milan

My fiance and I will be honeymooning for two weeks at the end of<BR>Sept. through the beginning of Oct. We are flying into Rome and out of<BR>Milan. Since we are getting married earlier in the summer, we will be<BR>well rested for our &quot;official&quot; honeymoon in Sept. Our goal for<BR>our trip is to sample the different personalities of Italy, while<BR>still having time to relax. I would love any feedback and insights you<BR>could give about our itinerary:<BR><BR>Sun Day 1 Arrive in Rome late afternoon<BR>Mon Day 2 Rome (Scala Reale Roma Antica tour)<BR>Tue Day 3 Rome (Scala Reale Vatican tour. We're also trying <BR> to book the Scavi Tour)<BR>Wed Day 4 Rome (Scala Reale Colonna tour) <BR>Thu Day 5 Train from Rome to Naples. Hire a car to take us <BR> to Herculaneum and wait 2-3 hours while we visit. <BR> Then, continue on to Positano.<BR>Fri Day 6 Positano and Ravello.<BR>Sat Day 7 Morning in Positano and move to hotel in Capri.<BR>Sun Day 8 Capri<BR>Mon Day 9 Leave Capri by hydrofoil to Naples. Pick up car <BR> and go to a hotel in Sinalunga. Use Sinalunga as <BR> base for central Tuscany.<BR>Tue Day 10 Visit Montalcino and Pienza or Cortona<BR>Wed Day 11 Visit Siena and S. Gimignano, if there is time<BR>Thu Day 12 Florence <BR>Fri Day 13 Florence <BR>Sat Day 14 Leave Florence in the afternoon for Cinque Terre<BR>Sun Day 15 Hike Cinque Terre. Leave for Milan that night.<BR>Mon Day 16 Fly out of Milan late morning<BR><BR>My questions are:<BR><BR>1) For day 5, rather than hiring a driver, is there a better way to<BR> see Herculaneum on our way to Positano? Is it safe to leave our<BR> luggage at Naples train station while we are at Herculaneum? Then<BR> we could come back to pick them up. Or should we just pick up our<BR> own car in Rome and drive ourselves to Herculaneum and drop off the<BR> car in Sorrento? Then we could hire a driver to take us from<BR> Sorrento to Positano. I couldn't find any car rental offices in <BR> Positano.<BR><BR>2) For day 9, would it be better to travel directly from Capri to<BR> Florence instead of Siena? That way, we can take the train from<BR> Naples to Florence and then pick up a car as we left for the Tuscan<BR> hill towns.<BR><BR>3) I wish we had more time! I would love to add Venice (heard it's<BR> very romantic for honeymooners), or to add Lake Como, or to add<BR> another day in the Tuscan countryside. Can anyone think of a way<BR> to rearrange our itinerary do this? I would love to hear it! I<BR> thought about subtracting 1 day from the Capri/Positano portion to<BR> create some space in our itinerary. However, I thought it would be<BR> better to travel on Monday since I heard that many museums and<BR> restaurants are closed that day.<BR><BR>Thank you!<BR>

bobthenavigator

Wow ! Do you have an hour?<BR>Stay big picture for now. Any 2 week itinerary should not include more than 5 destinations--especially a honeymoon.<BR>I would skip Capri and add space at the end for the CT. You will love Locanda Amorosa. Good luck !

IgorVodov

If you are thinking about subtracting<BR>1 day from Capri/Positano portion of your trip, you might as well skip it. We have spend 5 days in Positano last fall and could have easily spent 5 more days there. You can do a day trip to Capri from Positano, and you can also do a tour of Pompei from there. It is such a romantic place (Positano) that it would be a shame if you rushed through it without getting a true sense of what this small village represents.

Steve_James

Milan - <BR><BR>1. Naples-Herculaneum is only 20 mins. by train, - so it's really an unnecessary expense to have a driver take you that short distance then pay him $#$$ to wait for you.<BR><BR>Not sure if there's a left luggage store at Herculaneum (- there is at Pompei). Maybe someone else can confirm this. <BR>If there is, you could then hire a taxi/limo from there (or from Sorrento) to Positano - or go by public transport. <BR><BR>Alternatively it's safe to leave luggage at Naples Station. You could return for it ... and continue to Positano by hydrofoil (45 mins) or taxi/limo.<BR><BR>Are you looking for a self-drive car-hire in Positano (-there is one) or a limo service (-there are several)?<BR><BR>2/3. Sounds a good idea. Naples-Florence takes only about 3.5 hours by train - much quicker than driving. <BR><BR>You could break the journey in Rome for an afternoon (- and maybe do one of your Scala Reale tours?), so it seems less of a day spent 'just travelling'.<BR>(Rome-Florence is only 95 mins)<BR><BR>You could conceivably count that as one of your 'Rome' days if you want to make up a day.<BR><BR>And you could spend one less day in the Capri/Positano area to make time for a couple of days in Venice, Lake Como or Cinque Terre.<BR>Personally I would stay 3 nights in Positano and drop Capri.<BR><BR>I would probably make room for Venice rather than the Cinque Terre - especially if you've never been - but that's a personal choice. <BR><BR>Steve<BR>

milan

Thanks for all of the comments! <BR><BR>We are going to rethink our plans for going to Positano/Capri and how much time we'll spend there. Our main reasons for going are that we are really interested in the ruins at Herculaneum and the Amalfi coast looked like a stunning and romantic area. But, it's adding a lot of travel to our trip. And it make more sense for us to travel north from Rome to Milan.., Maybe we'll add those days in CT and still experience the Italian coast line -- although the water will probably be cooler.<BR><BR>Bob, definitely excited about Locanda dell'Amorosa!

Steve_James

Don't give up on the Amalfi Coast. It's unbelievably beautiful!<BR>For a virtual tour have a look at:<BR>www.capri-exclusive.com<BR><BR>If you decide not to stay, bear in mind that Herculaneum is an easy day-trip from Rome. It's also possible to do Herculaneum + the Amalfi Coast as a day-trip - with an early start.<BR><BR>Steve

subcon

i'm a little obsessive about renting one's own vehicle particularly for touring italy. i've never understood the penchant for being at the mercy of timetables and lugging baggage about a crowded terminal.<BR><BR>i would rent the auto and drive from rome to naples and beyond. drop it off at malpensa. the amalfi coast road is magnificent with small little pull offs with staggering views.<BR><BR>for tuscany, my personal choice of a base would be lucignano a medieval walled town not far from and with much more charm than sinilunga. don't pass up arrezzo (45 min drive). i don't share the facination of others with montalcino and montepulchiano but pienza and cortona are worth a stop.<BR><BR>i would definitely take the back road and visit siena on my way to florence. it's a beautifull and exhilarating drive (i recommend a standard shift for the more adventuresome).<BR><BR>anyway, these are personal preferrences. i'm sure you'll enjoy your trip one way or the other.... <BR>

susanna

Don't skip Capri! I would actually take the train from rome to naples and stay on Capri for the couple of days...you can then take the boat to Positano or sorrento, or amalfi(my favorite) and also back to naples where you could then take the train to pompeii or herculana...returning to capri at night when all the tourists have left is great...it's a great base. Definately take the train from naples to florence...do the florence part first before you pick up the car for the other hill towns..you don't need a car in florence at all...buon viaggio

milan

Steve_James: So we decided that we really wanted to see Positano and Capri, even if it was only for 4 nights. But we decided to spend all of our nights based in Positano or Capri, rather than changing hotels mid-stay. Could you tell me the name of the car rental drop off in Positano? I checked AutoEurope, and I thought the closest office was in Sorrento.<BR><BR>Susanna: We will consider staying at Capri. I have read on this board that Capri is magical at night.<BR><BR>subcon: Thanks for encouraging us to get a car from Rome to Positano. My fiance loves driving, and I think he would get a kick out of the Amalfi coast line. We will get full insurance, just in case we can't squeeze past those big tour busses! And thanks for the tip about Lucignano and Arrezzo! I will do more research on these towns.

az

re. decision to rent car: good for you; if he loves driving, the A.C. will be exhilirating! for humor/insight on driving the A.C., watch for &quot;Rules for Driving the Amalfi Coast&quot;; i will top them for you if i can still find them from ~2 years ago.<BR>Enjoy.

Steve_James

The car rental agency in Positano is a local company, not one of the majors, so it's not a drop-off point. <BR><BR>You're right - Sorrento will be your nearest place for a drop-off with Auto Europe or any of the main rental companies.<BR><BR>Steve

ggfinds

If you don’t mind me saying keep your plans a little simpler. I have traveled extensively and I have learned…. If you don’t give yourself enough time in each area you will not absorb the culture and simple pleasures of life. Your Rome segment is great. You may want to eliminate one tour day and just explore on your own and people watch in the piazza. Off to Amalfi, hire a driver to Positano directly stay at Le Seranuse. Settle into this lovely seaside spot. Stay at least 4 nights. Take a day trip to Pompeii then go to Ravello. We had lunch at Hotel Polumbo; an Italian friend gave us a fabulous tip on this location. Ravello countryside is breath taking! I highly recommend a tour guide for Pompeii there is so much to learn there that you will not discover on your own. Ask for an expert guide, we had an archeologist. You can see Sorrento on this same day and maybe take a drive back there another evening. Capri is a worthwhile excursion -45 min ferry to Capri from Postiano. I would spend the 2 nights on Capri - I wish I had and will plan to on my next trip to this region. Buy Lemoncello -lemon liqueur. Great to make lemon drop martinis with by the way. To end your trip I would set your self up in Florence in a lovely spot and enjoy your new husband in the most romantic city ever! Don’t over schedule yourselves, it will all work out! If you need a driver (ask for Remo and Family), Hotels, and expert guides you can use my resource. Gianni Misconi, International Tours. 310-541-0028 (He is a former Alitalia executive) He does not book any airfare only hotels and services throughout Europe. He has wonderful taste in charming luxury hotel that are not over done. <BR>He will even give you great restaurant tips (he was the one who told us about lunch at Hotel Polumbo.) Wishing you a fabulous honeymoon. <BR>

milan

ggfinds: Thank you for the reference for International Tours. We are really looking foward to travelling more luxuriously on this trip than we are used to doing! Since we are spending a lot of $$ for the honeymoon, it will be great to get some more insider recommendations on hotels, restaurants, and local foods. <BR><BR>And we've rearranged our trip to slow down, a little bit. We're going directly to Positano first for 4 nights, then Rome for 4 nights, then Sinalunga for 3 nights, and finally Florence for 4 nights. That way, we never have more than 2-3 hours of travel when we move locations. Also, now we can be in Rome and Florence for our weekend nights, and relax on the coast and in the country during the week nights.<BR>

bobthenavigator

Good for you !<BR>Staying 3 nites per location and having no more than 4 hours travel time between destinations are good rules that you learn thru experience. I like your current plan. Best wishes !

travel3773

I am planning a similar honeymoon at the same time exact of year. We are flying in and out of Rome, and have decided to start the trip in Rome for 4 nights, rent a car and drive to Amalfi Coast, spend two nights in Ravello and two nights in Positano, drive to Tuscany area and spend 3/4 nights there, then drive back to Rome for the last night before we fly home. We have decided to save northern Italy for another trip.