Italy: Critique my Trip & Florence thoughts
 

Headed to Italy September 19, 2012. This will be our third trip but we are bringing 3 couples: 1 is a veteran and 2 are newbies. Please critque trip.

Fly to Naples from US (2 veteran couples):
3 nights in Sorrento;
3 nights Rome; (the 2 newbies start their trip in Rome and stay 4 nights in Rome)
2 nights Florence;
4 nights Sienna (jumping off spot for Tuscan day trips);
2 nights Cinque Terra (yes we hav heard of flood damage);
2 nights Lake Orta
1 night Milan and fly out next morning

1) Comments?
2) Thoughts about where to stay in C.T. with this itinerary (we will have 2 cars & 3 couples at this point) and recent floods?
3) Thoughts about staying 6 nights in Sienna and just driving or taking bus to Florence? This was a comment on Trip Advisor.
4) Other recommendations?
5) Suggestions for hotel near Malpensa airport for early flights back to US?

Grazie

You have 7 locales packed into what looks like a 17-day trip. That's a lot of travel time in between locales. I assume you realize that, but I'm just mentioning it.

Bus or drive to Florence? This is the alternative to staying 2 nights in Florence, right? So would you do that twice? Bus service between the two is good and inexpensive, but that's a long day, figuring in the back-and-forth. I wouldn't drive, then try to figure out what to do with the two cars.

CT: Can't comment on flood conditions. We stayed in the new section of Monterosso a couple of years ago, at the 5Terre Hotel. Nice, clean, good breakfast, nice staff. Nothing spectacular about; just a pretty good place to stay. You'll get some debate about which town is the best to stay in. A lot of people like Vernazza, but I heard flood damage was the worst there. Also, I believe there is a parking area in Monterosso, if you have cars. (Not sure, since I didn't drive.)

Thanks. Yes, the bus to Florence as an alternative to staying 2 nights in Florence. No plan to drive ourselves to Florence. If we stay in Florence we will drive out and down to Sienna. If we stay solely in Sienna then eithe bus or a shared expense of a van/driver/guide. But have not researched that yet. Yes we'd do that twice. Just thought we'd make up the bus/travel time by not having to deal with checking in and out extra times. The whole question arose by looking at some posts elsewhere.

I am looking at Milan as just a place to crash before the flight so not even going to go in to town. So I don't really count that as a locale. I am thinking of Orta as final stop so to speak. So that means 5 locales in 14 nights for newbies and 6 locales in 16 nights for veterans.

CT, post flood is a mystery. MOst people seem to recommend Monterosso if you have cars.

I would definitely stay IN Florence. Makes it much easier to se the major sights and exploring in the evening is one of the major charms of the city. You can pick up your car when yuo leave Florence for Siena.

I can recommend a van/guide: Luca at hillsandroads.com. Lots of people on this forum have used him, including me. He has a van, but I'm not sure if it seats 8.

niente
Apparenting I get a discount if I use your real name a as referral.

One other question re Luca. Is he a guide as well as driver or mostly just a driver?

I assume you know how rushed this is all going to be. Bad enough with just two of you, but with 8, it'll seem all the more pressured. i don't know why this is, but somehow the logistics of moving larger numbers around make it feel worse.

the obvious part to lose so as to give you more time is the CT - you have already got the coast, and as you say, you don't know what the flood situation will be. you are also going backwards from florence to siena - i assume you know that.

i think that i might do this:

4 nights in Sorrento;
3 nights Rome; (the 2 newbies start their trip in Rome and stay 4 nights in Rome)
4 nights Siena (jumping off spot for Tuscan day trips);
3 nights Florence;
2 nights Lake Orta
1 night Milan and fly out next morning

this gives you a better balanced trip, with a longer stay in Sorrento to recover from jetlag, longer in Siena to see something of tuscany, and a bit longer in Florence.