10yearanniv

Hi - so excited - we just booked flights for may - a total of 11 days on the ground. We are starting in Venice - then moving on to Tuscany then Florence and flying home. Want to give Venice justice - but really aching to spend some time in Tuscany. Thinking:
- 3 days Venice
-3 days florence
-5 days Tuscany

Was originally planning to work with a specialized (and expensive) travel agent) but I am getting the courage to plan it on our own from so many hints from Fodorites..

Money not so much an issue - we are splurging on our anniversary - but want to it to feel special not canned...

So here are my questions:
- have I allocated days ok?
- with 5 days in Tuscany - where is my home base to then take day trips?

Any advise much appreciated from a married couple with crazy lives salivating at the chance to get away together and enjoy...

10yearanniv

whoops - my title is WRONG - we are going to Venice/Florence/Tuscany NOT Rome..sorry

barbmike

Hi Newbie,

Your headline says Rome, but your schedule says Tuscany. Please explain. Your booked flights are into/out of what locations?

10yearanniv

Could you tell? - yes a newbie! Flying into Venice - Flying out of Florence.......now help...

adventureseeker

Congratulations!

We just did our 10 yr anniversary trip to Italy in October (first time trip abroad) planning on our own...WITHOUT a travel agent (and loved every minute of it).

It's smart that you:

1) did an open jaw flight flying into one location and out of another.

2) are staying in a central region and concentrating on 3 cities.

Depending upon your "interests". I would consider adjusting your itinerary: 4 days in Venice, 3 in Florence and 4 in Tuscany because of travel time.

Where are you flying in from?

Consider......

-that you will have jet lag and that may strain a day in Venice so it's good to add another day. We flew in from California and were amped up when we arrived in Venice. We had 4 full days in Venice and felt it was perfect...although we could've easily stayed for 1-2 more!

-train travel from Venice to Florence is just under 3 hours.

-only picking up/dropping off your car in Florence to drive to Tuscany. It is a horrific to drive around and keep a car while the city.

-The Val d'Orcia region in Tuscany (Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza) is the region I (and many on this site) will recommend for a base. We stayed about an hour outside of this area and made (3) day trips into this region during our stay...because we loved it so much. This countryside is the one which is featured in the majority of "Tuscany" photobooks/postcards.

-You will get an incredible wealth of info from the experienced travelers on this site to plan your trip (which can be the best part of the trip).

-Since your trip is very soon, I'd nail down how much time in each place and then concentrate on booking your lodging. Know what you want/don't want in lodging (price, style...b & b, inn or hotel)...and they ask SPECIFIC questions on this site. I'd highly recommend (as well as many others) Locanda Orseolo in Venice, but it's a bit of splurge at E250 or more a night and was a highlight of our entire trip.

Sites that were valuable during our planning were: www.venere.com and
Tripadvisor.com

A Tuscany inn in Montepulciano that I had bookmarked due to it's romantic qualities:

http://www.villacicolina.it/

http://www.lasaracina.it/home.en.php

We were in Tuscany for a week and so we rented a cottage.

Have fun planning....

Good luck!

Jean

Ditto Adventureseeker's good advice, especially the part about booking your hotels ASAP.

In addition to Tripadvisor and Venere, check karenbrown.com which is especially good for the smaller towns in Tuscany. Once you have a short list, come back and ask for feedback.

annw

Good advice. I also think at least 4 days in Venice especially since your first day or two will be there. Also I would not want the car in Florence.

If I were doing it as a first trip I would thus do 4 days Venice, 4 days Tuscany, then 3 days Florence.

You can plug in "hotel" or "lodging" plus city or region to get recommendations, and then perhaps check Tripadvisor.com, in addition to the recommendations on this thread.

gard

Hi

I think it sounds like a good plan. My wife and I went to Florence and Tuscany last year (see my trip report http://gardkarlsen.com/florence_italy_travelogue.htm ) and we spent 4 days in Florence and 6 days in Tuscany. We had our base in Castellina in Chianti just nort of Siena

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

10yearanniv

Thanks so much everyone for all the advice. Now that I have the flights locked down - will focus on lodging. Good point on Venice - maybe to short because we are not arriving til 2pm so that day is almost shot.


Can anyone recco the best Italy guide books that I can pick up fast to start learnng about regions of Tuscany?

lily

hlocke1

Hi Lily --

It sounds like you are planning a wonderful trip. I agree about adding time to Venice. It is especially relaxing and romantic. If it seems crowded with day trippers during the day, remember that you can take your own little excursions (Burano, Padova, etc).

As far as guidebooks for Tuscany go, DK makes wonderful books. I also just picked up a new one that seems really helpful thus far: Frommer's Day by Day Florence & Tuscany. You might give both a test drive at your local book store.

Good luck!

MaureenB

Are you interested in the Ligurian Coast and/or the Cinque Terre? Beautiful coastline and towns.
>-

annhig

Hi, 10year,

i agree thoroughly with annw [well, i would, wouldn't I being another ann].

not only are you arriving in Vencie half way through the day, but you may have jetlag to contend with too.

the Venice 4- tuscany 4-florence 3 plan is a good one - you DON'T want a car there. the traffic is some of the worst I've ever seen, anywhere. and cabs are cheap.

instead of heading straight for Tuscany, what about one night on lake garda to break up the journey and give you a taste of the lakes for another time?

regards, ann

discovery

Hi 10yearanniv, i'm sure you'll have a great travel, there is a comunity of lodging's owner such as B&B, Farm House, Hotels and youth hostel under the website www.allhome.eu . I'm italian and often in travel across Italy, normaly i use to send some request for each city, and because the contact is direct with the owner i can obtain better price.

Have a nice time in Italy

SusanP

I wouldn't add another destination. You have a good idea with three for the number of days you have. I'd agree with 4 Venice, 4 Tuscany and 3 Florence.

The_Judge

Whatever decision you make as to time spent at each location will eventually come down to your own reckoning, after asking for & receiving everyone else's opinions;your trip time allocation is like a psych exam-there are no wrong answers. Having done this(21 days in Italy in October 2006, all planned by us in anticipation of our 25th w/o a travel agent), I can give you 2 irrefutable pieces of advice:
1)you can rely on the wonderful people who read this blog & respond-they(& the people at Tripadvisor whom I suspect are the same)are honest in their opinions;

2)decide what you want to do & not do, see & not see but whatever you decide, make it YOUR OWN DECISION & be guided accordingly w/the help of those of us who have been there & done that.

We are not "foodies" or wine-drinkers so we spent no time in the hills of Tuscany other than passing thru by train-but my intense love of art, architecture & history took us to Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Assisi, Florence, Padua & Venice-I saw almost every Caravaggio & the Scrovegni Chapel by Giotto in Padua was a lifetime memory-but it may not be what you want. Yes we ate very well(I am an expert on gelato) but I did not go for the food, wine or scenery.
Decide what you want to get from the trip & then ask more questions-you will get dependable answers. If I can help, ask away-otherwise my sincere wishes for a great trip. Good Luck

10yearanniv

Thanks Judge - great advice! Will make sure to have balance all the ideas - any they are plenty...

adventureseeker

Judge....well put! It's truly knowing yourself and what you want/don't want and get advice from the experienced travelers to steer you in the right direction.