First Trip -- Need some help
Apr 29th, 2005 | 11:00 AM
#21
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 45
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Thanks for that advice on Venice. I wish we had an extra day, so it wasn't such a tough decision! My fiance really wants to spend a lot of time relaxing in the countryside of Tuscany, especially since it's such a beautiful time of year there. But perhaps I can convince him otherwise. 
Apr 29th, 2005 | 11:47 AM
#22
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 13,194
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You list nine nights - - do you really have nine nights? Many people DO count their last day in Europe (when you fly home, thus you do not sleep in Europe that day) - - but do you actually have TEN days and nine nights? That's what you imply with 2 nights Venice/4 nights Tuscany/3 nights Rome. Day "zero" is when you depart the US; night zero is on the plane; day 1 is when you arrive in Europe; you (currently plan) to spend nights 1 and 2 in Venice; 3, 4, 5 and 6 in Tuscany; 7, 8 and 9 in Rome and depart home on day 10? Is that right?
Okay, so here's the best I can offer in creative problem-solving.
Plan on using that entire day three IN Venice - - assuming that you are enjoying it. It sounds like you are going to want to rent a car, so plan on picking it up late in the afternoon. Now, make your first drive easier and shorter - - only 115 km - - rather than going all the way to your destination in Tuscany (realizing that you have not picked that yet). Ferrara is an obvious choice of midpoint - - and even though I have never been there, I am fairly certain that it will provide some of the off-the-beaten-path less-touristed charm that your fiance wants. And almost certain to offer you a nicer room than Venice can, for half the price. See www.venere.com or www.charmerelax.com for some choices in Ferrara. That's night 3.
On day 4, you have a somewhat shorter drive (159 km to reach Florence, for example) - - start early (unless you find that you love Ferrara in its own right) and you can make it to your rural Tuscany destination by late morning (depends on where you are going). Since you are already considering two destinations within Tuscany, I would recommend nights 4 and 5 out in the countryside, then drive yourself into Florence late in the day of day 6. Drop off the car (you won't want it in Florence) and you have kept your car rental cost down to a 3-day rental (your plan might have as many as five days rental, depending on pickup and return times). On day 7, you have the choice of spending the day in Florence, or moving on to Rome. It's only 95 minutes by train from Florence to Rome - - and even arriving in Rome near sundown is by no means a "wasted day" there. Strolling from Trevi Fountain to Piazza Navona, having dinner and seeing the Pantheon in the glow of dusk is an excellent introduction to the city.
No matter how you slice it, you "sacrifice" a half day getting from Venice to Tuscany, and then a "quarter day" to go onward to Rome. Choosing a midpoint between Venice and Tuscany <i><b>might</b></i> give you something that other tourists do not get on their "mainstream" trip to Italy, and give you two smaller "losses in transit", then a full half-day loss, if done all at once.
Okay, so here's the best I can offer in creative problem-solving.
Plan on using that entire day three IN Venice - - assuming that you are enjoying it. It sounds like you are going to want to rent a car, so plan on picking it up late in the afternoon. Now, make your first drive easier and shorter - - only 115 km - - rather than going all the way to your destination in Tuscany (realizing that you have not picked that yet). Ferrara is an obvious choice of midpoint - - and even though I have never been there, I am fairly certain that it will provide some of the off-the-beaten-path less-touristed charm that your fiance wants. And almost certain to offer you a nicer room than Venice can, for half the price. See www.venere.com or www.charmerelax.com for some choices in Ferrara. That's night 3.
On day 4, you have a somewhat shorter drive (159 km to reach Florence, for example) - - start early (unless you find that you love Ferrara in its own right) and you can make it to your rural Tuscany destination by late morning (depends on where you are going). Since you are already considering two destinations within Tuscany, I would recommend nights 4 and 5 out in the countryside, then drive yourself into Florence late in the day of day 6. Drop off the car (you won't want it in Florence) and you have kept your car rental cost down to a 3-day rental (your plan might have as many as five days rental, depending on pickup and return times). On day 7, you have the choice of spending the day in Florence, or moving on to Rome. It's only 95 minutes by train from Florence to Rome - - and even arriving in Rome near sundown is by no means a "wasted day" there. Strolling from Trevi Fountain to Piazza Navona, having dinner and seeing the Pantheon in the glow of dusk is an excellent introduction to the city.
No matter how you slice it, you "sacrifice" a half day getting from Venice to Tuscany, and then a "quarter day" to go onward to Rome. Choosing a midpoint between Venice and Tuscany <i><b>might</b></i> give you something that other tourists do not get on their "mainstream" trip to Italy, and give you two smaller "losses in transit", then a full half-day loss, if done all at once.
