brennan5

Hi there.

We're a Canadian couple ages 34 & 37. We're leaning toward booking a two week trip to Italy for the start of September. We have looked at multiple options, flying into Venice, out of Rome, vice versa and other options.

We want to enjoy food/drinks, history, culture, scenery, etc. We're active and will enjoy walking, touring areas.

So we have two weeks, We want to see as much of Italy as we can in that time period without being rushed (we are good at cramming a lot in though).

We would love to have people here give us suggestions on what to see and do. Whether or not we could see the entire country. The southern end? Or would we have to cut that out? Sardinia?

Please help. Thanks in advance.

Traveler_Nick

You're thinking about this Labour day? In other words two weeks from now?

It's still high season. You'll find not just crowds but limited choices for hotels.

No you won't see the entire country in two months. Two weeks aren't even enough to see the more touristy bits.

Rome,Florence and Venice could basically fill fourteen days. Especially once you back out arrival/departure and travel between the cities.

Does it have to be next month? Why not give yourself some time to plan? Come in January. You'll save money. Smaller crowds. It'll still be warmer then Canada. You won't be taking the leftover hotel rooms.

brennan5

Yeah, September as in 2 weeks from now. It's when both of our vacation is booked. We could potentially push it back a bit, but she wants to go asap. And I figured in Sept the kids would all be back in school and the bulk of the tourists would be gone.

MmePerdu

September is a busy season for the reasons you mention.

brennan5

So, most of Europe still be busy with tourists in Sept? What if for Italy we pushed back a month into October?

MmePerdu

I'm usually in Europe in the spring but once Greek Islanding ( & Istanbul) in October I thought it was the perfect time.

Traveler_Nick

You'll have more time to plan if you come October but it'll still be high season.

In Italy high season ends start of November. Starts again mid December. Ends Jan 7th until you get around Easter.

massimop

People with the money to travel now are largely retirees, and they want to visit Italy when it is not hot & they also think "kids in school" will mean less crowds but their age cohort makes up for the kids going back.

Italy looks small on a map but it is mountainous & thus difficult to cover a lot of geography in a short time. It is also extremely dense with interest, thus time consuming to tour -- there is something to see every 500 steps.

you could have a successful trip without crowds if you picked one Italian cityy that both of you agree is the most attractive to ou & then build a trip that takes ou to places nearby but less famous -- but since this is Italy they are fascinating & beautiful.

So if it is Venice then also go to Padova, Verona & Ferrara + the Dolomiti mountains or Lago di Garda

If it is Florence visit Arezzo, Pistoia + parts of rural Tuscany

If it is Rome add on Sperlonga, Orvieto, Castelli Romani

If it is naples add Salerno, Paestum, islands of Ischia or Procida

Think like that....

massimop

PS: I'm not suggesting you spend all your time in one city as a "base" & do day trips. Move around. But just pick one big cit as a focus, spend enough time to get over jet lag and get your bearings & then venture out to get scenery, small town experiences & Italy-without-the-mobs-of-fellow-tourists. Options increase if you are willing to rent a car in some places for a few days.

bilboburgler

I'm one of the "go to Italy in May or Sept" brigade as it is cooler and crowds lighter, but in the big draws (like Rome/Florence/Venice) there are still going to be lots of people. Having a two centre holiday is that you only have to fight the crowds for half of it. Even then it is possible in Rome to avoid the crowds as there is so much to see and crowds at some of the dullest (but most famous) sites. For example I still have no idea why anyone wants to look at the Spanish steps, but just up the hill above the steps are some very good sculptures in the park (and indeed a lovely park). You need to grab a few books and start ticking off "must haves".

Massi's advice about other towns near the big cities is a bright idea, I also like the idea of a car hire in the smaller places.

You could also look to going further south say to Puglia which has a shorter season, though Sicily will still be busy.

bilboburgler

Car hire; Italian cities often have a ZTL which means only locals can drive in that area, so you need to manage this. I'd use Auto Europe to book a car (they tend to sort out stuff for you better than a US brand in Europe).

Traveler_Nick

September is a lot more then retirees. Many Europeans travel September to avoid the August rush when their coworkers are gone. A flight with in the EU can cost less then dinner so flying to Rome or Venice isn't a hardship.

Those kids being in school means more school groups. Instead of parents dragging the kids around you've got teachers.

bvlenci

In Rome, there are more visitors in September than in any of the summer months. I haven't verified the statistics on Florence, but I've read that the same is true there. October is also a very busy month in Rome, but it's much less so towards the end of the month.

PalenQ

If taking trains as for mainly cities is highly recommended book your tickets ASAP for discounted fares - may already be gone but check www.trenitalia.com and www.italotreno.com/en - book yourself online and perhaps save a ton over walk-up fares- for lots on Italian trains check www.seat61.com (great tips booking discounted fares); www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Two weeks:

Venice- 3 nights

Florence - 3 nights

Rent car and drive the Tuscany to say Orvieto - lovely old hill town- 4 nights

Take train to Rome - 4 nights.

That's about it - could of course substitute Cinque Terre or Amalfi for Tuscany but both places will be mad with tourists still - as will those cities but...book your hotels and trains and go!

StCirq

It won't be significantly less crowded in October, but unless you have a base for comparison you won't really know. But there will be plenty of tourists and you won't even be close to the "off season." In 2 weeks you can see a very tiny part of the country, certainly not the whole thing or even "the southern end." And a trip to Sardinia would, for me, be an entirely different trip.

Do you want to focus on cities or countryside? That will make a huge difference in your choices. Either way, you will probably most enjoy hunkering down in a city for a few days and then venturing out into smaller towns and villages.

bvlenci

I also wouldn't consider a side trip to Sardegna with so little time. The quickest way to get there is to fly, but unless you find an airport near what you want to see, you'd probably waste more than two days getting there and back.

Changing the subject, there would be very few school groups in September and October. Near the end of the school year is prime time for school trips, and, to a lesser extent near the Christmas and Easter holidays.

School trips are becoming less common, with teachers worried about liability issues, and classes that are increasingly difficult to control. A teacher we know told us that once when she gave directions to her students, one of them shouted out, "Hey, teacher! Slavery is ended!"