oneoftwo

Early planning stage - is it reallistic to go from Rome to Florence to Venice to Amalfi back up to Rome in 9 days & have a worthwhile trip?

nytraveler

No - you would spend at least 1/3 of your time actually in transit and would have no time in any city to really see more than 1 or 2 sights. In 9 days I would do 2 stops - no more - and possibly just one with a couple of day trips.

And, by the way, neither Rome nor Florence is one the coast - and everything you want to see is mid to north Italy - nothing south at all.

cathies

Well oneoftwo, I see that you've been a Fodor's member for almost 12 months now. You must have read enough to know that very few, if any, Fodor's contributors are going to tell you that this is a good idea.

Firstly get out a map and have a proper look at the map of Italy, what you are referring to as 'travel up one cost & down the other' isn't even correct.

StCirq

No, of course not.

Zeus45

oneoftwo keep in mind that different people have different ideas of what to see in Italy. I have been over the entire country and have always found interesting things to see and do. The people are wonderful to visit with. It helps if you can speak some Italian. Set your own pace and enjoy the country. Ciao.

oneoftwo

Gee thanks for the very negative replies - maybe your map is different from mine but Italy is surrounded by water and thus it does have three coast lines - it is surrounded by 4 seas. And my cousin's husband would argue that there are things to see in the south of Italy - but maybe not for snobs. I am surprised at your replies. Sure I knew someone would not like an agressive trip like this - but all said and done (I've done this before in many countries) Italy is not the largest country in the world and it only takes 4 hours to drive from the west coast to the east - yes I've done it - so there and I wasn't speeding. I know Roma is not right on the coast but from my point of view it's close enough. I was speaking in "general terms" - maybe somebody out there needs to be more open minded. So thanks but no thanks for the totally negative feedback.

jetsetj

I have come to the conclusion that as I age I prefer longer stays in one place.

Here is my table.. I am 55 now.

20 years old- 2 nights
30 years old- 3 nights
40 years old- 4 nights
50 years old- 5 nights

we only had 4 each nights in Amsterdam and Paris this past fall and it made me very tired.
everytime you change locations, you lose a day.

Zerlina

oneoftwo, If you only wanted to have positive feedback, perhaps you should not have asked the question...

ellenem

I think we were unclear abut your question. Your title implied you wanted to travel the full length of Italy along the coast and then around the "foot" and back up the other coast. However Florence is not on the coast, and the most direct route between Rome, Florence, and Venice would not be a coastal route, nor would it include the "foot" of Italy, so people found it confusing.

It is also difficult to know what would be "worthwhile" to you, since we don't know your interests.

I assume you are not seeking a direct route, but rather one that would follow the coasts as much as possible, I also assume you plan to travel by car. If you are not including the foot of Italy, you would have to cross the country at some point. Whether making this crossing in the north or south, you would experience some mountains, which could make for a scenic drive. I've ridden the Adriatic Coast by train from Ravenna to Bari. This coast is a series sandy beach resort towns that vary in size.

bardo1

No - I think 9 days in Rome is more worthwhile.

or...

5 nights in Rome and 4 in Venice (open-jaw flight to from USA) if you want to see more than one place.

or...

5 nights in Rome and 4 in Amalfi Coast/Naples (open-jaw flight to from USA) if you prefer going south instead of Venice.

Again, EVERYTHING with only 9 overnights??? (you ARE talking 9 nights, not 8, correct?)

No. Not realistic.

janisj

You asked "<i><u>is it reallistic</u> to go from Rome to Florence to Venice to Amalfi back up to Rome in 9 days & have a worthwhile trip?</i>"

You specifically ASKED if it is realistic.. The answers were "No, it isn't realistic."

And you get angry w/ the responses???

My goodness! If you wanted only positive feedback, you really shouldn't have asked for opinions -- right?

And what w/ the "snobs" bit? No one said there is nothing to see in the south. Of course there is -- but your short time frame simply doesn't allow you time to get there.

You are the one who said up one coast and down the other. If one were to take you literally, it sounds like you are talking about a coastal trip. If so -- Rome and Florence ain't it. But now it looks like you didn't mean that at all. So to re-word your question: >>Italy south to north and back again in 9 days?<<

Still not realistic -

franco

Just amazing. If you already know so much better than anyone here does, so why do you steal our time and bother us with your question? I mean: it's obvious that YOU are the only one who already knows it's realistic...