We arrive in Paris on 27th August, and will spend six nights there. We then have 16 nights before we arrive in Venice on 18th September.

We will spend two or three nights in Turin, as we want to visit the Egyptian museum, otherwise the agenda is wide open.

We want to do something of a history trip, as besides Egypt, we are on something of a Roman Empire history kick. Hoping to visit smaller towns rather than the larger cities, and we would be travelling by train. Crossing our personal Rubicon, looking at aqueducts, that sort of trip.

Not much into art, other than Roman frescoes this time, not really into glorious scenery, and we'd choose to spend at least two or three nights in the places that we visit.

Suggestions are most welcomed!

Take the TGV to the Provence and rent a car to visit different towns with Roman ruins. We based ourselves in Arles last June and visited Nimes, but only passed near the Pont du Gard. Both Arles and Nimes have Roman remains, and Arles has a museum of Roman artifacts, including a preserved river barge.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/14611301837

using the right and left arrows you will see more Roman artifacts, including some mosaics.

Agree that I would take the TGV to Avignon and make that your base for exploring the area, including Arles, Orange, the Pont du Gard, etc. in the area you should also check out Gordes for the Bories (I believe that is what they are called), which are ancient stone houses built without any kind of mortar. They are really fascinating.

Great suggestions -excellent!

If you are interested in Roman history, I also recommend going through Provence.

As indicated by the name: Vaison-la-Romaine

http://www.provenceweb.fr/e/vaucluse/vaison/vaison.htm

I would take a train to Lyon (which was the largest city in Roman Gaul) to see the Roman ruins there and then get your car and continue south. Then just south of Lyon you can stop in Vienne to visit the amphitheater/ruins there and then continue on to Orange for the great theater then head to Vaison-la-Romaine and then continue on.

The first crusades departed from the walled city of Aigues Morte. We found it very interesting for that bit of history and the place is unique - built by the sea rather than on cliffs or mountains. Great place to spend a night or two within the walls.

If you are on a Roman history kick, and given the fact that this his high summer, I suggest you make a point of visiting spectacular Aosta and enjoying the cooler Alpine air. You can even do it as a day trip from Torino. Be sure to see the underground cisterns as well as the other Roman sights.

Also, in response to other threads, if you care about the crusades, you should go to Genova.

I think if you head to south-central France you will be spending an awful lot of time on trains, but I could be wrong. Check out the train schedules between French destinations and Venice. You might want to fly. Heading east from Turin, areas of interest within northern Italy for Roman empire buffs include Brescia and Verona, conveniently on your way to Venice. But Aosta is a delightful destination. (And while in Torino, you might not want to miss the cinema museum, and its architectural history. Three nights in Turin is actually a bit skimpy, especially if you include Aosta.)

I missed the part of your post where you said - "Hoping to visit smaller towns rather than the larger cities, and we would be travelling by train."

The problem is that most smaller towns don't have train stations and the best Roman sites in France tend to be in cities. However, by train you can get to Lyon, Vienne, Orange, Nîmes and Arles. The Pont du Gard and Vaison-la-Romaine will require buses. Nice has Roman ruins as well.

Glanum, outside of St Remy, is worthwhile as a whole Roman town. To see the Roman ruins of the south of France efficiently you are best off with a car. Don't miss the amphitheter in Orange or the Pont du Gard.

From Venice (which we LOVED) we went to Florence and visited some of the small Tuscan towns. San Gimignano was INCREDIBLE. It's not Roman ruins, but the town is more than 1,000 years old and in remarkably good condition. It felt like walking back in time and was a highlight.

Maybe I missed something ... but how about ROME for Roman ruins? It's quite easy to get to Florence & Rome by train from Venice. We loved Pompeii, also. Of course, Rome's not a "small town" but it's amazing and the ruins are EVERYWHERE. I especially loved the cat sanctuary where cats perch on ancient Roman columns.

I'd thought you had to go somewhere (i.e., the Forum) to see the ruins -- but all we had to do was walk outside our hotel!

Sounds like it'll be a great trip!

I was also going to say Orange, not least because i performed in the roman theatre there once.

i think that in 16 days you've got plenty of time to see the roman part of the SoF, Genoa and Turin [have you seen this great thread about Turin?] before you go to Venice.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...n-of-italy.cfm

but I don't think that you've got enough time to go down to Florence or San Gim, let alone Rome.

how long do you have in Venice this time?

Thanks all for your most helpful advice, and Turin certainly seems to warrant more than a couple of days.

Great info on the truffles and tajarin Trip report. How come it is called tajarin, given that "j" is not included in the Italian alphabet?

Anne, five weeks only in Venice this time, so it's something of a flying visit. The Arts Biennale will be in full swing while we are there, and if it is anything like the Archi Biennale it will be both perplexing and fascinating.

If you get a chance, visit Padua while you are in Venice. The historical botanical gardens are worth a visit, and there is a new, huge greenhouse that will be open by now. An Italian take on the Crystal Palace.

Our trip is looking like Paris - Arles - Turin - Genoa - Venice, maybe one other place as well. We'll see.

Peter, i anticipate having at most 2 but probably only one chance to take off by myself for an afternoon when I'm in Venice in February with our language class. We will have lessons in the morning [3 hours finishing at noon] then there will be various activities organised.

I looked at the website of the Orto Botanico in Padua, and found one mention of a "serra" - [glasshouse] tropica - i suppose that must be it. Padua is definitely at the top of my list along with Vicenza - both are places that I think would make nice afternoon excursions.

a friend just got back from Venice and said that the acqua alta was very bad - they had the raised boards out but she still wished that she'd taken her wellies like I suggested. i will try to persuade DD to lend me hers - they are very light but waterproof!

BTW, i like your itinerary. i think that in 16 days I wouldn't try to add in another place to stay.

There is a branch of the Galeria Doria Pamphilij in Genoa that I would like to see:

http://www.dopart.it/genova/il-palazzo/

"How come it is called tajarin, given that "j" is not included in the Italian alphabet?"
Because it is not in Italian, it is in Piemontese, the local dialect.

Thanks for that, Pvoyageuse. I'd not known there was a distinct Piemontese dialect.

Must have been a nightmare for Olivetti producing typewriters pre-unification ...

? Olivetti wasn't even founded until the 20th century.