Italy, help with itinerary please!
 

To all those Fodorites out there who have been to Italy and know alot about the country, please give me some help.

We would like to go to Italy this fall. My husband just retired, so we might be able to go for up to 3 weeks. We've never been there and I'm getting confused with all the choices. My thoughts were:

1. Fly into Venice, spend about 3 nights there

2. Take the train to the Cinque Terre, and stay for 2 nights

3. Take the train to Tuscany and stay for 4 nights, preferably in Siena

4. Train south to near Naples and the Amalfi Coast, 3 nights

5. Take the train back to Rome and spend 3-4 nights there, then fly home from Rome

Is this a "manageable" trip? If we stay in these towns/cities, are the number of days correct? My husband doesn't want to rent a car and it seems as though the train network is quite extensive. But..... will we be able to get around without a car, particularly in Tuscany?

I suppose the real question is, is this a good itinerary? Are there cities and towns that are "must sees?" I don't think we'll ever get back to Italy, so we'd like this to be wonderful. Also, are there any hints for hotels?

Thank you in advance for any help you are able to give me.

It is a good itinerary. I would stay in Florence rather than Siena for two reasons. Without a car, options for touring in the Tuscan countryside are somewhat more managable from Florence. Second, there is so much to see and do in Florence. You can probably do without a car although you might want to rent one for the Tuscany portion of your trip depending on where you decide to go.
You don't indicate what kind of hotels you prefer. You can find a lot of good information on this board by using the search function and entering, as an example, "Venice hotels". We are going to Italy this fall - make reservations soon as we're finding some of our favorite hotel choices already booked.

Hi Unn,

I would stretch it out to 3 weeks, if I could.

3 nights in Venice is fine - 4 is better.

Are you sure that you want to do the Cinque Terre AND the Amalfi Coast? I would add the 2 nights in the CT to the AC.

Add a couple of nights to Tuscany, stay in an agritourismo, rent a car.

Drive to Sorrento. Leave car there.

If you can't extend the visit, drop Rome. It needs a week. You can fly home from Naples.

Or you can fly into Naples and out of Venice.

Some helpful links:

Helpful Information: Italy 2
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34568596

Ira’s Trip Report
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

I infer from your posting that you might consider this trip your one and only visit to Italy. I ask because your answer could influence what we suggest.

Good itinerary. I pretty much agree with what others have said - especially about renting a car once you get to Tuscany. That's an area that really needs to be explored on the small back roads (dirt roads often). There are dozens of very small hilltop villages that you really can't get to by another means of transportation. The rolling hills of southern Tuscany that are dotted with umbrella pines and cypress trees "dancing" up the hills, have filled about 5 picture albums of photographs.

Why dosn't your husband want to drive? If you could state some of the reasons, perhaps some "first timers" that have rented cars, could address some of his concerns.

IMHO, the Tuscany countryside is the best part Italy - it would be a shame to not explore it.

Stu Dudley

I strongly disagree with the suggestion to drop Rome because it "needs a week." That's nonsense, especially coming from someone who has spent no real time in Rome. You can get a good taste of Rome in three or four nights, seeing all the important sights. I've been to Rome a few dozen times, sometimes for several weeks, sometimes for a day. Whatever length of time I'm there, it's wonderful.

I believe that there is good reason that Rome, Florence and Venice are the main draws in Italy. I've visited all parts of Italy and, if I wasn't going back any more, I'd do those three.

Rome, IMO, is Italy. Florence has so much in such a small city. And there's nowhere else remotely like Venice.

I'd spend a half dozen nights in each place and maybe do daytrips to Orvieto from Rome, Siena from Florence and a Brenta Canal cruise from Venice.

>I strongly disagree with the suggestion to drop Rome because it "needs a week." That's nonsense, especially coming from someone who has spent no real time in Rome.<

I was just being polite.

I can see no reason to go to Rome at all, if you can see the AC, Florence, Tuscany and Venice.

However, "chacun a son gout", as the Italians say.

((I))

I agree with the other posters who suggest skipping Cinque Terre. I just don't think it's worth the time and travel for two nights.

I'd add one night each to Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast. In Tuscany, you either need to rent a car or hire a private driver for day trips so that you can get around and see the gorgeous countryside. The driver we hired last summer ran about 25E/hour for day trips.

If you find that you have an extra day or two, I'd highly recommend spending at least an overnight in Capri. It is really magical at night after the day trippers have left the island.

Finally, I do think 3-4 days in Rome is good enough. I'd suggest staying in a central location, like around the Pantheon or Piazza Navona area, in order to maximize your sightseeing time. Many of the major sights of Rome are within a 30 minute walk of the Pantheon area.

Unn, have a wonderful first trip to Italy! We had an amazing trip to Italy last June with the whole family.

Rome received our unanimous vote as the #1 best place in Italy! Wow! The whole family, even teens, just stood gazing up, with our mouths hanging open, at the immense grandeur of St. Peter's. There's nothing like it we've ever seen.

We also loved staying at the Hotel Nazionale a Montecitorio on Piazza Montecitorio in rome, a classy hotel in a perfect location, walking distance to the Pantheon, Trevi fountain, Piazza navonna, and near lots of atmospheric ristorantes, Giolitti's gelato shop, a wonderful walking neighborhood. Near public bus transportation to the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's. You can either take a nice long walk to the Colosseum or take the bus. We chose to walk to the Colosseum and took the bus back to hotel.

Unn, you will love Italy. Your itinerary is okay but I agree with Ira in that your itinerary would be even better if you skipped either Cinque Terre or the Amalfi Coast. They are both coastal so you really only need one. And Italy is so rich with treasures that the more time you spend in one place, the more you see and experience.

We saw Rome, Amalfi coast (including Sorrento, Praiano, Ravello, Positano), Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius, Florence, Venice, and Siena.

We plan to return someday to bella Italia. But if I thought that was my one and only trip, here is what I would have changed:

- I would have skipped the Amalfi coast (yes, it's beautiful, but we live near the ocean.) Also, it's a little more inconvenient to get to the Amalfi coast.
-I would have added more time in Tuscany (we had 3 nights in Florence and 1 night in Siena. They are VERY VERY different, even though they are only about 1 1/2 hours apart. We didn't enjoy the city of florence at all, too crowded and smoggy in June, but florence does have amazing art and churches, a lot of renaissance history here. So if I thought I was never returning to Italy, I would have kept the 3 nights in Florence, but also spent 3 nights in Siena, instead of only 1 night. I would have taken a longer day-tour of the Chianti or Tuscan countryside with Roberto Bechi, who we loved. www.toursbyroberto.com

- Pompeii: I would have tried to keep this in because my teens loved it. But I would have hired a private licensed tour guide. Easy to get lost and confused in Pompeii and you don't really know what you are looking at!

- Venice: I would have kept our 3 nights or maybe added 1 more; 4 nights would have been better. We didn't have time to see the little islands of murano and burano.

Buon viaggio! I can promise you, you won't "miss" anything by taking out one of your destinations, and adding more nights to the others. Because each of your destinations is rich with history, beauty, culture, good food, limoncello, wine, art, the ancient and the modern intertwined...You can hardly go wrong in Italy! However, if you plan too few days in a destination in Italy, you will feel like you have watched the previews, but skipped the movie!

I think you're spreading yourselves too thin.

I don;t know exactly how you're figuring these nights - but if your 3 nights in Venice include the day you land - you really only have 2 days to see things.

Then - your 2 nights in cinque terre is really only one day - since you will lose most of the day traveling there from Venice.

I would definitely not drop Rome - IMHO the best thing there is in Italy - but would pick either the CT or the Amalfi coast - not both.

However, that's given my preferences. I don;t know if yours are for museums, history, art, ruins, counryside, hiking or ??? - which would obviously affect your choices.

But my overall message: simplify - spend more time doing good stuff and less sitting on trains.

It's fascinating to see what others suggest. I would drop many places, including Tuscany, before giving up the Amalfi Coast. For me, the people, food, and scenery of the Amalfi Coast is some of the best that Italy has to offer. But I think nytraveler makes a good point. You need to figure out where YOUR interests lie, then base your itinerary on that. Good luck!

Sounds fabulous, but if I can make one huge recommendation:

Don't leave Rome for last...do it first & then move on to the other sights.

My husband and I just returned from our honeymoon & we did the following:

-Paris (4 nights)
-Flew from Paris to Venice
-Venice (4 nights)
-Drove through hillside to Florence (all day)
-Florence (4 nights)
-Drove through San Gimingano & Banfi to Rome (all day & evening)
-Rome (4 nights)

We found Rome to be full of so many historical sights that were amazing, but the city was filthy and dirty and smelly. If we could do it all over, we would start in Rome & end it with Venice or Paris. Venice was lovely and romantic and so scenic (as was Paris). Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed Rome (great historical significance), but we would have preferred to have our last city as one that is clean and leaves a better impression on you.

By the way, we drove around Siena & Orvieto but didn't have time to go through them...we swore to return some day & see them, because they were so beautiful from a distance. Also, San Gimingano (although very touristy) was phenomenal...gorgeous small town & good food.

Depends on what you like. My husband and I, both mid 50s, visited Italy in September 2003. Your itinerary was essentially ours. However, we found that we didn't enjoy large cities, didn't enjoy museums and the large crowds. We did enjoy quiet walks in smaller towns and in the countryside, sitting in piazzas sipping wine, the abundant art outside museums, and the variety of histories. So here are our recommendations:
VENICE!! We surprised ourselves by loving it. We spent one day in San Marco; the rest of the time we wandered the tiny back streets, visiting churches as we came across them, stopping in cafes when we tired, listening to Vivaldi and Armstrong, people watching. FOOD WAS GREAT. We loved the multi-colored houses of Burano, and Torcello island.
VERONA - lots of art and history (Roman, Renaissance) in a tiny walkable city built along the banks of a river with promenade. FOOD WAS GREAT.
SIENA - If you go in September, see the Duomo floor. It was the highlight of my trip. Again, a walkable town, rich in history. But...do hire a private guide if you can afford it to get out into the countryside, or get a car and just wander around Tuscany and Umbria (Don't be afraid - you can communicate) The views are magnificent. WINE IS GREAT, FOOD IS GREAT. FOOD IS GREAT IN LITTLE HOLE-IN-THE-WALLS. Take the train to Florence for a day. The Baptistry was very beautiful. If you need to see all the museums, you'll need another day. Read Brunelleschi's Dome before you go.
ROME - Very busy, very touristy. Interesting, I suppose, but I could have missed it for more days in the north.
AMALFI COAST (SORRENTO)- My husband liked the balcony hanging over the sea. Again, pretty enough, but next time I would stay north. Pay extra to take the Eurostar, it's worth it. Warning: pickpockets in south. Travel from Naples to Sorrento by hydrofoil, train trip is horrible along this route.
Enjoy!