So, I'm trying to plan my itinerary and I simply can not decide what to include...

Here's the plan thus far:

Days 1-8—Rome
----1 day definitely for Pompeii, if time, 1 day for Orvieto, Tivoli, or Ostia Antica--leaning towards Tivoli

Day 9—Rome/Cinque Terre
Day 10—Cinque Terre
Day 11—Cinque Terre/ Lucca
Day 12--Lucca
Day 13-Lucca/ Florence

Days 14-15--Florence
------Perhaps a hot air balloon ride to see
the countryside? I haven't quite figured how to see the country yet..

Day 16--Florence/ Venice
Days 17-19--Venice
-----My reward for a hard trip--plan to get lost in the maze of street and finally stay in a nice hotel!

Day 20--Venice/Rome
Day 21--Rome
---check out the forum one last tiime... and buy a pair of shoes...

Day 22-Leave

Concerns:
1. I won't see the Amalfi Coast.

2. I won't really be seeing that many Tuscan towns/ countryside. I'm scared of Siena because Il Palio will be going on while I'm there.

3. I will be using public transportation the whole time.

My interests and goals:
1. Want my trip to include time for sights (both natural and man-made), exploration, relaxing, shopping, eating and drinking well!

2. Primary reason I want to go to Italy is to see Rome.

3. I'm a huge fan of ancient Roman history--Renaissance--ehhh, not so much...I have a feeling that once I've seen a few Michaelangelos, I will tire of it. I enjoy museums, but I'm a bit wary of Florence--my guidebooks make all of these churches and museums look the same. Uffizi and Accademia will suffice. I plan to choose at most 2 churches to check out. I'd rather drink espresso in a piazza and just sort of walk around. To me--Pompeii is more exciting than Florence.

4. Want this to be as laid back a trip as possible, wihtout feeling like I've missed something I should see...

Thanks for any input!

tripc, your itinerary looks well thought-out to me. I think you have to accept that you cannot do and see everything in one trip, but you are getting a pretty good representation of Italy.

If you like Roman history, do a search here for postings from ParadiseLost. He (Walter) has posted very specific and interesting walks.

I like it--nice trip.
Your only glitch is not flying home from Venice. Pompeii is a long day---I would opt for Orvieto and Ostia Antica.

Bobthenavigator--

Thank you! I have been planning this thing for weeks, so I can book hotels ASAP. So, no Tivoli then? Hadrian's Villa just looks pretty amazing in pictures...

well, if you don't want to go to Florence why go? Doesnt make any sense to me. If you get excited over the thought of visiting Rome and Pompeii, why aren't you spending more time at both? What am I missing? Don't go somewhere because others do especially if you are traveling solo!

Why go to Florence? B/c I feel like I must be wrong or something...I mean it's Florence. You're supposed to go to Florence when you're in Italy. I suppose I was looking for people to convince me that it was the most wonderful place on earth, that's all. I want to experience Tuscany...if Florence is representative of that, then I need to go there. However, if the smaller towns can provide the same atmosphere, but in a less congested manner, I woudl prefer them.

But point well taken.

That is the joy of traveling alone, you can go where and when and if you want. (I hated Florence my first few trips but now I love it.)

For a first trip I would go only where I wanted, not where I think I should go. There is so much to see in Rome and if that is your interest then take your time and really see it thoroughly. Take a few days to see Pompeii, Pasteum, Ercolano and that area. Just my opinion of course.

My thoughts...

- Fly home from Venice as Bob suggests.
- Skip Tivoli.
- "See Tuscany" (if you drop Florence) by adding San Gimignano and/or Orvieto.
- So to Siena by bus from San G if you're concerned about the Palio.
- Lucca is a good stop.
- Stay in Lerici if you can't find lodging in a CT town - boats leave from the pier there regularly.

Thanks--Good suggestions! I'm liking the skip Florence idea more and more. And flying out of Venice makes a lot more sense. I haven't really been worried about airfare. I just want to get hotels reserved before they're gone.

tripc
I also agree that if Florence doesn't appeal, just skip it this trip.

However, on my last 2 trips to Italy, with different sets of friends/family, we did just a day trip to Florence from Chianti (one trip) or Umbria (another trip)

Arrived by car mid morning. Spent too much time finding parking, even with all our info (too many chiefs!) but then had the bulk of the day (both times) run smoothly. Had reservations for the Accademia (David) and the Uffizi.

I was the museum nut on both these trips, but I had visited Florence for a longer time in the past, so these museum visits were streamlined so my companions could see just some highlights.

We just enjoyed the David & the Prisoners, and at the Uffizi, used Rick Steves' map/book to head directly to what we wanted to see.

Also managed to fit in walking around and into the Duomo, shopping for leather (including one person getting a custom tailored jacket ordered), visiting the Science Museum (different & interesting!), wandering around a few other sites and eating/drinking at a cafe.

These day trips were both busy but perfect for my companions who really didn't think they wanted to spend much time in Florence. (For some it was enough; others want to return).

re: Pompeii. Go! It took me until my 5th trip to Italy to finally see it and it outmet my expectations. I used the very good hand-held audio guide (also used these at the Forum in Rome) combined with copies of guidebook Pompeii maps from both Lonely Planet & from Rick Steves.