Help with Italy itinerary: too fast, Florence/Tuscany?
 

I've read through numerous helpful posts on this forum, but wanted to get some opinions before finalizing our trip. Quick background: husband and I (late 20s) on first trip to Italy during May/June, and 100% sure we won't be able to return in next 10 years. We're not interested in CT/Amalfi coast this time.

day 1: fly from us
day 2: arrive in rome in evening
3-6: rome
7-9: pienza
10-11: florence (not huge art people)
13-15: venice
16-19: como
20: milan to home.

Have two major questions:
1. In Florence, we're just interested in Uffizi, Accademia, Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, maybe shopping. Should we skip the Pienza-Florence move and instead daytrip to Florence from hilltown? Or are we seriously shortchanging Florence and daytrip from there to a hilltown instead?
2. Is traveling every three days (max 4 hour trip) too much? I know everyone has a different pace, but I was hoping to hear from others who planned a similar trip to ours. Did it feel too rushed, or just right?

Thanks for all your help!

Hi ella,

>Is traveling every three days (max 4 hour trip) too much?<

If you're planning a motor trip, No.

>..are we seriously shortchanging Florence ..?<

I'd do 2 nights there, but, No, you are not seriously shortchanging.

What time does your plane leave Milan?

((I))

It sounds fine to me, given your interests, but do spend the two days in Florence instead of taking day trips to Florence.

And be sure to make your reservations by phone for the Uffizi and the Accademia. (There are 1000 threads out there with the information; just put Uffizi +Accademia in the Search Box.)

I personally would spend a day more in Venice and a day less on Lake Como, but it's your trip and your choice.

Ira has made the point, I think, that you have to think seriously whether you can get from Como to Malpensa in time for your flight. Look into it.

I think you're spending proportionately too much time in Como (or Lake Como area). No, I definitely do NOT think you shoulkd skip staying in Florence and just day trip there. For a first trip, it might be nice to spend a little more time in Venice. My own preference would be to skip Como entirely on a first or second or third trip to Italy, but if you have a strong interest in it, there's nothing wrong with including it. Travelng every three days is a little on the busy side, but not really too much. don't worry about that. Your trip doesn't have to be restful.

P.S. What happened to day #12?

Looks like fun to me. Good luck !

Looks like a good itenarary. I would agree to spend less time in Como. I'd spend the extra days in either Rome or Tuscany. 2-3 days in Venice is plenty.

Jeff

If you are not really art buffs, you could think about skipping the Uffizi. It has many masterpieces, but I find it a hard museum to like, and I to to art museums a lot. If you like sculpture, you might consider the Bargello, a small sculpture museum that I love (and there's almost never a line.)

Or consider the San Marco monastery, which has breathtaking frescoes in the monks' cells and common rooms, by Fra Angelico. His "Annunciation", plus Michaelangelo's "David" are worth the trip to Florence by themselves, imo.

Thanks for all your thoughtful replies. Ira, our flight from Milan (Bergamo, actually) is 5PM one, so I'm thinking we should have plenty of time. But thanks for asking. I had a feeling that Florence shouldn't be day-tripped, given that we aren't that stressed for time.

CMT, it was good to hear that traveling every 3 days isn't too much. Any other opinions on this?

I guess I am still confused about Florence/Tuscany. As of now, we have 5 nights there. Here are the options I am weighing:

A. 3 Pienza or Montepulciano, and 2 Florence. Pro: I think we would like one of these hilltowns at night. Worth it?
B. 4 Florence, with 1 day trip to hilltown. Pros: Less moving. Add one day to Rome or Venice.

Any others care to weigh in? Again, thank you all so much for your help.

If you're flyuing from Bergamo, you might consider staying your last night in Bergamo. The città alta (literally high city, i.e. the old part of town high up on a hill) is so very beautiful, and you would probably enjoy seeing it for a day, or even for just a few hours late on your last day.

>..Here are the options I am weighing:<

They are both good.

I second Elaine's recommendation of the Bargello museum. It would be a completely pleasant place to visit, even if you didn't look at its actual contents, which would be a great loss, of course, since it's an outstanding collection of sculpture. I've never seen it crowded!

I like your itinerary just the way it is. Moving every few days is tiring but you're young and, as you said, you may not be returning for quite a while. Do not give up the days in Pienza/Montepulciano area. It will be one of the highlights of your trip. Personally, I would stay in Pienza and do a day trip to Montepulciano. It is only about 15 minutes away. Pienza is a jewel. Don't miss Latte di Luna and Buca della Fate for dinner. I also think two days in Florence is enough for what you want to see. Just make sure to get your tickets to the Accademia and Uffizi in advance so you don't waste time waiting in line. Sounds like a great trip - very much like our first Italy trip. Have a great time.

Do you have some major attachment to the town of Como? If you're in need of relaxation after a busy trip, there are other towns on Lago di Como prettier and more restful.

But like the others, I would skip Como this trip. In fact, I'd skip Milan and consider flying out of Venice or Florence.

We're assuming you have a car since you're basing in Pienza (a really nice little town, by the way), but you'll really only need a car for Tuscany.

I found Mimar's post interesting, as we are also going to the same places the same general timeframe as ella77.

Question for Mimar or anyone else: What alternative places would you recommend above Lake Como? We have three days to get from Venice back around to Rome to catch our flight home. We have a rental car. This is the only period I do not yet have accomodations for.

Like Ella77, (although she has 7 more days than us on her trip- lucky!) we are not interested in the coast region or the CT this trip. Or Milan. Actually, if there was any chance my husband could fish in one of the lakes on this trip, he would prefer that to anything else!

As cmt noted, what happened to Day #12? That could give you an extra day in Rome or Venice.

My wife and I just got back from a 10 day trip and did everything you'll be doing except Como. We were a little concerned about the pace but it turned out just fine. You can cover most of the "A" list things in each of the cities in the amount of time you have allocated. Just be prepared to stay busy and active as there are so many neat things to see and do, especially on the first trip.

My only suggestion would be to reconsider spending 3 nights in Pienza or in any other midievel town. We spent a couple of hours there and enjoyed it. But we'd have been bored silly spending 2-3 days there unless we were using it as a base to explore other towns. If you want to park it somewhere and just unwind for a couple of days, I'd strongly recommend Siena. We found Siena much larger and more varied than Pienza and it, too, would make a good base for side trips.

We spent one full day in Florence and did the Artviva Company's "Florence in a Day" tours and enjoyed all three (www.artviva.com). They covered the highlights--Uffizi, Academia, Duomo, and Ponte Vechio. Like you, we aren't huge Renaissance art fans and one day was enough to cover the basics altho an extra half day or so there would have been nice. It's great for shopping.

Sounds like a great trip!!

Dave

Your trip sounds wonderful! We just got back from our first trip a few weeks ago. (there's a trip report if you're interested) We found that we were happy to skip many of the "must sees" that we'd planned before we went...and spent less time in museums and more times at streetside cafes. Don't try to see too much!! Just wandering around is the best!!

Oops, one more comment...we were very glad we opted for a guide for one day in Rome. Really helped us appreciate what we were seeing, and oriented us to the country in general. Let me know if you want referral info to the person we toured with! [email protected]