Help with Italy trip
 

My husband and I are planning our first trip to Italy in early April. Of course we want to see "everything" in two weeks and I don't think we can but can't decide what to drop. So far, planning to fly into Milan, take the train to Bellagio for two nights, then train to Venice for two nights, train to Florence for two nights (perhaps add another night to Florence and see Siena, etc.), then train to Rome for three nights, then train to Pompeii/Sorrento for two nights. Fly out of Naples or back to Rome to fly home . My husband won't give up Pompeii and I had my heart set on Bellagio but maybe I need to drop it for this trip. Milan doesn't particularly appeal to either of us. Please help me!!

You are going to spend a lot of time on the train or getting to/from train stations.

If you have the option, fly into Venice and out of Rome (or the other way).

I'm not a fan of Milan, but some people love it. I would cut out either Bellagio or Naples on this trip, unless it will be a long time before you are able to return. But, that is just my personal opinion.

--Marv

Your wish to see everything is understandable, but your itinerary is way too rushed IMO, and you will actually see very little. You must understand that when you plan two nights one city and two nights in another city, with train travel in between, you really only have one full day in each city. The second day will be consumed with onward travel and getting settled in to the new lodging. On the trip you have planned,four of the days will be travel days, not counting flights to and from Italy. To really "see" Italy, you should plan a minimum of 3 nights per city. Ideally, you would spend even longer in each place, with a maximum of three locations in two weeks. Venice-Florence-Rome, 4 days in each, would give you an introduction to Italy and whet your appetite for your next trip. If Pompeii is non-negotiable, then take a day from either Florence or Venice and do it on a (long) day trip from Rome. Fly in to Venice and out of Rome to save travel time. Buon viaggio.

Hi PBH,

I also suggest that for a first-time, 2-week trip, Rome-Florence-Venice.

Fly into Venice - 3 nights, train to Florence - 5 nights (daytrips to Siena, Lucca and Pisa(if you wish), train to Rome - daytrips to Orvieto and/or Ostia Antica, fly home.

I agree, if Pompeii is a must, give up Sorrento (in early April it may or may not be at its best) and daytrip to Pompeii. If you do a search here on Pompeii you can get detailed daytrip instructions. If you can bear to, give up Bellagio and add the time elsewhere, but not if it will diminish the trip experience for you.

I have files on the major cities, if you want to see them, email me at
[email protected]

You can fly into Venice - 3 days, Florence - 3 days, Rome - 5 days with a day trip to Pompeii and fly out of Rome. All of the places on your itinerary are great but you simply can't fit it all in in 11 days without wearing yourself out rushing from place to place (not the way to savor the pleasures of Bella Italia).

Thanks to all of you for telling me what I probably already knew (too much crammed in too little time). I can see we have to make some compromises somewhere. Also, would you start with Rome and end in Venice or the other way around. I don't want to be so tired at the end of my trip that I don't have enough energy for the intensity of Rome.

Definitely skip Milan since neither of you want to go there anyway! I'm chiming in with the WAY too much gang (but sounds like you already are convinced of that).

Have you been to Europe before? Some people do like a more full itinerary than others. You originally mention 8 places in 11 days. If you do a bit of math, each time you move around takes time (checking out of hotel, get to train station, take train, get to new hotel, check in) sometimes the better part of a day. Not to mention the first and last day basically gone to airport arrival/departure. This would leave you only a smidge of time in each place and a LOT of time riding around on trains!

Oops... sorry... I see you said clearly this is your first trip to Italy. I believe that's why you were originally seriously underestimating time and distance in your itinerary.

My suggestion is: fly to Rome for 5 nights including a day trip to Pompei, train to Florence for 3 nights, train to Venice for 3 nights, fly home from Venice. I think Rome might be too much at the end of your trip when your energy level starts to drop so I would definitely do it first. If you had your heart set on Bellagio, you could substitute it for Venice and fly out of Milan. I am personally not a big fan of Venice but it is a one-of-a-kind place you need to see once in your life. Bellagio is wonderful but not necessarily unique.

I would favor landing in Venice first because it will give you time to recover from jet lag before you tackle the must-sees of Florence and Rome. There are fewer important sights in Venice, more time for leisurely soaking up atmosphere and getting into la dolce vita. By the time you get to Rome you'll be accustomed to the language and ways of Italy--at the top of your game for the pace and intensity. If you take the board advice and limit your trip to the three cities, you won't be frazzled and worn out at the end.

just to show that to each her own, I'd start in Rome and end in Venice, so as to end my trip with a more tranquil, beautiful, and other-worldly place.

elaine,, your post interested me because that is what I thought too.

Having done Rome more or less first versus Venice more or less first I prefer Rome first and Venice last.

Thought just hit me, have the dessert at the end of the meal.

Hi PBH,

>would you start with Rome and end in Venice or the other way around. I don't want to be so tired at the end of my trip that I don't have enough energy for the intensity of Rome. <

Into Venice (calm, pleasant, romantic) and out of Rome (vibrant, even hectic).

What will you be doing that will exhaust you so? :)

I would fly into Venice and out of Rome, if for no other reason than the plane connections are better. Unless you're flying Delta, who has a direct flight to JFK, flying out of Venice to come back to North America (I'm assuming you live in North America...) will require an early flight out of Venice to a major hub like Rome, Frankfurt, Paris, or London, for a connecting flight across the Atlantic. Leaving from Rome directly avoids that first flight. 2.5 years ago, I flew from Bologna -> Paris -> Atlanta -> Home. After getting up at ~5:00 AM for a 7:30 flight from Bologna to Paris, I was completely out to lunch for my third flgiht of the day from Atlanta to home. And I had flown business class!!

That aside, Rome, Florence, and Venice are the "Big 3" tourist cities of Italy. I strongly recommend not doing one of the three (eliminating Venice would be my suggestion) in lieu of going someplace else a little off the main tourist path. Stay in some small town in rural Umbria or Tuscany and you'll enjoy your Italian trip much more by having some peace and quiet (Florence and Rome are VERY noisy) and some small-town feel.

I've only been to Naples once, and that was only for a few hours. I don't know enough about it, but many posters have said that Naples is not for Italy freshmen. It's crowded. It's chaotic. It's REALLY noisy. But it has some of the best cultural sites (and sights) around. Naples is a senior-level class, if not grad school. If you're up for a challenge, by all means try Naples, but I wouldn't recommend it for a first-timer.

My recommendation is to fly into Bologna, Florence, or Pisa, and spend 5 days in Florence. Spend 4 days in Umbria/southern Tuscany (Perugia, Todi, Montepulciano, Chiusi, Lake Trasimeno area, etc.), and then the rest of the trip in Rome. Fly home from Rome. In each city, plan at least one day where you sit on your butt and do absolutely nothing except thank God for making Italy so beautiful. Have a picnic somewhere and just watch the world go by. Don't go to any museums, don't go for a ride in the countryside, just DO NOTHING. Spend all day in a piazza, nursing some espresso or a glass of wine (don't order cappuccino after about 10:00 AM!), and just enjoy yourself.