I'm in the beginning phases of planning a trip to Italy for either next Spring or Fall, and I'd welcome your suggestions.

We will be taking a two-week trip, but consider the first day in Italy as shot because that will be the day to recover from travelling from US East Coast. Likewise, the last day will be taken up with travelling, so we really have only about 12 days to see and do things. The only absolute requirement is that we are going to Venice. Our interests? I think we would get absolutely overloaded with strictly art and museums, but recognize that there are some things that really should be seen. We do enjoy just walking around and enjoying the architecture and environs. Religious sites are interesting, as are ancient history sites, but we don't really want a steady diet of those either. I would like to spend some time travelling through the countryside, so we don't spend all of our time in cities, but I would also consider day trips to fill this need (leave the city in the morning, return later at night). Renting a car would be an option if it makes anything easier. Also if it makes a difference, we don't speak Italian (but will try to learn some before we go).

It looks like the 'normal' 10 - 12 day trip is a triumvirate of Venice / Florence / Rome, often in that order. Although I don't have any problem with this, I'm kind of looking for something a little less 'ordinary'. I am also looking for the 'really should not miss' items, and any other offbeat and quirky things that tend to get overlooked on a first-time trip. I have no idea if this will be the only trip we ever make to Italy. I haven't set a budget for this trip yet, so right now, time is the only real constraint.

I know this is a big request, and I appreciate your answers. If you need more specifics, please ask!

TIA!!

Consider Umbria (Orvieto, Perugio). It is less touristy than Tuscany and (we thought) better scenery. But don't avoid Tuscany.

Hi Goaway,

Given your description, and that this is indeed your first visit to Italy: go with a modified version of the "big 3". There are reasons most first timers visit Rome, Florence and Venice - they are all the requirements you just mentioned, with a little tweaking.

I'm certainly not the most traveled person here, but I have done 3 indepentant trips to Italy for a total of 9 weeks. (Still have many more to go!)

How about:

3 nts Venice (atmosphere, architecture, as much art as you feel like)

2 nts Florence (art, shopping)

4 nts countryside (central loc in either Tuscany, Umbria, or Ligure)- vineyards, food and wine, with some great scenery and art mixed in!

4 nts Rome - everything and lots of it!

Fly into Venice, out of Rome. Car for the countryside. Putting the countryside in the middle gives you a nice break before tackling Roma!

Really the possibilites are endless and this certainly won't be your only trip to Italy. Once you've visited, you will return.

Buon viaggio!

I spent 18 days going through Italy last Sept (Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Rome) and another 12 days in Rome in March. I think Dayle gives you an excellent plan. And yes, you will definitely want to return!

Thanks for the replies so far. Yes, this is the first trip to Italy, and hopefully not the last! There are very few places I've ever been to that I don't want to go back (hmmm, thinking real hard... nope, can't think of anywhere actually, just some further down the list than others ).

What's your favorite guide book? Anything else I should be reading up on (other than this site, of course..)?

Ciao,
I agrre with Dayle too.
In being you first trip to Italy the Venice / Florence / Tuscany - Umbria by car / Rome is one of the best choice.
Next time you can visit the northern part (from Venice to Turin passing from Vicenza, Verona, Mantua, Bergamo, Milan, lakes, ...) and a third trip to the south (fro Rome to Palermo visiting Naples, costiera amalfitana, Calabria, small sicilian islands and sicily itself).

Long time planning for a beautifull country, beleive me!

At the same time, I have to admit..., I love USA where we spent our summer holidays for seven years.

Ciao again, arrivederci.

Gianni (Milan, Italy)

You could do something to totally shock everybody and entirely skip one of the "big three." My vote would be to skip Florence. See Venice now before it's underwater permanently, see Rome because most of it feels like real Italy. Florence is one gigantic tourist trap, and the Florentines basically don't like anybody (not even other Italians). I've been there two or three times and never enjoyed it.

And, while I'm feeling curmugeonly, I'll just mention that I think Tuscany is also overrated and overrun by foreign tourists. It's just not that special, folks! You can find olive and cypress trees almost anywhere in Italy. There is good wine - great, even! - outside of Chianti. There are far more stunning views in many parts of Italy. I am baffled as to why everyone's so obsessed with Tuscany. Should I blame it on Frances whatshername?

Anyway, if you want concrete suggestions... spend more time in Rome. There's no such thing as too much Rome.

best regards,
Deirdré Straughan

beginningwithi.com

i was going to post that you should consider missing out florence but found that Deidre had got there first. Are you planning an open jaw flight? If so, I'd consider Rome first, then somewhere in tuscan countryside for a break fromm the madding crowd, then onto Venice. 6-4-4 nights would work with that I think. THere's a thread going about agrotourismo which might interest you. It sounds a great trip.

Don't feel obligated to see all 3 of the Big 3. We will be visiting Italy for the 3rd time next month, and we will still not have visited Venice. We plan to do so one of these days, but there are many other interesting places in Italy. For that matter, I did not find Rome as satisfying as other large European cities, but I am sure we will go back at least for short visits.

Adding some time in a smaller town in Tuscany would definitely be worthwhile. While there are plenty of tourists in Tuscany, if you are not there in the summer, you don't necessarily notice other tourists in smaller towns.

We stayed a week in Montepulciano on our second trip and loved it, but there are also lots of other towns that would be charming for a short or longer stay. From one of those, you can do as much day-tripping as you want and see other towns.

Our upcoming trip is to Bologna, Le Marche and the Dolomites, so we share your interest in getting off the beaten track. Good luck.

Consider Sienna (an alternative to Florence?). Absolutely breath taking cathedral and a great town to wander.

Try to get to the Cinque Terre. The Mediterranean is amazing. I would pass on Florence to go to the CT. Also Umbria is wonderful. Get the DK Italy book for some gorgeous pictures & ideas. They have an overall Italy and then some different areas of Italy have their own books. Mine are still packed so this is the only one I remember.

I'd do...

4 nights in Rome.
3 nights on Capri.
4 nights in Florence.
4 nights in Venice.

Of course, it all depends on waht you want to see. If 4 nights in Florence sound like too much, you can daytrip to Siena or San Gimignano. You can also daytrip to Murano, Burano and Torcello from Venice (the three isles can be seen easily in a day). You can also daytrip to Ostia Antica or Tivoli from Rome.

However, there's a lot to keep you busy in those places, so doing daytrips depend on what you'd like to see.

As it is your first time, I'll have to suggest that the triumvirate of the big 3 tourist-destination cities is a must. In spite of having been there many times, those cities are always on our radar whenever we plann for our next vaction.

However, since you ask for places out of the beaten path, you should consider southern Italy. By this I mean going beyond Naples and Amalfi Coast. The regions of Puglia and Calabria are so different form those more famous northern regions, specifically in terms of landscape, architecture, cuisines, and wines. Even the people look different with more of the Mediterranean and Grecian look. If you talk about going to places "off the beaten path", then these are it.

Hi GoAway,

Lots of choices to make! After 3 trips, I'd say that if you really want to get off the beaten path: get a very detailed map of Italy. Blind fold yourself and stick a pin in. If it's a town you have read about here, skip it and try again! Seriously, if you want to go somewhere without other tourists, you need to choose a town you have never heard of!

Good advice above. We have been to both Venice and Rome (among other places in Italy) but we have not been to Florence.

Fly Open Jaw (I would do Venice then Rome but you may want to do it differently).

Try (try hard) to include a stay in 'small town Italy'. If in early fall then the weather in the Veneto area would be nice. If in Spring then you might want to be moore southerly.