Hi everyone! I have a question for all of you. We leave this Saturday for Rome, and will fly back out of Rome again two weeks later. We are staying in Rome in the beginning of the trip, then heading to Venice, then seeing Tuscany on the way back to Florence. Right now, the plan was going to be to stay in Florence our last night - and take a train back into Rome to fly out the last morning.<BR><BR>Our flight leaves at 10:45am, so we would need to be there at 8:45 am. I was thinking of leaving Florence by train around 7:30am. Do you think this will work? Has anyone done this before? <BR><BR>I am very paranoid because I missed a flight out of Paris due to taking a 'one hour' train out of Tours and into Charles De Gaulle...and didnt realize it would take 30 min just to get from where the train let us off inside the airport to the other terminal where we check in. (incidentally, that was the same day that the concorde crashed in paris...so with both incidents..we were stranded at the airport for 8 hours before our 9 hour flight home....)<BR><BR>Any insights appreciated!

I would return to Rome for your last night otherwise you will be anxious worrying about possible train delays, cancellations etc.<BR>When I took a train from Rome to Naples in June, several trains were cancelled at the last minute. Strikes are also quite common in Italy.<BR>

thanks! I hadnt thought about strikes. eek. do you think then that only 2 nights is enough in florence, when we are planning a day trip to pisa? we would be arriving on tues afternoon, hanging out in florence, and the next day (wed) going to pisa for the day. Then, thur checking out and going back to rome...i guess we could take an evening train into rome...but it seems like so much moving around! Any suggestions?

You left out a step - - getting from rome Termini to the airport - - in morning rush hour traffic. And the fast train from Florence takes 96 minutes not 75.<BR><BR>Moreover, the first Eurostar departs 6:54, arriving 8:30. There are earlier - - but slower - - trains and the earliest arrival is at 8:17.<BR><BR>I am a risk-taker, and cut things close, but there is no way I see to reliably carry out this plan.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

I would stick to 2 nights in Florence, and maybe visit Pisa for part of the day, rather than a full day.

thanks rex! i obviously havent done quite enough homework yet. <BR><BR>(whoever decided to put christmas right in the middle of my vacation planning wasnt being very cooperative! lol)<BR><BR>There just doesnt seem to be much point in going all the way back into central Rome for one night..after already spending 5 days there at the beginning of our trip..but i hate to stay in an airport hotel....maybe another area of rome, closer to the airport?

Maybe the solution is to subtract two days at the front from your time in Rome and end with two days in Rome.<BR>

I also basically agree with Rex on spending thye final two days in Rome instead of the first two days. If your flight leaves at 10.45 you should be at the airport AT LEAST at 9,30, therefore you are supposed to be at Termini at 8,30. This means leaving Florence with the first Eurostar of the day and hope that there is no delay. Strikes anre not an issue, since until the 10th January there can't be any strikes acording to the Itlaian Law. The first strike is scheduled on the 11th or 12th January, I can't remember right now, but it is a Saturday). From Termini there is a train that goes all the way to the airport and that is the cheapest and fastest way to reach the airport from Rome. leaving Florence that same morning looks very riscky to me.<BR>Also, for Pisa you might consider taking an alternative route to Rome that touches Pisa: you might leave Florence in the late morning, take a train to Pisa, spend a few hours in Pisa and take a late afternoon train from Pisa to Rome. During your stay in Pisa you might leave your bags at the station.

I personally like to plan the longest leg of my travel at the beginning, ending with the last few days settled in one place. After my transatlantic flight I'm already tired, and the day is mostly lost to efficient sightseeing anyway. I push on, by train or plane to my farther destination, and then make my way back toward the city I have to depart from. Any chance you can make any changes?

If you go to http://www.slowtrav.com you will see a section about last night in Rome or Milano which lists good places to stay near the airport. But I also agree with the others that spending a few days at the end of the trip in Rome is better than at the begining.

&lt;&lt;After my transatlantic flight I'm already tired, and the day is mostly lost... I push on... to my farther destination, and then make my way back toward the city I have to depart from.&gt;&gt;<BR><BR>Learn from a master. This is what smart travelers do.<BR> <BR><BR>

Ok..thanks so much for your input! It's a very last minute change..but I think we can do it! Tell me what you think..<BR><BR>Old Itinerary:<BR>Rome 5 nights (including new years eve)<BR>Venice 2 nights<BR>Tuscany/Umbria in car - 2 nights<BR>Florence - 3 nights (including Pisa)<BR>Leave<BR><BR>NEW itenerary:<BR>Florence 2 nights (Pisa to come later)<BR>Venice 2 nights (over new years!)<BR>Cinque Terre/pisa/Sienna etc- 4 nights<BR>Rome - 4 nights<BR><BR>Better yes?<BR><BR>Thanks for your input!<BR><BR>Stella

italybound,<BR><BR>You have received excellent advice and your new itinerary looks great!<BR><BR>I just wanted to share with you that I am one of those people that got travel plans medded up by a train strike. <BR><BR>We had an outbound flight from Rome at 11:45 AM on a Sunday. We spent our last night in Orvieto, which is only 1 hour and 15 minutes from Rome. We arrived at Orvieto's train station at 7:10 AM for a 7:30 AM train, only to find out that there was a strike. Car rental places were closed on Sundays and the one train station attendant had no knowledge of buses. We took a cab to Rome. It costs us 200 Euros. An expensive lesson, indeed.

Ding ding ding!!!<BR>We have a winner! Wow, you ARE flexible, considering that you are leaving on Saturday!<BR><BR>I can't speak to the ease of getting from Venice to CT nor do I know how you will be traveling from CT to Rome, but the layout looks much better to me.<BR>I will only add, that Siena is an easy daytrip by public transport out of Florence, so if you want to save yourselves a little wear-and-tear, you can just daytrip there from Florence.<BR>You can visit Pisa from Florence (or even from Rome) as well.

thanks guys! I have changed all my reservations to reflect our new itenerary...and I am very happy with our new hotel in venice - Cavalletto e Doge Orseolo - although a bit disappointed that we wont be able to stay at the hotel metropole there now. For new years eve, this was the hardest hotel switch, involving a price increase..but now that we are not in rome over new years, our hotel should be cheaper...<BR><BR>I am still trying to decide between staying with our current hotel in rome..hotel due torri..or switching to the valadier hotel, which is actually cheaper for the same time period. Valadier looks nicer...but due torri looks more...roman. <BR><BR>thanks again guys! i hope i get all this changed over before Saturday!<BR><BR>Stella

Great job Elaine ! You have enhanced another trip.

My only further suggestion is to rent a car for the Venice-Cinque terre-Pisa- Siena-Rome trip. The area you are going to cross is full of charm, the connestion between Venice and Genova (ant than Cinque terre) is not as very easy by train and the most tiring part of the trip can be done on fast and comfortable autostrade. From Venice You may take autostrada to Bologna, than up A1 until Parma than catch &quot;Cisa&quot; (A15) to La Spezia. From Cinque terre you might spend one day touring the area known ans Alpi apuane, an area of low mountains with marble caves and a unique scenary. Stop in Colonnata for a taste of the local wonderful lardo, seasoned in marble containers and in Podenzana for a lunch or dinner of panigacci (a very particular kind of bread-pasta). Driving from Pisa to Siena on smaller side roads and not on the autostrada might allow you to see some of the very best scenaries of Tuscany and maybe of the whole Italy. Than, on your way from Siena to ROme it might be worth stopping for a few hours in the Amiata area (Santa Fiora) or in Pitigliano.