First time to Italy w/husband.Leave San Francisco Oct.06,2006 to Milan and return date is Oct. 29,2006 out of Milan. Would like to visit Monaco, and plan to vist friends in Switzerland for about 4 or 5days and visit Venice, Florence,Tuscany,Cinque Terre,Rome,Sorrento,Capri,need help planning out itineary as where to go first. I would like to visit the costal areas with nice warm weather. Also any recomemdations for scuba diving schools in beach around Capri or northen coast. I already have airline tickets and I have not booked any accommodations yet untill I know the best plan to map out where to go 1st.
Thanks!!!

After flights, Monaco and Switzerland you will have around two weeks in Italy. I would suggest that "less is more". Rather than rush around trying to see everything, choose 2 or 3 destinations and spend time enjoying them.

Possibly 5 days each in Venice, Florence and Rome - I know it is Clichwillitd , but people visit those cities because they are spectacular. Use

Damn !
Never press the wrong key during edditing a post - it makes you look stupid.

You might want to cut the time in Venice to 3 or 4 days, then extend your visit to Florence using it as a base to Explore Tuscany (Pisa, Lucca, Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra, Montepulciano, Montalcino to list just the well known).

Rome is easily worth a week. Scuba diving may be tricky as Italians in general believe a person seriously mad if they swim any later than about mid September (Certainly a local diving school and shop near where I stay near Cilento closes up in October).

My overall advise would be slow down, relax, see fewer places well. The rest will wait for your next trip.

OK 23 days, less 2 for arrival and departure, less 5 for Switzerland. Also getting from Milan to wherever first stop pis and return to Milan at end?

So now you have 18 days for Monaco, Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Cinque Terra, Rome, Sorrento, and Capri -

so that's only 2 days in each of 9 places.

I'm sure your math is as good as mine (meant most kindly) but this is the first thing I do in considering any itinerary. It really helps sort things out.

Unless you are willing to take more than one plane flight during your trip and race around like mad, I suggest that you drop Rome and the Amalfi coast from your itninerary.

From Milan, spend your first nights getting over your jet lag at Lago Maggiore, just north of Malpensa aiport. You can get a bus from Malpensa to Stresa or Baveno and stay in a hotel there.

From Stresa, you can catch a train to Switzerland and visit wherever you like. That's week one.

From Switzerland, I would make your way to Venice, then rent a car in Venice to visit Tuscany. That's week two.

From there to drive to Cinque Terre, and from Cinque Terre drive to Monaco. Return to Italy, stay in Camogli (which has scuba diving). Drive your car back to Milano and fly home. That's week three.

If you cannot stand the thought of giving up Rome and the Amalfi, then drop Cinque Terre and Monaco. From Tuscany, drop off your car in Orvieto, take the train to Roma. Divide your time bewteen Rome and the Amalfi and take flight from either Rome or Napoli back to Milano to catch your final plane home.

Lety, last year we did 25 days in Italy. Bellagio onto Venice by train,then Florence,Positano and then to Rome. I found you lose almost a day from town to town,and always those days were very hectic and full of pressure,by the time you would feel relaxed the moving to the next city would be dreaded.We also were first timers and had many situations that took plenty of patience.I would definately visit Venice because its so unique Cinque terre that time of the year may be winding down,because of that I would drop it and do Positano which is only 12 km. from Sorrento.Positano is on a cliff and so beautiful,and only a short ferry from Capri.Also close by is Pompeii and can be done in a day.I was in Florence for 4 days and I did not like it .I found many parts to be seedy even though some of the greatest museums and attractions are there.We did the hill towns and found them all about the same nice,but after a couple, I had my fill.Rome is Rome hectic,confusing but beautiful,a clash of ancient and modern.Good luck, we did most of our journey by train that was the most difficult for me.Travel safe, you will love it.

Hi L,

Please keep in mind that each time you change hotels you lose at least 1/2 day, sometimes a whole day.

Thank You for the recomendations. This will give me a start on my plans.