Honeymoon in Italy
 

We are planning our honeymoon to Italy and neither of us have ever been there. We are planning to visit Venice, Rome, Florence and the Amalfi coast. I wondered if we should try to see Lake Como as well. I like to be very efficient in planning and would like to know how many days are necessary in each of these cities to see the "Hot Spots". I don't want to spend 4 days in a city when I only needed 2. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Also, I am thinking it would be nice to end the trip in the Amalfi coast area to wind down. Would Sorrento or Positano be a better city for that? Can anyone suggest the best itenerary for our trip? We will be there for probably 11 days.
Thanks!

Hi d,

You are planning on V, F, R and the AC in 9-10 nights, and you are wondering if you should add Lake Como?

Is this a honeymoon or a marathon? :)

((I))

Danacherie, That is way too much in one trip, especially a honeymoon and I'm speaking from the vantage point of having visited 4 European cities in 2 weeks on my honeymoon. EAch of these places needs at least 4 nights if not longer. I would suggest cutting it down to 3 if not 2 stops.

That being said, I'd pick Positano over Sorrento for a relaxed area. When are you planning to go?

If you want to ADD anything, it should be another week athome to rest up...I am with Ira.

You may want to consider dropping EITHER Florence or Venice and you will find some fascinating threads judging the pros and cons of each on this site: do a search.

Then, you should truly consdier whether you want to "do" either the Amalfi Coast OR Lake Como.

In other words, you will have not time to enjoy eachother's company with your proposed schedule. Its not a matter of what you NEED to see as what is pleasant, charming and an enhancement to this special trip.

BTW< many congratulations on your forthcoming marriage!

Oh gosh, how awful! Imagine spending four days in Rome when you can actually see the "Hot Spots" in two! Or even one: Forum, Colosseum, St. Peter's Basilica with *lots* of time left over!

I do tend to be a marathon vacationer! I love to see everything! If choosing between Lake Como and Amalfi coast I definately choose the coast. This trip is our belated honeymoon so as long as we get to relax in one of the areas it will be fine.

Zerlina,
Do you mean that 1 or 2 days in Rome would be fine?

swalter,
We are planning to go early to mid October. I was thinking Positano as well, but Sorrento just looked more convenient between Capri and Pompeii area. Is it difficult to get to these places from Positano? Where should I try to get a flight home from if we end in the Amalfi area?

I would recommend at least 3 nights in each of Rome, Florence, Venice, or the Coast. That's the bare minimum, IMHO. Trim your plan or add more nights, if possible. If you ask posters which cities to drop, you will get a variety of responses. The truth is, it depends on your interests, and also the time of year. Give it some thought, and decide which areas appeal most to you. I'd visit three in 10 days.
:)>-

>...as long as we get to relax in one of the areas it will be fine. <

Dear Dana,

I think that that is just our point - you won't get to relax.

Each time you switch venues, you lose about 1/2 day.

V to F to R to Positano will cost you about 1 1/2 days to travel time. Your first day is jet lagged. Your last day, you fly home.

Thus, you have lost about 2 1/2 days (over 25% of your trip) to travel.

Not to mention the packing and unpacking and the schleping of luggage.

If you want relaxation, I suggest,

A. Rome and the AC.
B. Venice and Florence
C. Venice and Lake Como
D. Venice and Rome

Happy honeymoon.

((I))

Danacherie,
We visited the AC in early October a few years ago and you may want to watch the weather at that time. It POURED 2 out of 3 days. Not so much to do there in the rain. Given your itinerary (and has someone who used to pack as much into a vacation as possible but has now been converted to a slower pace) I would stick to V, F and Rome and spend more time in each place. We spent 9 days in Venice and loved it (with only 2 day trips.) Ira is right, the first day is shot as is the last. You'll "see" more with less destinations. While both the AC and Lake Como are beautiful, for your first time, I'd stick to the main cities you mentioned and save the others for your next trip.

Oops...mid-October on the Amalfi...not a good idea, neither is Lake Como-I think you are into city season now, unless you get very lucky with weather. Have you considered simply being flexible once you get there? By mid-October you can take a chance on hotels and add a day or two in R/V/F if it is miserable on the coast...

Thank you all for you inputs, it is all very helpful. I would appreciate any other advice you can add as well.

Danacherie - I do believe that Zerlina was being sarcastic.

I agree with all of the advice about giving each destination more time, and not trying to get to so many locations.

But really, it depends on what you want to see and do. What is your idea of the "Hot Spots?" Why do you want to see them? Do you like art, or history, or "just" people-watching? Are you interested in Renaissance history, art or architecture (Florence), or ancient periods (Rome)? All of that effects how much time you spend in a given place.

Check out Fodors (or Frommers) or the Eyewitness guides from the library; they are good sources for overviews, and will also include sample itineraries.

We've been in Italy in October on two separate trips, and the weather was fabulous. But you can't count on that, and if you're in a city there's more to do if it's raining. We visited Lake Como in late September/early October one year, and felt like things were rather "dead."