Love all of your comments and help to others! Hope you can help us. My husband and I are planning a last-minute trip to Italy April 12-23. Yes, Easter Sunday through Shakespeare's b-day! Although we have traveled in Europe, British Isles, Eastern Europe, and Asia, this is our first trip to Italy, unbelievably. We are firm on Rome, Florence/Tuscany, and Venice. Any ideas about the best way to achieve this ?{we will fly home to US from Rome}. We are considering this:
April 12-15: Rome...accomadations already arranged...can't be changed
April 15...train either to Venice or Florence/Tuscany area
{CT keeps coming up as wonderful...is it too much to include ? If so?
Where? When?
April 15-18: Florence/Tuscany {stay in Florence or Tuscany and bus to other?}
April 19-21: Venice
April 21...train back to Rome...more Rome tour until fly home on 23
We plan to travel by bus and train. Since we will be in Rome Easter Sunday, any suggestions for enjoying a tourist-packed Rome on Sunday? and Monday? We would like a church service...we're not Catholic, although the Vatican experience sounds fascinating. We already know this will not be our last trip to Italy; however, our interests are many and we are afraid we will try to do too much. Also, do we need to arrange train/bus tickets ahead of time.? We enjoy exploration and flexibility, but we are concerned that we will have trouble unless we arrange everything ahead of time. How about dress? How casual can be dress in the cities if we are touring on foot? Thanks!
Joni

Are you leaving the US on the 12th or arriving Rome on The 12th? The 13th is also a major holiday (Easter Monday) so expect Italians to be off work and everything crowded. If you arrive Rome early Sunday, I would head to the Vatican and join the crowds in the piazza to see the Pope (Mass at 10:30).

Thanks! We arrive 7:45a.m. Easter. Should we go to hotel {five blocks from Termini}, drop luggage...then bus, train, or taxi to Vatican? Do we have time?

Yes, drop your luggage at the hotel. Your room might not be ready, but they usually have a luggage storage room. If your hotel is really not far from Termini, then you can hop the metro there and take it to the Vatican (line A Ottaviano stop). Where is your hotel? There might be a closer metro stop than going to Termini.

Hi Jon,

Are you also locked into flying RT Rome?

It would save you a day if you flew out of Venice.

For the middle part of your trip....

Are you more interested in art or scenery?

if art, go to Florence. It is amazing.
if scenery, go to Cinque Terre. It is beautiful.

Thank you all for your replies.
Kybourbon: We are at Best Western Hotel Canada...about four blocks from Termini {we hope to stay in B&Bs or at least more quaint hotels for rest of trip.
Ira: We are locked into flying into Rome
jetsetj: We are hopelessly in love with both art and scenery...which is part of our problem...along with history and politics and music and sports and on and on...we know we HAVE to go to Florence...can't wait! Our real issue is CT or more time in Tuscan countryside.

So its Florence (3 Nights) with daytrips correct??

Hi J,

>We are locked into flying into Rome<

Are you locked into flying OUT of Rome? It might be easier to fly home from Venice.

I have found, that unlike in the US, flights in and out of Europe do not seem to penalize you with not having the same inbound/outbound airport!

So, you may be able to benefit from flying into one part of Italy (south/middle - aka Rome), but then fly out of North East (Venice). Like another suggested. This saves you from back tracking! In the US this is often less desirable b/c its seems you get penalized on the fares to a great degree for not having a "round trip".

I often fly into London (due to family) and then trian or take a puddle-jumper to another county. Then I fly home from there.

jetsetj: yes, it looks like 3 nights in Florence with daytrips

ira and Frazer Family: our great rate on Continental requires flying OUT OF ROME... so we're thinking of the long train ride from Venice to Rome before we leave at end of trip...or perhaps the day we leave Rome at beginning of trip...we really want to go to Venice, but as everyone has pointed out...it's far from other areas

Sometimes I wonder if saving on airfair is worth the time and money to backtrack.

jetsetj: Actually, I wonder the same. By the time we pay for the train alone, we could probably have found another flight...but this is what we've done, so we'll press on and assume that it will all we an adventure. Fortunately, we like to ride trains!

yes you must press on and make the most of it.

JoniL -- Coincidence that we will also be staying at Hotel Canada, arriving Easter Monday for one night before we head to Capri. The reviews have been very good. It was rated something like #20 on Tripadvisor when I booked it, and now it is #10.

The CT may be magical, but I would opt for more time exploring the hill towns in Tuscany and Umbria. Siena is only an hour south of Florence, and is fabulous - plus so many beautiful hilltowns (and vineyards!) are within an hour of Siena, it makes an even better base for day tripping than Florence, in my opinion. If you have to r/t air to Rome, I would think about taking the train straight from Rome to Venice, then from Venice to Florence. After you explore Florence proper, rent a car and do the hilltowns for a few days and then head back to the Rome airport. We've had some really good luck driving in Tuscany and then spending the last night in Porto San Stefano (still in Tuscany but on the coast) and making a morning drive to the Rome airport - 2 hours straight down the autostrada and drop the car at the airport in plenty of time for morning flights. Super easy.

I am wondering about the timing of your trip and the time of services at St. Peter's. Also, I don't know about Easter, but for Christmas or for papal audiences, you must have tickets for St. Peter's. They are free, but you must obtain them. It is possible that you can go to the pope's message at noon at St. Peter's without tickets, but again, I'm not sure. Here is the only link that I saw:
http://www.vatican.va/news_services/...lendar_en.html

As a backup plan there are several lovely churches closer to Termini, where you said you would be staying. (I'm not sure exactly which direction you are....)

--Santa Maria Maggiore--an amazing church built originally in 440 AD. Right near Termini. It is quite large.
http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/i...iew-98520.html

--Santa Maria degli Angeli (St. Mary of the Angels) is very nearby and was once Roman bath but converted to a church by Michelangelo. It is not a traditional shaped church therefore, but I loved it.

--Santa Susanna--this lovely baroque church is also dedicated to Catholics from the US and services are in English. here is their home page. http://www.santasusanna.org/index.html

Thanks to all of you!
luvtotravel: we'll have to compare notes on the hotel
tejana:we are seriously considering your advice...makes sense..car rental is Tuscany seems good, but out flight at 9:30 makes a.m. drive hard. We could do day before, which would involve backtracking, depending on where we stay
Salive: We have concerns about the Easter arrival...one of them being too tired to fight crowds at the Vatican. Your other suggestions look good...

If I'm reading your question correctly(?) you definitely don't want to arrive Rome, go to Venice, then to Florence, then back to Venice, then back to Rome. With a possible side trip to Cinque Terra. That's all over the map!!

You don't need tickets for Easter Sunday at the Vatican. The service is at 10:30. Normally the Sunday Blessing is in the piazza at noon, but I don't think that's the case on Easter. The Easter service is outdoors in the piazza which is why you don't need tickets. There is a roped off seating area, but most of those seats will be filled with priests and nuns and I doubt you could get seats even if you wanted. You won't regret going.