Another Italy itinerary question
 

Fodor's folks were extremely helpful in steering me on a UK adventure last year,so I am hoping for some help with Italy next year.;-)

We have 2 to 2 1/2 weeks in May. I have been to Florence (my "I must see it before I die" first European trip.) I want to see Rome and Venice, Ravenna if possible, and maybe Tuscany. I am an avid museum, art gallery, ancient sites seeker. The Tuscany part would be more about drinking wine and relaxing. I am thinking 5 nights in Rome, 3 nights in Venice. How can link these together? Would like to take trains into and out of the cities, maybe a car in the country? Also, it seems easier to get flights to Milan than Rome, or am I crazy?

Thanks for your thoughts on this!

Fly into Milan and go directly to Venice. Spend 4 nights in Venice, then rent a car and drive to your base in Tuscany (stopping Ravenna) and spend 4-5 nights in Tuscany. Drive to Chiusi, drop off car, and take the train to Rome, spend the rest of your time in Rome.

Just a start!

I've never researched the matter, but it's hard to imagine there are more international flights into Milan than Rome. Where are you flying from?

>>How can link these together?<<
Rome and Venice? I'm not sure I understand the question.

Anyway, let's say you flew into Rome and spent your 5 nights there. On the last day there, you could rent a car to drive to Tuscany and tour. (Suggest you rent on a Saturday or Sunday -- much easier to leave Rome on those days.)

Then you could drive to the Florence, drop the car off, and train to Venice. Spend your three days there, and fly out of Venice.

Or you could do the trip in reverse, flying into Venice and out of Rome. I prefer Rome first and Venice last.

No reason to include Milan,just fly to Venice and start there.
Then train to Florence and get your car as you depart. Do not commit to a Venice departure until you know the flights hours---many are brutal connections in Europe gateway cities.

Hi e,

I would fly into Venice and then follow ekc's suggestion:
"Spend 4 nights in Venice, then rent a car and drive to your base in Tuscany (stopping Ravenna) and spend 4-5 nights in Tuscany. Drive to Chiusi, drop off car, and take the train to Rome, spend the rest of your time in Rome".

Visit Orvieto and Ostia Antica while in Rome.

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

The question is is ot possible to fly to Milan and fly back from Rome? I think that is weigh more expensive, but would make things much easier. But there is a really fast train in Italy which connects the bigger cities like Milan and Rome. Look here http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...003f16f90aRCRD

That's called open jaw and shouldn't be much more expensive.

>>>I think that is weigh more expensive, but would make things much easier.<<<

No, it's not way more expensive to fly into one city and home from another. Just click the multi-city function when searching flights. I would not waste a vacation day traveling back to Milan. If Delta has round trip flights to Venice for $1200 and round trip flights to Rome for $1150, your flight into Venice and home from Rome will price at about $1175, cheaper than the train to backtrack.

Would probably be flying on Delta or American due to mileage programs- I don't think either flies into Venice? It would be great to fly out of Miami, but usually we get routed through JFK. Will definitely look at open jaw- thanks.

ekc- That is the kind of thing I was thinking about. Now have to find out what Chuisi is. ;-)

Thanks for the train links!

My first thought in Tuscany is Sienna- should I be having a second thought?

Delta flies into and out of Venice--also Air France their partner.

Okay, life took a detour preventing this year's trip. Now looking at next year and have two small changes:

Still want to see Rome and Venice- side trips to Ravenna and Herculaneum/Pompei, if possible. But switching from Tuscany to a relaxing stay on one of the northern Italy lakes.

Still thinking of open jaw- into Rome leaving Milan. We have 2 1/2 to 3 weeks.

E,
Hope the detour is now over and you can visit Italy!

If visiting Pompeii and Herculaneum is now a priority, you might want to consider the relaxing time on the Amalfi Coast rather than the northern lakes. The Amalfi Coast is definitely worth 4 or 5 days and May can be a pretty good time to visit. Not as crowded as the summer months, but still good weather.

In addition to Pompeii and Herculaneum, you could visit Paestum for Greek temples. I loved this site enough that I got interested in Greek ruins and visited Sicily last year for more.

Pompeii and Herculaneum could be visited on the way to/from the coast with proper planning. Lots of options for sightseeing and relaxing on the Amalfi.

I'm only recommending this based on your desire to see these two sites, not because the northern lakes are not just as beautiful and nice in May!

Only you can choose what will be most interesting to you.

arrive Milan
3 nts Lago Maggiore, or other (Maggiore is just 1 hr by train from Milan)
4 nts Venice
train or fly to Naples
5 nts Amalfi Coast
5 nts Rome

That might leave you a couple nights for a stay in a small Tuscan hilltown (not Siena which is a beautiful city), depending on whether your 3 weeks includes flight days.

Just one of many possibilities! Happy planning.

I think putting the Lakes at the end of your trip makes sense if you are flying out of Milan. Also, if you are touring Pompei, it is best to go as early as possible when the weather is cooler.

I am mystified by the above report that the lakes are not as beautiful in May. That is when all the flowers bloom. The lakes are famous for their gardens.

I would want a full 3 weeks for a trip that had Pompeii, Rome, Ravenna and Venice in it, plus a wrap up on a lake, but others could probably do it in 2.5 or even 2.

This is probably what I would do:

Fly into Rome and train directly to Pompei (or fly into Naples and take a taxi to Pompei)

Spend 2 nights in Pompeii (I would probably try to see Herculaneum my first day of arrival.

On my way to Rome, store luggage in Naples train station, see archeological museum and other sights in Naples, retrieve luggage, go to Rome

Rome for X nights

Train to Ravenna 2 nights (including the short trip to Classe for the basilica there)

Venice for X nights

Lake (probably Lago di Como)

Taxi transfer to Malpensa to fly home.

So doing a day trip to Herculaneum from Rome is not recommended? I am going to give up on that idea.

sandralist: Your itinerary is close to what I was thinking. You can take a train from Rome to Ravenna? From the route maps, it looks like Ravenna is off the beaten path.

I did visit Locarno many years ago and suspect that the lake and towns of Lago di Como are similar?

Sandralist made a nice plan, but after a long flight, I would not try to visit Herculaneum on arrival day, especially coming from Rome. Herculaneum is so interesting and lovely, I would want to be rested to enjoy it more. Also, I would add at least one more night for some kind of trip (by ferry is beautiful) down the AC. As a matter of fact, given your intense interest in ancient sites, you might want to stay another day and see Paestum.

Delta flies from JFK non-stop to Milan, to Venice and to Rome

Delta partners/code shares with Alitalia, KLM and Air France.
If you are using air miles book as early as possible.
If there are no non stops flights from Miami you can either connect at JFK or in Europe

For a train from Rome to Ravenna, you take a fast train to Bologna, then catch a slow train from Bologna to Ravenna. The trip takes about four hours.

>>>So doing a day trip to Herculaneum from Rome is not recommended? I am going to give up on that idea.<<<

It's not difficult at all if that's what you want to do. The fast train from Rome to Naples (70 minutes) and switch to the local Circumvesuviana train (in the basement of the train station) to Ercolano Scavi stop (15 minutes - 2-3€). Herculaneum is a couple of blocks walk downhill from the station.

Life throws all sorts of detours in one's way, but we are *finally* going to Italy. Interestingly, sandralist's itinerary is very close to what I am thinking. I have been trimming and trimming and have come up with:

Fly into Rome- 5 nights (actually have reservations here)

Rent a car and drive through Umbria (3 nights) to Ravenna (2-3 nights)and drive to Lake Como for 4 nights.

Fly out of Milan (have tickets).

I gave up on Venice for this trip in order to make my travel partner, one who prefers wide open spaces to museums and old churches with mosaics, happy.

1. Do you think driving this route is preferable to taking trains?

2. I'm pretty set on Lake Como, but I'm not sure about Umbria. Does anyone have a suggestion for a great town for a couple of days stay with day trips? I was looking at Assisi and Perugia...

Suggestion- you will need a car for Umbria and I suggest you keep it at least until Ravenna. I would plan on spending an entire day driving/exploring between your base in Umbria and Ravenna, with a stop in Gubbio for sure. You could then turn in the car in Ravenna, spend a night or two, and then train to Lake Como.


In Umbria, I like to base near Bavagna. Spello would also be good. Both seems very central for exploring the region.

I would actually take a night from Ravenna (and maybe from Lake Como also) and add to Umbria. It's a region that just seems to deserve more time than a few nights.