Help with Italy Itinerary
 

Plan on going to Italy next October. Want to go Venice and Florence. I have 2 or 3 days for another city. I already have been to Rome. Any suggestions?
Thanks

I'd add the days to Venice.

Hello mike, you might consider staying in Bologna which is a beautiful city and has the oldest university in Europe. It is inbetween Venice and Florence. You can do train trips from there to Ravenna, Parma etc. if you had the time and intrest. Bologna has fantastic restuarants and food.

In that Bologna has a lot of trade shows if you did want to stay there I would make a hotel reservation as far in advance as possible as when there are trade shows hotel rooms are difficult if not impossible to reserve.

Thanks,
Adding days to Venice sounds good, but it will be my second there. How about Naples?

Hi M,

It takes about 3:30 hr to get from Florence to Naples.

Will you be departing from Naples?

((I))

I think Naples is good for a day, but no more. But if you want to head that way Positano and anywhere on the Amalfi coast are the best places around - especially in late Summer. You can easily then visit Pompeii and Herculaneum. I've been twice and would still go again. Don't bother taking a car though, its a nightmare to park and you are bound to take the train/bus and end up paying ofr parking as well, that's what we did! ps. Florence - heaven. I'll see if I can find the names of the great restaurants we went to in florence and post again, prbably tomorrow.

I am still not sure, but I can leave from Naples or Florence. The Almafi coast does sounds nice. It would be late October.

How would I get to the Amalfi coast from Florence by train. I checked Rail Eur. website and put in Positano and it did not come up.

There are so many lovely places in Northern Italy, that I'd suggest you stay in the Florence/Venice area. Siena, Padua, Montepulciano, Verona, Bologna, Mantua, ferrara- all worth anyone's time.

Hi Mike,

Late Oct is iffy weather for the AC.

It could be cold, windy, wet and foggy - or bright, clear, sunny and hot.

To get to Positano, you can take the train to Salerno and the SITA bus to Positano via Amalfi, or

take the train to Naples, the Circumvesuviana train from the Naples train station and the SITA bus to Positano.

((I))

Will you have a car or be using the trains?

I'd pick a smaller town in Tuscany or Umbria. Obviously, with a car you have more options, but you can also reach many charming towns by train. A small-to-medium hill town would be a nice contrast to the cities already on your itinerary. Or you could stay in a medium-sized city (like Perugia) and explore a small area over your 2-3 days.

If you deceide on Florence the place to have gelato is Vivoli'. It is near Santa Croce church down a small street. Ask for directions. It is out of the way but worth the search.

I plan on travelling by train.

What about Lucca? It is a fabulous town and a great base for exploring Pisa, Viareggio, Carrara and even up to Le Cinque Terre...

I'd consider Perugia from which you could easily explore Cortona, Umbertide, Assisi, Spello, as well as spending some time in Perugia itself which is a very nice medium-sized town.

Lucca is a nice base for the places LoveforItalia mentioned, but as a destination on its own Lucca didn't do it for me. If one of your days is Sunday, be aware that most shops in Lucca are closed that day.

Lucca does A LOT for me! I found it bustling and a little cosmopolitan without losing its authentic Italian charm. There are terrific restaurants, great shopping, lovely sights and an overall nice "feel". It's just off the autostrada so it's very easy to drive places OR the train station is conveniently located just outside the city walls for train travel.