Message: Hello,
This is also our first trip to Italy and I really need the advice of previous travelers. We want to visit Rome, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, do a wine tour, and spend the last three days in the Sorrento/Positano area to unwind. We will have 12 days for our vacation. We both like to pack a lot in a vacation but I do not want it to be too much-to the point that when we get home everything is a blur. Busy, but pleasant and memorable is our goal. Please help me with your suggestions. They will be appreciated.

If you have favorite hill towns, please advise. Better to stay in Siena or Florence?

Note: We have decided to leave out Venice this time around. However, your honest opinions are needed. We both feel that including the Amalfi coast would give us more variety in our vacation.

Kindest Regards,
Kathryn

Kathryn,

You won't get many responses to this post because the title isn't specific; re-post your message and put Italy in the title.

Hello Kathryn.

I'm a nomad, I like moving around, far more so than many people on this board. So I would cautiously say your itinerary is do-able if you have very specific goals. Unfortunately it will be a tight fit to get 3 full days (i.e. 4 n) on the Amalfi coast given you have only 8 or 9 nights for the rest. Does 12 days mean 12 or 13 nights? Does it exclude the night you will spend on the plane? Have you booked your air tickets yet or do you have an option of flying into Pisa/Florence and out of Naples? Are you travelling by car or train?

Sue,
Thanks for your response. We have 12 full days in Italy, with two additional for travel, total = 14. I have not booked the plane reservations yet, still in the prelim stage. I will keep your open-jaw suggestion in mind. It is so very hard to decide on so few places when almost all of Italy is fabulous.

Hi ferrier,

You have 4 vacations here:

1. Florence, Tuscany and Venice.

2. Rome, Naples and the AC

3. Rome, Florence and Venice.

4. Rome, Florence and the AC.

I suggest that you focus your trip more tightly.

You will get to Italy again.

PS: There are good reasons why first-timers do no. 3.

I absolutely agree with Ira. #3 is a great first trip to Italy. Start in Rome, spend 4 days in Florence which will allow for side trips to Siena or San Gimignano, and end in Venice, a wonderful place to unwind. And you can arrange an open jaw flight into Rome and from Venice.

Have you written it all down so you can really see how it would fit? That helps. I just sketched it a bit together for you to see what you would be looking at.

Day 1: Fly into Florence or Pisa depending on your routing
Day 2: Florence
Day 3: Florence
Day 4: Siena (rent a car, check out some wineries on the Chianti drive along the way)
Day 5: Siena
Day 6: Siena (day trip to San Gim and Volterra)
Day 7: Siena (day trip to Montalcino and Montepulciano)
Day 8: Rome (drop off car)
Day 9: Rome
Day 10: Rome
Day 11: Sorrento/Positano (I've never been, so I don't know what the logistics are or if train or car would be better)
Day 12: Sorrento/Positano
Day 13: Sorrento/Positano
Day 14: Fly out of Naples

I put Siena in there as a base for Tuscany, San Gimignano is so close it doesn't really make sense to change hotels. Of course, you can make San Gimignano your base - it's only a little farther to get to Montalcino/Montepulciano if those are places you would be interested in going to.

Anyway, hope it helps to see it written down like that. I would say it's doable, but definitly busy. Too much for me, but may be just right for you.