Italy
 

My husband and I are attempting to plan a romantic 10 year anniversary trip to Italy at the end of May. We will be staying for only 6 days after travel and would like yo see as much as possible. However, we want to try not to overdue it so we can enjoy ourselves. That being said, we arrive in Rome Thursday morning and would like to head over to Florence for a day or two and then explore the Italian Riviera before returning to Rome for our flight the following Wednesday morning. We are in our late thirties/early fourties and both really enjoy exploring different areas, great food and wine. We have just started traveling. Our first trip was to Paris last year and we LOVED it! Our budget is moderate...but we would like to splurge here and there on both restaurants and hotels if we find a places that are really special (exceptional food/great views).

I have two questions: 1) For those of you that know the area, how would you break down time between those 3 places and how would you travel(train?)? We are interested in Rome but only want to stay a day or two because we are also very interested in the northern area. Do you feel that we are being too ambitious? Should we eliminate either Florence or the Italian Riviera? 2) Can anyone recommend favorite hotels and restaurants in these 3 areas? OK...that was more than 2 questions:)

Thank you so much for your help. Any feedback would be very helpful!

With 6 days (does this include travel days?) you really only have time to see 1-2 places. Rome and Florence, or Florence and the Riviera. If you want to do the north then fly into /out of Pisa - not Rome. If you want to do Rome and Florence fly into Pisa and out of Rome or vice versa so you dont waste precious time travelling back.

If that includes your travel days you really only have time for 1 place...

I personally would pick one location anyways - there is more than enough to see.

Thank you so much. We have 8 days total..6 after traveling. We already booked our flights to Rome....next time we will do it differently:) Would you recommend Rome and the Italian Riviera? If so, do you have any thoughts regarding hotels or restaurants?

Thanks!

If I had only six days in Italy, I'd probably go to Tuscany. You can easily reach Pisa from Florence (or vice versa) in a day with car or train, and can drive up the Italian Riviera and back down. I'd explore places in Tuscany like Siena, Lucca, etc. Every one different from the others and every one packed with stuff to see.

DS, though, would tell you to spend the entire time in Rome with perhaps a day trip to Pompeii.

Re hotels: Use Tripadvisor as you can get an idea of where the hotels are, how much they cost, amenities, and (most important) traveler feedback. Last time in Rome, we stayed at Hotel Locarno, just off the Piazza del Popolo (in the annex, not the main building), and really liked it. Although we always try to stay in a different area each time, we'd stay there again if we could not find something else in that comparable price range (around $300)

As to restaurants, you can use Tripadvisor or Fodor's Guide to Italy (you do have one, right?) or you can just walk into one that looks good (after looking at the menu outside to make sure it's in your price class). It's difficult to get a bad meal in Italy, although it's easy to get an overpriced one in Rome.

As I said above, I would not recommend Rome and the Italian Riviera as you would lose too much time traveling between them. Rome and Florence are better because there are frequent trains between them. Split the time in half.

Hi sae,

> we want to try not to overdue it so we can enjoy ourselves.... we arrive in Rome Thursday morning and would like to head over to Florence for a day or two and then explore the Italian Riviera before returning to Rome ...<

Do you want a pleasant anniversary visit or a trek?

Some people would say you have barely enough time to visit Rome.

Slow down, smell the roses, drop the Riviera.

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

I agree Rome and Florence would be a lovely trip. The Riveria will eat up too much time getting from point A to point B. it might save you travel time to head directly to Florence on landing, then come back to Rome for the last part of your trip and the flight home. Buon viaggio!

Thank you so much for your responses. It sounds like Rome and Florence are the way to go. That is VERY helpful!

Train to Florence upon arrival and stay a few days. End in Rome so you can catch your flight. Two hotel nights somewhere only gives you one full sightseeing day.

"We are interested in Rome but only want to stay a day or two"
That's a pure contradiction. Either you are interested in Rome and plan enough time for a decent visit (3-4 days for Rome and 1 day for the Vatican) or you are not interested in Rome and skip it. It's so easy!
BTW: You could also use a full week for a few small towns between Rome and Florence; there is really enough to see!
Florence can be visited in 2 to 3 days, if you plan everything meticulously in advance (and do the necessary bookings in odrder to avoid queues at museum entries).

You can only scratch the surface of Rome in 1 or 2 days - 3 full days is really the minimum to see even the most basic sights.

I agree to head straight to Florence when you arrive - spending 2 nights there and returning to Rome in the evening of the 3rd day - so that you have 3 full days there.