bendigo

Oh - I also now subscribe to this facebook feed for my daily reminder!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

pctraveler

We have dome 8 trips to Italy over the years, and the Venice-Florence-Rome itinerary is doable. The number of folks in your party might create a slight problem, but we took our adult children and their spouses (6 adults in all) and rented an apartment in Florence (for 10 nights). We spent most of our time in Florence, and took one day trip to Rome, and the kids took another day trip to Venice. We also hired a driver one day for a trip to the country side. That worked well for us.

We also did a two week Venice-Bologna-Florence-Rome trip (just my wife and I) last year and stayed in hotels in Venice and Bologna and in apartments in Florence and Rome. That worked well, and we took trains between the cities.

rlc456

excellent .what sites did you visit for apt rental and sites for the driver to the country side?

bendigo

We used Rental in Rome for our stay -they were terrific - good to deal with and apartment was terrific.
They also have a Florence division - plenty of pics of available apartments:

http://www.rentalinflorence.com/

travelmamana

Sounds wonderful Bendigo!

Mimar

If your trip is this September, start looking for apartments immediately. Apartments big enough for 6 people are rare and are often booked as much as a year ahead of time.

Florence makes a good base for daytrips, but, in itself, I think it has the least interest for the average tourist. Unless you're all great fans of Renaissance art and architecture. Most people are interested to see Venice, if only for its uniqueness. Personally, I think it's magically, fantastically beautiful.

I assume you don't already have your plane tickets. If not, look into bendigo's suggestion of open-jaws tickets. That is, into one city, out of another, like into Venice out of Rome. These are found under multi-city on airline websites and should cost about the same as a round-trip. You don't have many days to see a lot. With open-jaws tickets, you save the time needed to backtrack.

charnees

I consider a day-trip from Florence to Rome to be a mistake. There is too much to see in Rome! Part of a day (after taking the train from Florence) gives you virtually no time to see anything, and is a waste of time. And Rome is quite overwhelming, so you really need to give yourself time to cope with it. Give yourself three full days. You will still only see a fraction of what you want to see.

Venice - Florence - Rome makes more sense. Florence is better understood if you read some history. I would recommend Brunelleschi's Dome because it not only describes the building of the huge dome on The Duomo, but also the atmosphere of Florence and its art during the Renaissance. (P.S. Duomo is best translated as Cathedral, and does not mean a dome).

And just be aware that everything takes longer than you think it will. Lots of excursions on top of seeing the cities is not too practical. As much as you will want to see everything everywhere, you cannot.

rlc456

thank you . i have decided to base us in Florence any suggestion son rental agencies ? homeaway?Arbico? Arvo?
ideas on side trips not to be missed ? is the local ocean beach real touristy with cruise ships?
any local countryside fishing spots?
winery tours recommended?
soccer and opera tickets?
thank you

Improviser

VRBO is a good site for rentals.
http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals...vince/florence

rlc456

thank you everyone for so many great suggestions and knowledge . we are getting closer and closer to our departure and i couldn't be more excited.We have an apartment on Via Vigna Nuova , our tickets to Uffizi and David. any suggestions about which beach for a day trip? We are thinking about renting a car service for a day in the countryside and wine too. There are some wonderful wine tours but can't decide which is more economical with 6 of us,tour or driver ?Is Viareggio beach the closest? so many wonderful adventures just staying in Florence but the temptation of the countryside and ocean also beckons . thanks

drchris

Judt my personal opinion having been to beaches all over the US, Caribean, and Europe, but unless there is a special reason for wanting to go to a beach (perhaps to satisfy the young travelers in the group) while some are more beautiful than others, pretty much a beach is a beach is a beach. I would suggest using the time to see something more uniquely Italian. I know that others will disagree, but it's just a thought for your consideration.

raincitygirl

We had a lovely day at the beach in Forte dei Marmi a few years ago. Our son was 14 at the time and requested a beach day.
It is a nice upmarket beach town and we chose a beach club and spent the day there. At first it seemed strange to pay to go to the beach but it wasn't very expensive, you could stay all day and into the evening, plus it was great having the facilities: restrooms, showers/change rooms, a little restaurant, waiter service on the beach, plus you are given a beach umbrella, sun loungers etc which they set up for you. What was not to like?

I'm sorry I don't remember the name of the club but you can Google beach clubs in Forte dei Marmi and a bunch will come up.