Help with trip to Italy
 

Planning a mother/daughter trip to Italy and need help. We arrive on a Tues to Rome and will be there until Thursday. We want to go to a lake or a beach for Thursday night and Friday and then to Florence for Friday night through Sunday. We then are going to a cooking school in a small town in tuscany.
Can you suggest: a lake or a beach resort, not too far from Rome or Italy, including name of hotel?
Can you suggest best way to travel for this part of our trip?
Any suggestions also for what do in Rome and Florence: shopping, restaurants and sightseeing with such a tight schedule.

hi, vmads

IMO you're trying to do too much.

assuming you're flying in from the US, you need to allow for jet-lag, and that fact that once you are there, you won't want to leave!

personally, I'd stay in rome til sunday, then make for the tuscan cookery school.

OTOH, you could spend a night or two at viareggio on the tuscan coast - train from Rome. or do Rome followed by florence, if you must. [again, by train]

but please don't try to do all three.

regards, ann

You might check out Fregene, about 1 hour from Rome by bus. Or likewise, Lake Bracciano.

Sorry I can't help you with hotel names, though. Try some Google searches.

However, annhig is right that you're probably not allowing enough time in your head for traveling distances. Have you been to Italy before? Rome has not got a great transportation system and Italian trains are notoriously unreliable.

Thanks for the responses Annhig and fallo6. I always like to squeeze alot in - - I travel quite a bit, but have never been to Italy (thus the fundamental questions about what to do in Rome and Florence). I will look at the places you have suggested and also consider slowing it down a bit. Thanks - also still interested in other opinions/suggestions.

I gotta vote with the too-ambitious comments. Tues-Fri is hardly too much time to allow for all of Rome!! Then go on to Florence.

ditto.
visited Viareggio some years ago, Rome is much better place to be,