Almost to Italy
 

After talking with DH we've decided to do the we-may-never-get-back-there tour of Italy and hit Venice, Florence and Rome. I know some of you Fodorites gave me feedback on the reasonableness of doing this, but we decided to go ahead and wear ourselves out, see what we can see and enjoy every minute of it.

My itinerary is 50 percent done for our six nights...what do you think so far?

Day One - May 15 (Sun)
8: 45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Arrive at VCE – travel to lodging, check in, freshen up

11:00 a.m. – until
Roam the streets of Venice
Lunch at an outdoor café
Piazza San Marco/Basilica San Marco/Doges/Harry’s Bar
Peggy Guggenheim Gallery
Accademia
Leisurely dinner at Arcimboldo

Day Two - May 16
8:00 a.m. – until
Breakfast
Murano glass factory
Rialto Bridge/Rialto Markets
Picnic Lunch
Frari Church
Torcello – Santa Maria dell’ Assunta
Dinner at Trattoria Antica Bessetta

Day Three - May 17
8:44 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Train to Florence, check in at hotel, freshen up

1:00 p.m. – until
Galleria dell’ Accademia (Michelangelo’s David)
Lunch
Duomo
Uffizi
Santa Croce
Santa Maria Novella
Roam around Florence
Dinner

Also, still trying to decide on a hotel in Venice either the Hotel Ca'd'oro or the Hotel Galleria.

It is a VERY busy schedule. I think you may have trouble seeing the Frari Church, after lunch, crossing Venice, picking up the boat to Torcello, seeing the Cathedral and getting home in time for dinner. You will easily be able to spend 3 hours on Torcello. Also, your schedule will get blown up by the time you are going to wait in line to get into these top sites. Your schedule for Florence to see those galleries, Uffizi, Accademia and the three churches just will not work. You will spend at least 2-3 hours in the line ups to see the two galleries and the Cathedral. You can get your hotel to get reservations for the Uffizi, which should shave some time off the line ups. And oh, you might want to take a bottle full of caffeine pills - you are going to need them.

Yikes!

I think some of what you plan will not be possible, even moving quickly. It takes time to get from one place to another and at some sights you might have to wait in line. Certainly one can run from one place to another and fit in many sights, and I support your willingness to give it a try. However, I think a few of these just won't work in the end.

Check opening and closing times carefully as this may be the deciding factor for what really fits. Also refer to a map for better groupings of sights. For example, Day 3, your afternoon in Florence:

1:00 p.m. – until
Galleria dell’ Accademia (Michelangelo’s David) 1/2 hour
+1/4 hour wander to arrive at
Lunch 1/2 hour
+1/4 hour wander to arrive at
Duomo 1/2
+1/4 hour wander to arrive at
Uffizi 1 hour
+1/4 hour wander to arrive at
Santa Croce 1/2 hour
+1/2 hour wander to arrive at
Santa Maria Novella 1/2 hour

That's about 6 hours with very minimal times alotted for visiting and moving from one place to another. Are these churches open after 6pm? Santa Maria Novella is close to the Duomo so you could save some time reordering your stops.

Go for it, but be ready to adjust to reality. And remember that part of visiting and understanding a place is understanding its rhythms.

Very interested to see days 3-6.

If you have your heart set on all 3 cities, with only 6 days, it will be a bit rushed. There's nothing wrong with planning lots for each day as not to waste a minute, but don't be disappointed if you can't cover all that territory. Rushing through so many sites (and you would have to rush to see all that), will make the entire vacation seem like a blur. I would prioritise the sites, and also, look on a map to maybe concentrate on sites in particular areas (especially with ROme, which is more spread out).

Pace yourself, enjoy the sites and scenery, and don't feel bad if you can't see everything on your list (which I bet you won't be able to). Italy is a special place, every corner you turn has something to offer.

Having done my share of both Slow Travel and "Fast Travel" - and having no problem with either - I just don't think your schedule so far is feasible. So, I agree with TorontoSteven above.

I think you can go ahead and TRY it...just be psychologically prepared to drop some things you've planned. Also, I think your Day 1 in Venice is highly ambitious given that you will have taken an overseas flight.

That said, if you're able to follow your schedule, more power to you. Have fun!

TorontoSteven,
Thanks for the tips. Nothing is written in stone. We may actually skip the glass factory in Murano so maybe that'll free us up for the Frari in the morning. As for Florence the multitude of sites was more a wish list and very preliminary. I know Accademia is a must for DH, other than that, we’re flexible. I didn’t mean to sound as though we wouldn’t sleep, but cute comment about the pills.;-)

Ellenem-Thanks bunches. We won't try to see everything and certainly won't be running, but I realize now that the post (accompanied by my introductory comments) sounds like a race:-) I probably should have waited to post the Florence piece because I've not studied that map as closely and my sites are simply listed without rhyme or reason it seems:-)

Hmmm I think I'll do some tweaking..

MFNYC- I can't wait to see what's around those corners and I'm sure that in the end whatever is there will slow us down.

hunnym-that's exactly how I crafted the itinerary "psychologically prepared to drop some things." By week's end, I'm sure we'll hone in on what we really would like to do. I had thought about the jet lag factor, but thinking with the overnight flight we'd get some shut-eye. We'll play by ear and see how Day 1 goes.

Hi ChiDalGirl,
I agree with the above. I can comment on Florence and Rome, we are in the process of planning our next trip, this time to Florence and Venice.

What I would do with the sights you listed is find out which ones are most important to you and your DH. List the places you absolutely can't miss.

One of the things I most enjoyed about my first trip was observing. Just sitting, staring, taking in every bit of the essence this beautiful country has to offer. Let her amaze you! Please don't run around so much that you don't take a moment to soak it all in.

While I don't pretend to be as experienced as some of the travelers on this board, I have traveled a good deal, and by far some of my most memorable moments, especially in Italy, were the unplanned.

Sit, bask, adore, for it is all there for you to enjoy!

Ciao, T.

p.s. And ChiDalGirl, if you fall in love with Italy the way I did, you WILL return again, trust me.

Hi again,

If you are cutting out things I would probably give the heave to Harry's Bar (way over priced and its only tourists staring at one another wondering if they are having fun) and the Peggy Guggenheim (going to Venice for modern art is like going to a Major League game to enjoy the hotdogs - sure its fun, but its not the point).
Believe me, as Tiff says, you will love it and you will return. My wife is from another part of Europe and scoffed at me for wanting to go to Italy. We went, now she loves it, so we go back. She would probably sell me to a hospital for body parts to raise money so she could go now.

Hi girl,

Since you are intent on doing 3 cities in 6 days, please make a list of the 2 things that you must see in each city (Murano glass shops won't be on it) and do those two.

Let the rest of your visit be unplanned and serendipitous.

I suggest that you take the no.7 bus from the train station up to Fiesole and watch the sun set over the city.

((I))

I think I'm going to print your itinerary just to show my DH that ours is not so jampacked. We are going to Venice-Florence-CT-Rome but over 11 days and even my fanatical crazed tour director planning only has one planned activity/tour per day w/ the other half day left open. Plus I made no plans for Day 1 since the time we booked a bus tour our first day in Vienna and slept the whole time....

Tiff-oohhh I can't wait. Reading your response heightened the excitement I'm already feeling! I definitely need to sit down with hubby and figure those sights out because other than David and the usual stuff in Rome, he hasn't expressed any other must-see sights. Sounds like an opportunity to bask...eh?

TS-Thanks for giving me the heads up on Harry's. So, MLB isn't about the hot dogs and beer? aw shucks. You've got me laughing now..do hospitals actually do that? don't answer.:-)

Hey Ira, I know...I'm hard-headed. DH tells me that often.:-) But I am starting to get the picture:

<<Let the rest of your visit be unplanned and serendipitous>>

Ohhh I can't wait!

Suehoff-oh no, don't do that!:-) My itinerary appears to be that of a madwoman!

Anyone have a comment on the hotels I mentioned in my original post??

TorontoSteven, just make sure if parts are sold, that it's only one kidney, that way you can still go with her!

:S- T.

ChiDalGirl,

If I could so bold as to make one last request, if you love Botticelli, please do not miss Rooms 10-14 at the Uffizi, an area solely dedicated to Botticelli and his amazing work, truly a treasure.

At one point, while basking in his beauty, I was alone in the room. Little me, alone with the Birth of Venus. I was so in awe, and I had this little innocent grin, as if I had pulled off this rather large coup.

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! Best regards, T.

CDG-I need a madwoman peer group...so I must present evidence of others.

Here's my two cents on Venice....

Since your time is so limited, you really do want to make the best of it. First suggestion is to move San Marco Basilica to the early morning of Day Two. Arrive early and you will be glad you did because you will be able to enjoy its beauty before the crowds arrive. Be sure to see the Pala d'Oro behind the main altar--definitely worth the time. By 9:45, you will be on your way.

Second suggestion is to go back to the piazza in the evening...it is magical. All the daytrippers have left, the artists are out and the music is playing. That's the time to sit at an outdoor table at one of the cafes (try a Bellini) and just enjoy the magic of Venice.

Last, you definitely don't have the time for Murano or Torcello...go only if it is a must for you.

Also, be sure to check the opening and closing times of the museums and which days the museums and restaurants are closed.

Agree, as much as I enjoy watching glass blowing, skip the other islands this trip. You don't have enough time to see the sights in the main part of the city with only 1-1/2 jet-lagged days.

1. Be sure to make reservations for the Accademia and the Ufizzi in Florence.
2. If you go to the Accademia in Venice, tour it in reverse order (you'll want some time with the Titians but can jog through the Giottos).
3. Do NOT skip Scuola di San Rocco. Its right behind the Frari, is small and won't take much time and has the best paintings in Venice (in all of Italy in my inexpert opinion).
4. Agree with the others, skip the other islands.
5. Have fun!