Final Italy Itinerary Help
Mar 30th, 2007, 10:06 AM
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Final Italy Itinerary Help
We are leaving for Italy in two weeks with our two children, ages 12 and 15.
Here's what I have planned so far:
April 12th: Leave for Rome.
April 13th: Arrive in Rome at 12:30 pm. We plan to check into the hotel and go see the Colliseum and Forum.
April 14th: I am trying to get tickets for a Vatican tour at 10:30 am
April 15th: Trevi fountains, Spanish Steps, lunch. Take a train to Florence in the afternoon ? time. Stay at Villa la Massa.
April 16th: Pick up a rental car first thing in the morning. My husband has always wanted to ride a bike in Tuscany so he will do that for the day. I will take the kids and explore for the day-I was thinking of driving into Tuscany-need suggestions of what to do.
April 17th: Florence-Academia and Ufizzi Gallery.
April 18th: Drive through Tuscany-What's the best route? Sienna, Chianti, Montepulciano? Obviously we can't see everything, so we have to do what makes sense.
April 19th: Drive from Florence to Rome and drop the car at the airport-We are staying at the Hilton Garden Inn. I thought it would be fun to stop in Perugia (chocolate), Assisi, Spoleto, Orvieto-have dinner along the way and then crash at the hotel.
April 20th: 9:50 am flight home.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciataed. Thanks!
Here's what I have planned so far:
April 12th: Leave for Rome.
April 13th: Arrive in Rome at 12:30 pm. We plan to check into the hotel and go see the Colliseum and Forum.
April 14th: I am trying to get tickets for a Vatican tour at 10:30 am
April 15th: Trevi fountains, Spanish Steps, lunch. Take a train to Florence in the afternoon ? time. Stay at Villa la Massa.
April 16th: Pick up a rental car first thing in the morning. My husband has always wanted to ride a bike in Tuscany so he will do that for the day. I will take the kids and explore for the day-I was thinking of driving into Tuscany-need suggestions of what to do.
April 17th: Florence-Academia and Ufizzi Gallery.
April 18th: Drive through Tuscany-What's the best route? Sienna, Chianti, Montepulciano? Obviously we can't see everything, so we have to do what makes sense.
April 19th: Drive from Florence to Rome and drop the car at the airport-We are staying at the Hilton Garden Inn. I thought it would be fun to stop in Perugia (chocolate), Assisi, Spoleto, Orvieto-have dinner along the way and then crash at the hotel.
April 20th: 9:50 am flight home.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciataed. Thanks!
Mar 30th, 2007, 10:14 AM
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neglex
Just two quick comments!
Rome: Go to the Trevi fountain at night, when it is lit up, crowded with people (but that is the fun of it!) and more dramatic. The streets nearby have lots of places to grab an evening gelato.
April 19: This is too many stops. Assisi can easily take a day in itself, and Perugia at least several hours. It is quite large and navigating the winding streets up to the old part of the city (and finding parking!) is not quick. In Perugia, your children may enjoy a look at the ancient Etruscan well in addition to chocolate shopping, by the way
Just two quick comments!
Rome: Go to the Trevi fountain at night, when it is lit up, crowded with people (but that is the fun of it!) and more dramatic. The streets nearby have lots of places to grab an evening gelato.
April 19: This is too many stops. Assisi can easily take a day in itself, and Perugia at least several hours. It is quite large and navigating the winding streets up to the old part of the city (and finding parking!) is not quick. In Perugia, your children may enjoy a look at the ancient Etruscan well in addition to chocolate shopping, by the way
Mar 30th, 2007, 11:28 AM
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The drive you plan for the last day will last all day. While the distances may look doable on a map there are a lot of hills and secondary roads to navigate. You will have very little time to actually see any of the places. You should consider a more direct route and more time sightseeing in one place like Orvieto.
Mar 30th, 2007, 01:54 PM
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Neglex,
If you are only going to spend 1 day in Florence, why not stay outside of Florence in a smaller town and just do a daytrip into Florence? This will make your Tuscany plans much easier to accomplish and give you a nice change of pace from the major cities.
I agree your plan for driving the last day is not doable. Orvieto would be an excellent choice for the return drive.
Also, with your limited time in Rome, I would skip the Spanish Steps and see the Pantheon and Santa Maria Sopra Minerva next to it. The Spanish Steps are the most overrated sight in Rome IMO.
Buon viaggio!
If you are only going to spend 1 day in Florence, why not stay outside of Florence in a smaller town and just do a daytrip into Florence? This will make your Tuscany plans much easier to accomplish and give you a nice change of pace from the major cities.
I agree your plan for driving the last day is not doable. Orvieto would be an excellent choice for the return drive.
Also, with your limited time in Rome, I would skip the Spanish Steps and see the Pantheon and Santa Maria Sopra Minerva next to it. The Spanish Steps are the most overrated sight in Rome IMO.
Buon viaggio!
Mar 30th, 2007, 02:33 PM
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hi, neglex,
first of all, where are you travelling from? if it's the US, as I suspect, then you need to allow for jet-lag, especially with the kids.
also, where is your hotel? that will influence what you can easily do as Rome, although not huge, can end up causing serious fatigue - we discovered a new medial condition called "Roman foot"!
for your first day, I'd not plan anything too ambitious - unless you are staying near the colosseum, and assuming your hotel is more central, what about castel san angelo, trastevere, the parco borghese [nice zoo], just wandering around drinking in the atmosphere and eating gelati. ? night-time tour arranged through hotel.
Day 2 - plan looks fine - if you get onto the vatican tour, don't book anything else. you end up in st. peter's and can do that last.
Day 3 - I'd do the colosseum etc. in the morning, then get train to Florence. You may be able to leave luggage at terimi station which is not far away from the forum.
day 4 - if you have hotel in central Florence, DO NOT hire car yet. traffic is mad - some of worst i've ever seen, just last november, and I used to think nothing of driving around central London.
you could take the kids on the bus up to fiesole - about 30 minutes - and look at the roman theatre, the cathedral, the monastry [do go downstairs into the free museum- absolutely fascinating artifacts from the monks' journeys around the world], and a fabulous view over Florence.
day 5 - do you have bookings for the museums? if not, try to space them as far apart as possible. we had 8.30am bookings for the uffizi and 2.30pm for the accademia on the same day. we only just made it.
day 6 - get the bus or drive to Siena and surrounding countryside. [in fact, in such a short trip, I don't think you need a car at all!]
day 7 - train back to Rome.
have a great time,
regards, ann
first of all, where are you travelling from? if it's the US, as I suspect, then you need to allow for jet-lag, especially with the kids.
also, where is your hotel? that will influence what you can easily do as Rome, although not huge, can end up causing serious fatigue - we discovered a new medial condition called "Roman foot"!
for your first day, I'd not plan anything too ambitious - unless you are staying near the colosseum, and assuming your hotel is more central, what about castel san angelo, trastevere, the parco borghese [nice zoo], just wandering around drinking in the atmosphere and eating gelati. ? night-time tour arranged through hotel.
Day 2 - plan looks fine - if you get onto the vatican tour, don't book anything else. you end up in st. peter's and can do that last.
Day 3 - I'd do the colosseum etc. in the morning, then get train to Florence. You may be able to leave luggage at terimi station which is not far away from the forum.
day 4 - if you have hotel in central Florence, DO NOT hire car yet. traffic is mad - some of worst i've ever seen, just last november, and I used to think nothing of driving around central London.
you could take the kids on the bus up to fiesole - about 30 minutes - and look at the roman theatre, the cathedral, the monastry [do go downstairs into the free museum- absolutely fascinating artifacts from the monks' journeys around the world], and a fabulous view over Florence.
day 5 - do you have bookings for the museums? if not, try to space them as far apart as possible. we had 8.30am bookings for the uffizi and 2.30pm for the accademia on the same day. we only just made it.
day 6 - get the bus or drive to Siena and surrounding countryside. [in fact, in such a short trip, I don't think you need a car at all!]
day 7 - train back to Rome.
have a great time,
regards, ann
Mar 30th, 2007, 02:42 PM
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Have traveled with teens twice to Rome. At least once, we take a walk to see Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and Piazza Navona at night. The Spanish Steps are over-rated except they are really pretty just at sun set and the view from the top is quite nice. My teens loved St. Peter's, Siena and Assisi.
Mar 30th, 2007, 04:33 PM
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Just got back from Italy yesterday! As for Rome, I would definitely plan on some time to get to the hotel and for being jet-lagged. We landed around 1230 and didn't get done at the hotel until around 2/2:30, so there might not even be as much time to do both the Colosseum and Forum. We found out that they both close at 4:30 (after arriving at 4:35). I might consider going to the Cappucian crypt. It's a little morbid (decorated completely with the bones of 4,000 dead monks) and it might be "cool" for kids. Have you gotten Rick Steves's guides for Rome and Florence & Tuscany? He offers information on traveling with kids, and also provides good walking tours for the cities and tours while at attractions, that might be more interesting and hold the attention of kids more than walking through museum after museum. I agree with others that the Spanish Steps are an overrated site. In Florence, I would recommend going to the Science Museum. It's a really underrated attraction! Definitely would be interesting for kids to see, since they have people there to give demonstrations of some of the "machines" and such there. I didn't make it to the Accademia, but the Uffizi was overwhelming. It might be exhausting to do both in one day. Also, you might want to consider some of the vertical walks in both cities. If you go to the Vatican, do the cupola walk up the stairs. The view from the top is really nice. Also, in Florence, you can do both the Duomo dome and the Giotto Tower. Views are gorgeous and it would be fun for kids. Still recovering, so that's all I can think of for now, but if more comes to mind, I'll post again. Have a blast, and definitely eat gelato every day! Don't forget that you can ask for two flavors in one small cup!
Mar 30th, 2007, 04:34 PM
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I agree, the Spanish Steps are overrated. For the 16th, you could drive through the Chianti region toward Sienna. It's not far from Florence and it is a lovely town to walk through.
Have a great time!
Have a great time!
Apr 1st, 2007, 12:24 PM
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You will be within walking distance of Castle St Angelo when you are in Vatican. I'm a sucker for Castles and if you have boys they will probably enjoy it. here's one link to it
http://www.italyguides.it/us/roma/ca..._st_angelo.htm
on 15th u can add to your stroll. We started at Pza Navona (great fountains) to Pantheon and Santa Maria Minerva (the one with the rook in front, looks like a gym on the outside but is marvelous inside). Then to Trevi and on Spanish Steps. We're looking at 60 in a rear view mirror so you kids can do it standing on your heads. I agree that Spanish Steps are not much, but you will hate yourself if you don't go by them. Taxis are easy to find and very useful when you're worn out and they are the most exciting ride in Rome.
You didn't say if you have driven in Italy before so I hope I'm not telling you something you know. If you are not on a main road, you will do very good to make 30 miles in an hour. Chianti is beautiful but slow driving. You can drive down S222 through Chianti you want to do the main drag. Just get a good map.
You can easily get to Siena or San G in an hour and 1/2 from Florence. Voterra is about 2 hours. San G will be covered with tourist between 10 and 4. I think Siena would be better choice for first trip.
Montepulciano is also about an 1 1/2. Am embarrassed to say have been in Tuscany 4 times in last 5 years and still haven't made it there.
17th is a lot to ask to include the Pitti Palace. I like it better than Uffizi and it is much less crowded. The Palazzo Vecchio is next to Uffizi and worth a look.
I would highly recommend a guided tour in the Uffizi. Will be able to by pass the lines and use the elevators and a good guide will hit the high points and you can double back to see anything you want after the tour is over. It is overwhelming especially on the first visit and guide will help.
I agree with the others about trip back. Perugia and Assisi are going away from Rome. Orvieto is on the way. We left the Roman Gate parking in Florence about 10 last September drove to Orvieto. Had lunch and walked around town for a short while and made it to Ostia Antica about 6. Ostia is about 15 minutes from the airport. I have something of a lead foot and have driven in Italy several times and wouldn't try but one place on the way back. Rome's ring road can be a bear too. It was not too bad going southwest to the airport on it, but it was gridlocked going north.
Trains are great way to go and might save your marriage if it's you first trip.
Good luck and have a wonderful trip and never ever pass up a bathroom.
http://www.italyguides.it/us/roma/ca..._st_angelo.htm
on 15th u can add to your stroll. We started at Pza Navona (great fountains) to Pantheon and Santa Maria Minerva (the one with the rook in front, looks like a gym on the outside but is marvelous inside). Then to Trevi and on Spanish Steps. We're looking at 60 in a rear view mirror so you kids can do it standing on your heads. I agree that Spanish Steps are not much, but you will hate yourself if you don't go by them. Taxis are easy to find and very useful when you're worn out and they are the most exciting ride in Rome.
You didn't say if you have driven in Italy before so I hope I'm not telling you something you know. If you are not on a main road, you will do very good to make 30 miles in an hour. Chianti is beautiful but slow driving. You can drive down S222 through Chianti you want to do the main drag. Just get a good map.
You can easily get to Siena or San G in an hour and 1/2 from Florence. Voterra is about 2 hours. San G will be covered with tourist between 10 and 4. I think Siena would be better choice for first trip.
Montepulciano is also about an 1 1/2. Am embarrassed to say have been in Tuscany 4 times in last 5 years and still haven't made it there.
17th is a lot to ask to include the Pitti Palace. I like it better than Uffizi and it is much less crowded. The Palazzo Vecchio is next to Uffizi and worth a look.
I would highly recommend a guided tour in the Uffizi. Will be able to by pass the lines and use the elevators and a good guide will hit the high points and you can double back to see anything you want after the tour is over. It is overwhelming especially on the first visit and guide will help.
I agree with the others about trip back. Perugia and Assisi are going away from Rome. Orvieto is on the way. We left the Roman Gate parking in Florence about 10 last September drove to Orvieto. Had lunch and walked around town for a short while and made it to Ostia Antica about 6. Ostia is about 15 minutes from the airport. I have something of a lead foot and have driven in Italy several times and wouldn't try but one place on the way back. Rome's ring road can be a bear too. It was not too bad going southwest to the airport on it, but it was gridlocked going north.
Trains are great way to go and might save your marriage if it's you first trip.
Good luck and have a wonderful trip and never ever pass up a bathroom.
Apr 3rd, 2007, 11:55 AM
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Thank you everyone for all your wonderful ideas. On April 18th we have been invited to have dinner with an old friend who lives in Bologna. Since we will have a car I thought we would drive there-making a couple of stops along the way from Florence. What spetacular places are along the way and what route would you recommend? I know this is totally different than what we were initially planning but it would be fun and a little different. Thanks.
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