Heres our itinerary so far:
3 nights Palermo (visit grandparents birthplaces)
fly to Naples, 3 nights Sorrento
train to Rome, 3 nights Rome,
rent car 3 nights unplanned, suggestions
3 nights Sestri Levante (visit grandparents birthplaces)
1 night unplanned
Drop off car Milan spend night in Milan, train to Venice
2 nights Venice
Train back to Milan spend night at hotel near airport and head home
I'm a little late joining the forum so hotels are all booked except for the unplanned days. My husband and I will be traveling with another couple (cousins) early September. Suggestions wanted on town to book hotel and do day trips on our way to Sestri Levante and what to do with that extra day. Thanks in advance for any input. I've learned so much from reading this forum. Do you think I will need a vacation when I get back from this vacation.

Hi Angela - Lots of options in Tuscany. Or Umbria ...

Are you looking for somewhere coastal or inland?

How do you want to spend your time?

Steve

Steve,
Thanks for the response.

Somewhere where we could do a day trip to Florence. Umbria or Tuscany sounds nice. A place where if we wanted to just stay put and relax might be nice and let our traveling partners take the car.

Hi Angelac,

Sounds like a very nice trip! My main suggestions would be to add your single unplanned night to Venice and consider skipping the night in Milan to add another night to Rome. You could easily drop the car in Milan and continue on straight to Venice. It's 3 hours by train from Milano Centrale.

Or, keep the car and use it to drive to Venice, dropping it there!

Buon viaggio!

I'd also put the extra day to Venice. 2 nights is too short, in my opinion.

I don't have any experience to help with the other parts of your trip, but it sounds like a great adventure (my grandparents also were italian).

Hi A,

> Drop off car Milan spend night in Milan, train to Venice
2 nights Venice
Train back to Milan spend night at hotel near airport and head home

Is there a particular reason for visiting M before Venice?

I suggest driving to Venice and dropping the car there.

Dayle, thanks for the input. I was worried we were moving too much I'm glad you think it sounds good.
I guess we could drop the car off a day early and stay an extra day in Venice.

Suze, 3 days sounds better too!

Ira, the reason we dropped the car in Milan was advice very early in the planning from a travel agent who said NOT to drive to Venice. The car is already booked. Plus we wanted to do a day trip to the Lake area out of Milan.
Any ideas on the 3 days in between Rome and Sestri Levante. Good base for day trips to Florence or Sienna.
Thanks in advance.

Hi again Angelac,

If the reason for going to Milan is to drop the car and go to one of the lakes...just drive to the lake of choice then on to Venice. Why Milan at all? The lakes are much nicer to visit.

Car reservations are the easiest part of a trip to change. Do it if you want. You are not locked in.

From rome you could drive up the Autostrada to southern Tuscny, maybe stay in Pienza and use it as a base for Montepulciano and Montalcino. Then drive to Siena and stay north of there and see some of the sights in Chianti. Then it would ba aneasy drive to Sestri Levante with Lucca on the way.
I have suggestions for hotels and restaurants in Tuscany if you are interested.

Are tickets purchased? You are flying home from Milan? I question going thru Milan twice, seems like unnecessary hassle? And I'm pretty sure you'll be happy with 3 days (at least) in Venice!

I will look into the changing the car reservations, the plane tickets are already booked. Next time I'll start here first. Thanks everyone.

Clee2c, please reply with hotel suggestions and restaurants for Tuscany area. Do you think we could book a few days out with these hotels or plan ahead and book now.

Angelac
In September 2005,we stayed in Pienza for 2 days at the Piccolo Hotel la Valle. Nice small hotel, fairly new, good breakfast, overlooks the valley.It has a web site. We ate at Latte di Luna twice, which was very good.
Montalcino is only about 1/2hour ride. We tasted wine at Osteria Osticco, one of the many enoteca's in town. Very nice town to wander around in. Almost deserted when we were there.
We drove to San Antimo Abbey, and then on over the mountain to Bagno Vignone. In Bagno, a small village with interesting baths in the town center, we had lunch at Osteria La Parata. It is run by a British artist Susan Westrip. A freind of ours had recommended La Parata and it was very good. We explored Montepulciano the same day after a nap back at the hotel.

We drove to Siena the next day and had lunchat one of the restaurants on the Piazza Il Campo. The Duomo in Siena is really worth seeing, especially if they have the inlaid marble floors uncovered while you are there. They only do it at certain times during the year.

We stayed in Radda in Chianti at the Hotel Palazzo Leopoldo. It's centered in Chianti and is great for day trips to Castellina, Gaiole, Greve in Chianti, Panzano, San Gimignano, Volpaia. There are lots of wineries around there. You could spend days just doing wine tours and enoteca's. The hotel was very nice and they upgraded us to a suite on the first floor. Breakfasts were very good. They have a web site. The hotel restaurant was not the best. We had two dinners at the Trattoria across the street from the back of the hotel. Not fancy but good food.
The restaurant at Lamole was the best find of the trip. It's up in the hills between Radda and Greve in Chianti. We ate there twice and so did some others we met there. A friend of ours from Florence was very surprised and chagrined that we knew about it, and found it on our own. A great restaurant with very friendly staff.
Another restaurant was Badda e Coltibuono, which is east of Radda. It's an old monastery which is now a guesthouse with a great restaurant and cooking school. We ate there twice also. The tour of the gardens and wine cellar in the monastery was very interesting. It has a website.
One more restaurant which was an accidental find was on the grounds of Castello Brolio, which is past Gaiole.We were going to tour the Castle and discovered the restaurant about halfway up the hill. They had a great lunch special and the food was really good. The chef is an Irishman; Seamus O'Kelly.

Hi Angelac,

I would definitely book your hotels ahead for Sept. It's still busy season!

Buon viaggio!

I think the plane tickets are fine, but maybe rethink going thru Milan twice, just go there from Venice for your flight home? I've never rented a car, only traveled by train, so can't assist you there.

Dayle and Suze, thanks for the feedback.

clee2c, I'm going to spend the evening looking up your suggestions. Thanks so much.