2 weeks in Italy - May 2011
 

Help! We want to do everything in Italy...but just can't. I am graduating from residency in the beginning of May, and need to start work on June 6th. We have a full two weeks...or maybe a little more (depending on where we move). We would like to see Rome, Tuscany, Cinque Terra and possibly the Amalfi Coast (and that's just to start). Would it be smarter to stick to Northern Italy and perhaps skip the Amalfi Coast and go to Lake Como? Or southern France? Or can we do it all? We love wine, art, food, scenery (hiking), and dancing!

Please help! I am an avid reader, and could use some guidance.

Thanks!

Well, no, you can't do everything in two weeks! You list four places in two weeks, which can certainly be done. I would skip France this time, leave that for another trip. Switching the Amalfi Coast for Lake Como is quite a switch. Although I haven't been to Lake Como, I think they're pretty different.

I would probably choose either the Amalfi Coast or Cinque Terra, not both, especially for a first trip. If you love the Renaissance and art, stay in Florence with a couple of daytrips Tuscan towns. Definitely plan a good amount of time in Rome (although I have to point out that it is my favorite place). There is so much to see there!

Aside from the dancing, with the interests you list, and assuming 14 nights in Italy, I would probably go with 3 nights in Florence for the art, 3 nights with a car in the Tuscan countryside, 3 nights in Cinque Terra for the hiking and 5 nights in Rome. You will find great wine, food and history in all those places.

On the other hand, are you sure you don't want to include Venice? If you have the "little more," I would spend that time in Venice!

Sounds to me like you've got a busy life, and relaxing and hiking in Italy, in addition to touring Rome might just be the ticket. I wouldn't add Florence to this trip. There is more Renaissance art in Rome than you could hope to see in a lifetime (and more of Michaelangelo's work in Rome than in Florence).

Were it me, I would fly into Milan and head straight for Lago di Como. Get in a few days of hiking and relaxation, than take a train back to Milan to catch a fast train to Rome. Spend a good 5 or 6 nights in Rome, --even 7, rent an apartment -- so you can get in plenty of dancing and even have time for a few nice day trips to Tivoli, Orvieto , Lago Bracciano or Ostia Antica, and then head down to the Amalfi coast for the remainder. Fly out of Naples.

There is gorgeous hiking in the Sorrentine hills and along the Amalfi coast. There is also good food and wine if you know where to look. If you wish to get away from too much tourism and touristy things, consider staying closer to the Salerno side of the Amalfi coast with a car (check out Villa Maria in Minori). Otherwise pick the coastal town or island you think you'd most enjoy for its natural beauty .

Have a great time!

Thank you so much! Great suggestions. I'm going to do some more research and let you know what we decide.

zeppole has a great suggested itinerary, IMO.

What kind of art do you like? I'm not a huge fan of the baroque, but I was blown away by the Galleria Borghese in Rome:
http://www.galleriaborghese.it/​borg...3;edefault.htm

For hiking, the Sentieri Degli Dei on the Amalfi Coast was one of the highlights of our trip this year:
http://www.summerinitaly.com/guide/walk-of-the-gods

FWIW, the Amalfi Coast/Bay of Naples is quite easy to get around on public transit, and there are stops on the commuter train for both Pompeii and Herculaneum.

I found a great website about Italy the other day and there is a topic on the perfect two weeks and it might help you. There are alternatives to destinations if you prefer to skip one. Anyway, here's the link: http://www.italylogue.com/planning-a...two-weeks.html

Quahog:I think Zeppole gives you a great basis for start thinking.In my opinion,you should strongly consider the amalfi coast,which is really really beautiful.If you want,you can see my report on a 2009 trip to Rome and the Amalfi Coast,just click on my name and select my trip report.
No doubts you will have a beautiful trip as per your interests.Enjoy!!!

Jennlane,
Great website. I'm also planning a 17 day trip to Italy, Germany and France and the details on the five days in Rome and two days in Venice set up the beginning of the trip perfectly. Now I only have 10 more days to plan....thanks.

I looked at the website jennlane suggested and it does have a lot of good detailed information. My quibble is with flying into Venice and spending only 2 days there. If you arrive after a long, overnight flight, having traversed any number of time zones, you're going to be tired and jetlagged. You'll spend part of those 2 days sleeping or just being out of it. I'd allow at least one more day in Venice. And if I was following my personal preference, I'd take that day away from Florence.

My other quibble with that web site is the author speaks in days rather than nights. (To me 2 days in Venice is 3 nights, not part of your srrival day plus one more day.) And you need to consider travel time between destinations.

But these are quibbles. It's a useful site.

We are planning on spending 5 days in Rome then taking the train in to Venice for a two night 3 day stay...anyone know of a good sight to find rail prices and reservations?

I agree with Mimar on both subjects. But like the author says, what’s perfect for you isn’t perfect for me. And I've found the site to be very useful.. you get an idea of what to do. Also keep in mind you only have two weeks, you can choose to make that trip and see a little of everything (at least the top destinations) or go slow and stay in only two places.
Also, I noticed you didn't include Venice.. which is odd. Venice, in my opinion, is a city that shouldn't be missed. Maybe you've already been or have read too many stories on how bad their experience was.. But it's different for everyone, and you should make up your own opinion.
Anyway, there are alternatives, like I said, and you can tweak it to your preference.
Have fun planning!

Tony56, here's a link that could help you: http://www.italylogue.com/planning-a...to-venice.html

You could fly between these two cities, but if you're like me and prefer the train try this site: http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...003f16f90aRCRD

jennlane, and yet for me, Venice is definitely not a must-see destination: like you said, <i>it's different for everyone, and you should make up your own opinion</i>. If the OP doesn't have Venice on their list, perhaps that's already part of their opinion.

FWIW, our 2-week trip to Italy this past spring was the first time my boyfriend had ever visited the country. We never went north or east of Rome and yet he says it was one of the best vacations he's ever had.

I think one of the truisms about Italy is that it is very difficult to have a bad vacation there!

Jennlane, thanks seems pretty reasonable about 45 euro for the ride from Rome to Venice.
Since you are so helpful...couple of other questions. Would you recommend staying outside the Termini area. It seems that keeps you pretty centrally located to get anywhere around the city. Although I've been reading a lot of hotel reviews that say the area is kind of seedy and unsafe. Do you (or anyone) have any good experiences- recommendations for hotels. Also considering staying outside the airport at a HGI and taking the train in from there. Kind of away from the action but seems modern and safer. Thoughts?

I read the link posted and to me that itinerary would be two weeks of empty tourist hell, and a completely misleading introduction to Italy.

But the website anticipates and dismisses all possible complaint by offering this piece of breathtaking piece of circular logic:

"But there’s a reason the “tourist trail” is well-traveled. It’s because many travelers do the same things and visit the same places."

I sometimes wonder if the people who write such things normally find mass culture perfect. Obviously there are millions and millions of people who find reality shows on TV satisfying, or stampeding into department stores the day after Thanksgiving the highlight of the year, and eating a fastfood hamburger a joy.

But it does occur to me that a lot of people look to Europe as a place to get out of mass culture if even only for two weeks.

When I read a lot of Fodor's inquiries, I find myself wanting to ask the posters: "Do you normally enjoy what other people enjoy?" If so, there is no end of generic tourist advice out there about where to go. All you need is to nail down the logistics.

But if you would like to tailor a trip to your own interests, don't let the constant drumbeat to get back on the tourist trail intimidate you.

tony, I would prefer not to stay near Termini. If you're more centrally located, not only is it a nicer area, you are in a better location for all you want to see. Look at the Piazza Navona/Campo de' Fiori/ Pantheon area. Close to a lot of things, great bus connections, dozens of good restaurants nearby.

I really recommend that you NOT stay outside Rome near the airport. You will waste so much time getting into and out of the city, and it will make it very difficult to stop back at the hotel before dinner (or at any other time of day). If you stay in the center, you really don't need to worry about safety. I always travel to Italy alone and have spent a lot of time in Rome and have never felt unsafe.

Brava zeppole - well said! (And that quote is priceless...)

Well ggreen, like I said everyone should make up their own opinion.. And it would be devastating if we lived our lives based wholly on what other people think we should or shouldn't do (in this case traveling). Opinions are great, and that's why forums like these exist. But it's not fair that a person should miss an experience that they probably would enjoy because someone who has already been didn't. It's just my view, but I respect yours and I guess there is a reason why many people feel the same way about Venice.

And I agree with zeppole 100%. The thing is that most people want to travel in the first place because of what they read or see in pictures by people who have already been there. That doesn't mean it's right, it's just how it is.