After much research, I feel like we have pretty much finalized our itinerary. The problem is, everyone we run into has their favorite places and keep suggesting additions! I know we should just try and block them out and save other areas for another trip, but I just wanted advice from the experts to validate my choices!<BR><BR>Time: Late September/early October<BR>Us: 30 yr old wine, food, art and scenery lovers from No. Cal.<BR><BR>Fly into Venice - stay for 3 nights<BR><BR>Train to Florence - stay for 5 nights (with day trips to Siena/San G/Pisa? built in)<BR><BR>Car to Sienalunga/ Locanda Dell'Amorosa for 2 nights (explore Volterra on our way there, explore Montalcino/Montapulciano the next day)<BR><BR>Car to Rome for last 3 nights (we will ditch the car in Orvieto)<BR><BR>To me, this sounds perfect, but people keep asking us if we will get to Cinqua Terre. Is Cinqua Terre do-able as a day trip from Florence WITHOUT a car? <BR><BR>We could possibly cut down Florence by one night to spend the night in Cinque Terre, but where would it fit in logically? And does it seem like staying in 5 places over 2 weeks is too much?<BR><BR>Thanks in advance for the advice!

I certainly enjoyed Cinque Terre but your itinerary sounds wonderful to me. There will always be other trips and you cant see everything the first time. You may have to make a choice between Montalcino and Montalpuciano and I would suggest Montalcino, thought it was a beautiful place with great wine. I have not been to Pisa but generally dont hear good comments but be sure and get to San G. and Siena.<BR>Leave it as is and have a great time.

Hello Kristen, I like your plan with a minor change. I would spend one more nite in Tuscany if the budget allows another nite at Amorosa[ my fav ]. This is a good start to see bella Italia. Next year you can do the Lakes and Cinque Terre---you will return.<BR>Buona fortuna !

Hi Kristen,<BR><BR>I think you itinerary is wonderful! Cinque Terre is very nice, but I think it's a little overrated. I would take that night from Florence & spend it in Orvieto! We stayed 3 nights in Orvieto & loved it. Truly a special town. Don't miss the cave tour.

Not a bad plan, but I'd skip the Cinque Terre for several reasons. One, it's out of the way from the rest of your cities. Two, at least in June, it was overrun with tourists and the cities lost their mythical fishing-village qualities. Three, to really enjoy the 5T (with or without tourists) requires a few days, not just 24 hours. But to answer your question, the 5T is NOT day-trippable from Florence unless you plan on spending a really long day (minimum 2 hours train or car travel, each way) and plan on taking the whirlwind tour through the villages.<BR><BR>Also, one correction: Volterra is not on the way to Sinalunga. Volterra is west or southwest of Siena, while Sinalunga is east of Siena.

You have my vote to keep your schedule as is. <BR><BR>I am one of the few that does not see all the majesty in the Cinque Terre. We spent a couple of nights in the area in 99 and then were back there on a cruise 8 months later. Neither time got me yearning for more. Nice to see, but not a must see on your first trip with the schedule you already have planned. Do it on a later trip.<BR><BR>We are big believers in staying in one area a few days, maybe more. That way the travel is more relaxing and the hotel changing less taxing. Plus, you can actually enjoy each area instead of rushing around ticking off spots you looked at briefly.<BR><BR>Bottom line: Keep the schedule you have. Forget all the other people's favorite joints and find some of your own. Plus, some of the bad spots we experienced still bring us some of our best laughs.

One, or at most two nights in Venice and add another for Florence and Rome.<BR><BR>US

Your itinerary is _almost_ perfect. Here are a few suggestions.<BR>First, one night less in Venice. Since you are a fod lover it might be worth to stop in Bologna on your way to Florence. Bologna is not only lovely but also one of the citues of italy with the best food available. In there skip all pizza places and havea dinner in some trattoria where you can have tortellini in brodo or taglaitelle al rag&ugrave;. Also, while in Bologna, remember a walk in the small streets beyound the two leaning towers (yes, Bologna has two leaning towers, while Pisa has only one) and look at the wonderful food sold by the stalls. Everytime I go there I think I will lose both my eye (and all my money) in there ^_^.<BR>From FLorene daytrip to Pisa, Lucca and Pistoia. They are easy to reach by train and perfect for a couple of daytrips. you will need but a few hours in pisa, since the tower and the cathedral are almost the only thing to see in the city: pisa was heavily bombed during Ww2 and most od the buildings are recent. On your way back from Pisa, stop in Pistoia and use a few hours to relax in this quiet medieval city with almost no tourists. ou will find it restoring to be able to walk around the city after several days of seeing tourists everywhere. Also, another daytrip might be Lucca, IMHO the most lovely city of Tuscany. Walk the walls that completely surround the city.<BR>Visit Siena as a Daytrip from Sinalunga. Volterra is far from the area you will be staying in, as an alternative do not miss Pienza, rebuilt during the XV century as an "ideal city" by pope Pio II.

We just did Rome - Florence - Venice. Venice can be done in 2 - 3 fully and same for Florence. If you like history then I would extend Rome as there is so much to see including Pompeii which is a ful day trip.

Matt<BR><BR>Actually Cinque terre are best known in italy as a daytrip place. I live in Milano and soend a lot of time in Pistoia (nearby Firenze) and made the daytrip both by train and by car several times from both Milano and Pistoia. Cinque Terre are basically not a place where to spend a long holiday but a place where to have a walk along the sentiero dell'amore. Nowadays they have become almost completely uncaccessible because of the overload of tourists that spend too long periods in there, thinking of Cinque terre as the top of itlaian seaside village, while there are bunches, huge bunches of better seaside places, with far better beaches.

Hi<BR><BR>I am always amused by those who have visited Venice for 2 or 3 days and are willing to give the advice that thats all it takes to see the city. I am a strong believer that you can't absorb even the smallest city's feel or rythym in that short a period. Given your tastes here is wht i would reccomend:<BR><BR>If you can change your flight order, fly into rome and stay for 3 nights. Rent a car in Roma and drive to an agrotourismo or an apartment in Castellina in Chianti or near San Gimignano. Leave time on the drive to stop, maybe in Orvieto. Stay a week in you Toscana countryside spot. Day trip into Firenze 1-2 times. You won't get enough of Firenze in such a short time but you can still see many of the top spots. But you will have plenty of time in the countryside to enjoy many an enotecca and hill town. Finally drive or train to Venezia. If you drive, stop in Ravena to see the amazing mosaics. Then sped your last 4 days in Venice.<BR><BR>You can always put Venice first but the relaxation of being somewhere without cars is so amazing its a great way to end our stay.<BR><BR>I will top some of my other posts with more details.<BR><BR>

Hi again Kristen! I want to agree with Dean about Venice. I've been twice, the first trip just for 1 1/2 days & the second for a full 4 days. I still have places I missed & want to see. Venice has so much more in the way of art & other interesting sites than people seem to realize.<BR><BR>There is much more to see than just St. Mark's, the Doge Palace, and a gondola ride.<BR><BR>The problem is, all of Italy is this way. No matter how much time you spend somewhere, you will want to return & see more! A good problem to have....<BR><BR>Buon viaggio!

Disagree with Dean on Venice. It is enchanting and there is a lot to see, but to me it appeared to be quite a lot like being trapped and having to pay $$$.<BR><BR>Perhaps I am wrong, but I thought the place was a magnificent rip off in desparate need of a paint job!<BR><BR>Did like the top attractions and the food was excellent!<BR><BR>US

You could continue to tinker with the itinerary ad infinitum --- not that I don't think the previous posters have provided valid suggestions. It's fine ! You'll have a great time ! Unless, you haven't purchased your airfare yet (is this plan for this yr or next?) .... only alteration I'd make would be to reverse direction. Start with Rome and work your way north, ending in Venice.

Hi Kristen<BR>Coincidentally my husband and I are planning a 2 week trip to Italy for end sept/early oct and we are also from northern california and in our 30s<BR><BR>I haven't found airfare that I feel is reasonalble yet to lock in the dates. <BR>Can i ask which airline you're using and how much? I would be flying out of SFO.<BR><BR>My *itinerary* (in my mind) is to fly in/out of Rome and stay at the Amalfi Coast for 3-4 nights then in the tuscany region (can't decide where) for 4 nights, then back to Rome for the remainder of the trip.<BR><BR>Does this sound reasonable to others? No one has replied to my post.<BR><BR>thanks.

when we go to Venezia, we rent an apartment in the pesceria Rialto for $750 or $800 a week. We eat mostly at bacari where we can fesat for $40 inclusding several glass3es of wine. Dinner for 2 at Alle Testeriere with good wine, 4 piatti and a dessert plus a great shot of single barrel scotch was about $90. DInner at Fiaschetteria Toscanna ranged from $100 with a cheap bottle of wine to maybe $225 for a meal with two bottles of wine that were over $100 on their own. We cook several meals with fish bought from the pescheria Rialto at about $25.00 a meal for thisngs like scallops in their shell, true scampi, live canocchie with vegetables from the nearby erboria. We have gelato at Nico for about $5.00 for two. Our breakfasts are at a tiny nameless bar in the erboria where we might spend $8.00 for cafe and sandwiches. We eat at out of the way places like Alla Padove Trattoria Ca d'Oro, da Alberto and other neighborhood joints. We only buy one caffe on Piazza San Marco while sitting listening to live music which sets us back about $25.00 but includes wonderful people watching and some fun music. I remember one night at Bar Chioggia where we sat under the awning as the handsome Italian panio player flirted with two girls of about 10 and 12 who spent the night dancing in front of his piano and then running back blushing to their parents every time he flashed them a smile. I can still remeber his musical rendition of Brazil and Take 5 which both had Italian accents. <BR><BR>All in all we have spent less in Venezia than on similar trips to Roma.<BR><BR>Now don't start me on the cost of the art glass we have collected in Murano.

I wouldn't try to do the CT this trip. We stayed at the Amorosa, drove through Volterra on our way and used it as a base for exploring Montalcino and Montapulciano. It was perfect. Have a great trip! Kay

Dean wrote:<BR>&gt; apartment in the pesceria Rialto for $750 or $800 a week<BR><BR>DAMN!!! I live one month with 800 euro!!!