I am still confused by the itinerary - I count 15 days from Sunday arrival to Monday departure. Will all 15 days be in Italy or where does the 2-3 days in Barcelona happen?

Seems to me so far I know:
1) you want to be in Tuscany:
S, M, T W, R

I'm always a fan of Fiesole. Great views, restaurants, bars, young people... and just up the hill from Florence so it is an easy bus down. There you will have the views and the wine, but you will be among people.

2) Rome
F, S,

Friend leaves Saturday.

If this is it, then I would spend more days in Rome and then head to Naples. Fly out of Naples to London.

BTW, you can also go a little different direction after Rome and head to Parma or Bologna and fly out of there. Both cities are full of great food and wine. Not to confuse you more, but here is a nice video about Parma:

http://www.webvisionitaly.com/catego...p;ref_item=380

Thanks to all. We (the 2) will be in Europe a total of 17 nights. We booked tickets finally. We are now flying into Frankfurt (cheaper yet), arrive Friday early morning Oct 17th. Stay with friends. Head to Italy Saturday afternoon. Stay in Italy until our friend leaves the 25th (Saturday) from Rome. Basically open ended until we leave from Barcelona Nov 3rd. Still deciding how much longer to stay in Italy, will probably leave the 29th or 30th and head to Spain. I figure 3-4 days in Barcelona should be fine.

--Fiesole sounds like a good option. As far as La Collina, if we did that we would have a car. Basically, if we need a car, we will get a car. If we don't, we won't.

--Has anyone flown Ryan Air? They are dirt cheap but I hear somewhat unpredictable. We can bascically fly into Italy and out to Spain for about 10 euro each way. Has anyone actually taken the "ferry" to Barcelona from Genoa? I would LOVE to do that time and weather permitting but rough seas=NO WAY for my friend.

--One more...how far is Pompeii from Rome? Is it well worth a visit? My friend would like to see that once we are on our own.

--Weather wise, should we just count on anything pretty much? Particularly for the CT, is it still decent enough to hike most of the time in October? thanks again...

Ryan Air is ok. NO comforts etc, and from memory the seats don't even recline!! But it's not that long a flight and it is certainly cheap. Watch out that they don't catch you out with taxes and charges for luggage. It's 'Cattle Class' in the true sense of the word, they just herd you on and off they go!!

Pompeii is great, but assuming you catch the train to Napoli and then the train the Pompeii, spend about 4 hours at Pompeii and then do the whole thing in reverse, you will lose an entire day. Only if you are really keen!

Hiking in the Cinque Terre is totally weather dependent. In October, it is mostly pleasant temps for hiking. However, if it rains, trails will be closed and their is a very high risk of slipping and falling, so the warnings must be heeded.

Pompeii is certainly worth it, but I think it is a ridiculous to attempt it as a day trip from Roma -- although plenty of people do it all the time. The keener you are for archeological sites, the more likely the feeling of grief when you finally see the site and realize how dumb it was to think it could be attempted in a few hours.

If your friend is keen on archeological ruins, a day trip to Ostia Antica might be more satisfying.

Totally agree with info others have offered.

Just a couple of extra notes on Ryanair.#1-watch out that you understand the locale of the airports they use and add in any extra time necessary when changing planes or switching to trains from one destination to another.

#2-I personally do not find that it is their 'cattle car' approach to flying that is problematical-just make sure you get there early and you will get on and maybe even get to sit together! However, they are hyper-vigilant when it comes to maximum weights and sizes for luggage so do pay attention to that aspect or your 10 Euro flight will jump a lot!

Pompeii does make for a long daytrip from Rome. Plus it's kind of silly to spend time in the CT, then later go down to Pompeii, which is very close to the Amalfi Coast and Capri.

Rome has so much to see. That plus Ostia Antica may satisfy your friend.

We flew Ryan Air from London to Ciampi - then a tube into Rome @ 1 Euro.

Worked out great for us. We flew back to London on BA, our airline to the states, to avoid reclaiming luggage, exiting and entering security etc.

Planes were nice - there is a fee for heavy luggage.

If you want to do Pompeii, why not skip CT and go down to Naples for a few days. You could stay in Naples or if you think that it is too much noise stay over in Sorrento. Enjoyable views on the sea down there are as good as CT. Certainly more culture and things to do in Naples area.

Thanks for the tips. As far as Ryan Air, all I want is something to get me point A-B, not worried about the perks! Are there any other airlines worth looking into with as good of deals?

Do I need my hiking boots to hike the CT or will good sneakers be fine??

What are thoughts on waiting to find accomodations until we get there? I know this can be risky but at that time of year?.....or maybe for ex. in Cinque Terre and/or Rome but booking ahead in Florence etc.? The main places we'd like to consider doing this would be in CT and then since we are so unsure of our itinerary after our friend leaves Saturday just sort of winging it from there. Also for Barcelona (if anyone has been there...)

If we stay in Fiesole is it easy enough to get back and forth to Florence or to other hillside towns via train/bus?

Has anyone used accidental tourist?
Thanks again...hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend!

Web, how did you manage to get the tube from Ciampino to Rome for l euro?? The infamous city bus? or a taxi to the Agnanina metro station?
Just curious.

Bus to subway - Agnanina Station. Agnanina red line to Termini. Directions here:

http://italyinside.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html

It is 1 euro for the subway and 1 euro for the bus. 2 Euros total. 20 minutes on subway 10 minutes on bus.

Fiesole to SMN train/bus station (they are, sort of, attached) is easy. The bus into town is less than 45 minutes, an interesting route and then you make your connection to San G, Siena or whatever.

The #7 bus, from Florence to Fiesole and Fiesole back down to Florence costs 5 Euro for 24 hour pass.

Fiesole is really pretty cool. Tell the guys at JJ Cathedral in Fiesole (same bar next to Duomo in Florence) WebVisionItaly sent you for a drink!

Enjoy the land of the Etruscans!