Hi Fodorites,
My husband and I are planning our 1st Anniversary trip in September 2008 for 9-10 nights. I have visited Italy twice and he has never been. We have an interest in food, wine, art/architecture and are looking to get a sense of small town Italy. I don't want to "jip" my husband out of all of the "must sees" but I do want to have a new experience as well. Here is our tentative Itinerary:

Fly into Rome- 3 nights Rome
2-3 Nights Tuscany (rent car, day trips)
3 Nights Venice- fly out of Venice

I REALLY wanted to see Cinque Terre but there wasn't a natural place to fold it into the itinerary.

Any recommendations to make this itinerary spectacular! Thanks in advance!

I am no expert, but I think you've got a good plan. We did a similar trip in reverse, but only did 2 nights in Venice and added 2 in Cinque Terre before hitting Tuscany.

We based ourselves in Castellina in Chianti and found that we were in a good position for trips to Siena, San Gimignano, Pienza and Greve (to do the wine tour & lunch at Castello di Verrazzano).

It is very easy to pick up your car when leaving Rome and return it upon arrival in Venice. I believe you can also train from Rome to Orvieto and pick the car up there, but don't hold me to that. I could have old information.

As long as you can plan your time so that you aren't rushing from place to place, you'll have a great trip. Make a list of YOUR "must sees" based on your likes, not what every guidebook says you "must see". Some of our best travel memories are of just wandering through the streets of Rome and Venice without any particular destination.

Enjoy!

reddot: it seems like a good itinerary.

With 9-10 nites you have a good plan. What will be spectacular will be the planning for trips 2 and 3 since you will return.

I have no first hand knowledge of flights to Venice, but others on the forum have said it is easier to fly into Venice and out of Rome. Either way, you will have a spectacular time. You will be in Italy with your "still new" husband at a great time of year. You may not have time, but since you love art, if you can get to the Borghese Gallery in Rome, do so.

Hello reddots, I like your thoughts also. And I loved bobthe navigator's comment as it is so true. And by the way, many people take the train from Rome to Orvieto and pick up their rental car in Orvieto so you might like to do that. You could possibly have lunch in Orvieto and see the Duomo before leaving Orvieto. Have fun planning your 1st Anniversary!

Thank you all for your great responses! Sherhatfield, you are so right, the must sees are the ones we WANT to see. I have just felt so much pressure for it to be the perfect trip since after we announced that we were planning it my brother-in-law, in-laws, and husband's boss all announced they were doing the same itinerary!
Although I was planning Venice for the end, I will research the reverse itinerary to see if it makes more sense! And yes, I am sure that we will be back....

Hello reddots, in that you have not purchased your airline tickets yet I too would encourage you to think about flying into Venice and to depart from Rome. Most flights departing from Venice do leave so early in the morning and it would be easier to get to the Rome airport than the Venice airport to fly home.

Hi R,

>Any recommendations to make this itinerary spectacular!

Leave it alone, except I suggest flying into Venice and out of Rome.

I think that you will find better schedules.

In addition, Venice is a quieter place to get used to being in Italy and getting over jet lag.

This is DH's 1st visit to Italy and you are going to have him drive?

You will navigate? Get very good maps and study them well in advance.

Enjoy your visit.

If you can swap starting points, it looks great!

If you start in Venice, you can pick up the rental car in Mestre (8 min. train ride from Venice & trains leaving every few mins.) in addition to the Piazzale Roma option in Venice. The last time I rented leaving Venice, the Mestre pick-up saved me around $70.00.

"This is DH's 1st visit to Italy and you are going to have him drive?" Where did Reddots say that she wouldn't be doing/sharing the driving?

You mentioned that you could have 10 nights in Italy. If so, you might allocate 3 Venice, 3 Tuscany, and 4 Rome. Have you decided on an area to stay in Tuscany?

Have fun planning ... it should be beautiful in Italy in September. Early congratulations on your anniversary.

Thanks, Chicago Heather. I was going to remind everyone that I never said I was going to "Make DH Drive!".

Ha! You're trips sounds so wonderful ... it seems ages since I visited Italy, so I'm really looking forward to your planning posts.

We are trying to finalize an area in Tuscany - everyone seems to have a favorite. Any suggestions are appreciated! One thing that we are very interested in exploring is a cooking class so we are open to suggestions if anyone has done this.

You really only need 1 day for Venice and could detour to the Cinque Terre for 2. Our favorite hill town was definitely Orvieto, very charming and wonderful restaurants. We took an underground tour of the Etruscan catacombs which was terrific! I am guessing you are going to take a train out of Florence to Venice? I didnt see Florence on your intinerary, but the museums there are a must. I heard Bologna was nice although we didnt go there. Have fun!

Reddot- Have been to Italy 6X. Your trip sounds great. But it might be better use of time to spend first 2 nights in Venice (skip the museums, wander the streets, take a water taxi to Murano; you just need 1 1/2 days), then take a train to Florence and rent a car there and spend 4 nights in Tuscany ( 2 days in Florence and 2 in Chianti); then take a train to Rome and spend your last 3 nites there.
Just plan on going back in the future...also must visits are the northern lakes region, Amalfi Coast and Sicily and CinqueTerre.
P.S. You can take a water taxi from Venice airport to your hotel door if you stay on one of the canals.

Reddots,
Congratulations on your 1st Anniversary! My wife and I currently LIVE IN ROME and thoroughly enjoy Italy! I know your husband will too!

Previously we lived in Atlanta so we have done your itinerary leaving from either Venice and Rome nonstop on Delta. Of the two I preferred entering at Venice and then heading south and departing from Rome - MORE OPTIONS.

I would suggest only 2 days in Venice and then travel by train to Florence. Spend two days seeing the Ufizi, David at Galleria Academia, Piazza Michelengelo at dusk, eat at Il Latini... On the third morning in Florence, pick up a rental car, and then spend one day just driving through Tuscany on SR222 stopping at all the olio and vino farms! (Yes we brought back 14 different bottles of oil from 14 different farms in our luggage - clank, clank!). Perhaps you could do a side-trip to Lucca, an incredible walled city 40 minutes West of Florence?

I would then spend a day in Siena - it's an incredible town about 45 minutes south of Florence. The following day head to Rome via "The Prada Oulet" (Lo Spaccio), drive through Montepulciano, and stop at Oveirto... then arrive late in Roma.

Once at my hotel I would get rid of the rental car... Romans are second only to folks in Naples in "bad driving!" I ride a motorino and often question my own sanity!

3 days in Rome will give you a strong finale to a great vacation... then there's always southern Italy! Or for a truly unique experience you could go to a town like Civita di Bagnoregio which is about 1 hour from Rome, has only 14 residents and can only be reached by a footbridge! but they do have two GREAT restaurants!

I know you've done your research but you will need an IDP (International Driver's Permit) to rent a car in Italy from most agencies. Set up your rental FROM the States, it's much cheaper. I use AutoEurope often. Be careful when selecting insurance as most credit cards (including my AMEX Platinum) WILL NOT insure a car in Italy - too many accidents, thefts, and just bad drivers! You can get GPS in a rental car but almost exclusively in "rountrip: rentals... I have a Garmin I bought on ebay before moving to Italy and live and die with it every day... Perhaps you know someone with a GPS that has European Maps? Signage here is difficult to say the least.

If you have any specific questions, please do not hesitate to email me at [email protected]. Good luck and I know whatever itinerary you work out you will have a GREAT time!

My husband and I have been in Italy and France 4 times in the last few years renting cars and never needed anything but our U.S driver's license. Auto Europe is definitely the way to go - we do a combo train/car package. The other replies are correct that you need to spend a couple of days in Florence. The train station is within walking distance of many hotels. Walking in the museum and seeing "David" took my breath away. Tuscany is wonderful - it's such a nice change from the cities. We stayed 4 nights in September to attend the Chianti Wine Festival in Greve. It is held in September every year so you might check for exact dates. I can recommend Villa Sant'Uberto in Radda in Chianti - lots of reviews. Reasonable, gorgeous views, wonderful rooms and the owner will give you ideas for unforgettable romantic dinners overlooking vineyards. Our days in Tuscany are still our favorite trip ever. Enjoy!

Sharonis:

You don't need health insurance, either...until you get sick.

The IDP is mandatory, by law, in Italy. Just because no one ever asked you to show proof of it does not mean it is not required. Car rental agencies don't care whether you have it or not and won't normally even mention it. But it's illegal for you to drive in Italy without it. Should you ever get stopped by the police, they will ask you for it, and you'll be very sorry you didn't get it.

Alternatively, you can carry an official translation of your American license, which is all the IDP really is. But you'll pay a lot more for a professional translation than you will for an IDP.

Siena was fabulous and memorable...we were only in Tuscany for a couple of days before we drove to Cinqueterre and the Ligurian coast but. Though we did drive about visiting those small fairy-tale towns and being wowed by Tuscany’s rolling countryside, we spent most of our time in Siena.

The night we arrived, there were a band of about 20-25 drummers, all clad in orange, walking through Siena's warren of narrow stone streets and rapping, rat-ta-tatting out these incredible foot-tapping, pulse-raising rhythms. Like Pied Piper's mice we joined the throngs behind them and danced through the town for over an hour or so – was fantastic. Once the band had passed, we ended up walking away from the thoroughfares, down quiet streets, and seeing the Duomo, the Piazza del Campo with its arrow-like tower and other the buildings we would visit the next day – all looking mysterious with wreaths of moonlight and shadows. So romantic…

During the day, don't miss the Casa de Chinghale – I think it’s called – it has a huge boar’s head mounted over the door and he’s wearing a pair of reading glasses! Inside you will find a rotund little man, wreathed in smiles, and he serves up a tasting of the most delectable meats, cheeses and wine. We had to pay for the wine tasting but he lets us try everything else for free. He makes you up a little wooden board of nibbles and you can go sit outside in the glorious sunshine to enjoy. Opposite the Casa, there is a gelato place which is worth several visits too!

If you are feeling a bit splurgy, stay at the Certosa di Maggiano – an old monastery that has been turned hotel. It’s about 15 mins away from Siena and has the most divine restaurant where my husband and I (who adore food) spent three hours tucking into this truly unforgettable meal. At night, you can open the windows in your room and let the peace roll in with the night air and during the day, the views are to die for.

As you can tell, the fondest memories are from walking around and just soaking in the atmosphere – I just know that you are going to have a wonderful time. My advice would be not to crush too much into your time - read a couple of guidebooks and these boards - and choose a few places that you'd like to stop. It's all beautiful and all breathtaking...

We took the train from Rome to Florence, rented a car in Florence and drove out to Tuscany, Ligurian coast etc and then drove back to Florence, returned the car and took the train to Venice. It was very convenient. Venice was our last stop as well – but our flight to the US was from Rome so we took an hour’s flight to Rome from Venice and then flew home.

I can't speak highly enough of Il Giglio in Montalcino. Be sure you get room 1 as it is the only room with the private terrace that has the most amazing view over the town and the Tuscan countryside. We ate in the restaurant, too, and were very pleased with the food. The hotel owners were very helpful and pleasant. The room was fairly small but that was inconsequential once we walked onto the private terrace.
www.gigliohotel.com
Click on the rooms tab and in the hotel section the 3rd photo from the left shows the terrace and the view. Montalcino is a delightful and convenient town and Il Giglio is reasonable (105 euros). However it is that view from room 1 that you will remember forever.