I'm sure I will get lots of varying opinions on this question, but here goes!<BR><BR>Here's the itinerary:<BR>3 nights Venice<BR>5 nights Florence<BR>2 Nights Sinalunga<BR>3 nights Rome<BR><BR>We are "Starwood" customers who get the 5th night free when using starpoints to pay for rooms. This is what we are doing in Florence so that has to stay 5 nights. We are also planning on doing a couple of day-trips from Flornece, so we are happy with 5 nights there.<BR><BR>The question is: Would anyone omit Venice all together to increase Sinalunga (So. tuscany) to 3 nights and Rome to 5 nights?<BR><BR><BR>

I just returned a few days ago from Rome, Venice and Florence. I'm still kicking myself that I didn't spend more time in Rome. Honestly, I was bored to tears in Venice. I found it to be a beautiful old world city turned into Disneyland. I guess it's nice to say that I saw it, although my life would have been complete without it. Obviously, as you stated, you will get a lot of different opinions on this board. A lot of people love Venice and you might too. But I personally would spend more time in Rome. Enjoy your vacation.

We eliminated Venice from our last trip, not because we didn't want to go there, but because of time constraints. <BR><BR>Instead we added a couple of more days to Rome and loved every minute of it. Rome is a wonderful city and has so much to see, do and explore. We were satisfied with everything we did at the time, but MUST return. We loved every minute in Rome and just wish we had more time there.

Maybe you could get a 5th night free in Rome?

Good afternoon, Kristen<BR>Have spent about 60 days each in Venice<BR>and Rome since 1971. Would not give up<BR>either, however might lean a bit towards<BR>Venice due to its lack of motor vehicles. Beleive that you will either<BR>love or detest Venice, this is again<BR>dependent upon upon your personal<BR>experiences which you will have in either place....Don't shorten up on <BR>Venice, have a good trip..<BR>Richard of Lagrange Park, IL&gt;.<BR>

Here's a varying opinion for sure:<BR><BR>5 Venice<BR>3 Sinalunga<BR>5 Rome<BR><BR>I always return to Venice & Rome. I don't care if I ever see Florence again. Assuming you are arriving Venice and will depart there early am after your 5th night, you will only have 3 full days in Venice. I'd drive the 3 hours from Venice to Florence, have lunch & spend the afternoon there and then head to Sinalunga. If you feel you've missed something go back for a day trip from Sinalunga.

I have never been to Rome, so I cannot compare the two, BUT we just returned from a trip that included 3 nights in Venice and I enjoyed Venice thoroughly. We had plenty to keep us busy for 2 1/2 days. I found just sitting and watching the Grand Canal to be quite entertaining. It is a fun place to just wander around and get into the neighborhoods away from St. Marks. I personally would keep Venice in your itinerary.

P.S. My Starwood choices would be the Gritti in Venice & the Excelsior in Rome.

Thank you everyone for the reponses. <BR><BR>Carolyn:<BR>Due to our interests (food, art, etc.) we are dead-set on the 5 nights in Florence. People that I know who have the same interests/travel habits have told me that Florence is their favorite and should not be missed. Thanks anyway for taking the time to reply!<BR><BR>Carol:<BR>If we cut out Venice and do 5 nights in Rome, the 5th night would be free, which makes it sound very good!

Yes good advise ,Use your Starwood points for the Excelsior, you need at least 5 days in Rome,(oh what history) Florence is doable in 3.

Venice seems to be more expensive for food and hotels. I think there was a wider range of choices at a decent quality level for both food and lodging. I really love Rome and have been back often. It never seems to lose it allure.

It would be foolish to skip Venice, for a free night ??

I realize some people don't like Venice but I thought it was wonderful and I know many others who agree. How could anyone say it was "turned into Disneyland.". Did they have any idea of what they were seeing. People who say things like that are looking at things backwards. Disneyland (and Vegas, etc) may resemble (in some very superficial way)Venice but that's only because Venice is so wonderful other places want to copy it. Venice is not copying or turning into anything other than itself. There is history, ambiance, beauty. Lots of people (myself included) aren't that hot on Rome. If this is your first trip I wouldn't cut out Rome, but I sure wouldn't cut out Venice. The itinerary the way you originally posted it looks better than any of the other suggestions.

Ann, you are correct. Maybe Disneyland wasn't the best analogy. And yes, I did know what I was seeing. I just didn't care for the fact that it really doesn't have a current Italian culture, i.e. a large italian population who actually work and live there, many different styles of shopping instead of basically glass and souvenir shops, etc. I'm glad you enjoyed it. As I stated earlier, people are going to have vastly different opinions on Venice. Happy travels!

I say potaTOE and you say PAT-tatoe. I say Venice --- forget about it .... ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME ! It's been many centuries since the fall of the Roman Empire, and to this day their legacy permeates our lives. Drop Venice from your itinerary and stay 5 nights in Rome. On your next trip to Italia, you can pay homage to what remains of the Venetian Republic.<BR>

Boy Kristen:<BR>Look what you started!<BR>

Carolyn:<BR>I knew it! I love this...

Ok, I'll offer a differnt opinion - I mush preferred Venice to Rome which I found noisy & hectic with unbearable traffic & pollution. Venice to me was truly unique - there is nothing else like it. I was there in early March when the crowds were relatively light & the weather nice & cool (& therefore the water didn't smell!). I think its a great place to just wander away from San Marco square & just explore down all the alleyways etc & take ferry trips around the canals & find your own Venice!<BR>

Dear Kristen,<BR>I think I'd leave the itinerary exactly as it is. There are so many ways of doing it, but I think you've got a nice "sampler" in each of the places. Without a doubt, you need more time in Rome, but should you compromise time in Venice? I wouldn't, though there isn't as much to see as in Rome. But Venice IS special, and the very nature of strolling it, especially away from the prime tourist sites, is essential to get a feeling for it. So I wouldn't cut it down to 2 nights, even though that's one possibility. You could make Venice 2 nights, and just arrive in Florence late in the day if you absolutely want to add another day to Rome (but I still think the itinerary is good the way it is).<BR><BR>And should you eliminate Sinalunga? I can understand the desire to at least have a taste of staying in the countryside, and for that, I think you should leave it in. Or, if you choose to eliminate Sinalunga, you could take a day trip into the Tuscan hills while you're staying in Florence (but I still don't think I'd do that).<BR><BR>That leaves 3 nights in Rome-- definitely too short, but it gives you enough time to see many of the classic sites. I think it is a great city, but it's still an urban environment, and I wouldn't want to sacrifice the unique environments of Venice or Tuscan for the city.<BR><BR>And I love Florence; it's a perfect-sized city, and has more art per square inch than any other city, and that's an awful lot! <BR><BR>Enjoy the trip! What have you decided?

I'm with Carolyn on eliminating some of the Florence portion of the trip and there is NOTHING worth doing in Sinalunga except as a base to see more of Tuscany. If Tuscany is really what you want to see, stay in Chianti region, Montepulciano, Lucca, Siena or ANYWHERE but Sinalunga