Any suggestions for 2 women planning a 2 week trip with stays in Rome, Florence, Venice and Sorrento. We are thinking about day trips to Pompeii and Capri. Would appreciate information on hotels, restaurants, tours and anything else that might prove helpful. Prefer 4 star hotels and dinners under $30 per person, but we are open to your recommendations. Advance thanks.

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Hi Janice,<BR> May I suggest that you start with the Fodor's miniguide on this site, search the forum for the cities you mentioned and then come back with more specific questions?

Hi Janice. Your questions are some of the most frequently asked ones on this message board. You might want to list what your itinerary is so people can get a clearer picture of how long you'll be in each location. You can start to research hotels on www.venere.it, for example, and compare its prices to those of www.italiatourusa.com or www.florenceby.com or www.veniceby.com. You have almost unlimited possibilities. For Venice, I liked the Monaco &amp; Grand Canal hotel (4 stars). The staff was wonderful, the room absolutely delightful with a huge marble tub and the fantastic location right off of San Marco. When is your trip? Are you starting in Venice and working your way to Sorrento or the opposite?

Hi Janice<BR>What interests you and your friend?<BR>What things have you already been dreaming of doing and seeing? What time of year are you going? Which city (cities) are you flying in and out of?<BR>Will you be taking trains in between, or driving?<BR><BR>Elsewhere here on fodors.com is a great amount of free information on at least Rome, Florence, and Venice; go to the Destinations area. Also, in the Hotel and Restaurant sections there are Rants and Raves comments that are very helpful. Also buy a good general guidebook either for Italy or for each location. Perhaps put yourself &quot;in charge&quot; of organizing activities and accommodations in two of your locations, and your friend for the other two.<BR><BR>Gustafson's books &quot;Great Sleeps in Italy&quot; and &quot;Cheap Eats in Italy&quot; are also excellent, reliable, resources.<BR><BR>When you say 4-star hotels, what are you looking for as absolute musts?<BR>Elevators? Air Conditioning? Private and en suite bathrooms?<BR><BR>When booking rooms, if you are just friends you should ask for a room with two beds (which will most often be single beds). Your alternative is most often a room with one &quot;large&quot; bed, which is comparable to an American full-size.<BR><BR>I have files on Rome, Venice, and Florence; if you'd like to see them, email me.