Confused with Italy Trip
 

We are going to italy this september for 6 days with plans to go to rome, florence & venice and in between we are also planning to go to sorrento (from florence) and see isle of capri, ana capri and drive by amalfi coast..

** i have a question is sorrento and capri worth going to ? i am thinking of going instead to Naples and from there take a private day trip tour of sorrento, positano, amalfi and ravello. we also want to see tuscany but do not know how to factor that into our trip (or if its too far away)

** is venice worth seeing or should we take this out from the trip ?
** what is there to see in tuscany ?

can anyone pls help me plan our trip as im really confused...

You can't do Rome, Florence, and Venice in 6 days, never mind Sorrento and Capri. Your first order of business should be to get a good map of Italy and familiarize yourself with the size of the country. Then explore your transportation options and do the calculations.

Of course you're confused. You haven't availed yourself of even basic information. It's all there on the internet and in guidebooks.

I suggest you spend some time reading other peoples' itineraries and trip reports to get some ideas. If you want help from Fodorites you have to put forth some effort and then you will be rewarded with great advice.

The Isle of Capri is fine for a day or two, forget about Naples. It's dirty! We were just there in April. Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast were interesting.

Many people find Naples the highlight of their italian adventure, lots of people prefer several nights on Capri, opinion is very divided about Vencie. It is a highly personal thing. All "irms" is talking about is herself or himself -- which is all anybody will talk about if they answer the questions you are asking.

Transportation in Italy is SLOW. You can only physically get to a very few places in Italy during six days, and perhaps only one if it is a difficult place to reach for the airport you fly into.

kaka, I understand about wanting to see everything. I agree that you really don't have time to see all the places you've listed (but I don't agree with how everybody expressed it -- you're right that there is no need to be rude!). My husband and I have been to Italy twice, and we've still never been to Venice. You could actually spend your whole 6 days in Rome and still not see everything there. Our last trip to Italy was spent entirely in Rome (one week). Come back when you have more questions, and hopefully you'll get the information you need! Have fun planning! :)

samsaf thank you for the kind words i really appreciate it. will take places off our list :)

Have you been to Italy before? You have far too much planned for six days. You should pick one or at most two destinations. Do some research to see what it is you want most to do and narrow down your plans so that they are manageable. As is is you don't have enough time to get to all the places you plan even if you do nothing but travel from one to another!

We can help but only if you do a bit of research and decide what you want to do with your six days.

Looks like this one has degenerated into a story about manners.

It started as questions, albeit questions that are unanswerable, about visiting Italy for a week.

I think the OP should pick two places that are within a couple of hours of each other by train. Selection of which two places depends on the interests of the OP – and we don’t know them yet.

Oh boy, a gray triangle enthusiast. Is anyone an adult around here? The OP came here having done zero research, asking unanswerable questions. I said so, and asked if he could amplify on his interests, suggested be get a map - what the Hell is so arguable about that? Sorry to be such a realist. Whoever hit the gray triangle is such a puss. Sorry, I hate triangle pushers, consider them the scum of Fodors unless notifying the editors of advertisers. I wasn't rude. I was frank.

I plead innocent to pushing the grey triangle thingy. And it is certainly frustrating to attempt to answer a question which is posed in such vague terms.

Q: I'm hungry, what should I eat?
A: Try a bacon and egg sandwich.
Q: But I'm Jewish, Kosher.
A: Try a chicken sandwich, then.
Q: But I'm vegetarian.
A: OK, leave out the chicken.
Q: I'm allergic to bread, can't do gluten.
A: OK, leave out the bread. Go and eat a nice piece of butter.
Q: Sorry, I made a mistake, can't do butter, I'm vegan now, not vegetarian.
A: Then I would suggest a nice glass of air. You'll never have to worry about whether the glass is half full or half empty.
Q: Now you are just being rude.

Can't please some people, I suppose.

From Wikipedia. Triangulation:
1. triangulation is the process of determining the location of a point by measuring angles to it from known points at either end of a fixed baseline, rather than measuring distances to the point directly. The point can then be fixed as the third point of a triangle with one known side and two known angles.

2. triangulation (cf "hitting the grey triangle of death) is the process whereby one requests the Editors (see definition) to remove a post that gets up your nose (colloq, annoys).

Hi kaka_seahorse,

Although I have traveled in Italy extensively, I certainly empathize with the confusion you feel, because it is easy to fall into the seductive trap of wanted to see and absorb as much as possible on your first trip, even on your fourth trip. I also think it is quite possible that you can online, thinking that Fodors would be a friendly, accessible place to begin posting your questions to try to find a starting point in the planning process. So although I don't often post here anymore, I'd like to encourage you to return as you fill in the blank for you upcoming trip.

SInce you only have 6 days, my advice is to forego Venice this time, and then choose between
1) FLorence and TUscany (You can stay in FLorence and do day-tours in Tuscany), or you could stay in South of SIenna in the Crete Senese (with a car) and travel up to Florence for a couple of Days.

2) Rome and the Amalfi Coast. You can maximize your time there by splitting it between some days in Rome and the rest on the Amalfi Coast. WIth such a short time, I probably would stick to the Amalfi Coast and leave a day trip to Capri for another trip (but it's easy to decide to go to Capri for a day at the last minute once you are there on the Amalfi Coast)

These are 2 very basic suggestions. To help with your planning questions here, try to give an idea of your budget range. Maps might help, but in fact, they are not always the ultimate way to plan dependng on the mode of transporation you choose.

a third suggestion: try to build in a day of rest in the middle of your week. Relax and drink it all in.

I wish you all the best and hope you trip is unforgettable!

Bellastar,

Good post and suggestion. Very considerate. Stcirq, please take note.

hi bellastarr

thank you for the wonderful recommendation it sounds very good :) im not really good at planning and i thought this forum (being a travel forum) can help start my travel plan, but some of the members are quite off putting in their response.

Thank you for giving me an informative nice response I am going to make a research based on your recommendations above. I did initally make an online research but i got overwhelmed and confused with all the info, i am not a seasoned traveler like most people here. Again thank you for being nice :)

Hello kaka_seahorse:
I think you might not yet have discovered the wonders of addiction to travel guides. I love going to a great bookstore, the kind with comfy chairs, grabbing a pile of books about a country or area, and whiling away a couple of hours deciding which to take home. It is true that not everything is covered in any guidebooks and boards like this can provide more personal responses, but I find that the guides provide an initial flavor of a place. I have been drawn to places and discovered interests I did not know I had! ( I first read about mosaics in a travel guide many years ago and now focus trips on finding them and also make mosaic pieces for enjoyment). I don't pay too much attention to any guide's must sees, but rather try to read several and get an idea of what engages me.
Also, there is a wealth of practical information about transportation, etc. I do not seek accommodations through guidebooks, for this I prefer google searches followed up by reviews on Trip Advisor or Venere.
May you get the traveling bug full on!
But do be careful of the adddictive aspect!

I used to participate in a huge language forum (for LOTS of language pairs), where the basic guideline for everybody posting a question is: you MUST try to give your own translation first, or you won't get any help here. We only comment on your try of translating a certain expression, we're not going to do your homework for you.
On that forum, there's no need to push any triangles. Moderators are abundant there, monitoring every thread, and in a heartbeat, they will close or delete any thread where anybody asks a question without giving his/her own translation.
I'm not advocating censorship here. But the basic rule that everybody has to do his homework before asking for help should apply to all internet forums IMO.
So please stop bashing StCirq, will you?

The truth is many people really believe they can see all of Italy in six days. After all, it's about the size of Arizona and I can cover most of Arizona in 6 days. The problem is, there's just too much more to stop and experience in Italy. I understand when someone comes with a simingly unreasonable request.
However, after some pleasant recommendations for reconsiderations, I believe the OP needs to be prepared to either listen to those trying to help (including doing some reasearch-by the way, coming here in itself IS doing some research),or move on.This is all just MHO.
Kaka here was looking for this forum to start her/him in their planning. As a start,please answer a few questions?
1.What appeals most to you about com ing to Italy?
2.If you could only go to one place ,where would it be (and why)?
3.Where are you arriving and leaving from?
I have been (as most who have answered here) to all these locations, some many times, so I (we) look forward to helping.

Just to answer another part of your original question, "is venice worth seeing?"

Yes, it is very much worth seeing. There is no other city in the world like it. It has layer upon layer of unique history, architecture, art--and a "feel" like no other city I've ever been in. Venice is a unique world treasure.

The other part of your question "should we take this out from the trip?" With only 6 days, you can't see very many places, so only you can decide what is of the most importance to you. If I were going, I'd spend all 6 days in and around Venice, but that's based on my personal experiences and interests, likes and dislikes.

If the 6 days include you travel days, I would consider staying in 1 place, and maybe doing a couple of day trips.

Also, look at a map of Italy, Sorrento is not in between Florence and Venice.