Help! First trip to Italy!
 

My husband just surprised me by telling me he's taking me to Italy for our 25th anniversary. However, we'll probably wait until November to go, and because of work commitments, we will probably only have about six days. What can you suggest for that amount of time, and what kinds of things should I make a priority? We're also naive about the kinds of hotel stays, auto travel, tours, etc. Any kind of help would be appreciated! Thanks...

Six days is really not much time. Does that include the days you will be traveling there and back?

It would be easy to pick one city like Rome or Florence and stay there for the whole time, with a few day trips.

Tell us what sorts of things you like --art, history, religion, ruins, city vs countryside, are you wine connoisseurs, are you willing to drive, etc. That would help.

I agree that since you have such a very limited time, you should stick to just one location. Since it's your first trip to Italy, I'd suggest either Florence or Venice.

Hi dm,

Have you been to Paris yet? If not, go there.

If so, I suggest 3 days in Venice and 3 days in Florence.

Whatever you do, I hope you enjoy it.

6 days is not much time at all. Choose 6 days in Rome - one of the top destinations in the world (1st choice) or 3 days Florence/3 days Venice (2nd choice). Skip the auto altogether - you don't need or want one for a fisrt trip. Skip the guided tours also. Create your own walking tours based on your own interest. For starters check out the Fodors miniguides below (also good for beginning hotel help).

Rome: http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...ur_section=ove

Florence:
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...on=florence@63
Venice:
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgr...ion=venice@163

p.s. I also agree w/ Ira that if you havn't been to Paris..............
http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/

If someone is up for Italy, I would not suggest Paris instead. It's not everyone's cup of tea (although I do love it myself). Presumably there's a reason they've chosen Italy.

I also agree with splitting your time between Florence and Venice if you are set on Italy. I can't comment on the "third of the big three in Italy," but if you want to see Rome, it's my understanding that you would need the whole six days in Rome alone.

My husband and I spent our 10th anniversary in Italy (Florence and Venice), so if you care to read my trip report, do a text search for "Statia Italy Trip Report" for some ideas.

Congrats on your upcoming anniversary and good luck on your trip planning!

>Presumably there's a reason they've chosen Italy.<

Ah, but what if the decision was msde out of ignorance? Would you want these poor folks to miss Paris for the wrong reasons? :)

You know even though I'm new here it is pretty evuident that some folks just can't seem to take "NO" for an answer even when they are being "politely" admonished. If the person says they are going to Italy and not to Paris I am certain it was not a decision made "out of ignorance" and to suggest that is an insult at the very least.

I think the request for the types of things this person wants to see is a good one but they may not know at this point.

I love all the cities mentioned but I would, personally, make Rome my first priority in Italy rather than Florence or Venice since overall there is MUCH more to see and of equal or even greater artistic, architectural, and historical significance in Rome than in the other two cities combined.

Matter of opinion I guess.

While weather and other factors are unpredictable, I would urge you to look at the second half of October as potentially a better value tha November. You can generall get the same lower prices (though you may have to watch diligently to fnd them), the days are warmer and longer and you don't have that early darkness that falls after the end of daylight savings time.

Congratulations on 25 years together... and...

Best wishes,

Rex Bickers
Floyds Knobs, Indiana

My dear TM,

Did you not notice the :) ?

I'd recommed all six days in Rome and trying to push the trip up to Oct.

Again depending upon your interests, consider combining Venice with one of the Italian lakes, most specifically Lake Como staying in Menaggio, Bellagio or Varenna, though in honesty I must say that I'm not so certain of the lakes in November. They have a mild microclimate and may be ok at that time of year (and certainly not tourist packed). Hopefully someone who's been there might comment about the temps in November and the activity level. They would most certainly be visually beautiful no matter what. A trip like this would provide more variety of scenery than one or two major cities. You could use a rental car for the Lake Como part of the trip but you could also get along without one by taking the train from Venice to Varenna and the lake steamers (though on a reduced schedule than most of us who have traveled there in the warmer months are used to) between venues on the lake. With this trip you could either fly in and out of Venice or into Venice and out of Milan or vice versa.

Hi
If you cick at the top of this screen on Destinations you will get to some great basic info on Florence, Venice, and Rome. I'll say pick either just Rome if you don't want to change hotels and locations mid-trip, or else pick any two of the three cities.
If the latter, book your airfare so that you can fly into one city and home from the other,so that you're not backtracking. If you are flying from and to the US, not many airlines offer direct flights to or from Florence and Venice, but you can do it with a layover in some European airport.

November may be mild, but you can count on rain so allow for some changes of plans during your trip if they are tied to good weather. Pack a raincoat (with lining or layers in case weather is cold), umbrellas, and waterproof shoes or boots.

Once you look at the tourism info, that should help you decide which city or cities you want to visit. Florence can also be an easy daytrip from Rome, if you just want to spend one day there.

With these main cities, you don't need to drive, train connections are frequent and reliable. Rome to Florence about 90 minutes by train; Rome to Venice about 4.5 hours.

Come back with more questions.