Honeymoon/Anniversary help - 2 weeks in Italy in September
 

Hey all - this is my first forum but we're trying to plan a perfect FIRST anniversary/honeymoon trip.
We are late 20s/early 30s-ish who currently live in Albuquerque, NM and my hubby works for the Military and has been gone about 4-5 already of our first year of marriage. We are very active and adventurous - love to hike, play sports, camp, drink beer and eat a lot! ha! Overall - we're pretty laid back but appreciate the finer things when we can get them.
We're hoping to head to Italy for 12-14 days in early September. The top three locations we want to see are: Cinque Terre, Rome, Venice. We're thinking 3 days in each with some room for extra days at either of these - or stop in Florence, Tuscany, etc for a couple days. As of now, we plan to backpack it and possibly stay at some military establishments, maybe a hostel or two but hotels would be nice as Italy is supposed to be so romantic. We aren't HUGE on museums but we can appreciate them so definitely want to see some of it; but we also want to step outside the typical tourist things. For example, a bike ride throughout wineries, kayaking to caves/islands, fishing, hiking, definitely a gondola ride, and we can't wait to see Vatican, etc.
We're looking to book our trip within the next month. We're thinking we want to end in Cinque Terre so we can relax by the beach and hike.
We're looking for any tips anyone has - where to fly into Rome or Venice - how are the sleeper trains - good winery stop-offs along the trains btw these areas - has anyone stayed at the military bases, if so which ones and how were they? are there places to rent bikes and ride around? fishing areas? etc.
Thank you so much!! We are so excited!!!

Fly into Venice and home from Rome--enter in Kayak.com " multi-city" itinerary for best flights.
Keep it simple:

Arrive VCE---3 nites
Train to Florence--2
Train to CT---3
Train to Rome--5

Good luck !

No need for sleeper trains for your destinations since they are all just a few hours apart.

We are actually planning our first anniversary triup to Italy this September. Here is our plan:
Fly into Venice (3 nights)
Train to Cinque Terre (3 nights)
Train to Florence (3 nights)
Train to Rome (5 nights).

We have a ton of things planned already, including a Tuscan cooking class, a Tuscany bike Tour, a Venice bar hopping tour, a boat tour in Cinque Terre, a day trip to Pompeii, and a few tours in Rome.

Feel free to message me, since it seems like we have a lot of the same interests :)

Wow - sounds like we are wanting a similar trip :) Where are you guys from - and congrats on the almost first anniversary!! The bike tour, bar hopping tour and boat tour sound amazing. I'd love your info on it!! Have you already booked all of your trip? Where did you learn about those?

Based on some of the other forums and above mentioned comments, maybe we'll do Venice(3), Florence(2), CT(3-4) then Rome(3-4). We just need to get the dates confirmed at work before we book anything (and figure out to do w our pups for that time). Hopefully we can use the Labor Day wknd towards it!!

We are from Atlantic Canada :)

I have booked our flights (into Venice on August 29- out of Rome on September 12).

I've got our accomodations and flights booked- I am planning on booking our train tickets 60 days out to take advantage of the mini fares. As for the tours, I have been stalking forums, and reading tour guides to get an idea of what we can budget, and what we can splurge on.

We are staying in B&Bs the entire time- an average of 125 euro a night, with breakfast included.

The bar hopping tour is with Alessandro in Venice- its 30 euro each and includes wine and chichetti (sp?)

The boat tour is out of Cinque Terre (there are a few options), with Angelo's boat tours.

The bike tour is in Florence with a company called Tuscany Bike Tours (you can see reviews on Trip Advisor), and the cooking class is out of a company called the Spice Lab, also in Florence.

And I'm still researching our possibilities in Rome, lol. We have booked the Scavi Tour at the Vatican, and I think we are going to go with a semi private guided tour there. I'm still researching options for tours for the Colliseum and Pompeii... undecided :)

We are just startiang to plan a trip to Italy for next May- two to three ouples in late 40s to ealy 50s. Someone is leaning towards a bus tour that has several free afternoons and you can choose to do all dinners on your own. I prefer to do more on my own but am a little concerned about getting around and the language. I love your ideas and will look into the tours. Thanks. Keep us posted after your trip. Happy Anniversary.

Hi all, we just returned from a trip in Italy

Venice 4 nights, Chainti 4 nights, Florence 4 nights.
How would I change it? Carefully plan what city you're in on a weekend. Some attractions may be closed.

Venice: Fantasy Gelato (Steeve's isn't right on this)Meringue flavor. Worth the boat to Burano for Trattoria Da Ramano for Risotto. Murano, don't go on a factory tour if you're jet lagged. You'll buy too much. We had a lot of fun in the Gheto. The original Jewish section of Venice, where the word Gheto comes from. Anywhere in Venice: Keep your pursed closed and your hand on it at all times.

Chianti: Wish we had added more nights. Explore, sculpture garden tour, Ceramics? Hurry turn!, Castellini in Chianti and visit Mario for some art. Splurge? Dine at Hotel Le Fontenelle for dinner. No Michelin star yet, on it's way. Siena? Wish we'd skipped it, not for us. More fun was had below and just driving around rural Chianti. aaahh, should I call a realtor? Gelateria Artingianale L' Antica Delizia Some of the best Gelato we had. (We ate Gelato everyday, some days twice.) They will help you mix flavors.

Florence: Cooking classes? The Spice Lab, The Spice Lab, The Spice Lab. Chef Melanie prepares amazing and delectable food. Has a great personality, an olive grove to cook in, and so much knowledge to share. Her Uncle Piero is delightful. The Palace for art, well rounded. The Oltrano to shopping. Glateria Antica Fiorentina. Best for yogurt flavored gelato. Very good. La Bussola, Via Porta Rossa. Pizza with Tuscan ingredients? Amazing food, lovely service.