Help with Italy Itinerary
Apr 22nd, 2003, 10:10 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Help with Italy Itinerary
This is my dream trip. I am travelling around Italy for 25 days. The only problem is, I need serious help with my itinerary. I was thinking of flying into Palermo and working my way up to Milan. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated-hotels, restaurants, must-see sites, and the best way of getting from place to place (contemplating running to keep the weight off). Thanks for any help you can give.<BR>-Caitlin<BR>
Apr 23rd, 2003, 02:23 AM
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm leasing a car through Peugeot leasing which turns out to be a great deal, plus we get a brand new car.<BR><BR>Have you ever been to Italy before? If not you must see.... ummm.... Rome, Florence, Tuscany, Umbria... oh dear... i'm going to end up listing everything in italy...<BR><BR>It's really a very personal thing. What sort of things do you like to do and what do you hope to get out of the holiday?<BR><BR>
Apr 23rd, 2003, 02:29 AM
#3
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 74,699
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hi caitlin,<BR> You have to do some homework first.<BR><BR> Let us have a rough draft of your itinerary, and we can help.<BR><BR> Since you are already planning on running, perhaps this is the best way for you to get from place to place.(%>
Apr 29th, 2003, 08:09 AM
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
This is a rough draft of my itinerary. I have some recommendations for hotels and B&Bs, but I definitely could use some more recommendations. I'm looking to spend about $200US/ night but would like to save money where possible. I also plan on renting a car through Tuscany, taking the train where convenient, and flying if it makes more sense. I'm going to spend 25 -30 days in Italy. I'm in my twenties and have lots of energy and want to see and do as much as possible. I've been travelling for 2 months around the world and already have done my share of relaxing. I appreciate all of your suggestions.
-Fly into Palermo. Explore Sicily (2 nights) Where should I go near Palermo?
-Fly to Naples and take boat to Capri- (2 nights)
-5 days Amalfi Coast -Sorrento, Herculaneum, Positano, Ravello. Use Ravello as home base.
Rome (3 days)
Train to Venice (3 days)
Train to Florence (2 days)
Rent car for Tuscany (4 nights)?-Lucca, Voltera, Cortona, Montepulciano, San Gimignano.
1 night Lucca
1 night San Gimignano
2 nights- up for grabs-should I stay in Voltera, Cortona, or Montelpulciano.
Spend 1 night in Santa Margherita
Spend 3 nights in Cinque Terre, probably in Vernazza.
Lake Como (2 nights)
Milan (1 night)
Fly out of Milan.
Questions:
1) How should I get from Naples to Capri? Is there a high speed boat? Where should I stay in Capri
2) Should I fly, drive, or take the train from Amalfi Coast to Rome?
3) Should I rent the car for Tuscany while in Florence? I've heard it's difficult to find your way out of Florence with a car.
4) Where should I stay for 2 nights in Tuscany- Cortona, Voltera, or Montepulciano?
5) Should I have a car or return the car in Tuscany before travelling to Santa Margherita and Cinque Terre? If so, which is the bets way to get to SM and CT?
6) How should I travel from Cinque Terre to Lake Como?
7) Is there anywhere where I need to include more days or is there anywhere I could cut back?
My interests include food, photography, sunsets, breathtaking views, some museums, ruins-history, and fleamarkets/local treasures.
Thank you for any help you can give me,
Caitlin
-Fly into Palermo. Explore Sicily (2 nights) Where should I go near Palermo?
-Fly to Naples and take boat to Capri- (2 nights)
-5 days Amalfi Coast -Sorrento, Herculaneum, Positano, Ravello. Use Ravello as home base.
Rome (3 days)
Train to Venice (3 days)
Train to Florence (2 days)
Rent car for Tuscany (4 nights)?-Lucca, Voltera, Cortona, Montepulciano, San Gimignano.
1 night Lucca
1 night San Gimignano
2 nights- up for grabs-should I stay in Voltera, Cortona, or Montelpulciano.
Spend 1 night in Santa Margherita
Spend 3 nights in Cinque Terre, probably in Vernazza.
Lake Como (2 nights)
Milan (1 night)
Fly out of Milan.
Questions:
1) How should I get from Naples to Capri? Is there a high speed boat? Where should I stay in Capri
2) Should I fly, drive, or take the train from Amalfi Coast to Rome?
3) Should I rent the car for Tuscany while in Florence? I've heard it's difficult to find your way out of Florence with a car.
4) Where should I stay for 2 nights in Tuscany- Cortona, Voltera, or Montepulciano?
5) Should I have a car or return the car in Tuscany before travelling to Santa Margherita and Cinque Terre? If so, which is the bets way to get to SM and CT?
6) How should I travel from Cinque Terre to Lake Como?
7) Is there anywhere where I need to include more days or is there anywhere I could cut back?
My interests include food, photography, sunsets, breathtaking views, some museums, ruins-history, and fleamarkets/local treasures.
Thank you for any help you can give me,
Caitlin
Apr 29th, 2003, 09:00 AM
#6
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 461
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Well, first let me suggest you to ease down and leave something out of your trip. At times, your draft suggests me long hours of travelling for very little time on site. Consider wether you really WANT to do so much in only ONE trip, and that you may still come back lter for another holiday: you know, Italy will not go missing if you leave something to see for next year (or the year next to the next etc.).
I would leave something out of the Campania part and allow myself at least three days in Sicily, not secondly because you will be tired after the flight and you will need at least one day to rest. So, skip either Sorrento or Postiano or Ravello or just do a daytrip do Capri (Ok, it used to be lovely, now it's overrun with tourists and incredibly costly!) and allow yourself one day more to rest after your arrival. Two days will be time enough to visit Palermo ALONE, if youa really a fast traveller, you may move to nearby Monreale for a few hours and visit its incredible Duomo.
Inner flights in Italy are very costly and since the distances are limited do not really save lots of time (flying from Milano to Rome will sabe but one hour over going by train), so I suggest to either taking the train or, probably better, the ferry from Palermo to Naples. Also from Naples (Amalfi) to Rome, use the train: it is but a three hours trip.
Do not move from Rome to Venic and than all the way back to Florence, it would be pointless. Much better, rent the car in Rome and move north along Tuscany. Tour the Tuscan countryside stopping one hight somewhere in southern Tuscany (see Pitigliano and Santa Fiora, two gems) and the following night somewhere in the Siena area (San Gimigniano or Pienza, just look for an agriturismo off the towns and spend three noghts there, daytripping to the nearby area), than return your car in Florence. You do not have to actually go in and out of Rome or Florence, you may pick up and drop the cars at the airports, which are connected to the two cities by buses or trains. Lucca is an easy daytrip by train from Firenze, so is Pisa (actually the two can be combined toghether on the same day). An alternative plan might be to leave the agritursmo, visit VOlterra and continue north, leave your car at the Pisa airport, move to Florence by train.
From Florence you may than move straight to either Cinque terre (daytrip to Santa Margherita Ligure from there) or Venice, than cross northern Italy west to east or east to west, detouring to Lago di Como. (From Venice, train to Milano, train to Como, than back to Milano and further on to Genova-La Spezia-Cinque terre).
I would leave something out of the Campania part and allow myself at least three days in Sicily, not secondly because you will be tired after the flight and you will need at least one day to rest. So, skip either Sorrento or Postiano or Ravello or just do a daytrip do Capri (Ok, it used to be lovely, now it's overrun with tourists and incredibly costly!) and allow yourself one day more to rest after your arrival. Two days will be time enough to visit Palermo ALONE, if youa really a fast traveller, you may move to nearby Monreale for a few hours and visit its incredible Duomo.
Inner flights in Italy are very costly and since the distances are limited do not really save lots of time (flying from Milano to Rome will sabe but one hour over going by train), so I suggest to either taking the train or, probably better, the ferry from Palermo to Naples. Also from Naples (Amalfi) to Rome, use the train: it is but a three hours trip.
Do not move from Rome to Venic and than all the way back to Florence, it would be pointless. Much better, rent the car in Rome and move north along Tuscany. Tour the Tuscan countryside stopping one hight somewhere in southern Tuscany (see Pitigliano and Santa Fiora, two gems) and the following night somewhere in the Siena area (San Gimigniano or Pienza, just look for an agriturismo off the towns and spend three noghts there, daytripping to the nearby area), than return your car in Florence. You do not have to actually go in and out of Rome or Florence, you may pick up and drop the cars at the airports, which are connected to the two cities by buses or trains. Lucca is an easy daytrip by train from Firenze, so is Pisa (actually the two can be combined toghether on the same day). An alternative plan might be to leave the agritursmo, visit VOlterra and continue north, leave your car at the Pisa airport, move to Florence by train.
From Florence you may than move straight to either Cinque terre (daytrip to Santa Margherita Ligure from there) or Venice, than cross northern Italy west to east or east to west, detouring to Lago di Como. (From Venice, train to Milano, train to Como, than back to Milano and further on to Genova-La Spezia-Cinque terre).
Apr 29th, 2003, 09:38 AM
#7
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,521
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Caitlin, just READING your post made me tired. You'll get a lot more out of your trip if you visit fewer places for longer periods. You are still young, so your opportunity for interacting with locals will be relatively high: take advantage of the circumstances. One of the coolest things about other places is the people, and Italy's are generally very nice.
Apr 29th, 2003, 10:26 AM
#8
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In reply to #3 on your question list:
We drove from Rome to Tuscany (Gaiole in Chianti) to Florence and back to Rome last week. Getting into and out of Florence and Rome were difficult for us. There are countless one way streets and pedestrian streets that throw your plan out of wack. In the end we always reached our destinations. I say you should get a car and enjoy Tuscany. It is beautiful and would be tough to see without a car. (I'm not a big fan of busses.) Just go into the drive knowing that it'll take a little longer than you expect it to, but you'll get there, eventually. By the way, we rented through Hertz in Rome via the Internet (much cheaper than calling them). Then I called and had delivery of the car arranged. For a few extra Euro, it's well worth the missed headache.
We drove from Rome to Tuscany (Gaiole in Chianti) to Florence and back to Rome last week. Getting into and out of Florence and Rome were difficult for us. There are countless one way streets and pedestrian streets that throw your plan out of wack. In the end we always reached our destinations. I say you should get a car and enjoy Tuscany. It is beautiful and would be tough to see without a car. (I'm not a big fan of busses.) Just go into the drive knowing that it'll take a little longer than you expect it to, but you'll get there, eventually. By the way, we rented through Hertz in Rome via the Internet (much cheaper than calling them). Then I called and had delivery of the car arranged. For a few extra Euro, it's well worth the missed headache.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Dacon_R
Europe
10
Oct 15th, 2011 07:53 PM
