Italy for the first time.
 

I am traveling to Italy for the first time and want to visit Sicily because of my heritage. I am flying in to Rome. Is it too much traveling to also go to Florence also?. Can I fly from Florence to Sicily? I will be there for about 17 days

So in 17 days you wish to visit Rome, Florence and Sicily? Are you staying in Rome or basing most of your days out of Sicily? It's not too much travel to do in 17 days but you need to decide how many days you wish to spend to ensure that the travel between the cities is worth your time and expense. Are you flying in and out of Rome?

You can do that in 17 Days but I would start in Sicily and end in Rome. There are connections via Rome to Catania and Palermo. I would alloacte time something like 7-4-5 allowing for a day trip to Siena from Florence.

We are flying in and out of Rome. Starting in Rome and ending in Sicily. We will fly from Sicily to Rome on the last day.

Can't speak for Sicily, but prepare yourself for a marvelous experience in Rome/Florence.

Rome is nonstop, go, go, go. Fabulous sights, history, religion.

Florence is atmosphere, great food, friendly people.

You can't lose.

Florence is about an hour and 40 mins. from Rome Termini by ES train, so you can easily go for a few days. You can fly to Sicily from there on Meridiana Airlines, or go back to Rome for more flight options. Sicily is without a doubt my favorite part of Italy. There is something there for most everyone. Mountains, beaches, volcanoes, islands, history, art, busy cities, ghost towns, canyons, FOOD !!! You name it. Spending a week there is just about enough time to find out exactly how much there is to see and do. The Aeolian Island need 5 days just to get to know them. Enjoy your trip to Italy.

OK--you must know your connections. I would have done it differently.

I basically agree with Bobthenavigator on your itinerary but I would make one change...

7 days in Sicily
5 days in Florence and Tuscan towns
4 days in Rome

I would use the last day I allocated to Florence to travel to Assisi.

Mylesaway

I advice you to travel with Ryanair from Pisa to Palermo or Trapani. They have a shuttle bus from Florence to Pisa and their prices are very convenient.

Hi Jo,

I'm going to disagree with the others - I'd concentrate on Rome and sicily this trip, and leave Florence and Tuscany to another time.

in 17 days [which is only 16 nights] you have time for about 10 days in sicily [and it's a big place with a lot to see] and a week in Rome. which of those do you want to give up?

there are side trips that you can take from Rome if you get bored!!!

regards, ann

PS - if you really want to split the trip up 3 ways, why not the amalfi coast - it's a complete contrast to sicily and Rome and is conveniently placed between the two. Florence and Tuscany would amke a much better trip by themselves or twinned with Venice/the lakes.

I agree with Ann that it would be better to save Florence/Tuscany for another trip. I would split the time between Sicily and Rome 9 to 10 days Sicily and 7 to 8 days in Rome.

on http://www.sicily4u.co.uk you can find many apartments in sicily. i wish you a nice trip

With 17 days, I would definitely add Florence to Rome and Sicily.

Assuming 16 nights, I'd do 6 in Rome, 5 in Sicily, and 5 in Florence/Tuscany/Cinque Terre/Bologna/etc.

Have fun!

Hi

There are lots of things to see and do in Rome and Florence :-) I went to Florence last year and it was great...here is my trip report with pictures and links: http://gardkarlsen.com/florence_italy_travelogue.htm

I also went to Rome a couple of years back and here is the trip report http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy.htm

Have a great trip. Get in touch if you have any questions.

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

If you have the possibility to return to Italy next year, I'd also wouldn't go for a "Japanese" holiday and try to visit all this places in one holiday.

Rome is a great city and can be visited in 4-5 days. We've been there 7 times already and we still love it!

We are big Sicily fans though, and there's so much to see, that we would only visit Rome and Sicily. We visited the island a couple of times and love the Western part because it's not so crowded like in Taormina, Giardini Naxos etc.

Places of interest in the west are: Erice, Trapani, Marsala and the salt pans, Selinunte, Segesta, Scopello and nature reserve the Zingaro, Castellammare del Golfo, Palermo, Monreale, Cefalù and much more. Visiting this part also means that you can fly to both Palermo and Trapani.

In 2006 we traveled a lot and chose to stay in several B&B's. We really liked the Giucalem in Piazza Armerina. Last year we decided to rent one accomodation and make day trips from there, which to us was a big success. We stayed in an old baglio (typical Sicilian home) called casa nell'antico baglio and got to know many local and regional dishes thanks to couple from whom we rented the holiday home.

We haven't visited the central part of Sicily, but maybe that's for a next trip.

By the way, we did love Florence, but maybe it's better to visit that city another time in combination with Pisa (one day here is enough), Lucca, San Gimignano, Siena, Arezzo etc. You will need a rental car for visiting most places though.

Enjoy your holiday!

Sicily is probably going to be the highlight of your trip, with such a different mentality from mainland Italy and amazing food. Sicily is truly unique to Italy. I can't wait to go back.

Maybe go Rome-Sicily-Florence-then train back to Rome.
Try easyjet for flights rome-palermo and probably ryanair for palermo-florence.

For airport transfer info in Florence as well as apartments in the city centre:

http://www.waytostay.com/transport-Florence-en-229.htm

Here are some pics to prove it !
http://www.zenfolio.com/bobthenav/p759435425/home.aspx

Another option is the overnight ferry from either Rome's port (Civitavecchia daily departures) or Livorno (about 1 1/2 hours from Florence - M,W,F departures) to Palermo.