adrienne

I don't understand your time. You have 5 days in the Peccioli area, then you want a 7 day itinerary for Italy. That's 12 days.

And then you want to go to Germany.

You have 14 days total time, not in Europe. What does that mean?

How many days will you be in Europe? You already have 12 days accounted for.

PalenQ

what about travel time - some parts of days are inevitably lost to travel and packing up, un-packing, etc.

gdfella11

I am rethinking the trip SO looking for a 7 day itinerary..in Italy..(forget about Peccioli) So 7 days in Italy then 4 days in Germany. Thanks!!

PalenQ

7 days in Italy then 4 days in Germany>

And one day in between or are you hopping an overnight train Italy to Munich?

sandralist

There are simply dozens of different arrangements (including many very convenient flights connecting Germany to Italy and vice versa. There are also 5 hour trains between Verona and Munich which are very scenic so you might not want to take an overnight train.

It sounds like you haven't booked any plane tickets so perhaps the first thing you should do is look to see what would be an attractive Italian or German airport for your arrival and what would be an attractive Italian or German airport for your departure. Then figure out a reasonable sightseeing itinerary.

Or make a very short but firm list of sights in both Italy and Germany that you very very very much want to see and figure out where you should fly into and where you should fly out of to make for an efficient travel plan that leaves you with maximum sightseeing time.

PalenQ

Yes the train trip from Verona thru the Dolomites and Austrian Alps via the Brennero Pass is really nice alpine scenery - you would miss it of course by going by night - but you do lose much of a day traveling going on the day train - especially if you are not in Verona it will be much longer than 5 hours.

gdfella11

We want to see Venice, Florence, visit a few vineyards, enjoy local spots to eat. we were thinking of flying in to Florence. In Germany, probably Munich, the Black Forest. We would take rail to Germany. Have not booked flights yet, and plan to do so soon. Also, have not looked at places to stay either. Looking for nice clean local places.

sandralist

If would be great if you can fly into Florence to begin your trip. After you've seen that area you can go by train to Venice and after that head up to Munich via Verona by train There are vineyards near to Florence and also Verona and also in the valleys that go up toward the Alps (around Trento). Lots of choices. I think most people hoping to tour the countryside around Munich rent a car. Hopefully you can get good flight out of Munich to get you back to the US.

You won't have any trouble finding good lodgings in all price categories for next May in all the places you want to see .

sandralist

Also I hope you haven't completely given up on the idea of visiting Peccioli. It looks wonderful in pictures

http://www.guidedtoursofflorence.com...-buona-cucina/

PalenQ

Yes the Chianto wine district is really close to Florence (and Siena) - Chianti en Greve is the epicenter with several wine tours right in town - can buy a pass and hit several - if you're still standing by the last one!

Ifnotnow_when

Having spent 3 weeks in Germany last year and 3 weeks in Italy the year before, I can say hands down Italy is the most interesting and memorable. Venice, Florence, stay at a Tuscan farm and drive to small nearby towns, and then there is the crown jewel of Rome. Those will easily take up your 14 days. Like the others have said, don't try to pack too much in. Then it becomes just a mush of things. Our last visit to Italy included only a couple days in Rome, then a Tuscan farmhouse and then Florence. We had a car only during the Tuscany time. We had spent a week in Venice and a week in Rome on a previous trip. See, you can always return. Count on it.