My husband and I would love to take a vacation to Italy. He is deployed with the military so we have 14 days in June that we can meet up to explore Italy and spend time together. Since I only have basically 2 months to plan this trip, I do not know much about Italy, and we would love to do as much as possible while we are there, I am thinking about booking a 9 day tour, such as one that goes through Rome, Florence and Venice. Then we would have a couple days before and/or after the tour to just spend time together and explore on our own.

I have read good things about the tours, but I am wondering if it is an enjoyable experience for couples in their late 20s? Do you get as much out of them as you pay for? And what tours would you suggest?

If you don't think the tour is the best idea for our situation, any suggestions for how to plan a trip to Italy at the last minute?

I would not reco a tour for you. Many, if not most, of the people on the tour will be your parents age or more. Also, hotels tend to be far from the cener of town, meals tend to be americanized versions of local cuisine and there are a lot of very early (on the bus by 7:30 am starts).

If I were in your position, assuming you havn;t seen him for a while, I would want to be able to spend time alone, set my own schedule (not being required to get up at 6:30 am) and hae time for relaxation - and perhaps even a little night life - as well as the major sights.

Italy is incredibly easy to do on your own and you will get more for your money in small B&Bs or pensions in the center of town - that are too small for tour groups to use. (They use the modern chain places out by the highway.)

Don't know what your travel options are - but in 14 days I would fly into Venice and spend 4 nights there, then train to Florence for 3 nights (but do a day trip into Tuscan hill towns by train or bus), then train to Rome for 4 nights and finally on to Sorrento for the rest of the time (to explore the Isla of Capri, Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast and just relax by the sea), then fly back from Naples. If you want more relaxed, remove Florence and add a day to Rome and 2 to the Amalfi Coast.

There's nothing as romantic as walking back to your hotel through ancient piazzas filled with floodlit fountains after a lovely dinner at a cute little restaurant recommended by your host at the pension. Not something you would ever find on a tour.

I think that 2 months is plenty of time to plan! I am also in my late 20s...I am leaving for my trip to Venice, Florence and Rome a week from today. I have been to Rome once before, 8 years ago for a week. Since then there is so much information on the Internet to help with researching travel options that it has completely changed the way I plan. I have been using various booking sites like Expedia, Venere and Kayak as a starting point to check hotel prices. I've been using TripAdvisor for traveller reviews on the lodging I've found in my price range. I also went out and purchased travel guides for each city to narrow down which sites I want to see, as I won't be taking guided tours. The people on this forum have been a great help also! My only regret is not booking my trip for longer. I'll be in Venice for 1 night, Florence for 3 nights, and Rome for 4 nights. If I had it all to do again I would have added 3 days (or more!) but I thought my budget wouldn't stretch that far... I will report back on my return about my trip and hopefully some of the info can be of use to you!

Since your H is deployed he's already spending a lot of time with people he didn't chose. Is spending time with strangers on a tour something that would appeal to him? I think he probably wants to be alone with you.

My H has been deployed twice. Something you may want to discuss with your H is how he feels about being in crowds of people, and his comfort level may depend on his duties & where he is deployed.

It can be difficult for a soldier who is used to being armed 24/7 to relax at first. You may want the first days to be low-key to allow him to change mindset.

We're planning Italy in 6 weeks (great fare find 2 weeks ago) and though we are going to Venice & Rome, he is much more enthusiastic about the Tuscany portion of the trip.

Fodors is great for researching trips ideas. Do a search for Italy trip reports and start making notes on things, places, lodging that appeal to you. Figure out your budget and the areas where you want to spend time. Use Venere.com & eurocheapo.com to find accommodations & read reviews. More reviews can be found at tripadvisor.com.

Enjoy your 2 weeks with your H.

If you don't want to do it yourself, go through American Express. They can book your air and rooms and some individual city tours. Or call Air France directly-they, KLM and al Italia are in partnership now. Do you belong to AAA? See what they have. Fly in to one city and out of another so you don't have to back track. Try for non-stop flights!
Other poster is correct about most tours being comprised of older folks but some of us are pretty darned interesting. Don't let that be a factor-rather look at the amount of time you have on your own. It's so nice to have someone else organizing all the tickets!
Check through your university also-often there are tours. Smithsonian has them but they are PRICEY!
Get a book about Italy and look at the what's to see in the 3 cities you mentioned and see what calls out to you the most so you can decide where to add on your days. We Fodorites can argue endlessly about how many days to stay where so you decide what's right for you.
Also, don't say "ciao" say "arrividerci" or even more formally "arrividerla" if it's an older person-don't think I spelled those right!
Please please please report back after you return!

Italy is a great choice for your vacation together. Get two or three good guidebooks. Fodors for good general information about Italy and even Rick Steves for basic stuff like hours and times of museums, train & bus schedules, etc. Then decide what places you would most like to see.

In your case, I would not take a tour. Is your husband arriving commercial or military? If he is arriving commercial, then you will plan from there. If he is arriving via military, that will be Aviano or Naples in Italy. If he is arriving in Aviano, meet him near there. If he is arriving in Naples, meet him there. Is this an R&R, or will he be coming home with you? If he has to go back from the same base, I would probably head directly to the place furthest away that you want to see and work my way back to the base he will depart from. That also depends on what time of day he arrives. If he is arriving late in the day, just stay on the base that first night and head out early the next day.

At the Navy base in Naples they have some lovely apartments (bedroom, living room, kitchen & bath) that are really cheap for active military folks on leave. I think, in your situation, you can reserve them ahead - not sure about that. You will have to call them. It is easy from there to visit Pompeii and parts of the AC. It is really easy to navigate the Naples area and most of Italy, but if you want some reasonably priced, quite good tours, check out those offered by the USO in Naples and the USO in Rome. Also, check out those offered by ITT & MWR on all the bases. I personally think they are a bit expensive, but they take care of everything for you and lots of people like them.

There is a good website for military travelers: http://www.pepperd.com. You may not be using space-a, but there is lots of good information there. Check your PX/BX for some books for military travelers. Of course, everything won't apply to you, but they tell you what is available at different posts and that can be a help logistically and financially.

Sometimes, it makes sense to stay on a base, as in Naples, for a day or two. It is very convenient to the city and transportation. It makes no sense in other places like Aviano because getting on and off base is a pain and it is miles from anyplace you probably want to visit, so you would waste too much time (and money) going back and forth, say to Venice.

I highly recommend the Amalfi Coast for part of your time in Italy.

Hi AM,

Italy is, perhaps, the easiest country in Europe to visit DIY - especially if you are interested in the Big 3.

Fly into Venice - 4 nights
Train to Florence - 4 nights
visit Siena and San Gimignano
Train to Rome - 5 nights
visit Orvieto
Fly home

There are other itineraries, but this is straightforward and easy.

What's your budget?



Train schedules are at
http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...0080a3e90aRCRD

ttt

Thanks for the advice, I think I am going to plan this trip without the tour now that you all have given me the confidence and guidance to do that. I am ordering the Rick Steve's Italy 2009 book, any other guidebook suggestions.
As I start planning the itinerary and details I will post more questions! THANKS!

Autummarie,
If you have NetFlix, they have the Rick Steves travel videos and they're pretty decent! There are also others available but they were not nearly as good.

Autummarie,

Ask your husband what he wants. Depending on what he is doing during his deployment, he may want nothing but quiet and you. Tuscany sounds like the answer for the first week. I'd keep him away from the noises of a big city for the first week at least. Consider Tuscany and Venice for a break. Please make sure you consider his needs too.

In terms of planning, Rick Steves books are probably accurate. Opening times, where to get a haircut in Venice, that sort of thing. In places, they can also be a wildly inaccurate, and I feel, culturally insensitive.

I’d recommend the National Geographic guide to Venice, and “Venice” by Jan Morris.