thedean786

Hello,
My fiance and I are planning our honeymoon for next year and it has always been a dream of ours to go to Italy. As newbies we were wondering where were the best places to go? We would love the chance to share a little romance, take in some history, enjoy the cuisine, people, views, and do a little shopping. We were thinking Rome but feel that may be a bit too cliche. any suggestions?
Thanks,
Sami

rex

Rome.. too cliche? Is gtting married too cliche? Is holding hands too cliche? I should think not.

What season? You can find everything you seek all over Italy, especially in the two other generally most popular destinations: Florence/Tuscany and Venice. But in some seasons, in some regions, in better ways than in others.

Whatever your decisions, congratulations on your new life in marriage... and...

Best wishes,

Rex

bobthenavigator

When? How long? How much?

ira

Hi D,

>We were thinking Rome but feel that may be a bit too cliche. <

Hmmmmmmmmmmm. How about a week at
http://www.castiglionedellago.it/eng/england.htm ?

thedean786

Well assuming the dates all fall in place we are looking at late April early May and the budget we are trying to stick to is around $5000 and are planning to be goine for 10 days. Hopefully this will shed some light on the matter and maybe get some more responses.
Thanks,
Sami

Inese_23

Italy is the best choice for honeymoon! My husband and I had the same choice and we were really happy about it. We spent 2 days in Rome, 2 days in Naples and 5 days in Capri.
The Rome is fantastic! The history, the magnificent buildings and monuments - it all was fantastic! From Naples we went to see Pompei and Vesuvus. It was great as well, but I don't suggest anyone to stay in Naples. The city is dreadful due to the crime, poverty, dirty streets, etc. It is better to stay in Sorento, if you choose to see the above mentioned places (I wish we would have taken into consideration this suggestion, when we planned our trip!). The Capri was great as well. The food was fantastic, italian people were very friendly, kindhearted and attentive and the island was beautiful. We rented a boat, which took two of us around the island for a beautiful and romantic excursion.
We didn't include Venice into our itineary, as we have been there several times before. I've heard that Florence is beautiful as well.
So whatever you choose to see in Italy, you can't go wrong! Good luck and congratulations!

motor_city_girl

We celebrated our anniversary in Italy the first two weeks of this past April. We actually had 12 days in cities and 2 days for travel.

We LOVED Rome even more than expected. There are so many great places you can day trip from Rome too. We found it very romantic. Stayed at Residenza Cellini and we treated like royalty. Lovely room with private bath. They only have six rooms. Breakfast was really nice and they gave us a complementary bottle of proseco.

We enjoyed Orvieto, which is an easy day trip from Rome. Also a very romantic. You could also day trip to Florence but here is what we did...

Rome 3 days
Orvieto 1 day on way to Florence
Florence 2 days
Cinque Terre 3 days
Venice 3 days

It was VERY cold and windy in Venice at that time of the year. I think you would find better weather when you are planning to go.

Good luck and enjoy!

sbsjsf

Lake Como is like Heaven on Earth!! We stayed at Albergo Olivedo in Varenna which isn't the fanciest hotel, but the views from our 3rd floor room were absolutely spectacular. In April or early May you should be able to stay there without being required to eat your dinner at the hotel so you could have dinner at some of the luxe places in Bellagio (a quick ferry ride across the Lake). Or you could stay in Bellagio.....

TexasAggie

We spent 11 days in Italy on our honeymoon in June 2004 (it was DH's first trip, my third). We went to Rome, Florence, Venice, and the Cinque Terre.
We also spent our first anniversary in Italy this past May (a little early for the lower prices). We spent 12 days and visited Sorrento (Pompei, Paestum, and Naples as daytrips), Positano (with Capri as a daytrip), the Cinque Terre again, and Rome for a final night.

I love Rome, however I feel I should explain one thing in particular about Rome. Most people who breeze through Rome in a day or two do not like Rome. Many people expect there to be almost a separate ancient part of the city that is peaceful and quiet and far removed from modern life. This is not the case. The sights are in the midst of a fully functioning crowded big city. I mention these things not to deter you from going to Rome (as mentioned above, I LOVE Rome to death), but to help you have a realistic idea of what the city is like.

If you ware wanting sights in a quieter, slower-paced environment I'd suggest Tuscany. I think Venice is perfect for a honeymoon but the weather could be iffy in April.


In any case, congratulations!!!

kangamom

Rome is romantic, historic, delicious, and friendly. The shopping is amazing and views can be had at many points. For a 10 day honeymoon, I would split my time between Rome and the Amalfi Coast. We loved Le Sirenuse in Positano, but if I return I would probably try and stay at Palazzo Sasso in Ravello. (talk about views!) Congratulations and happy planning.

ira

Hi D,

Early May, 10 days, honeymoon.

Paris

However, if you must go to Italy:

Fly into Venice, 3 nights; train to Florence, 3 nights with a visit to Siena; train to Rome, daytrip to Orvieto; fly home.

bobthenavigator

That time of year, with 10 days, I would opt for Positano and Rome 5 days each. Buona fortuna !

tmoon

I think you would find Positano and Capri to be very romantic. I spent four nights in Positano this past May and wished I would of also spent two nights on Capri. Of course, Rome is full of history and has good food.

rex

Minor detail, since some couples express this one way, and othrs differently.

Does the $5000 budget include airfare to/from Italy? and if so, from where?

TarheelsInNj

Hello there! As a recent bride and Italy honeymooner, I will offer one piece of advice- you will be exhausted! Now, granted, I don't know you or what type of wedding you are having, but after the planning, excitement, pressure, nerves, etc. etc. etc. you will probably want (and need!) to relax big time.

We are not really "lie on the beach" types of people, and had the perfect honeymoon. We went for two weeks- 4 days in Florence, then a week in a rented apartment in Montepulciano (southern Tuscany). We also spent two days in Paris, but that was more of a "long layover."

We really enjoyed the city/country combination, because we were able to do some sightseeing. But please be careful of packing your itinerary and doing too much rushing around. We didn't realize until we stepped into Montepulciano how much we needed to just travel really, really slowly. We spent the week leisurely exploring, having long meals and a lot of great wine, and most importantly, enjoying each other's company.

I would highly recommend that, since you're going for 10 days, you consider renting a place somewhere for a week. Not only is it a great way to slow down and relax, but it's fun to "play house" with your new husband or wife. From your vacation rental you can explore other close by towns, or not. You have the luxury of choosing your itinerary based on how you feel- if you want to just spend all day drinking wine in the piazza and staring into each other's eyes, go for it!

trvlgrl

Congratulations! I agree with the other posters - Rome is a wonderful place to start your new life together.

At that time of year, you would want to go to Rome then south rather than Rome than north. Start off in beautiful wonderful Roma wandering around, seeing the all the sights, then head off to Naples and the Amalfi Coast. After a few days in Rome, head down to Sorrento as a base to see Pompeii and make sure to visit the Archealogical museum in Naples where all the mosaics and frescoes have been moved to. Sorrento for two nights - arrival night from Rome, next morning to Naples/Pompeii then come back to Sorrento for one more night. Then in the morning - off to the Amalfi Coast for a few days. I know alot of Fodorites love Positano, but I find it too noisy, expensive and busy. I prefer Ravello - there is a car and scooter free central area, so it is quiet, amazing views, wonderful restaurants, incredibly romantic, and the most lovely place to unwind for a few days after the all the sightseeing you will have done in Rome and Pompeii/Naples. Depending on your budget, you do not have to break the bank at Palazzo Sasso, there are plenty of nice moderate hotels in Ravello with the same views for less money (though without the same level of luxury) though for a honeymoon it might be worth a splurge at the Sasso or at one of the other upper or mid-upper hotels...