honeymooninitaly

We are honeymooning in Italy in early May. What is the best two week plan? We wanted to see Rome, Venice and Tuscany. We also possibly wanted to sit on a beach for a day or two...Any thoughts?

Lily

We were in Italy last May for 18 days. We flew to Italy and stayed 4 nights then took the train to Venice for 4 nights then took the train to Florence where we rented a car and drove to Montepulciano for 7 nights. Then back to Florence for 1 night. We then took the train back to Rome from Florence and took our flight back home the next day. We didn't have open jaw flights otherwise I would recommend flying home from Florence as I felt that 1 night was too short a time in Florence to really appreciate the city although we did get to the major sights. We booked all our train reservations, car rental and hotels in advance and the trip was very smooth. We also drove from Montepulciano to Castiglione della Pescaia for a beach day which was wonderful.

kateny17

Here's one plan:
Fly into Venice
Days 1, 2, 3 - spend in Venice
Days 4, 5, 6, 7 -spend exploring Tuscany (Florence, Siena can be good homebases)
Days 8, 9, 10, 11 - spend in Rome
Days 12, 13, 14 - if you want beaches you can drive right outside of Rome to the coast which might save you time and money. You could also try the beaches at Sperlonga (which is infinitely nicer)and is about a two hour drive south from Rome. At Sperlonga you are about equidistant between Rome and Naples so you can use either of those cities to fly out of. Personally, though, I would cut the beach out so you can dedicate more time to enjoying Venice, Tuscany's small towns, and Rome.

ciaobella2183

I've done a Rome, Florence, Venice trip in the past. We flew into Rome, traveled to Florence and Pisa and then to Venice. We flew out of Venice. SOme suggestions as to some nice small towns on your way (should you decide to drive or do day trips): Orvieto (famous for its wine), Assisi, Perugio (the chocolate!), Siena and Bologna. As for the beach, I'm not too sure how great the beaches are in the Venice or Rome areas. The amalfi coast (Naples, Sorrento, Portofino area), however, is gorgeous and great for beaches! Should you decide to change your plans, I would suggest heading south for the beaches and seeing Capri and Pompeii while your down there.The Amalfi coast is my favorite part of Italy (minus Rome, of course). And I don't think Venice and Florence are worth the hype.

suze

Rome, Florence, Venice make the classic three. Is it really warm enough in early May to sit on a beach?

artlover

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. We were in Italy last May--it's is a good time to be there.

I think kafeny has a really great plan, though I'd add a day on to Venice. Also suggest a very romantic hotel in Venice--check out www.camariaadele.it.

Suze, I'm not a "beach person" but my "Italian" daughter was in Italy in May and she said it was warm enough for the beach--I'm just not sure which one to suggest.

Ciaobella, We just finished the last of the chocolate DD brought us from Perugio--oh, was it outrageous! Guess we'll have to go back for more.

Have a great trip.

daisy58

ciaobella2183-you state that "the amalfi coast-naples, sorrento, and portofino areas" but isn't portofino in the riviera area, by the cinque terre?
this has been my travel quandry, to try
to pull both into the same 14 day trip, so I am sure they are not even relatively close..

bobthenavigator

Here are some samples. My favorite is the Bella Italia for a honeymoon:

BOB the NAVIGATORS’ FIVE FAVORITE ITINERARIES
__________________________________________________ ______________

MAGICAL FAIRYLANDS:
* Arrive and depart Munich--14 nites--May thru Sep.--car travel
* ITINERARY: Salzburg, Dolomites, Venice, Lake Garda, Bavaria
============================================
BELLA ITALIA:
* Arr Milan, dep Venice--15 nites--car & train travel--April thru Oct.
* ITINERARY: Lakes, Ligurian coast, Tuscany, Florence, Venice
============================================
CLASSIC ITALIA:
* Arrive & depart Rome--12 to 14 nites--car & train travel, all year
* ITINERARY: Florence, Tuscan & Umbrian hilltowns, Rome
============================================
LA DOLCE VITA:
* Arr & dep Rome--12 nites--car & train travel--March thru Oct.
* ITINERARY: Amalfi coast, Tuscan hilltowns, Rome
============================================
OF ALPS & LAKES:
* Arrive and depart Zurich--12 nites--train travel--June thru Sep.
* ITINERARY: Berner Oberland, Lugano, Lake Como, Luzern

THE VILLAGE SAMPLER: My personal favorites—north to south.
• Arr Milan & dep Rome---car travel---plan 3 nites per location
• Lake Orta, Castelrotto, Portovenere, Montalcino, Ravello
===================================

ciaobella2183

my mistake...positano no portifino...sorry

john183

My wife and I were in Italy for 2 weeks in May of 2001 (5/5 - 5/20). We wanted to see Rome, Venice, Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast. We flew in to Rome (overnight Fri arriving Sat AM), rented a car and drove to Panzano where we stayed in a villa for a week (day trips to Castellina, Radda, Greve, San Gimignano, Lucca, Sienna, Florence). We REALLY love the Chianti area. Then we took a train from Florence to Venice and stayed at the Hotel American for 2 nights and had a fantastic time. Then, we flew from Venice to Naples, rented a car, drove to Positano and stayed at the Eden Roc for 3 nights. Another fantastic time including a day trip to Amalfi and Ravello. Drove back to Naples (stopped for a couple of hours in Pompeii) and took a train to Rome. Stayed 3 nights at the Scalinata di Spagna and saw a lot of the sites. Flew home Sunday exhausted but extremely happy and absolutely in love with Italy. It was a whirlwind 2 weeks (Tuscany, Venice, Amalfi Coast and Rome) but we loved every minute of it. Like Lily who has posted above, we booked everything (including Uffizi and Accademia tickets but not the train tickets) in advance and the trip was very smooth. Good luck and congrats on your upcoming wedding.

suze

artlover- thanks for the weather info re beach time. i AM a "beach sitter" myself so this was an interesting part of the question to me.

eSynergy

I'm doing the same thing for my honeymoon. We're flying into Rome for 4 days, then to Venice for 3, then renting a private villa outside Florence for a week (getting a car too, to do day trips).