Acadienne

Hello,

I'm new to the forums, but see there is a lot of great advice to be had here. My husband to be and I are planning our honeymoon trip to Italy in late June (next month), and I have a sort of dream itinerary, which goes:

1) arrive in Rome on the morning of the 21 (not too jet lagged as we will assuredly have slept on plane)
2) 21, 22, and 23 in Rome. We don't want to see everything, but major ancient Rome sites (Colosseum, Pantheon, Forum, Capitoline Hill), as well as the Vatican, and then we just want to wander the rest of the time.
2) Morning of 24th, depart early to Florence - stay in hotel in Piazza della Signoria area, and visit Uffizi early in the day, Galleria at some point later (just to see David) and stroll in the evening.
3) 25th, early, depart to Como - stay the weekend in Bellagio - no itinerary just relaxing, touring the lakes at our leisure, if at all
4) Mid-day monday, the 27th, travel to Venice - remain in Venice till departure on the 30th, for 2 1/2 days there. No side trips, just explore la serenissima.

I have read others comments that 4 destinations in 10 days is too many, and I know this may sound like a whirlwind, but we're pretty fast-paced types - restless. And chances are it will be our only trip to Italy (at least this decade!).

Candid advice, please. . . is it really too much? I wouldn't know what to cut. I know it will be quite hot out, so I'm thinking lakes will be a nice relaxing reprieve... also any advice on how to manage the late June weather, much appreciated!

Thank you in advance.

eroz

We spent a our late June/early July honeymoon in Italy 8 years ago! Congratulations!

Do you love big cities? You are hitting a lot of them. This trip is definitely doable, we tried to spend 2 nights in most places but like to bounce around and explore. My only suggestion would be to consider a way to add in Tuscany. That was our favorite part of the whole trip (lake como was second). Not sure it'd be worth it for just one night. I would try to add a night in Siena or the surrounding area. Maybe rent a car in Rome and drive through the Tuscan countryside to Florence b4 heading up to Como. Whatever you decide, it will be wonderful!

Acadienne

Thank you! I know we'd love to see Tuscany as well, but the only way I think would be to cut a day off Rome or Venice, which I think would be too much of a sacrifice. We're going to stay as flexible as we can, though! I'm never going to want to leave as it is . . .

Thank you again!

tuscanlifeedit

Let us be as realistic as possible:

You will have 2.5 days in Rome. 3 nights.

It will be midday when you arrive at your hotel in Florence, where you will visit two museums and spend the night.

On the following morning you will make the arduous and time consuming journey to Bellagio. You will have a day and half there, 2 nights.

Then getting out of Bellagio and to Venice, another half day. You will have two and half days, 3 nights in Venice.

Skip Florence or Bellagio. At this point, since you have the least chance of enjoying Florence (coming and going too quickly in a crowded and hot city), that is what I would skip.

Hot: get hotels with AC. Slow down a little. There will be heat and crowds. Dragging yourselves through heat and crowds to get to all these places will not be as much fun as it could be if you slow down just a little.

madamtrashheap

Something else worth considering is that 24 June, your arrival date in Florence, is St John (San Giovanni) day, the patron Saint of Florence. This will mean a busy day and it will be worth checking what is open that day as usually (except when the local Council cancels it) the final of the Calcio Storico is held this afternoon in Pz Santa Croce. Museums, etc are usually open but some shops/restaurants will close early/all day and hotels will be heavily booked around this time (Summer and the football).

As noted, that's a lot of moving around in a short space of time and certainly is a whirlwind of a trip. If your hearts are not set on Florence, then as much as it breaks my heart to suggest it, you may want to skip in and add the extra time to Bellagio or Rome. It's already been said, and I'll reiterate it, the journey to Bellagio takes up a good part of the day if going by train (it will involve trains and a ferry/hovercraft).

If you do end up keeping Florence in, then book ahead online for your tickets to the Accademia (Galleria) and the Uffizi. Regardless of how fast you move, the queues at that time of year certainly do not.

As for heat...well, relatively speaking it's certainly warm, but certainly not unbearable at that time of year. However, if you need an excuse for a gelato limone or an aperitvo, you'll certainly have it!

DownUnder

Whenever I travel to Europe it is from Australia and I HAVE to see a lot in a short time. Plan your itinerary very carefully i.e. consult trenitalia.com for train timetables and you will fit it all in. I would recommend taking an early train from Rome to Florence to give you the max. and you will be there in time to have an espresso with the locals on via Tornabuoni. Your time is sufficient in Bellagio. It is a fantastic location and you should be able to spend a day on the Lake. Make sure you include villa Balbianello (the Star Wars and James Bond one) and Bilacus is a great restaurant for you (and the stars) although the Swiss Cafe on the promenade is also good (martini in the morning on the radio). Venice of course is magical and Trattoria alla Madonna has bench mark tiramisu!. Go for it and don't let others deter you. You will have a wonderful honeymoon!

janisj

tuscanlifeedit has pretty much spelled out the reality. You may have 'nine full days'-- but you won't have nearly 9 days free in those destinations. More like 7 days 'on the ground' -- so I'd 100% drop either Florence or Bellagio. Me personally, I'd drop Bellagio. But it sounds like dropping Florence might fit better w/ your itinerary/dates/wish list.

jh2011

I think, yes, 10 days is too much. But then... why not take it a little slow. You know, see "everything" that you can and making sure you spent enough time to really look around. Have fun and enjoy!

Jean

I'd skip Lake Como. Because it's easy and fast to reach from the Milan area, it gets a lot of weekenders in high season. If you don't already have your lodging reservation by now, you may not find a place in your preferred location and budget. You could include Varenna in your search, but don't pick a place that isn't within a short distance of the ferry stop at Bellagio or Varenna.

Jean

You'll want to make advance reservations for the Uffizi and the Accademia, or you could spend most of the day waiting in the two lines.

CUFFLNX

Don't miss Como and Bellagio, they are magical for a honeymoon. Rather skip Florence and add a day elsewhere.

Plus the absolute best wine bar is in Bellagio:
http://www.cavaturacciolo.it/home.jsp

Acadienne

Thank you everyone - wow, a lot to think about! I had no idea about the June 24th festival - I can't find much online either. That's definitely something to ponder. I'm going to give this a bit more thought. I have some safe reservations made with flexible cancellation policies in the three primary cities, so I have time to look around a little and make the best decisions.

I really appreciate all the fantastic advice!

Dayle

Acadienne,

Also, have the two of you traveled to Europe before? Assuming you are flying from the US, you really cannot be sure you will sleep on the plane! You may very well find yourselves in a jet lag fog the first day in Italy.

Personally, I would cut one destination. Less is more in bella Italia!

Buon viaggio