First trip to Italy

Old Jun 2nd, 2013, 07:31 AM
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First trip to Italy

Hi, We're a fit couple in our 50's travelling to Italy from Canada in August. We will be in Stratford upon Avon for a wedding until August 19th, then have been offered a house in Valdagno Italy. Our return to Canada is booked out of Heathrow on August 30th.

So many things to see and do and so little time! I'm so overwhelmed at planning an itinerary I'm completely frozen. Any suggestions? We're thinking Tuscany, Rome, Venice... Don't know whether we should use the house as a base and keep going back or just find hotels or B&B's in the different regions. Should we take trains or rent a car? Help! We love good food and wine, walking, hiking, photography, etc. etc. Typical tourists.
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Old Jun 2nd, 2013, 07:40 AM
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I'd focus on day trips to Verona, Padua, Mantua, Bologna, Ferrera, Fienza, Ravenna, Parma, Vicenza and Venice.

SO avoid Tuscany and Rome use the base and do day trips. This is the height of the holiday season.

You might do better with the train but to work that out you need to dig into trenitalia a bit and find how easy it is to get the train to these sort of places compared to a car (use google maps). It may be better to visit Venice and Trento by train and some of the others by car, note that Italian cities tend to be anti car (walled cities, narrow streets and anti-car zones with fines) so it is well worth digging into the train system and how it fits with you exact house.
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Old Jun 2nd, 2013, 07:59 AM
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I see that Valdagno is in northern Italy. If you want to use it as a base, I would strongly recommend focusing your holiday on the area within 2-3 hours of the house. That would make a relaxing holiday for you, but it might not get you to the sights you are really wanting to see. If the must-do items on your list are close to Valdagno, you may want to do an overnight or two so you can get farther away from your house. Keep in mind that this is a rural area, it will take longer to get places than it does in Canada. You would probably want a car if you were planning a lot of sightseeing.

If you have a bucket list of Italy to visit outside of the Valdagno area, I would recommend planning my sightseeing along train routes, avoiding a car rental if at all possible. Trains are faster than cars. Personally, I would check out flights on Air Berlin or Lufthansa to a northern Italian city and returning from a southern Italian city so you don't have to backtrack. Flights within Europe are pretty cheap and you can do one-ways for about half the price of a return ticket.
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Old Jun 2nd, 2013, 11:54 AM
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loads of cheapo airlines in Europe and even full service with massive subsidies like Al Italia don't just limit your self to Air Berlin or Luthansa
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Old Jun 2nd, 2013, 12:38 PM
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It really depends on what you want to see most in Italy. It sounds like you could stay at the house for a few days and maybe do a couple of day trips, perhaps Padua, Venice or Verona. (Of course, if your plan is just to relax, the house sounds ideal.)

But I would consider spending 2 nights in Florence and then training to Rome and spending 4 nights there. Fly home from Rome.

Alternatively, you say you like hiking. Take 2 nights in the Cinque Terre instead of Florence. Then head to Rome if you'd like to see all its' wonders (Vatican/Colosseum and Forum/Ostia Antica, etc.

It can be daunting, but start by really pegging down what it is you most want to see or do. Are you going to relax? Or are you going to experience Italy?

Good luck!
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