I have been reading this forum for the past few weeks in preparation for our honeymoon in Sept.'03. Tickets are purchased and below is my first pass at an itinerary. Comments appreciated!<BR><BR>Hana

We are in our early 30's, active, we enjoy good food, wine, hiking, art, and history. This is my second trip to Italy (spent a month over 5 years ago after uni) - my husband's first trip. Flights are not negotiable.<BR>Sept.03 - arrive Milan/train or fly to Venice<BR>Sept.04/05 - Venice (possible day trips to Verona/Padua)<BR>Sept.06 - Travel to Florence<BR>Sept.07/08 - Florence<BR>Sept.09 - Pick up car drive to Tuscan countryside (somewhere further south)<BR>Sept.10/11/12 - Day tripping in Tuscany<BR>Sept.13 - Drive to Rome - drop off car<BR>

Sept.14/15/16 - Rome and various sights<BR>Sept.17 - Travel to Amalfi coast<BR>Sept.18/19/20 - Amalfi coast - Pompeii, Paestum, Praiano, Ravello, Positano,etc.<BR>Sept.21 - Return to Rome<BR>Sept.22 - Depart for Canada - 10:00am

Here are my questions:<BR>-Are we trying to do too much? (Although active I love those long lunches and hours spent sitting at a cafe)<BR>-Where should we base ourselves in Tuscany? I am thinking somewhere around Siena, Pienza<BR>-Amalfi Coast - should we be looking at staying a night or two on Capri/Anacapri or Procida?

I have just read my post - it's a little confusing! First time! As for the Amalfi Coast - I thought Positano would be a good base for exploring.

Hi Hana,<BR>Your itinerary looks good. Your stops are very similar to our trip last year.<BR>We stayed in Positano as our base at the Villa Franca. The view was postcard perfect! We stayed at the Villa Vignmaggio in Tuscany. It is located near Greve in the Chianti area.<BR>In Venice, we stayed at the Pensione Accademia. <BR><BR>You're smart to start planning your trip now. We made our reservations 9 months in advance, and I still had to rearrange my internary, to get the Villa Vignmaggio. The main house of the Villa Franco was also full, but we got a room in the annex, which was still very nice.

We returned two weeks ago from a 10-day honeymoon spent entirely on the amalfi coast. I would advise against Capri. We stayed at Capri Palace and were very disappointed with the hotel as well as the island; it is just so touristy and offers none of the experience of the "real Italy." <BR><BR>On the other hand, I highly recommend Ravello. We enjoyed it more than Positano. It has the best views of any place I have ever stayed, and the town feels very quaint, and the food is very good. It is also a convenient place to stay for a day trip to Amalfi.<BR><BR>Don't put too much pressure on yourself to see Paestum. It is farther than you might think. It may well be extraordinary, but we were so tired of the driving that we decided to skip it.<BR><BR>See my trip report for info on restaurants and hotels. Good luck!