travelinfamily

My husband just surprised me by telling me that we are going to Italy for our 10 year anniversary!! I am very excited but sort of confused. I love to travel and enjoy delving into any information to come up with a perfect plan, however, Italy seems to be so huge, I don't know where to start. I know for sure that I would like to go to Venice and Rome but so many other places look too good to miss!! Any suggestions on itinerary? We will be there for 2 weeks. Thanks for any help you can give!!!

kaudrey

Well, the posters on this board, including me, will likely ask you questions to get you started, such as:

1) What time of year are you going?
2) What are your major interests?
3) Do you like to go from place to place or delve into an area for a week?

You could do Venice and Rome for a week each, or do more like I did for 2 weeks: Venice, Florence, Rome, Sorrento, with stops in Naples, Siena, Capri, and Pompei.

Or you could spend time in Cinque Terre, if you like smaller towns.

We need more information about you to give you any good feedback.

BTW - congrats on your anniversary!

Karen

Statia

Another suggestion is to do a search for "Italy Trip Reports" on this board, along with getting a good guidebook or two. After reading and researching, you should have a better idea of what cities will interest you.

Congrats on your anniversary! My husband and I just renewed our vows in Venice for our ten year anniversary this summer. Your trip will be a very special one for this milestone. Italy is a perfect choice.

travelinfamily

We will be going in September. I have no idea what I am interested in to tell you the truth. I want to see the beautiful country, the towns, anything worth seeing. We do enjoy wine, so if there are any wineries that are a worth seeing. I am sorry that I am not more helpful as to what I want to see, thus my delema on where to go!! Thanks!

uhoh_busted

So, go to your local library. Spend an evening or afternoon looking at picture books, travel guides, cook books, take out any that strike your fancy. You should probably consider Tuscany...whether you include Florence or not. It is gorgeous, easy to drive around in, with delightful towns to stay in and wonderful restaurants in which to sample Italian cuisine and those amazing wines. You could do 4 nights in Rome, 3 nights in Venice, and 2 nights in Florence, then pad the rest of the time with the areas in between. You should preferably stay at least 2 nights in each spot. Read Rick Steve's books with suggested tours of Italy, then decide what you want to see and plan your trip on that route. (You can do it a lot less expensively than you would with one of his tours...and you'll find better hotels, too.)

rex

And start with the WHY. WHY do you (and he) THINK you want to go to Italy. The advice to start with books, lots of 'em, the bigger and more picture-filled the better is a good place to start.

And after an hour or two, just close your eyes, and say "I can't wait 'til we get to........" ...and tell "us" that is.

From that, you will get lots of good advice on how to put a trip together.

Best wishes,

Rex

HowardR

You've gotten some good advice. Do some research. All of us lovers of Italy can provide you with great itineraries that WE would plan. But, it's YOUR trip. Research it and then come back with your questions.
You're in for two great experiences:
1. Planning the trip.
2. Taking the trip.

WanderingTexan

If you enjoy wine, you might want to plans some days in Tuscany visiting the wine region.

Basic first trip suggestion to get you started. As others have said, it all depends on what you want to see, if you want to visit villages or cities, etc. If you are leaving from US:

Fly into Venice - 3 nights
Train to Florence - 3 nights
Train or Drive to Tuscany - 3 nights
Train to Rome - 4 nights
fly home from Rome

Don't forget that traveling from one location to another generally ruins the entire day, regardless of how you travel, so you might want to just visit one or two cities and explore more of the countryside around those two cities.

Take care, WT

Steve_James

And if you want to see one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, don't miss the Amalfi Coast!

Steve

mamc

We took a trip much like that described by Wandering Texan two years ago. It was a wonderful trip from start to finish. I don't necessarily agree that days on which you travel from one location to another are generally ruined. The train from Venice to Florence is a little over two hours and leaves a generous half day to enjoy. Same with the train from Florence to Rome. If this is your first trip to Italy, and considering the interests you expressed, I recommend Venice, Florence, Tuscan countryside and Rome.

ira

Hi trav,

Along with all of the other fine advice, I suggest that you start with "fly into Rome or Venice and fly out the other".

You can't see everything in 2 weeks. You will go back again.

Tess_Durberville

>>>
A thread that's chock full of information, especially for an Italy newbie is the >Helpful Information: Italy< post to be found at -
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34443340

e_roz

My advice: don't try to do too much. There is so much to see but you'll ruin it if you cram it all together. We chose N and Central Italy for our first trip (Lake COmo, Venice, Tuscany, Cinque Terre, Milan) and we had 14 days. Saved Rome/Amalfi for another trip, another time. Research books, Rick STeve's book is simple and helpful, as is Frommers. Once you narrow it down (Tuscany was our favorite spot, renting a car and exploring all the lovely, small hill towns) you can use this board to get specific advise and help. Ciao!

enewell

Go to the website slowtrav.com for lots of information on every aspect of travel in Italy.