Advice on itinerary - Tuscany & Rome
 

Hi there,

My husband and I are going to Tuscany & Rome for our 1 yr anniversary June 2 (arrive 3rd) - June 14. We are staying at a villa in Tuscany and will have a car. We like to explore, relax and be spontaneous, but also like to see the "tourist" sites.

Would anyone mind reading our itinerary and giving me feedback/suggestions?

Sat (3rd) - arrive in Rome early morning, train to Florence, lunch, pick up car, drive to villa (Il Cortile del Borgo near San Gimignano). Dinner at villa.

Sun – Relax in the morning, explore area. Visit San Gimignano in the afternoon, stay for dinner.

Mon - Pisa (meeting cousin)

Tue - Chianti region: Montefioralle, Greve, Villa Vignamaggio (tour of gardens/cellars), Castello di Volpaia, Rada, Castellina.

Wed – Florence: Pitti Palace, Uffizi, Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria (Rivoire for lunch), Duomo group, Santa Croce (& leather school), Galleria dell 'Accademia

Thu – Southern: Montalcino (Fattoria dei Barbi), Pienza (shopping, cheese tasting!), Montepulciano (Avignonesi estate), maybe stop in Siena for dinner

Fri – Siena: Duomo, Campo, Pubblico. Antica Osteria for lunch, pastries at Pasticceria Bini. Stop at Monteriggioni on the way back to villa? Dinner at villa.

Sat - Return car to Florence, train to Rome, relax/dinner around hotel (Albergo del Senato)

Sun - Colloseum, Forum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps

Mon - morning to wander (market at Campo del Fiori?), shop, relax. Afternoon - Borghese Gallery.

Tue - Vatican and maybe National Museum in afternoon if up for it

Wed - late morning flight home

Hi Mac,

On Sat, I suggest that you drive to Orvieto to drop off your car.

You can see the town and then take the train to Rome.

Have a nice visit.

((I))

Just a little reminder that in the smaller towns in Tuscany many of the shops, etc. close down from 1:00 - 3:30 or so. We will be in Tuscany shortly after you leave and that is something I have to keep reminding myself of.

You have an awful lot crammed into your single day in Florence and your first day in Rome. Maybe prioritize in Florence and then get reservations for the Uffizi and/or Accademia.

And I hope you're not flying a long distance into Rome -- as is implied by your early morning arrival. You seem to make no allowance at all for jet lag. About the time you're picking up your car and driving south, drowsiness will hit hard. Have you driven in Italy before? It requires your full attention.

Also renting a villa usually requires a trip to a nearby supermarket, for toilet paper if nothing else. Often these stores are not open on Sunday so you need to go Saturday afternoon/evening.

Thanks for the input!
Yes, we're flying into Rome from Chicago, train to Florence, then driving to the villa. We'll be tired, but DH has driven in Italy & Europe many times and we'll just take our time. (Also, the villa is only Sat-Sat and is already paid for on those days, so really our only choice) We have pretty much the day on Sunday to relax and recover from the jet lag. Both of us are usually pretty good with recovering.

I agree, Florence is a bit packed. We might drop the Galleria off the itin.

Thanks so much!