gravytrain

My wife and I will be taking our first trip to Italy in mid-August. We are aware that it should be hot and humid and that many Italians take their holidays in August. But this is the time we have, so we are going for it.

Our tentative plan is:
Venice 2 nights.
Florence 3 nights
Lucca 3 nights - renting a car to get there, trains between other cities.
Rome 3 nights

To the experienced travelers, how does that sound? Cramming too many cities into 11 nights? We want to see the sights, but at the same time we don't want to feel rushed through our vacation. I'm almost wondering if we eliminate Venice and add those 2 nights to our stay in Lucca.
Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated.

tuscanlifeedit

Eliminating Venice and staying in Lucca for 5 nights would not work for me.

Why rent a car to get there? If you want to tour by car from Lucca, that is a different story. Heading north is very nice, but there are many steep and winding roads in the Alpe Appuane.

Are you staying in or outside of Lucca? If you have a place with a pool, that could be nice in August.

But if you are staying in town, and don't plan car trips to places unreachable by train, why drive?

zeppole

First of all, the distance between Florence and Lucca is under an hour by train, so it might make more sense for you to add a night to Florence to see Lucca (which is actually a city, although a car free one) Use a rental car to get into the countryside -- where should be based on what activities you enjoy most. If you think would like to see spectacular small towns like Assisi, or Orvieto, there are plenty of charming farms and small towns near there. If wine is a special interest of yours, there are other areas better for that. If you really would enjoy lots of scenic driving, through beautiful vinyards among castles, that's easily done. There are also places more convenient to the sea, or hot springs, golf, horseback riding etc. .

Although many Romans will be out of Rome, it will mean less pollution and noise too, I would add days to Rome so you can take a daytrip to Orvieto, or Ostia Antica.

If you are not driven to see Venice, I would eliminate from this trip so you can adjust your sightseeing pace for heat and mood, and linger over your discoveries in Florence. I'm assuming you realize that the main attraction of Florence is the overwhelming treasure of Renaissance art and architecture in the city, which for many of us more than compensates for the crowds, the noise, the high prices and the lousy weather, and keeps us fascinated for days on end.

If you haven't bought your air tickets yet, think about flying into Pisa or Florence, and out of Rome (or vice versa). I think it really doesn't matter logistically whether you begin or end your trip with a countryside stay, or sandwich it in between.

TDudette

Agree that you can take train to Lucca as well (are you going to take some day trips from there?). This is only my opinion but I'd take one of the Lucca nights and add it to Florence or Rome (depending on your itineraries and tastes).

Remember also, your travel days (especially 1 and 11) will take time from your visiting.

gravytrain

Thanks for the feedback. We are using a travel agent, and it was her suggestion that we rent the car to get to Lucca. I am completely fine being car free the entire trip. We knew that we wanted to see some of Tuscany, and Lucca was the agent's suggestion. But once we are in Lucca (or wherever we end up in Tuscany), if we want to do day trips, is that easy and/or less expensive without a car?

Zeppole - wine is a big interest of ours. Suggestions on a place other than Lucca to visit for that?

We haven't made any reservations yet, but have airline tickets on hold through the travel agency.
The place that we would stay in Lucca does have an outdoor pool, so that would be a nice relaxation point.
Thanks again.

nytraveler

Yes, this is very rushed and you have too many places. I wold stay in 2 cities, 3 is pushing it - esp given the heat and humidity the crowds and the lack of air conditioning in many places - which will exhaust you even more and canmake sleeping at night almost impossible.

Sassafrass

My opinion for you would depend on what you are hoping to get from this trip. Do you want just to relax and hang out someplace, or look at art, architecture, visit charming cities, etc.

Does your agent have a special reason for Lucca? It really is a charming little city, and if you want a pretty place to hang out, then the area around Lucca is fine, but for my money, I would spend more time in Rome or Venice and visit Lucca by train from Florence. While I like Lucca, it would not be my choice for a first visit to Italy. There are many other places I would choose for a longer stay. I know, for sure, I would not spend five nights in Lucca unless there are lots of places you intend to drive to in the area.

zeppole

If you have no special to reason to be in Lucca other than a pool, and you love wine, go to Chianti instead of Lucca.

You can reach Panzano in Chianti by a one hour bus trip from Florence. From Panzano, you can also take another bus to Siena, along a scenic route, for a day trip. In Siena, you can not only tour a magnificent town, but you can visit the national "enoteca" of italy -- Enoteca Italiana -- and sample many, many wines.

Panzano itself is a small charming town with loads of restaurants and enoteche.

Recently, a Fodor's poster stayed in this place, a 5 minute walk to Panzano but among the vinyards at the edge of town. She raved about it. It's got a pool.

http://www.tenutedipecille.com/Facilities.aspx

HOWEVER:

Since you were psychologically up for renting a car, you might enjoy renting a car to take to Panzano or some other scenic area just south of Siena to visit the many charming castle towns in the area. The other great wine area of Tuscany is around Montalcino, There are many places with pools to stay near there. Here is a recent thread where I gave somebody else a lot of options for staying on a winery with a pool south of Siena. Check Tripadvisor reviews before you book:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...lease-help.cfm

If you tour parts of Tuscany in a car, you can drop off the car in the town of Orvieto and take a train from there to Rome. (One hour.) That way you can also see the beautiful cathedral in Orvieto plus sip the terrific local white wine (called Orvieto).

So up to you if you want a car or not. And whether or not you feel you must see Venice this trip. And just as an aside, I have lots of criticisms of message board advice for travel in Italy, but I think I have even more about travel agent advice. Usually they are most familiar with booking large groups of people, so they end up recommending places they know have big hotels. They don't have much personal experience of traveling there.

Good luck! Italy is a great place with lots of accommodations. In summer, you need to take it slow sometimes because the heat and the humidity can get intense. So don't keep yourselves galloping too much. Believe me, if you are sitting in an Italian piazza, enjoying yourself for an hour or two instead of sightseeing, you are not missing anything.

Sassafrass

Second all of Zeppole's advice.

ira

Hi GT,

>I'm almost wondering if we eliminate Venice and add those 2 nights to our stay in Lucca. <

Well, I'm certainly glad that you are not. If anything, you would add the time to Venice and make Lucca daytrip from Florence.

jabez

I like Lucca, but I'd do a day trip also. However, I'd add more time to Rome. It's bigger and takes more time to get acclimated.

Delaine

I've never been to Lucca, but I definitely would not scrap Venice to visit it. I would do a day trip if you really want to go, as other posters suggested. Or, I would rather suggest a day trip to Siena or San Gimignano. I know that there are those who are not fans of Venice, but I have been twice, and I will be there for several days on my next trip; I would definitely go at least once. If you have any interest in going, I think you will regret it if you don't.

kakiebell

I have been to Venice 4 times and would book it again in a second. Such a charming, wonderful city. I would suggest you try Siena--not too far from Florence and you can rent a car and see a lot of towns in Tuscany on a day trip. I would do three nights in Rome, 3 nights in Florence, 3 nights in Venice and a couple of nights in Santa Margherita or Portofino. If you are up to hiking, Cinque Terre is beautiful. The last two cities are on the ocean and all the hotels have swimming pools.

R

lstamu

Don't nix Venice!

franco

There has been another thread on precisely the same period you are going to be in Italy - may I first direct you there (the thread title is less than inspiring)? http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...y-387836-2.cfm
My advice to you is the same as to the other poster: you're going during the worst days of the whole year, so don't try to do your itinerary, or you're in serious danger of ending up hating Italy. Florence is not going to work. Venice, as much as I regret that for you (I'm spending about one month per year in Venice, for a decade already), is not going to work in mid-August. Perhaps not even Lucca - just today, zeppole said on another thread Lucca's climate is so muggy (I've been there in spring, and it was rainy and chilly, but if it's muggy in summer, I wouldn't want to be there in mid-August). Rome is hot and humid, as well, in August, but feels less shut-down than smaller cities, and zeppole is right: less Romans, less car traffic, which is definitely an advantage. So if you follow the advice I gave those other poster on the other thread, since you have two days more than they have, you could add one more Umbrian destination. Perhaps Gubbio, which is on high hills (or low mountains); or, which is what I would do, Lago di Piediluco, a really nice small lake, still untouched by mass tourism, with some good sights in easy reach: Narni, Ferentillo, Stroncone (little known, but one of Umbria's nicest villages), Labro (across the border in Lazio, another nice village) - and the chance to cool off in the water.