@ellenem "As soon as you leave that beaten path, you can lose the crowds and wander arm in arm through quiet walkways."

@kelsey22 "If you love architecture, you might just swoon when you walk into San Marco at night. It is all lit up and there is music playing from the cafes. Couples dance in the square - really you can't miss it. "

that was really sweet! Actually this is the kind of review I'm looking for, one like yours and the part you quoted from Sassafras.. I really need to capture the spirit of the place cause everything I see or read about Venice feel extremely tourist-y to me and that's not what I'm looking for.. I want this one to feel so special and different from any other trip I've ever made.

I know it's a bit cheesy but I think romance over-load is somehow justified on a honeymoon!

@kelsey22 and thank you so much for the lovely wishes

I have a great book for you to read - all about romance and Venice....will have to dig it up. I will post it tomorrow. and thank you for your kind words....

I will post something about the architecture of Carlo Scarpa in Venice soon. Just have to find my notes.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm is something I Wrote about Venice and architecture. Do a search for Scarpa on the page - a Venetioan architect inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Or


http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm. Our first long visit.

Thanks a lot Kelsey & Peter

On a side note, after we started considering Venice we found that we're going to blow our budget if we insist on including multiple countries..
So we're actually starting to consider changing the whole itinerary and just visit Rome & Venice, maybe include a day trip to Florence.. What do you think?

Well, I love Prague and Salzburg, but I have to admit that an Italian honeymoon certainly sounds lovely. There is something to be said for remaining in one country... aside from saving money, it allows you to get a little better connection to the culture. Whether you add Florence to the Rome-Venice plan will mostly depend on logistics of time and money. Either way, you will have a lovely honeymoon in Italy.

msteacher.. Thank you so much
and yea I guess it will be a lot less exhausting too..

I think that Rome and Venice sounds good. I’d suggest that when you arrive in Rome, take a train straight away to Venice. Venice is good for getting over jet lag, and the train takes about four hours. Or if you have not yet booked your flights, do an "open jaw" ticket, fly into Venice, train to Rome and fly out.

You noted that you are interested in architecture and interior design, and I discovered the work of Carlo Scarpa in Venice. We were staying in an apartment that had been re-modelled by a student of Scarpa, and Scarpa’s hand was evident. His work reflects Frank Lloyd Wright and also has Japanese influences. Strong horizontal lines, and an amazing way of using stone and metal finishes. If you go into the Academe gallery in Venice, you’ll see a couple of rooms that he did.

I found myself doing this Scarpa treasure hunt in Venice, walking all over the place to see his work. It was a lot of fun.

I agree - Stick with Italy!

You can fly into Rome, stay a week, then train up to Venice fpr your second week and fly home from there.

OR, you can fly into Rome for a 3 nights, then take a train up to a Tuscan town, say Montepulciano (my favorite) and spend a week in a Tuscan Villa - rent a car there, and ramble around the Tuscan countryside seeing several towns, soaking up the culture, meeting locals... (so romantic) - - then cap off the trip with 4 nights in Venice.. That's just me though, I like a bit of city *and* countryside..

I agree with Jinky! Rome > Tuscan countryside > Venice. What a perfect honeymoon.

<b>Peter_S_Aus said</b>>>>><i>I’d suggest that when you arrive in Rome, take a train straight away to Venice</i>

How does this even make sense? I think they want to spend some time in Rome, not fly into Rome and then immediately train up to Venice.

Did I miss something?

Doppio, I was thinking that they would be flying into Rome, and departing from Rome, and would be visiting both Rome and Venice. If that’s the case, they would need to spend their last night in Rome.

So my suggestion would be to fly into Rome, take the train to Venice, spend some days in Venice, train back to Rome, spend some days in Rome, and fly out. Or fly into Venice, spend some time in Venice, train to Rome, spend some time in Rome, and fly back to the USA.

Why not just fly into Rome and out of Venice as opposed to Rome and then Venice and then Rome again?

I still say Rome > Tuscan countryside > Venice.

Thanks everyone you're absolutely helpful

Actually the cheapest flight options we could find is flying into Rome, then flying from Rome to Venice, and then flying back to Rome for our flight home.. Flying home from Venice is way more expensive than flying back to Rome + flying home from Rome combined

Yikes! I stand corrected.

Where are you flying from? How about a train from Rome to Venice, or is it cheaper to fly?

Rome to Venice by train is 80 euro, and takes 3 hrs 40 minutes.

First time we went to Venice, we flew into Rome, then Alitalia flight to Venice. We would not do that again, as the Rome / VCE flight was expensive, and changing from International to Domestic in Rome was a pain in the neck. If we had to travel via Rome, then we'd take the train, which deposits you right on the Grand Canal in Venice.

Worth a thought.

We're flying from Cairo, Egypt.. There are numerous cheap direct flights to Rome from Cairo daily, but Venice is so much more expensive.
We did consider the train but found domestic flights for only 100 euros and it only takes 1 hour, so we thought that would be much more comfortable than the train.

But, if we decide to add the Tuscan countryside (which is something I'm dying to do!) I guess we'll have to take trains between cities.