Florence or Cinque Terre
 

Greetings everyone,

I am a newbie to this site, as my husband & I are planning our first trip abroad to Italy June 22 - July 1. I am amazed with the thoughtful responses and discussions on this site, and am looking for some advice. Our current itinerary is flying into Rome (arriving 7:30a Friday 6/23) and departing Venice July 1st 6:30a.

If we squeeze in another destination, should it be Florence, or the Cinque Terre? My husband and I are not huge art fans, and I know we will already be seeing lots of it in Rome. I do not mean to sound disrespectful to the amazing art of Florence, just trying to be honest! Meanwhile we love the outdoors and the ocean.

I know we will be very busy squeezing in three destinations in 8 days, but we enjoy being on the go and this way we can decide where to come back and spend more time later!

Thank you in advance for your feedback.

Hi devine_girl, will you be travelling by car or train? You will have 8 nights and unless you want to really see CinqueTerre I would suggest that you visit Rome and than Venice. Understand that if you are not really into art (and not everyone is) that you do not have an interest in Florence and consequently I would not consider Florence this visit.

If you are travelling by train you can take the train from Rome to Venice in about 4 hours..that is what I would do for a relaxing and fun trip. No doubt (assuming you are flying from the US) you will have a bit of jetlag the first day in Rome. I wouldn't try to "squeeze" in anything else but I am not one that likes to come home exhausted. To me being in Italy is having time to soak in the atmosphere, having time for some outdoor cafes in piazzas etc. But others like to be on the move every moment and so not knowing your travel preference and mode of transportation it is hard to answer your question.

The two cities of Rome and Venice will provide you with more than enough wonderful experiences to keep you occupied. I can't imagine being able to "squeeze in" another stop.

I haven't been to the Cinque Terre, but it will definitely be time-consuming to get there vs. Florence. Just my opinion, I would recommend 5 nights in Rome and 3 in Venice, as even that will only give you 2-1/2 days in Venice (assuming you leave Rome early morning). But Rome has so much to see! If you absolutely have to add a third place, Florence would be much more convenient.

I totally agree with the other posters! Stick with Rome and Venice. You'll barely have enough time there as it is. (We had 4 nights in each of those cities and still felt like we wanted more.) Florence would be an easy stop, but if you don't care about art, it's just not worth it. Given your time frame, Cinque Terre would be a huge hassle.

I think you're doing it about right with just the Rome-Venice itinerary, especially if you're traveling by train. Adding another stop, particularly CT, would really crowd your schedule.

And after 5 days in Rome, you'll welcome the relative quiet of Venice.

As much as I love Florence, with one week, I agree that you should stick with Rome and Venice. Although I would be tempted to stop in Florence for one day to see Michelangelo's David and sit in the Piazza della Signoria drinking wine or cappucino. In my experience, Cinque Terre is a lovely place to visit on about your fourth or fifth trip to Italy. We went on our sixth trip this fall and thought it was charming.

I would devote a day to Florence.

Best wishes,

Rex

Here's another option I plan to use. I'm traveling with an Italy/Europe newbie in March and, like you, we are going for 8 days. We will be in Venice for 3 nights and Rome for 5 nights. Rome is full of incredible history and art, but it is a busy city. Venice is like no place else in the world, never mind Italy, and it is at the seaside. To get a little taste of another side of Italy, while staying in Rome we plan to take daytrip to Orvieto. Orvieto is an hour away from Rome by train. It is a beautiful scenic hilltown in Umbria, easy to get to, and has interesting history, art, shops, and food. It will offer another view of Italy to my newbie with a minimum of traveling fuss.

Hi DG,

Check the train schedules for getting to the CT. It will take at least 4 hr from Rome.

I agree with ellenem, take one of your Rome days to see Orvieto.

Also, since Florence is on the route from Rome to Venice, you could leave Rome in the early AM, leave your suitcases at the left-luggage office while you see the sights and take an afternoon train to Venice.

I would not take the time away from Venice.

Have a nice visit.

((I))

Hello devine girl,

If this is your first trip, I agree with one of the other posters--Rome and Venice with a day stop in Florence just to have a glimpse of that beautiful city and take in a few of the sights including David. If you want to stay overnight, use one of your Rome days.

I would plan on visiting the Cinque Terre on your "second" trip--you can hike and enjoy the beauty of that region to your heart's content.

Thanks so much to all of you for your responses. Your feedback has convinced me to drop Cinque Terre on this visit and save it for a second trip to Italy! Now the only other thing I am considering is spending a night or two in the Tuscan countryside on the way to Venice from Rome. I like the idea of some quiet time away from the crowds. Would this be worth taking away two days from Rome/Venice since it is along the way? I am curious about your thoughts on this. Thank you!