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Finalized my Summer 2018 Italy Honeymoon Itinerary!

Finalized my Summer 2018 Italy Honeymoon Itinerary!

Old Oct 22nd, 2017, 03:33 PM
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Finalized my Summer 2018 Italy Honeymoon Itinerary!

first and foremost a huge thank you to the many that helped in my various threads - from Florence to the AC to Rome - what a huge and amazing resource this place is (though i do admit it led to some analysis paralysis).

anyway, here is the final itinerary. obviously things can be adjusted if absolutely necessary but i think this works well with what we want to see and how ambitious we will be feeling.

July 10 - 13: Florence @ Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco

July 13 - 14: Siena @ Palazzo Ravizza

July 14 - 19: Montepulciano @ The Politian Apartments

July 19 - 25: Positano @ Villa Rosa

July 25 - 29: Rome @ Albergo del Senato

obviously there is a lot more to plan as far as sightseeing, restaurants, just general transportation, etc. but it feels great to finally have it planned out at a high-level.

again, thank you and i welcome any and all critiques!
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Old Oct 22nd, 2017, 03:43 PM
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Do note that you list yourselves as bing in two places each time you change locations. Obviously, that is not possible. I mention it because many people do this then are shocked at how little time they have in each place. So it looks to me like you plan to stay 4 nights in Florence (3 full days) or maybe just 3 nights if you arrive in Florence on July 10); one night in Sienna which will give you a few hours on two days, but no full day there; 5 nights in Montepulciano (4 full days), 5 nights in Positano (4 full days); and 3 nights in Rome (if you fly out on July 29).

Happy honeymoon!
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Old Oct 22nd, 2017, 03:48 PM
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yep, exactly.

i don't think i need or want that much time in Florence in the dead of the summer.

Siena to me is something i want to explore in the early evening/nighttime and maybe early the next morning so i figured 1 night was sufficient.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2017, 03:54 PM
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>

I spent 2 nights in Siena and really wished I had a 3rd. There is a lot to see depending on your interests.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2017, 04:11 PM
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Never use the same date twice. It should be listed as either a day in a place or a night, not both. Too confusing and not an accurate accounting of your time.

Is this correct?
By days, with travel days and (time in places).

July 10, arrive Florence, evening to relax
July 11 & 12, Florence (2 full days)
July 13, travel to Siena (3/4 day)
July 14, travel to Montepulciano (1/2 day)
July 15, 16, 17, 18, Montepulciano (4 full days)
July 19, travel to Positano. This trip will take most of the day.
July 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, Positano (5 full days)
July 25, travel to Rome, will take a minimum of 1/2 day
July 26, 27, 28, Rome (3 full days)
July 29, depart Rome

By nights
3 nts. Florence, 2 days
1 nt. Siena, 3/4 day
5 nts. Montepulciano, 4 & 1/2 days
4 nts. Positano, 3 days
4 nts. Rome, 3 & 1/3 days
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Old Oct 22nd, 2017, 04:13 PM
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Sorry, when I did nights, it should be:

6 nts. Positano, 5 days
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Old Oct 22nd, 2017, 04:34 PM
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yes - that sounds about right
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Old Oct 22nd, 2017, 04:35 PM
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@joannyc i don't disagree. it seems like an amazing place - just that the others pique my interest slightly more and i think i can get a decent taste in the allotted time.

and if not, i can always come back. NYC --> Rome isn't all that bad a flight.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2017, 04:56 PM
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italyhoneymoonhelp: you have a wonderful honeymoon planned.

You're one of the best newcomers I've seen here in a long time, and I hang out here a lot. I enjoy your threads.
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Old Oct 22nd, 2017, 06:44 PM
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Sounds like a lovely plan and not too rushed?
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Old Oct 22nd, 2017, 07:27 PM
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Have a great time. There is nothing wrong with writing up an itinerary that shows where you will be in the morning and where you will be in the afternoon if that is two different places. I find it helpful even if other people can't handle it mentally.

Also, the idea that "one full day" in Italy is 9-5 misrepresents Italy. A lot of people who do a day trip to Siena from Florence are surprised and disappointed their "one full day" turned out to include 4 hours in the middle of the day when most everything was closed. If you go to Siena by 3pm and check into your hotel, you have several hours of sightseeing ahead of you. Next morning, you have several more before things close.

In your previous threads I didn't share much about my reactions to the destinations you've chosen, because I didn't want to influence you. But now that you've made your own choices, I will tell you I have never enjoyed Siena and was happy to leave, so I'm not sure you'll want more days there -- although of course I understand why others feel that way. You might want 16 more days in the Amalfi, or 4 more in Rome -- or 4 less. There must be 10,000 Fodor's threads by now about Italy where people insist that X or Y amount of time here or there is the minimum or maximum. Interesting revelations about people, but of marginal value when it comes to figuring out your own agenda for enjoying your own honeynoom -- auguri!
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Old Oct 23rd, 2017, 04:26 AM
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You say that you still have to figure out transportation. This makes me think you're not considering renting a car. Indeed, most of your itinerary doesn't need a car, and in some places a car would absolutely be a burden.

There is bus transportation between Siena and Montepulciano, and there is a train station that's not in the town, but not terribly far away, either. My concern would be that it's a small town, and you have 4 1/2 days planned for Montepulciano. It's a great base for day trips by car, but not by bus or train. I would begin to get cabin fever if I had to spend four days in Montepulciano without a car. (Granted, I'm not the kind of person who is happy spending hours on end by a pool or on a hammock under a tree.)

There are certainly things to see and do in Montepulciano, but there are also wonderful drives in the vicinity, and charming towns to explore. But the bus schedules are very limited, and the train is a bit of a pain to get to, unless your villa can provide transportation. Even then, the local transportation is anything but high speed.

In other words, for that part of the trip, I highly recommend renting a car. You could also manage a car in Siena, which is fairly compact and has parking outside the walls; you may have parking available where you're staying, as well. So, you could pick up a rental car when you leave Florence, perhaps at the airport, and drop it off somewhere before arriving in Positano.
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Old Oct 23rd, 2017, 05:01 AM
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thanks @bvlenci. in fact, we 100% will be renting a car upon departure from Siena
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Old Oct 23rd, 2017, 06:42 AM
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"... we 100% will be renting a car upon departure from Siena."

Then you won't have much time, if any, for exploring the town that morning as the car rental offices are all closed in the afternoon (Sat., July 14). You'll have to plan your limited time in Siena very carefully.

And you have to figure out where/when you'll turn in the car. Driving all the way to Positano in mid-July would be a challenge, to say the least.
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Old Oct 23rd, 2017, 08:38 AM
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@Jean, perhaps it makes more sense for us to rent the car upon departure from Florence, drive to Siena and then utilize it for the remaining days in Montepulciano?

i was planning on turning the car in, taking the train to Salerno and then making my way to Positano from there.
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Old Oct 23rd, 2017, 09:01 AM
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Turn in car at Chiusi and take regional trains to Rome (flat fare no pre-booking needed - just buy at station) and then high-speed Rome to Salerno and back to Rome and book high-speed trains early enough to nab nifty discounted fares at www.trentilia.com or www.italotreno.com - separate rail companies operating over same tracks; the latter has consistently low prices - check www.seat61.com for adroit info on booking your own tickets online and for general info on trains www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com. Consider first class too as discounted tickets are available there and sometimes not much more than cheapest available 2nd class ones.

Take ferries from Salerno to Positano - by road could be very long.
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Old Oct 23rd, 2017, 10:54 AM
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Montepulciano-Chiusi-Salerno-Positano is OK. Just know how long that's going to take, and everything needs to go as planned...

Montepulciano to Chiusi, probably 90 minutes to drive, turn in the car and walk to the train station.

[FYI, the car rental offices near the Chiusi train station are closed from 12:30-3:00 or 3:30, depending on the company.]

Chiusi to Salerno, depending on the train, the journey is between 4 and 5.5 hours. You need to leave Chiusi early enough to reach Salerno well before the last ferry of the day to Positano, but you also can't leave Chiusi until after the car rental office opens and you go through the process of returning the car.

Salerno to Positano, takes about 1:15 hours on the fast ferry.

Alternatively, with fewer opportunities for delays/problems and if you can afford it, you could turn in the car at Chiusi, train to Naples and have a private driver take you to your hotel in Positano. The journey via Salerno would probably take 9 hours door to door. Via Naples, perhaps 7 hours door to door.
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Old Oct 23rd, 2017, 12:10 PM
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I would rent the car upon leaving Florence. As I said, Siena is much more compact than Florence. You can park outside the wall if your lodging doesn't have parking. There are also some nice stops along the way from Florence to Siena, and some scenic detours.
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Old Oct 23rd, 2017, 12:14 PM
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There are also some nice stops along the way from Florence to Siena, and some scenic detours.>

Like Chianti-en-Greve if interested in wine tours.

But if not into stopping then may as well take cheap bus to Siena -spend a day or so in town and save car rental days.
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Old Oct 23rd, 2017, 01:26 PM
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Palazzo Ravizza has parking for guests and it's easy to get to.
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