hi,
planning to visit italy for a 14 days holiday sometime in september. i had a few queries - please help.

i plan to fly in & out of rome. in between, i plan to start with naples, do pompei, spend a couple of nights at sorrento and do amalfi coast & capri,another 2 nights each at venice and florence, do a day trip to Pisa from Florence and spend 4 days in rome. (yeah, i know - too hectic - but I m trying to pack as much as possible in a 2 weeks' holiday)

now, i want to know
a) if i can somehow avoid florence and do a day trip to Pisa from some other place. any suggestions?

b) i plan to take the train to my destinations - now is it advisable to buy individual tickets from point A to point B, or buy an Eurail Italy Pass, and just pay for the reservations.
which option will come cheaper. how much would a reservation cost & do I need to reserve my seats beforehand (on net) or at the time of travel.

Please help!!!!

Too much traveling.
You've got 14 days (13 nights) and you are doing RT Rome.
You need to try and leave from another airport (Venice?).If not,you need to reexamine this schedule.
Here's what you have designed:
Day 1:arrive Rome and train to Naples. This day,except dinner and maybe a short walk is basically over. You will also be very tired.Stay in Naples.

Day 2:Go to pompeii.

Day 3: Pack,check out and train to Sorrento. Have lunch and check in. Spend the late afternoon and evening in Sorrento.

Day 4:Visit the coast and Capri.This will be a very full day to see both.

Day 5ack,check out and train from to Florence.Figure 5-6 hours before you can check-in in Florence. Except dinner (and a little evening walk) this day is over.

Day 6: Train to Pisa,return and spend a little time seeing some of Florence ,eat and pack for the next day.

Day 7:Train to Venice after checking out.With checking out,time to station and a fast train figure you may arrive early afternoon at best.Check in ,walk around some and have dinner.

Day 8: Enjoy Venice

Day 9: Pack,check-out and train to Rome. Figure (leaving early and a fast train) arriving early afteroon. Check-in ,check out your neighborhood and dinner.

Day 10-13 Rome .You should have enough time to enjoy Rome,but it's by no means a long time for this great city.

Day 14eave

So,this (more-or-less) seems to be what you are looking to do.
Since you didn't ask,I'm not going to point out the "holes" in this schedule.You asked about "avoiding" Florence to go to Pisa. I've got to admit I've never heard of anyone saying that Florence should be avoided as opposed to Pisa. But,to each their own.
I assume that you just want a quick stop in Pisa to see the tower. You can do it,by transfering in Florence to a train to Pisa. This,of course makes little sense.
So the practical answer is "no".
To your second question: You can (probably should with this schedule)reseve your tickets in advance (not to Pisa).Check out your pricing,I'd doubt that the Pass would save you money.
Observation:Fly into Venice and leave from Rome. If you do,you will be VERY happy.

Hi

I can only give you advice when it comes to Rome. My wife and I went there in the summer of 2005 and it is an amazing city. I have posted a trip report with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy.htm . Maybe you can find some useful info there. I have also made an interactive Google map on http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy_map.htm . On the map I have put markers on some of the attractions of ROme and some of the restaurants we went to. Click on the markers for more info. Hope this helps a little

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

thanks for the help.

the problem is i ve to fly in & out of rome - getting a good deal on ticket prices there.

now that u mention it, my itinerary does look toooooo hectic.

any suggestions - how i can max the 14 days & see the best of italy.

Skip Venice and/or Sorrento/Amalfi.
Of the two,which is most important to you?
After you make that choice,things will get easier.
You could also see about flying from Naples to Venice and skip Florence/Pisa.
Going directly from Sorrento to Venice ,IMHO,is a waste of an entire day on trains.
What is it you want to experience from Italy?

Hi S,

Have you checked price into Venice and out of Naples at www.kayak.com?

Often they are almost the same as RT.

>.. if i can somehow avoid florence and do a day trip to Pisa ...<

Why in Heaven's name would you want to do that?

It is highly unlikely that you will want a railpass in Italy.

Check prices at www.trenitalia.com

Others have mentioned the flaws in your planned itinerary.

You might find this useful: Helpful Information: Italy 2
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34568596

Enjoy your visit.

Open jaw into Venice out of Rome is a great choice, IMO and preferable to backtracking but it sounds like you are not open to that.

The "best" of Italy cannot be seen in two weeks. It is a country to be savored, not to blow through in an attempt to see a few highlights but that is just opinion.

WHy would avoid Florence for Pisa? I truly cannot imagine that.

That amount of moving around will have you on a train and in and out of so many lodgings that IMO you will waste, not maximize your time.

I would buy point to point tickets, not a train pass. And I would limit my travels to either Rome and South or Rome and north but not what you are considering as it is simply too much too fast.

Oh yes, your entire list is possible in two weeks. I've done it before. You just need to plan to maximize your touring time and use some logic. I would suggest you look into immediately connecting to a flight to Venice when your flight arrives in Rome. Check Sidestep.com. There are flights as low as $94. I don't know your budget, but it will be well worth it. If you do this, the itinerary will work like a breeze. Adjust a day here and there to suit your interests:

2 nights Venice, train to Florence 3 nights, train to Naples 3 - 4 nights for Amalfi Coast/Pompeii, take train for 4 nights Rome. Depart for home from Rome.

I've never taken the trains in Italy before, but the last time there, we looked into taking a train from Florence to Naples. If I remember correctly, the fast train wasn't much different than driving time. In our case, we ended our trip on the Amalfi Coast and flew to Rome early in the morning (from Naples) to catch our flight home. In hindsight, I would have rather just ended in Rome.

Some thoughts on your plans...Pompeii - Yes!, Capri & Pisa - only if you have time. Decide once you're there and know if you don't make it to either, you won't be missing anything. I would go to Siena before going to Pisa. On the AC, make some time to visit Ravello and Positano if you're not staying in either town.

thanks guys for all the suggestions.

and as for skipping florence for pisa, i was thinking of spending a nite or two in some not-so-touristy town, just to get the flavour of the real italy. but i guess it ll be a crime to miss florence, too - so off the beaten track in italy has to happen in some later holiday.

I would give sorronto the skip.Or better still you could do capri & Sorronto in a day trip from Naples.Stay over at Naples.The next day,Pompei and back to Rome.Check this website:
http://www.odyssey-tours.com/tours/naples4.asp
See if they have an overnight package.

Stick to your 3D Rome and 3D Venice plans.Stay in Florence,do Pisa.That would mean a night stay over in Florence.You could still do Tuscany 2Days.A little ambitious but a bit of everything.Just a suggestion.

Hi sasha, I don't consider Pisa a nontouristy town in the way I think you mean..just my opinion, in case that is the main reason for your wanting to visit there.

Have fun whatever you do..and you will!

Pisa is anything BUT non touristy. Maybe Bologna would be better suited for you.

In our experience, except for the area immediately around the famous Tower, Pisa is very non-touristy. It's quite a nice university town on the Arno River, and very few tourists leave the vicinity of the Tower and the train station.