can always do a another trip - focus on what you can do and what you want to do and make some decisions. Everyone wants to do everything, but we all know we cant. It is completely acceptable to skip Rome, Florence and Venice - this is YOUR trip.

nikidav

My husband just said he would like to go to vineyard and wine taste. If we stay in Venice for 1/2 the time (5 days) and then Postitano the other 1/2 is there anywhere we can take a day trip or night trip to do that from around those places? I am starting to believe that Rome and Florence may be another trip when we can really spend some time exploring and focusing on the history, sights and monuments. We need time to relax and enjoy and soak in the romance because with 4 boys in 10 years we sure do NOT get to at all! Thanks for your wonderful advice once again. I am in love with everything I have seen Italy already before I have even gotten there. My grandmother from Calabria with all her sisters and brothers are smiling down from heaven right now.

jamikins

Wine tasting in Italy isnt like in the US or Canada. They arent set up with tasting rooms etc. Alot of wine shops do tastings , I am sure you could find places in Venice and Positano to taste wine. For vineyards you really need to make appts etc. You can do it, but its more set-up for mass purchases we found.

JBX

Italy in 10 Days - Romantic?
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...hat-cities.cfm

Nikidav,
Lots of excellent feedback on your original thread. Looks like you've added another day? (Now an 11 day trip?). As another poster suggested, no rule that one must include the 'big 3' (Rome-Florence-Venice) in your 1st trip to Italia. A few days in Venice, followed by road trip in Tuscany, and finishing up in Positano sounds delightful.

nikidav

well yes, 11 days b/c I figured we would lose atleast one day with the flight. Not sure I can push the babysitter (my 71 year old mother that will watch my 4 boys ages 8 and under) much longer. : )

ooodsie

Niki -
Can you email me directly? We are planning almost the same identical trip as you and having the same issues deciding where to go and for how long. My email is kimberly.rock at comcast.net - would love to talk with you!!

LoveItaly

Ooodsie, I see you are a new poster here on Fodor's.

Fodor's is set up for Fodorites to share their travel information and questions on Fodor's versus private messages.

If I were Niki I would not be interested in emailing a new poster as one does not know who they are really contacting. Just my opinion but the opinion of many other Fodorites also. Why don't you just post whatever questions you have here on Fodor's be it this thread or a new thread of your own. Best regards.

ooodsie

Oh.. I didnt have actual questions for her specifically. I just thought it was ironic that we have the same exact itinerary and thought it might be good to talk privately to compare notes. I did post my itinerary in a separate post, so if she wants to view that, she certainly can.

MFNYC

If you aren't sold on Florence, then skip it, unless you are an art history/architecture buff. Venice is one of the most romantic places on earth, and Positano is beautiful. My first trip to Europe with my husband was Venice and Positano (we had both been to Rome before). We started in Venice, drove to Positano and spent 1 night on the road. We spent our last night in Rome because we were flying out of there. This trip was 7 or 8 nights total. With 11 days, You can do similar and still have 3 nights for Rome.

Driving in Italy in general isn't too bad, but the bigger cities are horrible. Rome is probably the worst place I have ever driven in. Going from Venice to Positano is certainly doable by car, and gives you the flexibility to make some stops along the way. 1 night in a hillside town in Tuscany or Umbria would be nice as well.