18 day trip to Italy and Greece - Need help planning!!!
 

HI all,
We are going to a friends wedding in Florence on July 7th, 2012 and will be flying out of Canada probably on the Tuesday or Wednesday before (July 3 or 4th). After the wedding we want to tour some parts of italy and then finish our trip in Greece (relaxing in santorini, or mykonos or both), flying home July 21st.
What are the MUST see places? We are newly married and 30 years of age so are looking for a both fun and romantic holiday or sightseeing and relaxing. We love wine tours so definitely want to do those and we also want to tour around rome.
Any help is really appreicated!!!
Thanks!

Half the places half the people consider "must-see" are really disliked by the other half, and vice -versa. For every rave trip report about le Cinque Terre or Florence, you'll read one from somebody who couldn't wait to leave or was left mystified by what the wow-factor is for somebody else. People who visit Tuscany or Lago di Como every year for a decade can't stand Rome. Other think the Amalfi coast has been ruined and turned into a silly resort, hardly worth the money to get there. Still others want to move there.

A guidebook will tell you every single five-star attraction in Italy, and show you pictures. But you can be sure those are places with the biggest tourist crowds and the highest prices, and what is left over in Italy, where few people go, is incredibly beautiful. What people here think is romantic -- and there is no agreement about it -- might be a snooze to you.

Fortunately your trip is so far off you have plenty of time to read several different guidebooks. I hope you will want to see the Acropolis and the Acropolis museum during your travels.

hmm ok that is interesting. And very true from the threads I have read so far. I guess i am just figuring out where we should go. On my list right now is obviously florence as we are there for the wedding, Rome, Sorrento or positano (amalfi coast) and then ending in santorini. Just wondering if we have time to go fly into somewhere, say on the monday, before going to florence for the Thursday or friday?

Now that i think of it it might be too rushed to go to the amalfi coast. Maybe fly into Venice, then to florence, to rome, to athens, to the islands, back to athens?

Call me crazy, but I would see Greece before Florence--taking the longest flight while you are still fresh.

Athens
Santorini
Rome
Florence
Venice--fly home

No calling crazy! I would love to do that but we have to start our trip in florence as that is where the wedding is and the earliest we can leave to start our trip is 4 days before the wedding (because of prior commitments in canada).

Santorini is a tiny island with dramatic setting, ideal for relaxing with a glass of wine on hand admiring the views for hours. It is a personal call how long you can spend doing nearly nothing. There are some pleasant caldera boat trips, some of them stopping by the "hot springs" (an under water gaz source making sea warm at this spot) and visiting "volcano" (which is rather underwater and lava coming from there creates black island- you can sometimes see smoke coming out). Plus sometimes a lunch stop in Thirasia island. Then you have many wineries to visit, and Ancient Thira which features lovely views but not much to see really. In Fira there are 2-3 small interesting museums, and then you have the "beach" resorts on the flat side of the island. Beaches are gritty/black volcanic that get really hot and I reccomend sea shoes to make your selves comfortable. The postcard blue-white sugar cube houses and tiny churches'a rchetecture is present all around. Santorini is very busy, so some people believe it's sort of a theme park rather than real living island nowdays.
Mykonos has more or less the same architecture, and features some incredible sandy beaches. I am not as familiar with Mykonos, but if I had to choose one upon the other, it would be Santorini, because it is quite unique. If there is time for a second island,I would go for Paros or Naxos instead of Santorini. They are large so they absorb tourism more nicely, they feature the same Cycladic architecture, they are cheaper, they feature great sandy beaches,and there is plenty to see and do. They have a feel of more "real" place too, especially Naxos with its inland traditional villages, its Vyzantine churches and its interesting archeological sites in rural settings. On July on Naxos Town there are some great concerts up in Venetian Castel too. On my opinion, 3 nights are the absolute minimum on each destination.

"If there is time for a second island,I would go for Paros or Naxos instead of MYKONOS" .

If you want a two island experience in Greece, I agree with mariha that Santorini and either Naxos or Paros would be a good combination. All the islands get busy by mid-July, Mykonos more than most. If relaxation rather than sightseeing is a priority, consider Paros' little neighbour Antiparos. It's only 30 minutes from Parikia, the Paros ferry port, and a real delight. :-)

Florence will be wonderful and romantic regardless of what you specifically do, so don't fret too much. My recommendations (but these are my opinion and based on what I enjoy)... Spend your first day just getting lost, getting a feel for the city, and taking it all in. It's stunning, so don't miss 'the experience' while running hither and yon. Climb either the duomo or Giotto's tower next to it to take in the view of the city and surrounding countryside. See one other cathedral in detail while you're there--there's so much history within them. The Uffizi was a must see for me, but if you don't dig art then it's won't be your thing. Take in the Piazza dei Signori. Cruise Ponte Vecchio and then see the artisans at work on the other side of the river.

Since you only have a few days, why deal with moving about from region to region? Sounds like you have about 5 days in Italy? See Florence, and then move on to Tuscany. Very romantic.

I just returned from my first trip to Italy, and I know just how hard it is to limit yourself in destinations. But the best way to enjoy Italy is at a slow pace, and develop your "next time" list as you go. =)

Florence is in Tuscany -- and it usually takes long to get to the Tuscany countryside from Florence than it does to get to Rome.

It's really very simple to fly from Rome to Athens, so if you want to do something ahead of the wedding in Florence, flying into Venice and leaving from Rome is the right way to do it.

Just be aware that in July, you are going to face a lot of heat and crowds in the tourist mega-draws of Venice, Florence and Rome. If you are not committed to the MUST SEES, especially in Venice and Rome, consider trying to get away from the crowds. For Rome, there are a number of books with titles like "Quiet Corners of Rome" or "Secret Rome" or "Insider's Rome" that might offer you some off-beat things to do that are nonetheless rich with ancient and contemporary Italian culture. If you like dancing, check out Time Out for some recommendations about where to go dancing by the sea near Rome at night. For Venice, see if you can track down similar type guides, or make it a point to slip away at some point to the island of Torcello.

Yes, Florence is in Tuscany but is a different experience. I didn't have a lot of trouble getting from Florence to the countryside, but I suppose everyone's experience is different!

My experience was that after I read through a few guide books and other resources, I knew where I wanted to go, what my own must-see destinations were and what I could do without or could see next time (for me, Venice wasn't at the top of the list and I skipped it even though I spent time in Vicenza only an hour or so away...personal preference). Enjoy the planning--so much fun!

joon7th,

Since you implied that there was something to "deal with" moving from region to region from Florence, I just wanted to reassure Griffy that going from Florence to Rome, or to Venice, is one of the easier transport options in Italy. You may think it is more enjoyable to go to the countryside, but that is different from telling somebody it will be hard to go to Florence, Rome and Venice in the same trip. It is not.

There are many places in Italy that are a different experience from Florence that are easy to get to from Florence that aren't in Tuscany. It helps travelers planning a trip to know that Tuscany is not a separate place from Florence. They actually might want to have a really very different experience of Italy by going to contrasting regions. There is a big difference between cities and countryside wherever you go in Italy, but most of Tuscany, including Florence, shares a distinct regional character.

I, too, recommend that Griffy consider what she most wants to do on her trip and not be unduly influenced by guidebooks or other people's ideas.