After having great success planning a family trip to Costa Rica via this site (we read a trip report that was so beautifully detailed and described we just had to copy it, and it was incredible), I'm emboldened to try again - My wife and I are restating our vows and planning to honeymoon with 11 days in Italy, June 11-22/08, flying in and out of Florence - We are early 50's, love good food and wine, wouldn't mind working in a cooking class or 2 if possible - Leaning towards a few days in Florence and then most of the time in a smaller town or 2 somewhere else in Tuscany - We're ok with missing Rome and all the famous museums and sites - Is there time to see Venice and is that recommended? We actually have a possible air itinerary which arrives Florence and departs Venice if that is helpful - I think I prefer buses and trains to the hassle and stress of renting a car, or is that a mistake? Which coast area is best/most convenient to visit? So many questions, so little time - I need direction and to study an Italian map - Thanks in advance for any guidance - Byron in Atlanta

By all means, include Venice! Fly into VCE if you can. If not, then yes fly out of there.

The Lakes Region would be perfect and you wouldn't need a car - search on "Bellagio". But that would be best if you can fly into Milan. If so, you could do the Lakes, Florence, Venice.

Coastal area: look up Cinque Terre. An easy train from Florence. Unfortunately, it's on the opposite coast from Venice.

I would fly into Pisa---more flights than Florence and a direct flight from JFK on Delta 4 days per week---and fly home from Venice. Delta has a noon flight. Set your air first, and with 11 days I would choose 3 destinations. The CT, then rural Tuscany, and then end in Venice is a great trip.

Trains go to Pisa, Lucca, Florence and Siena all of which are larger cities worth a visit (Pisa lowest of all in my mind). Most of the towns to the South of Siena are "small cities on a hill" many wonderful of which St Quirico is the most embraceable and all have fine wines and reasonable cooking

Re: cooking class - my husband and I recently thoroughly enjoyed a class at Querceto Estate agriturismo, near Castellina in Chianti. The owner and chef, Laura, was a delight. It was a highlight of our trip.

You really should have a car in Tuscany.

The Italian Riviera, including Cinque Terre is amazing. There's a small town called Camogli that is so charming and peaceful. The Riveria is easily accessible by train.

BTW, you probably already know this, but if you plan to visit the Uffizi or Academie in Florence, definitely make reservations. We visited in early October, and the lines for people without reservations looked impossible.

We used The Accidental Tourist when in Florence and it was great -just one day they drove us to a winery, toured, tasted wine and olive oil-ended with a cooking class... would do it again in a minute.

Thank you all for the great ideas - We're leaning towards the cooking class day trip from Florence with The Accidental Tourist, and the cooking class at Querceto Estate - After reviewing the Cinque Terre, we absolutely gotta go there too - Just trying to decide if it's too much to get up to Lake Como,how to fit in Venice, and the best way to get around - We usually lean towards fewer spots and really seeing those spots, but there is so much to see - Much like Costa Rica, it makes you want to plan the next trip before you even go once - In the end, our desire to relax, enjoy the food, wine, cooking, towns and people keep driving me back to Tuscany, CT, and maybe Venice if the travel is not too onerous