Goonies86

Hello!

My fiance and I are planning our honeymoon for this coming September/October. We are going to be doing 2 weeks in France (his dream destination) and then 2 weeks in Italy (my dream destination - I took a classical history major in University, have always wanted to go). I've had some help on this forum for the France portion of the trip but am now trying to figure out Italy. We are a young couple (25 and 30), neither of us is the club-hopping/partying type so more interested in history and absorbing the culture (and the food and wine of course!). Our budget is low to moderate. Willing to pay some extra for a great experience (e.g. Cooking class). Romantic experiences would be great.

We will be traveling out of Paris, probably by plane, into Italy around the end of September (probably the 26th). I have an idea of what I want to see but need some guidance in the timing and some advice on destinations.

I was thinking of flying into Venice (how many days/nights would you recommend)? I don't have a particular attraction in mind, would just like to experience the city.

Afterwards, take a train to Rome - this would be an important place for me, I've always wanted to go! (4 or 5 nights?? this could be expanded depending on how much time is spent elsewhere)

Then, I thought we'd go south and see Pompeii (anyone else learn Latin from Caecilius and family? )and Herculaneum. I'm not sure how much time it would take to see these two places? What else is nearby that is worth a visit?

Finally, I thought of going somewhere with a beach? Is early October past the season? Just thought a relaxing resort type place would be nice. Amalfi Coast? Ischia? I don't know much about these areas and my guidebook is pretty vague on the topic.

That's what I have in mind. Any suggestions - anything you would add, cut out? Any places to add in a trip to a smaller town, to get a taste of more rural Italy? Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Hope I didn't give too little or too much information. Thanks very much in advance!

Sincerely,
Jessica from Canada

Corrado_Bidoia

Hello

If you're interested in art and culture, almost every city will offer chances to spend at least one day. The sheer quantity of cities worth a visit is so big that they're not often advertised, in order to channel the tourist flows to a few selected locations. Rome and Venice are of course on the top of the list, but for example you can take the chance, when staying in Venice, to visit the nearby city of Padova (with a chapel entirely decorated by Giotto, or one of the biggest squares in Europe), or a trip through the Palladian Villas of Vicenza, or Verona. One of my favourites in the area is Mantova, on the south-west, a medieval city with a stunning palace (palazzo ducale) and, especially, gorgeous food.

If you want to have the most authentic experience, however, I suggest you stay whenever possible in "agriturismo". It's a kind of farmhouse hotel, less expensive and often more comfortable than hotels, where you can taste a better human touch and the best food you can have in Italy. It's a very popular solution among italians, while less famous abroad: you can guess how authentic it is. Agriturismi are spread all over the country, but especially in central Italy (Tuscany, Umbria, Marche, Lazio)

If you want to go from Venice to Rome, you can plan some intermediate stops, for example Bologna and Florence, and stay in agriturismo.
However, I would take a couple of days to have see the Dolomites. I suggest you hire a car, even just for one day, and go sightseeing from Venice, like a round trip through Valsugana-San Martino di Castrozza-Val di Fassa-Val Badia-Val Gardena... or hit Cortina to say you've been there.

annhig

hi goonies,

due to the time of year you are planning to travel, I think that I would turn the trip round and head straight for Naples from Paris [easyjet flies direct] and spend some time there on the beach/seeing Pompeii etc. then get the train to Rome, and finally head off for Venice.

you could certainly spend a few days between Rome and Venice in an agriturismo in umbria or tuscany if you fancy that too, but I would not try to cram more than 4 different destinations, preferably 3, into 2 weeks.

qwovadis

First Congrats!

Just got back from there in May go a lot

easyjet.com CDG to MXP or skyscanner.net if you want to fly

Personally prefer training France Italy

over the Simplon pass into the amazing lake country

stresa.org Milan sirmione.com(Poet Catulla's Villa) to

venice-tourism.com. For 59 euro we stayed at

www.hotelpausania.it room #211 cute little suite with a canal

view in the heart of the Dorsoduro residential area

of Venice..Florence Rome osta-antica.org amazing

Naples Sorrento www.hoyrldelfino.com $60/nt booked

both on Otel.com got some cash back and a 10% FaceBook like

DC might look at something like that.

I am a big fan of cheap regional trains they go everywhere

seat61.com great info just hop on from 3 euro per hour

usually first class. My wife likes the faster trains

we did some of those a bit more... have done car rental

in the past more of a hassle expensive liability in big

cities... eurocheapo.com good site for city guides hotels

viareggio.it close to www.lucca.info for best beach along

your way or Puglia in the south...

Happy Planning!

qwovadis

hoteldelfino.com sorry for typo above.

ira

Hi G,

Lucky you, 2 wks in Fr and 2 wks in Italy.

>I was thinking of flying into Venice (how many days/nights would you recommend)?

Good idea. I suggest 4 nights , then

Train to Florence - 4 nights (with a visit to Siena), then

Train to Rome (daytrip to Orvieto, daytrip to Ostia Antica) before flying home.

Save the AC and the South for your next visit.

You are near the end of the season for the AC.

Also, after 3 wks even a young couple is going to want to slow down.

Enjoy your visit.

Goonies86

Thanks everyone for the responses! Gives me a lot to consider in my planning. I like the idea of switching my itinerary around to do Naples area first, to get the most of the warm weather. I will have to look into those small towns and hotels suggested, after I get a firmer grasp on my itinerary.

I understand the suggestion to skip the south for now, I do not want to be overwhelmed, but hard to resist the allure of Pompeii. I've always been fascinated by its story and I learned Latin from the Cambridge series which is set in Pompeii, always thought it would be fun to see Caecilius' house!

If I were to stick with visiting the south, is there one town that I could use as a base to see the historical sites (Pompeii, Herculaneum) as well as see some of the coast and beaches. Or should I do a couple days nearby Pompeii/Herculaneum and then move to coast/ an island?

Thanks again everyone!

christrmpt04

If you fly into Naples, I'd say spend the first night in Sorrento. You could see Pompeii very easily from Sorrento and the town is somewhat touristy, but very cozy. You can find cheaper, but very quaint hotels here IMO. You could even make a trip out to the Isle of Capri if you wanted. That's what I did on my trip to this area a few years back and it worked great. After this you could proceed north to Rome.

I second the agriturismo idea. It'll be a good change of pace from the 3 weeks of hotels and give you a great "Italian" experience. Although I haven't been to one before, I will be staying at the Agriturismo Marciano just outside Siena for my honeymoon in mid-October. It received very good reviews on TripAdvisor and has popped up in these forums frequently as a recommended destination. From what I hear the dinners served there are worth the stay alone!

annhig

you can do a day trip to Capri from Sorrento, we got the ferry to Capri, walked around the island, then got another ferry to Naples, and got the train back to Sorrento.

an overnight stay on the island [when the tourists have gone home] would be better.

franco

Funny: Corrado's statement <The sheer quantity of cities worth a visit is so big that they're not often advertised, in order to channel the tourist flows to a few selected locations.> is really spot-on (thank you, Corrado) - and four posts later, ira is doing exactly that, trying to channel tourists to those few selected places: Venice, Florence, Siena, Orvieto, Rome. Hello? Did the OP say anything about wanting to go to Florence, Siena, Orvieto? Particularly with her clearly stated interest in Roman antiquity? Which sights exactly from Roman antiquity were you thinking of, ira, in Florence, Siena and Orvieto? Why does every tourist have to do the very same trip, Venice, Florence, Siena, Orvieto, Rome? Just because us regulars want to have the rest of the country for ourselves?

Jessica, just stick to your plan. I agree with four days Venice for first-timers (you could also make that five days), five days minimum for Rome (or also seven), plus Ercolano (perhaps three hours) and Pompei (one entire day). Ercolano is much smaller, but as least as stunning, beautiful and well-preserved as Pompei. ira's suggestion of daytripping to Ostia Antica is of course excellent, that's another excavation at least as interesting as Pompei (a less rich and beautiful town, though - Ostia was a hard-working port town, lavish upper class villas like Pompei's are scarce there). As far as beaches, the Amalfi Coast is cliffs, with (almost) no beaches. If you want a really beautiful beach without non-Italian tourists, consider the island of Ponza, which is a gem (but yes, early October is past season; if you're lucky, though, weather may still allow for a day on the beach). Alternatively, you might want to add the famous temples of Paestum to your list of ancient sights - not much farther south than Amalfi.

ira

Hi G,

>If I were to stick with visiting the south, is there one town that I could use as a base to see the historical sites (Pompeii, Herculaneum) as well as see some of the coast and beaches.<

Naples or Sorrento.

Include Paestum in your visit.

Goonies86

Thanks franco and ira. Paestum looks stunning - will have to try to add that to the itinerary.

This whole area of Italy seems to have so much stuff to do, I might think of adjusting my itinerary to have more time here.

One more question, if it is past season for the beaches, would Ischia be a good place to visit? I've read that there are thermal pool parks (like Negombo) that could still be warm in October...Would it be worth staying a night or two on the Island, or would it be better to day-trip? Is the chance of rain too high in October to plan for a visit there?

Thanks again everyone for your help - I think my itinerary is really starting to take shape!