Somehow I have reached middle age without ever having been to Italy. I plan to fix that this year.

My sister and I will spend two weeks in Italy together. It looks like this will happen in early November, that seems to be our first available convenient time slot.

I guess we won't get the best weather then but perhaps we will get fewer tourists, shorter lines, cheaper prices. She lives in a resort town and I am in the South so neither of us is looking for beach weather anyway.

In planning this trip I am trying to strike a balance between jam-packing our days and evenings with sight-seeing, and enjoying la dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing--the phrase that made me fall in love with the idea of Italy!)

So I am thinking Rome, Florence, Venice, with a side trip to Padua (special interest).

Do you think I am limiting myself too much? I think I could spend a month in any one of those places but I don't have a month and how could I not go to any of those three?

When is the best time to purchase airline tickets? Is it possible to fly non-stop from either Miami or Atlanta?

Does anyone have any wardrobe suggestions for that time of year? I want to travel light but I am not very self-disciplined. I'm thinking just bring everything black.

What thoughts do you have on inter-city travel? I am biased in favor of train travel. I find it relaxing, you sometimes get to talk to other travelers, and so on. Any tips or suggestions?

This is a wonderful forum! I feel I have learned a lot already just browsing through here. I would very much appreciate any comments related (or not!) to the questions posed above.

Olive Oil

I think the classic trio Rome-Florence-Venice is a classic for a reason and you have chosen well ><

I have been to Italy in Nov and bought the tickets in August. This is a strange year for airfares to European destinations, so I am even inclined to tell you if you find a decent airfare today, lock it in. Nov weather in Rome is mixed; bet on rain for Florence and Venice, so definitely good and comfortable boots, layer with jackets, a raincoat and umbrella. There will be sunny days, I even recalled wearing a short sleeves shirt to the Vatican one day. Pack for one week and do laundry mid-trip. Delta from ATL offers good deals. Definitely train travel in Italy is the way to go when traveling among the big ones; check trenitalia.it for itineraries. As far as hotels in Rome check Hotel Nazionale located on a pedestrian area. Have a great trip!

Hi OO,

2 weeks for Rome, Florence and Venice is ideal. In November, there will still be Porcini mushrooms, and the truffles, olives and grapes will have just been harvested.

Fly into Venice and out of Rome, or VV.

Look at Helpful Information: Italy 2
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34568596

For airlines see www.kayak.com and www.mobissimo.com (RT only).
Now is a good time to start looking.

Have a great visit.

We were in Italy last March for 2 weeks and did 6 nights Rome, 4 Venice and 4 Florence. While we could have spent more time in each city, we did find that an adequate amount of time to see the things we wanted to as well as enjoying "la dolce vita".

Your inclination for train travel is right on. It is so easy, enjoyable and fun.

Wearing black is a good idea, but if you bring a few brightly colored scarves, you can brighten things up - and they don't take up too much room.

Enjoy your trip!

You'll do fine early November. On distinct advantage is that number of tourists will be much, much lower by then.
As for the weather, my wife and I found that leather jackets were perfect for November Italy. As for rain, it's possible in any one of the three cities, so bring an umbrella. The rain shouldn't slow you down much, if at all.
Traveling by train between the three cities is the best means of travel.

Thank you all very much for taking the time to respond. I am very excited about this trip.

I do have a few concerns that maybe someone can comment on.

One is the possibility of poor weather. Am I crazy to plan this trip for November?

The other is the question of Rome: should Rome go at the beginning of the itinerary or the end. I'm a little intimidated by Rome as the result of what I have read about pickpockets and other types of thieves. I wonder if I am better off going to Rome fresh at the beginning of the trip or tired but more experienced, at the end of the trip.

Am I just worrying too much.

OO

Olive Oil,
I think Rome-Venice-Florence is very doable in two weeks. Obviously you won't get to fully explore each, but four to five days in each should be enough to be a tourist and get a feel for where you want to go back to! I was just in Rome for a week in early December (with my sister too!). The weather was amazing...60's most days, rain only at night and sun most days. I think we totally lucked out, but you never know. We also didn't run into a lot of tourists...which was very nice. No lines to get into anything. I definitely fell in love with Rome! As far as clothing, bring black basics and some bright colored accessories--scarves, hats, gloves...Everyone wears scarves no matter what time of year. Because you don't know what the weather will be, think layers. Don't bring a heavy winter coat, but bring along a turleneck and maybe a wool vest. I brought long underwear (don't laugh!). Didn't have to bring it out until Paris. Also make sure to bring comfortable shoes. Lots of walking on uneven cobblestone. Getting there--We flew from Nice to Rome and then took the train into the city. It was easy enough. We also stayed at Hotel Nazionale. It is 100 feet from Trevi Fountain. It is a beautiful hotel. I would highly recommend it. Have a wonderful time falling in love with Rome!

Hi olive_oil! I would chose early November any time over August or even July if I were going to be in the large cities of Italy. Even June last year was hot, humid and miserable in Rome.

Chosing to visit Rome, Florence and Venice is a wise choice..and visiting Padua, well that is a special place for me so again I agree with your thinking.

Regarding clothes. Although clothes are of course bulkier than summer clothes the thing is that you will not be feeling like your clothes are wet, wrinkled and miserable from the heat and humidity. Personally I always find winter time an easier time to pack.

Black is good (IMO black is the perfect color for travelling). If you wear a Tshirt under your pullover sweaters you will not need many sweaters as keep in mind you won't be seeing the same people every day.

BTW, if you type in "Tiff" here on Fodor's Search box you should be able to access her January 2006 trip to Florence and Venice. She took black and was so happy with her clothes. Wonderful trip report also that you would enjoy I am sure.

With your itinerary train travel is absolutely the perfect solution IMO.

Regarding your wardrobe. Do wear your jacket on the plane..planes get cold and you sure don't want to take up checkin luggage space for a jacket. If you are taking boots, wear them on the plane also..even though having to take them off going through security is a pain. But again, think about luggage space.

And like Ira said..ah the food!! Mangia!

The street vendors will also be selling roasted chestnuts in November!!! Yum!!

Hi

For weather you should check www.weatherbase.com. That should give you some idea of how it will be.

My wife and I have been to Italy twice. The first trip we did Milan/Venice and on the second trip we checked out Rome. I have posted trip reports with pictures and link on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy.htm Maybe you can find some useful information there in your initial planning.

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

Nov is fine, start with Rome. Settle this and move forward, a lot of planning to do

Olive oil, we arrived in Rome on November 1st last year. Went to Sorrento for 5 days and then back to Rome for 7. The weather was wonderful. We had only a couple of hours of a sheer downpour, unfortunately that was when we were wandering around in the dark, without an umbrella, lost in Rome. Hopefully that will never happen to you. Don't worry about any fears of Italy, just do alot of searching here and you'll have all the answers Deborah

Olive oil,

Since you have given yourself such a lovely name, I am going to point out that you are going to Italy at the top of the olive oil pressing. This is a wonderful time to be in Tuscany especially.

I'm going to make a different suggestion from everybody else because you ask if you are "limiting yourself" too much. I think so. I think you are limiting yourself to spending too much time in the usual cities, and the cure is: Just go to Venice and Florence, but take several day trips from each to see more of Italy.

Use some of the days you would have spent in Rome to enjoy more of Tuscany. Either book split your time between Florence and small town, or spend all your nights in Firenze and take day trips to Pisa, olive oil mills, wineries and small and beautiful and historic small towns.

For Venice, you are right to want to go to Padova. Add Torcello to that list, and perhaps Treviso.

You have reservations about going to Rome anyway, and by extending your stay in both Venice and Florence, you will more easily have time for 'la dolce vita' and 'la docle far niente.'

So I would suggest 5 nights in Venezia and 6 nights in Firenze (or 3 Firenze/ 3 Tuscan town) and 2 nights in Rome. Take your last day in Italy to do a bus tour on the city in the morning, have lunch at the Pantheon or the Piazza Navona and visit St Peter's in the afternoon. If you like Rome, you can always return.

Between now and November, you have plenty of time to figure out what day trips you would like to do in Tuscany and around Venice. Read up on the internet about towns like Lucca, or Pienza, places in the Chianti region or the olive oil country.

Think about it. There's no rush.

Gosh, Nessundorma, I really hear what you are saying but I just cannot see skipping Rome, ROME, on this trip. But your argument is persuasive. I'll need to strategize with my travel-mate.

Having said that, I AM SO EXCITED.

I put together my first stab at an itinerary and I'd love to hear any comments. I decided to travel North to South, figure it might be slightly warmer going that way.

1. leave home
2. arrive Venice
3. Venice
4. Venice
5. Venice--travel to Padua
6. Padua--travel to Florence
7. Florence
8. Florence
9. Florence--train to Rome
10. Rome
11. Rome
12. Rome
13. Leave Rome for home

It IS a lot of Rome now that I'm looking at it.

Thank you all for the input. I am checking out the various links. LovesItaly, I'd love to know about your special feelings for Padua.

Olive Oil

Olive Oil --

Your original itinerary is good, and that is not too much Rome if you want to see some of the highlights of Rome (note "some&quot and still enjoy the cafes and fountains.

Re: Small Towns. Day trips are possible from both Florence and Rome. My mom opted to take a daytrip to Lucca from Florence by train and enjoyed it. I believe the train ride was an hour or less.

Hello Olive Oil
We were in Rome last year Nov 4-11th and the weather was fantastic. It felt like it was 75-78 the entire time. I started out wearing a sportcoat and ended in up in a long sleeve shirt, it felt very warm to me. My wife wore a light leather coat the entire time. We have never seen such a blue sky. We fell in love with Rome. We spent the entire time in Rome and never ran out of places to discover and see. Rome itself is loaded with so much that you canspend hours almost everywhere you go. Just in case you never get back to Italy, you owe it to yourself to see Rome. So much culture and history all in one place. We plan on returning this year (the same time early November)
Ciao

After you get to Rome, you'll wish you had allocated more time there. There is an UNBELIEVBLE amount of stuff to see and do there. I would shoot for 5 days there, minimum. You won't want to leave the gelato behind after just 3 days - trust me!

Wow.

Thanks everyone! That's a lot of great opinions, even if they are conflicting!

Based on the responses I've decided that I can't go too far wrong. Very encouraging.

The itinerary is stating to look like this:

three nights in Venice
one night in Padua
three nights in Florence
one night in Siena
three nights in Rome
home

I can already taste the cappucino and biscotti...

I am so happy!

I am reading "City of the Falling Angels" and I plan to sign up for Italian lessons in the local college's evening classes.

This is going to be so great.

Thank you.

Olive Oil

I'd suggest you make Padua a day trip from Venice and Siena a day trip from Florence. Hauling bags, navigating to hotels, and checking in, unpacking, etc. each takes time. Use your train rides (or even buses) to enjoy the scenery, mingle with travelers near you, and then enjoy the chosen city for the day.

I don't know about Siena and Padua because I never tried one night, but it is also often difficult and/or more costly to book just one night. I know it often is in Rome.

As for choosing Rome or not, I'm not a fan of Rome, but I really think that this trip you can't ignore it. I do love the Roman Forum and the antiquities. I love the Romans. I just don't love Roman traffic or the Trevi Fountain (just too many gypsies and vendors to relax and enjoy it.)

For the above mentioned nuisances, try the word "Basta!!!" Enough!!! Include a little hand waving and they soon get the point. At first I felt I was rude if I used it, and just tried to shake my head "no" and ignore them, but finally it was my only salvation.

As for outwear, I always travel with a microfiber 3/4 length jacket with zip-out lining. Scarves, as mentioned, are good. A pashmina is great around your neck if it's cold, as a shawl if it is cool, and in your small suitcase when not in use. You will find them there. Don't forget gloves and an umbrella, just in case.

Hi OO,

>three nights in Venice
one night in Padua
three nights in Florence
one night in Siena
three nights in Rome <

I also suggest making Padua a daytrip from Venice and Siena a daytrip from Florence.

You can also visit Orvieto from Rome, for a nice hilltop experience.

Enjoy your visit.