Help - Finalizing Rome + Florence Itinerary and need help optimizing
 

My family of 5 is travelling to Rome. We leave EWR the evening of October 7 and arrive in Rome on October 8 landing at 2:55pm.

Based on reading some guidebooks and some knowledge from previous trips (last time I was there was 2006) here's what I have as a tentative plan:

Arrival October 8 - Nothing Planned
October 9: Roman Forum, Capitolini, Colosseum
October 10: (may do this on the 11th as Mondays are supposed to be busy at Vatican): Vatican, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Campo de'Fiori dinner - casual post dinner stroll
October 11: Breakfast by Trevi Fountain, Via Condotti window shopping, Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese, Explore Rome's main park (not sure what book meant by this), or Galleria Borghese. Trastevere dinner and walk around after
October 12: Explore Sant'Ignazio, San Clemente, Pallazo Doia Pamphilij, MAXXI or MACRO, Via Appia Antica/Catacombs
October 13 - check out by 11am - train to florence sometime after breakfast and morning stroll - Plan anything for Florence?
October 14: Uffizi Gallery, Piazza della Signoria, Duomo, spend rest of day exploring streets of Florence
October 15: Galleria dell'Accadaemia, Medici Chapels, Palazza Pitti, Boboli Gardens, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Croce, head to Piazza Michaelangelo for beautiful views.
October 16 - train to Lucca

Still planning out the Lucca portion of trip but:

1. for the above itinerary, is there anything I can optimize?
2. Am i missing anything important that I should try to add?
3. Am I doing too much?
4. Recommendations for tours for Colosseum? Forum? Vatican? Any other things I should do a tour? Or I can use Rick Steve's audio tours? Is a tour for Colosseum worth it, or should I just book admission and explore? Seems only way to do arena floor and underground is by booking a tour?
5. Are tours of the Vatican worthwhile? Is the main reason people do it to skip the line?
6. Are tours of the forum worthwhile, or should I just do a Rick Steve's audio tour with a map?

Also going to start looking at restaurant recommendations. So if anyone has any - feel free to throw them out there!

When we get to Lucca we will be there October 16 - October 22. We are considering:

day trip to Pisa
day trip to Sienna
day trip to Cinque Terre for hiking
wine tour one day
one day relaxing in Lucca
departure on 22nd for flight home

It may be easier to do a day trip to Siena from Florence than from Lucca, so you might add a day for that to Florence and take one from Lucca.
Rather than a separate day trip to Pisa, you could stop in Pisa on the way to Lucca.

If you're going to the Capitoline either go up to the bar and view things from the patio. Outside of the three flights of steps it's free. There is a bar if you want coffee.

Or go next door and take the elevator to the top of the Altare della Patria. There is a fee for this. At least if you go all the way to the top. Don't remember how much.

10th is too much IMHO. Especially with the shorter daylight in October.

I assume they mean the park at Villa Borghese

The 15th unless you're just whizzing by things is likely too much. Also think when you want to be at the viewing area of Piazzale Michelangelo. If you do it last are you going for sunset?

This is a busy although doable itinerary. The 15th seems too busy - perhaps you can shift something to the afternoon of the 13th?

You probably already know this - it is good to have plans but also to be flexible as curveballs sometimes appear.

I think all of your Rome days are too ambitious, esp. with a group of 5 with presumably different energy levels and interests. FYI, if you use taxis to shorten transits between points, you might need (and would pay for) two cars. How old is the youngest?

Prioritize the sightseeing because you might not get to everything on your list. I wouldn't even attempt everything you list on Oct. 12th and possibly not the Vatican day also. Ditto Oct. 15th in Florence. FWIW, I'd skip the Boboli Gardens at that time of year and put the Palazzo Pitti at the bottom of the list. FWIW #2, I think the views from Forte di Belvedere are very nearly as good as from Piazzale Michelangelo. Consider seeing Santa Croce after you arrive on Oct. 13th. Where is your lodging? ... because you'll want to drop your bags ASAP.

In Rome and Florence, get timed entry reservations for everything that offers them, otherwise you will waste a LOT of time waiting in lines. Timed tickets for Galleria Borghese are required, not optional.

FYI, the Galleria Borghese is housed in the Villa Borghese which is the name also used for the gardens surrounding it. The Villa Giulia, also on the grounds, houses an Etruscan Museum. The Villa Borghese Gardens is the 2nd largest park in Rome. The largest park is Villa Doria Pamphili on the other side of the Tiber River, beyond Trastevere, but the Villa Borghese is likely the most visited.

I second Sassafrass' suggestion of visiting Pisa on the way from Florence to Lucca. There is luggage storage at the Pisa Centrale train station. IMO, Siena is too far from Lucca for a day trip (which I believe you were going to do by car). It's close to 2 hours each way, not counting time to park in Siena and get to the historical center of the town.

Thanks for the feedback. I’ll take a look at the 10th, 12th and 15th. We are a fast moving family though. We do disney world regularly and can do rope drop until fireworks so even the busiest Italy days will feel relaxing compared to that. But I also want to enjoy what we do.

as for sienna - I just don’t think we have time to do it when in Florence so I figured we’d drive from Lucca. I don’t mind getting up very early to drive if needed. Thoughts?

No idea where you're staying but I'm seeing 10+km walking days in Rome. That's just traveling between sites. You can almost double that if you include the walking at the sites.

I like walking but if you do that every single day it will take a toll on you.

They don't hand out medals for walking by stuff.

bradykp, I don't think you'll find much comparison between a full, busy day at Disney World to exploring two of the most significant and historic cities in the world. Apples and oranges... Traveler_Nick mentioned the walking distances, but there are also constant distractions that make it hard to keep a group together and moving. If anyone likes to take photos, there will be a LOT of stop-and-go all day, every day. And, if it's warm and humid or raining, it can be hard to maintain a fast-paced schedule. Your family could be the exception, but you shouldn't expect to sightsee at a fast pace every day for a week or more.

You haven't mentioned the age(s) of your youngest family members. My friends take their grandchildren on European trips, and they make sure each kid has the hotel information on a piece of paper or business card in their pocket or bag every day. They worry that in the crowds it would be easy for one kid or two kids hanging together to get separated from the adults. My husband and I once got separated, so I know how easily this can happen.

As I opined earlier, IMO the driving distance between Lucca and Siena is too great for a good day trip. The drive could take close to 2 hours each way, not counting time to park the car and get to/from the historical center which in the case of Siena could easily add another 30 minutes each way. Starting early sounds good in theory, but you'll get caught up in commuter traffic as you approach Florence. Weekends would be better traffic-wise but probably worse crowd-wise in Siena.

FYI, October is still high tourist season in this part of Italy.

so we travel to Disney during one of the hottest weeks of the year so not too concerned about the heat. Kids are ages 11, 10, and 8.5. This will be our first trip of this kind so we will adapt as needed. The info on a card idea is gear thank you.