I'm planning on going through europe next summer with my boyfriend, I have only just started planning it but here is a rough guide to what I'd like to see: Milan, Venice, Turin, Portofino, Pisa (does anyone know if the tower is open now?), Siena, Florence/Tuscany, Rome, Sardinia (is this worth the de tour?), Pompeii, Sicilt and Cinque Terre(does anyone know where this is?!) I know it is a lot but as I said it is just what I've jotted down as an interest. If anyone could offer advice on what they think of this plan, is it too much for 1 month? Which are the places that deserve most time? I really would appreciat any help anyone could offer. Is there a monthly train ticket you can buy in Italy? Thank you for your time.

Wow, a whole month. That's awesome. <BR> <BR>You might want to limit your time in Milan and Turin, in exchange for some time in the Umbria region. Umbria is Tuscany's overlooked neighbor, with its own wonderful landscapes and charming hilltop villages. <BR> <BR>Cinque Terre is on the Ligurian coast, south of Genoa. <BR> <BR>Finally, do lots of research. Do keyword searches on this forum, check out books from the library, ask everyone you know who's ever been to Italy. <BR> <BR>Have fun

I'm jealous. A whole month in Italy will be great. Its hard to say if what you've jotted down is too much for a month. You can cover a lot of ground, but it will depend on how much time you want to spend on one place. I mean, you could easily spend a whole week in Rome, and at least a week in Florence and Tuscany. So you need to do some more research, decide how much you want to see in each place. <BR> <BR>Check out the www.raileurope.com website. This talks about all the different kind of railpasses. There are several different types available, but I believe there is one for unlimited travel in Italy for a month. <BR> <BR>As Ralphie said, Cinque Terre is on the Ligurian coast. Its probably a couple hours by train from Florence or Milan. <BR> <BR>Definitely do a search on the places that specifically interest you in this forum. There has been so much said about things like how to take the train to Pompeii, how to get around the Cinque Terre, how to get advance tickets for museums in Florence, what to see in Siena. You'll find the archive invaluable. <BR> <BR>Happy Planning! <BR> <BR>(PS -- do you mean next summer, as in summer 2000? If so, you may have trouble finding accomodations. Book soon! Rome in particular will be full of Pilgrims, and Florence and Venice are always packed).

Thanks Beth and Ralphie. BETH by next summer I did mean 2001 so I have plenty of time to plan, that's why my plan is so rough!! Thank you for your advise, especially on the Cinque Terre, where would this fit in with the places I want to visit?

The Tower of Pisa is due to reopen in June, 2001.

When you say 'summer', when exactly do you mean, because it can get pretty full up in Italy in July and August, and August is when many Italians themselves go on holiday. <BR>If you could go nearer to the beginning of the traditional holiday period or nearer to the end, you might well find it easier to get around and cheaper. <BR>I would recommend going to Naples. Lots of people have a horror of the place just upon hearing the name, but if you want to see the real Italy and eat some great food, then this is the place to be. From there, you can take a hydrofoil to beautiful Capri for the day or an overnight stay or you could take the train to Sorrento. <BR>This forum will be of great help to you in researching your trip, as would be guidebooks like Rough Guide or Lonely Planet. <BR>There are various types of rail tickets and rail passes. Once again, a search of this site or the web in general for European rail sites will be of assistance.

By summer I had hoped to go in May but since the tower of Pisa isn't going to open again until June I'm thnking of rescheduling. Is it worth it?