Our family will be going to Italy in November. (2 adults, 2 teens) For the first week or so we are following a choir and then we have 4 days to do what we want. I am trying to figure out those last 4 days. Here is what we have so far.

Due to this choir tour, all the flights to Venice on the day we need are pretty much booked (for Comfort class). I booked to fly into Trieste so we at least have a flight to Italy. I plan to check back in August or September to see if seats were released and then call the airlines to see if I can change something, anything so we can fly into Venice. At this point, we land in Trieste and take the train to Venice. (2-3 hours)

Days 1-9 are following the choir, we cannot vary this part of the trip. Day 1 in Venice is short and we are really jet lagged so I am not sure what we will actually see. Our airbnb is almost on St. Marco square so we have that going for us. Day 2 is a full day in Venice. Day 3, we take the train to Florence in the morning and then have all of day 4 in Florence as well. Day 5 we train to Assisi and then to Rome. Days 6-9 are full days in Rome. We have lodging in all of these places.

One question on Assisi/Rome. Can we store our luggage at the Assisi train station? So we would train from Florence to Assisi, see Assisi, and then train from Assisi to Rome in the evening. Or is it better to train from Florence to Rome, store our bags, and then do a round trip train from Rome to Assisi?????

Day 10--We really want to do a day trip from Rome to Pompeii and maybe stop at Herculaneum. We will use the train.

Day 11-13?????? We fly out of Trieste so we have to get back up there. I did this because we will have spent plenty of time in Rome and no time in Venice. The easy thing to do would be to train back to Venice and stay there. BUT my son is an avid student of World War I and he really, really wants to see the museum in Rovereto. We could day trip to there from Venice--it's about a 2 hour train ride each way. So we could do--Day 11 train from Rome to Venice, see some Venice sites in the afternoon, Day 12 go to Rovereto, Day 13 see Venice for most of the day and then train to Trieste to stay overnight to get the airplane the next day.

Or I have these crazy ideas about:
Day 11-train Rome to Siena, see Siena for the afternoon, then train to Verona for overnight
Day 12-train from Verona to Rovereto and then on to Venice
Day 13, see Venice, then train to Trieste
But that sounds beyond exhausting.

I would appreciate any answers on the Assisi question and any ideas on Days 11-13. Thank you for reading this long post!!!!

I found a lengthy thread on TA about luggage storage in Assisi. Go to the end of the thread for the last report. Long story short is that as of 2017, there no longer was storage at the station but there was a hotel or two willing to do it for a nominal amount. Note that the train station isn’t in Assisi but in a nearby town. You have to take a bus or taxi into Assisi from the train station.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...ia_Umbria.html

Yes Assisi station is at bottom of big hill Assisi town tops - a bus from Florence may be better as it goes up to the town itself but probably takes longer than train. Anyway a day trip from Rome to Assisi is a waste of travel time - check out the storage places above. Book long-distance train tickets as early as possible on Acquista il biglietto con le nostre offerte - Trenitalia or www.italotreno.it/en - two competing train systems using same tracks and stations and similar trains though some say Trenitalia trains are a bit better. For lots on trains check www.seat61.com (great didactic advice booking own discounted tickets; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com. doesn't sound like you'rfe spending much time in Rome?

Ostia Antica, ancient Rome's port is a stellar archaeological site that kind of rivals Pompeii. Day 11 - takes a long time by train Rome to Siena then you have to go up from station to town - Verona is a great town so I'd recommend heading straight away there via high-speed train and seeing things like Juliet's Balcony and the lovely old town itself.

We've been to the WWI museum in Rovereto. We enjoyed both the museum and the town. You'd probably want to take a taxi up to the castle/museum, but you could walk back down through the town. There are other things to see, depending on your interests.

https://www.italythisway.com/places/rovereto.php

But I doubt there is luggage storage at the Rovereto station, so I don't know how this day works if you start in Verona and end in Venice. Since you'll transit back through Verona on the way to Venice, you could see if there is luggage storage at the Verona station (make sure you know the hours it's open/closed). Or stay in Rovereto overnight or stay in Verona a second night and head to Venice early the next morning.

I don't think the Rome-Siena-Verona day works if you actually want to see much in Siena and Verona. Check the train timetables (esp. the last train Siena-Verona) and whether there is luggage storage at the Siena station.

Rather than seeing both Pompeii and Herculaneum, I'd try to see Pompeii and the archeology museum in Naples. FWIW, I'd pick Pompeii over Ostia Antica in a heartbeat.

Keep trying to change your flights to in/out of Venice. You need to retrieve some time anywhere you can get it.

Ok, so yes, I am ditching the whole Rome-Siena-Verona thing. Too much. We will train from Rome-Venice and stay in Venice. We will do Rovereto as a day trip from Venice.

But----I am entertaining the idea of skipping Assisi and going to Siena instead. So bus from Florence to Siena and then train to Rome. We would not stay the night in Siena. And there is a place to store luggage in Siena. What would you do Assisi or Siena?? (Our daughter would go with her group to Assisi while DH, DS, and I would go to Siena)

DH and I went to Rome, Florence, Siena, and other Tuscan towns for our honey moon 18 years ago but the kids have not been to any of these places.

Personally, I'd skip Siena and spend more time in Florence. The train from Florence to Rome is a speedy 90 minutes, and you can leave your luggage at your Florence hotel or in luggage storage at the Florence train station until you're ready to leave. Going to Siena or Assisi would add a lot of travel time and the luggage storage issue. Frankly, I'm not even sure how you're going to squeeze in Rovereto if you hope to have any time in Venice before returning to Trieste.

You need to lay this out day by day with travel times.

Day 1. Venice, jet lagged.
Day 2. Venice, hopefully not jet lagged.
Day 3. Train to Florence (2-2.5 hours + time at both ends to get from/to hotels).
Day 4. Florence (I hope this isn't a Saturday or Sunday when many of the main sights may be closed).
Day 5. Florence or somewhere. End up in Rome.
Day 6. Rome.
Day 7. Rome. Day trip to Pompeii one of these Rome days.
Day 8. Rome.
Day 9. Rome.
Day 10. Rome.
Day 11. Train to Rovereto (4 hours).
Day 12. Train to Venice (2.5 hours).
Day 13. Venice to Trieste (2 hours).
Day 14. Fly home.

If possible, train from Rome to Rovereto the early evening of May 10. Then, you'd be able to train to Venice the afternoon or evening of Day 11 and have one day in Venice not impacted by arriving/departing. If you fly out of Trieste on Day 13, you'll have to choose between Rovereto and Venice.

I don't recommend Pompeii and Herculeam... One is enough! There are tours that take you to Pompeii for a few hours them take you to Amalfi coast, much more enjoyable for the whole family.

While in Venice, make sure you make time for Burano (and Murano if possible)... they are pretty much the highlight of Venice that everyone misses. You're going to love walking the alley ways in the night when all the tourists are gone in Venice, it's such a great experience for the whole family.

Verona is a lot of fun but just make sure you have enough time for it all. Have you looked into hiring a car and doing the drive. There's left check in and check pit of the train stations and you have a place to keep your luggage. I only mean the last 3 days. I always drive in Italy with the family and it's really easy to get around.

I disagree that everyone misses Murano and Burano - they are shoulder-to-shoulder destinations in high season. People think it's "special" to go out to the islands, so thousands of them do.

Go to Torcello if you want something different.

I like the idea of not trying to get to Siena or Assisi and adding more time to Florence. Great idea.

We are going in November--are the places along the Amalfi Coast open? We can't do just a drive and look tour--we need to be out of the car looking at museums etc. (kids get bored with long drives and daughter gets car sick)

So to clarify, here we go:
Day 10: Pompeii, etc stay in Rome that night
Day 11: Train to Venice, check into airbnb, see some more of Venice
Day 12: Day trip to Rovereto, stay in Venice that night (2 hour train ride each way)
Day 13: See more of Venice, late train to Trieste to hotel next to airport

Thanks for all the train reservation sites and the seat 61 site is AWESOME!!!

I also like the idea of taking the train to Venice on evening of Day 10, gives us more time. hmmmm.

"Day 12: Day trip to Rovereto, stay in Venice that night (2 hour train ride each way)"

All of the trains in both directions take more than 2 hours, some much more. And when you add the time to get to/from the train stations and to/from the WWI museum in Rovereto, it's closer to 3 hours each way. And that's assuming the trains are on time.

FYI, it will be dark by 5:00p at the beginning of November and by 4:30p at the end of November.

If you contemplate taking the train Rome-Venice the evening of Day 10, be sure to inquire how late you can check into your AirBnB.

Just me, but I wouldn't consider the Amalfi Coast in November. And I would stop thinking about more places to go.

I think I am convincing DS that we are going to have to miss Rovereto--too far out of the way. I also think I am just going to have to come to terms with the fact that this trip really is focused on listening to the choir sing every day in a different venue--some AMAZING venues--but that limits the amount we get to do/see in each place. So I just need to add days to Florence and Venice where I can.

Thanks for talking sense into me Now I know how all those people who dream of seeing all 5 Utah National Parks in 6 days feel when the locals like me respond to say, "not happening"

Would it be worth it to check to see how much it is to fly from Rome to Venice? Or by the time you check in, etc, is it just better to train it?

"Would it be worth it to check to see how much it is to fly from Rome to Venice? Or by the time you check in, etc, is it just better to train it?"

I think train is the same or quicker than flying when you factor in traveling to and from airports and check-in times. Train takes you city center to city center.

Train for sure! So much to see out of the window of a train, and ellenem's comment about the time is right on.

Plus train is so much more comfortable. You can get up and walk around. If in facing seats, you can more easily talk. Toilets aren't in closets. You can go to the restaurant car for a meal or snacks or easily enjoy food you bring on board.

As to skipping Rovereto, you can return for the museum on a another trip and combine it with a tour of the Dolomites. There are WWI sights in the mountains that are IMO more interesting than a collection in a museum (albeit a good collection at Rovereto). You could also visit the Iceman museum in Bolzano (fascinating) and enjoy lots of activities in the mountains and at Lake Garda.

Open Air Museums of the First World War - Falzarego Pass - Giau Pass

The Great War Open Air Museums Cortina

Home | South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology

https://funiviedelbaldo.it/en/cable-car/

Rome-Venice 3.5 hours by train city center to city center and fares can be ridiculously cheap if book online early enough - like 19 or 29 euros p.p. Plus you see Italian countryside - not spectacular but always interesting.

Thanks for the train info--train it is. Love those fast trains!!

Jean-yes, there will have to be a Dolomites trip in the future. Hiking and staying in refugios while seeing WWI sites. Thanks for the web sites!