Help with 1st trip to Italy in Spring
 

My husband and I would like to go in the spring for 10 or so days. Is there a big difference between going in March or May? Could we do Rome, Tuscany and Venice in 10 days and not feel rushed? Is the best way to travel by train between Rome, Tuscany and Venice?

Well, this is very subjective (first part) -- the weather will probably be about 50% "better" in May.<BR><BR>and to be slightly more objective, the days will be considerably longer in May - - and the trans-atlantic airfare to get to Italy might be much harder to buy at a deeply discounted price in May.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

My husband and I were in Italy for our first time in April/May (we went for a month). We had very nice weather, very little rain and it was not too hot. For a ten day trip I would go to Rome for 3-4 days, then pick up a car and drive through Tuscany. Forget Venice this time around. It is so far from Rome and Tuscany that you'll spend a day by train just getting there and back and we enjoyed Rome and Tuscany better than Venice anyway.

If I had to choose off-season, I would select, if possible, mid- or late-November or early December. March can be really unpredictable. Early May isn't bad, either. I don't know why I have a thing about March in Italy, I just do.<BR><BR>If this is your first visit, I would recommend the train, or at least take a train from Venice to Florence, then a car for Tuscany, back on the train for Rome. People on this board will tell you driving in Italy is a snap. They must not see the nightly Italian news whereby 10, 15 and 20 car pile-ups are the rule not the exception. I have seen more bad car wrecks in three years here than a lifetime in the United States. <BR><BR>When you say "do Rome, Tuscany and Venice" without being rushed, do you mean Florence and Tuscan countryside? If so, the answer is yes, you will be rushed. However, if you want to split it three ways: the big three in other words, you can do it, but you still have to allow travel time between the cities. Depending on your interests, you may want to split it with only two cities, Venice and Florence, for example, with a side tour to some towns in Tuscany. I personally find Rome one of the most overwhelming cities in the world in terms of sites to see and experience. Florence and Venice, on the other hand, are more manageable.<BR><BR>Have fun. And post again if you have any questions.

Thank you for your help! Our gateway city will be Rome so we will be spending 4-5 days there. How long does it take to get to Venice by train from Rome? How long by train from Rome to Florence?

To check trains, go to www.trenitalia.com. It's about less than 2 hours from Rome to Florence and I guess about 3 from Florence to Venice (too lazy to look it up myself.)<BR><BR>Even if the distances seem short, I would consider them two days traveling. For instance, you leave Rome for Florence. You still have to get from your hotel in Rome to the station. Find train, get on train, travel on train, arrive Florence. Find cab, or walk to hotel. You have already eaten up 4 to 6 hours, just in the "gitting there" stage. I am not discouraging you. I am just saying, consider it.<BR><BR>I advise taking EuroStar, for which you need reservations. If you are staying in Rome, then you can make the reservations for the rest of the trip when you get to Rome.<BR><BR>I assume you have to return to Rome for your flight back to wherever? You might consider stopping in Orvieto on your return from Venice; it's on the same train route. <BR>

It can be done (assuming you'll be flying in and out of different cities). Assuming you have 9 nights (not counting lost day from flying), you can do 4 night Rome, 2 on the road along your route from Rome to Venice(possibly orvieto, san g, siena), then 3 night venice. We did a similar trip a year ago and it worked fine (actually started in Venice and ended in Rome). We rented a car for the 2 middle overnights. We spent 1 night each in Florence and Orvieto. Florence really isn't a 1 night town but we had been there before and had someone to visit so we skipped the museums. You can probably do it easily by train it you prefer. If you do drive, make arrangements with hotels about parking the car, preferably where they take it and park it for you.

Just noticed your 2nd post. If you are flying in and out of Rome, skip Venice and do Florence instead.

We've gone one year in February and one in March as well as other trips in May. I wouldn't go again in February or March. The weather is usually cold, dreary, and rainy--at least 2 years in a row we found it that way. M.

May probably has a better chance of better weather but it may be more crowded and rates may be higher (if that is a concern). We were there March '01. the weather was great. Sunny and 70s most of the time. We had 1 day of rain in Venice, but Venice is even charming in the rain!

Last summer we stayed in a bueatiful villa in Tuscany, just outside Lucca. It was over 500 years old in a tiny town in the Tuscan hills. Not only was it bueatiful it was only $400.00 per week for five of us. We would then day trip and even stay overnight when we wanted to. <BR>Make sure you see cinque terre on this trip. It is 5 towns, built into the hills, overlooking the sea and you can hike from one to another. It will take your breath away. Have fun

Laura,<BR><BR>That sounds like an incredible deal! Would you please share the name of the villa? My family of 4 is heading to Italy next summer and I am just starting to think about details. Did you spend time in Rome?<BR><BR>By the way, just how crowded is Italy in June?!<BR><BR>Thank you!<BR>Michele<BR>

My husband and I recently went to Italy the end of March through mid-April. We had a few cooler days and at night it was a little chilly, you needed a light jacket. I live on the east coast and it mirrored our temps back home. In 15 days we had 2 days of rain, we consider ourselves lucky. May will be warmer with more tourists. My suggestion is to fly into one city and out of another. You will never see all there is to see in 10 days, but it will give you an overall feel for each city. Do you plan on just sticking with the cities? If so, then the train is the way to go. If you want to travel around Tuscany you will want a car. Driving in Italy is not a snap as someone else has mentioned. You have to be really alert and stay in the right hand lane. Also, it takes quite a while to get from point A to point B. In my opinion, for 10 days, I'd break it down to either north or south. Venice, Florence, Tuscany or Rome, Florence, Tuscany. Or another idea is to concentrate on Rome and Umbria and possibly southern Tuscany. There is more than enough there to see and it would be more relaxing. I say this from experience. My husband is from Italy and every time we go, no matter how much time we have it's very rushed. There is so much to see and do it can be overwhelming.

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May is definitely the better time. It will be warmer, but not hot. In Rome and Tuscany, the flowers/fields will be blooming, especially the poppies. There's nothing like seeing all of the ancient ruins in Rome framed with wild red poppies blooming their little heads off -- the poppies have managed to seed themselves everywhere. Quite a lovely site.....