Italy Itinerary Help

Old Feb 2nd, 2012, 10:46 AM
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Italy Itinerary Help

We have our flights booked for an April trip to Paris then Italy and we are trying to decide how best to plan the middle part of our trip. Any suggestions?

We arrive in Paris on the 6th, spend 3 nights
Fly to Venice, then stay 3 nights
...here is where we are unsure...
We were thinking of traveling to Florence for 2 nights
Then staying in the Cinque Terre for 1 night
Lucca 1 night
Siena 1 night
Sorrento 2 nights (going to Pompeii on the way back to Rome)
Rome 3 nights (and flying back on the 22nd from Rome)

I'm going with my 17 year old niece and we like scenic areas, the main museum sights, Pompeii is a must, would like to catch a concert (i.e. something free at a beautiful older church), would be nice to catch some decent weather too (so maybe drop a night in Florence and stay an extra night in Sorrento as one alternative).

Any suggestions would be appreciated. Note that we are not renting a car.
toontown is offline  
Old Feb 2nd, 2012, 11:02 AM
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16 days and 8 destinations is just not going to work. You haven't taken into account the time it takes to pack up, get on whatever mode of transportation you're using, get to the next destination, find your way around, unpack... as it is you have less than 2 days in most destinations and less than 1 in others.

I would cut this inn half. I'd start by eliminating Cinque Terre and Sorrento, then plan daytrips from Florence instead of changing hotels every night.

I'd aim for no more than 4 destinations total.
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Old Feb 2nd, 2012, 11:04 AM
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Way to much jumping around. You could stay in one place in Tuscany and see the others from there - not wasting all that time locating and checking in and out of hotels and doing all that packing/unpacking.

Also, IMHO - unless you have been to these plces before you are realy skimping on the time in ech - and will miss seeing many major sights. I would do at least 5 nights (4 days) in Paris and 4 nights (3 days) in Rome if you really want to see anything.

Also - ifyoumust go to Sorrento - do it dirctly from Tuscany and then end of the trip in Rome to be closer to the airport and avoid yet another check in/out.
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Old Feb 2nd, 2012, 11:10 AM
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I agree with the two posts above. They both offer essentialna d excellent advice. Hope you listen.
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Old Feb 2nd, 2012, 12:11 PM
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If this were my trip I would also cut down on the number of places in Italy, especially the I night stays and focus more on 3 or 4 at the most. I have been to all the places that you want to cover, but on 5 separate trips. However, it is your trip and only you know what you can tolerate.
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Old Feb 2nd, 2012, 12:35 PM
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April is seldom a favorable time to visit le Cinque Terre. If you want to go south, you have better chances of nicer weather there.

April 25 is an Italian national holiday, so if you are traveling by train, get tickets well before then.
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Old Feb 9th, 2012, 06:22 PM
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It does make sense to cut out the Cinque Terre on this trip. I'm thinking we will add a day in Florence and add a day in Sorrento, cutting out the stays in Siena and Lucca.

A couple more questions:
We still have another night, where would it make most sense to add it on?

Also, would Siena (or Lucca) be better for a home base to travel from?

Thanks for the advice!
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Old Feb 9th, 2012, 07:37 PM
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Absolutely agree that you should increase the number of nights in each place by reducing the number of stops.

Bit confused about your question about Siena and Lucca if you're cutting them out.

You could consider Venice (3) Florence or Lucca (4) Sorrento (3) Rome (3). From both Florence and Lucca you could do day trips to regional towns, although both cities offer plenty to see on their own. Remember that 2 nights is only one full day. If you had an extra night, you could consider 3 nights Lucca and 2 nights Siena.

For music, I went to a Puccini concert at one of the churches in Lucca. See this website: http://www.puccinielasualucca.com/
I was surprised by how familiar the music was. It does not run late so you could catch the train back to Florence after if that's where you're staying.
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Old Feb 9th, 2012, 07:42 PM
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What holds more appeal to you? Tuscan countryside or the Mediterranean coast?

If Tuscany:

3 nights Venice
3 nights Florence (day trip to Pisa/Lucca)
3 nights Siena (day trip to San Gimignano or Castellina in Chianti)
4 nights Rome

If the Med Coast:

3 nights Venice
3 nights Florence (day trip to Pisa/Lucca)
3 nights Sorrento (one day Capri, one day on the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii on the way to Rome)
4 nights Rome
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Old Feb 9th, 2012, 08:15 PM
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You could do both Lucca and Siena as daytrips from Florence (the former by train, the latter by bus). That would eliminate some transfers. Also, in a pinch, you can do Pompeii as a daytrip from Rome.

The fewer places you stay the more relaxed your trip.
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Old Feb 9th, 2012, 09:00 PM
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But I wouldn't plan on going to both Lucca and Siena from Florence if you only have two days (or less!) in Florence.
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Old Feb 13th, 2012, 10:23 AM
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Great advice. Yes, my question was a little confusing. I was wondering if we should stay in Lucca or Siena instead of Florence. I'm thinking now that we will stay in Florence and do a daytrip to Pisa and Lucca in the same day and possibly check out that concert in Lucca (thanks for the link).

We still want to do Sorrento so a day in Capri, a day in Positano and Pompeii on the way back to Rome sounds perfect.

Thanks again. I appreciate the helpful advice on this forum!
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