First time in Italy - advice appreciated !
 

Hi!

I am planning a roughly 14 day trip to Italy in May 2019 and could use some advice ! We have a rough itinerary to hit the major sites and left out southern Italy for next trip. My and my partner (we are in our 20s) will be taking the train from city to city. A few questions I have...

1. Any recommendations for where to stay in Cinque Terre or if 2.5 days will be enough to explore the area and spend a little time on the beach ?
2. Any day trip recommendations from Florence, either tour companies or areas we must visit, keeping in mind we won't have a car ?
3. Thoughts on the itineraries or recommendations for reordering the cities ? We love eating, exploring, hiking and experiencing local culture but wouldn't call ourselves the biggest art enthusiasts. Both of us have been to Europe before and have a basic level of Italian reading/speaking. I keep reading that it is recommended to book the longer train trips in advance and will do that in a few months.


Toronto -> Venice
Venice
Venice (possibly burano or murano)
Venice -> Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre
Cinque Terre -> Pisa -> Florence
Florence
Florence
Florence (day trip to Sienna or vineyards)
Florence-> rome
Rome
Rome
Rome->Toronto


Appreciate any and all tips and recommendations !

Looks great - if not been to Rome before maybe a day more there (and Ostia Antica, ancient Rome's ancient port ruins, is to many nearly as awesome as Pompeii) - book trains well in advance for deep discounted tickets - www.trenitalia.com or www.italotreno.com - two competing railways using same tracks and stations. But regional trains like between CT and Pisa/Florence are best bought at station - flat fare no seat reservations possible. For lots on Italian trains check www.seat61.com - loads on booking your own online discounted tickets; general info trains www.ricksteves.com and BETS-European Rail Experts

You've been before, you speak some Italian, and you have a perfectly reasonable itinerary. I've nothing to add :-) except ENJOY!

Adding a day in Rome for a day trip to Ostia Antica is a great idea.
ssander

I must admit that this itinerary would be too rushed for my tastes, but maybe it will work for you.

2.5 days in the Cinque Terre would give you a "back up" day for hiking if weather is not amenable on one day. I'm not sure I would plan on beach time in May in the Cinque Terre -- for me, it would be a bit too early for that because the water would be too cold YMMV.

In the Cinque Terre, I enjoyed La Torretta, which still gets great reviews, but it is more expensive than when I stayed there.
Charme & Relax | La Torretta Lodge Manarola

SieNa is a great visit, look at both the bus and the train from where you are staying as the train is in the valley while the bus is on top of the hill (where Siena is). rome2rio is not perfect for this sort of thing but it gives you an idea for more detailed search.

There is so much to see and do in the Italian Riviera. And, although I have not been there in May, I suspect that Cinque Terre and Florence (as well as Rome and Venice) will be crowded, especially as the month progresses. This fall, we based ourselves in Rapallo and found that we were able to hike and visit all the towns in Cinque Terre in one day. Rapallo was a great base city and allowed us to visit such other places as Camogli, Portovenere and Portofino, and many more similar gems. For us, Florence was a return trip after 18 years, and we frankly couldn’t stomach the crowds (although we enjoyed some time on the other side of the river or the Oltrarno) and spent one of our days, just getting away and doing a day trip to Siena. Bologna was busy, but we much preferred its "Italian busy” to “tourist-selfie-tour group busy” that you will experience in most of the places you have chosen. Although we had a car in the Italian Riviera (parked almost the entire time), rail was great, and preferable, in all of these regions.

If interested, here are links to a couple of our fall trip reports:

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...t-oct-1659667/

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...tober-1659717/

If "not the biggest art enthusiasts" then I'd spend those days somewhere other than Florence. My feeling is the city is for the art rather than the city and you might find somewhere else more agreeable. My personal experience in the area, other than Florence, is limited to Lucca which I like very much. But others here can suggest alternatives in the region that might be better suited to your interests.

Is the weather warm enough in May to be "on the beach" in the CT?

If the weather wasn't right for including CT couldn't you skip that and do that 3 cities with the few days trips you mention. That would give you a bit more time in the larger places.

The Cinque Terre only has one real beach I saw - the new part of Monterosso - but May could be iffy for swimming but beaching fine. Would not go there for that. If not into hiking between cities think tree times about CTerre. Oh the towns are ancient and nice but also super mobbed even by then reports say.

Whitehall recommended Rapallo, and my choice is Santa Margherita Ligure. Both of those would give you an opportunity to see the CT and more of the Italian Riviera. I would not go to the CT for beach time in May.

Thank you everyone for the advice ! Looks like i;m on the right track but i'll do a little more planning.

Happy Holidays!

We chose Santa Margherita Ligure for a three-night stay in May a few years ago.

Contrary to the post above, it was definitely not a busy time of year at Cinque Terre, or anywhere else in Italy. It was the beginning of their season, and was not yet crowded in Rome, Florence or Venice, either.

From SML, we took the train to the CT for a day hike. Another day, we took the bus to Portofino for the day, and a quick ferry to/from San Fruttuoso.

Wear and use a money belt. The pickpockets in Italy are maestros.

Your itinerary looks sound and you have allotted adequate time in each location. You will be able to spend more time being in a location than getting there.

Buon viaggio,

Sounds good. In Venice, if you go to an island my choice would be Torcello.
Instead of Florence, maybe you would like Perugia. It's a lively university town and you could still make side trips.

A trip to Burano and Torcello is great -- better IMHO than Murano. It's a longer boat ride, but worth it.
ssander

Yes to Burano and Torcello - the latter especially neat - very few other tourists when I went but a slew of feral cats lurking all around. Kind of like a deserted island.

Torcello to me is one of the finest things to see in Venice:

https://www.google.com/search?q=torc...w=1280&bih=625







yes to Burano

I wrote this list with 20 short travel tips (after my first trip to Roma). I hope you find my tips useful! :blush:
In the trams, buses, trains etc. before reaching the station, take care of the (hand) bag. We could often (!) Watch how someone in the bus has jumped in, stole a bag and within seconds was gone again ...
Wear comfortable shoes - most of the streets, especially in the old town, are made with mini cobblestones and therefore more than unsuitable for high heels, sandals, ballerinas, etc ...
Do not forget sunscreen.
Try not to run around freely. Why? Well, that's not all that good in the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica ... you can not get in at liberty. I always had my maxi dress in it with a vest + denim jacket.
In the restaurant you should try the house wine - the wines are not only cheap but also taste very good!
St. Peter's Square is just GIGANTIC at night
The water on the public drinking fountain is really delicious, costs nothing and is also clean. So, no fear.
Walk yourself! Really, then you really see the best restaurants, cafes and and and ...
Look at Volpetti over - they have really (according to my friend) the best sausage the best cheese
Eat as much ice as you can. Heaven, really in every ice cream parlor, the ice cream tasted so delicious
Also go out at night - the city is beautiful & Rome has a lot to offer.
Always carry enough small change with you around you so you can buy many delicious things such as ice cream ;-)
The way to the hotel can be bumpy, expect that you have to squeeze the suitcase over some stairs, through narrow streets or into small lifts.
Therefore, really only pack what you really need.
Leave expensive jewelry at home (for pickpockets) :ok:
Get up as early as possible. :sunny: It is not bad if you are already around 7 in the city on the road and lunch can rest in the shade.
If you fly with a low-cost airline to Italy you should only carry carry-on luggage and pay attention to the weight - they are very steep!
If you travel by public transport - do not help with your luggage. This is usually a trick of gypsies who then want to spend a lot of money and are mostly very angry ...
Well I hope you are already planning the next vacation to Bella Italia ;-) It is really beautiful in Italy and since it is so close you should really pay a visit to the beautiful country. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

General travel tip -- not just for Rome:

Pre-load the appropriate Google maps onto your phone before you leave the US (or using wifi in your hotel). GPS does not use cellular data, if the maps are already on your phone (except for links to places on the map and traffic updates), so it is free. It is incredibly helpful for walking around.

It will, however, use your battery. I carry a small pocket-size powerpack for those times when the phone battery runs low during a long day out.

ssander

Travel Tip-don't pre-schedule every minute but leave time for serendipity.