Noah_Ward

I am arriving in Rome on Dec 17th with my wife and leaving on Dec 29th. We have no kids and are both in our late twenties and love history and cultural experiences. Our budget is around low to medium range.

We are curious what is the best way to see Rome, Tuscany, Florence and other places over a 11 day period. We would love any help in regards to tours, car rentals, an example itinerary, or other helpful tips.

I am very knowledgeable on travel around Asia, but Italy scares me a bit.

We love getting off the beaten path as well and experiencing the real culture and outdoors. Are there any recommendations in this area?

Thanks.

daveesl

First, remember that while all paid entry sites will be closed on Christmas, there is still a ton of stuff to do in Rome that is free. The churches in Rome hold it's artistic treasures. Just wandering around is a great way to spend the day. I usually advise people to do the Christmas Eve midnight mass at the Pantheon, it is pretty amazing, but so is the one at Santa Maria in Aracoeli.

As to doing things in Rome, go to my website and pick the GoogleMaps menu. This provides you with 5 half-day tours of the city that incorporate about 60 locations. Each location has an associated MP3 file. You can also download the free guidebook and complete MP3 guide in the Library area.

www.passagetoroma.com

On the other areas. Taking the train out to Ostia Antica is an easy and inexpensive half-day trip (bring a picnic lunch). If you are interested in doing a day trip, with perhaps an overnight stay, you can train up to Florence. However, you will need to get on the stick if you want to get a decent priced hotel room, should you decide to stay overnight.

If you want to do a car rental and 2 or 3 day drive, a really great drive is to go south. You can see Ercolano and Pompeii, then drive down to Paestum, the site of some of the most pristine Greek doric temples in the world. There is a great B&B in Paestum called Casale Giancesare, but once again you need to get booked fairly quickly.

Lots of people like Orvieto. I also enjoy going to Tivoli, where you can see Hadrian's villa and Villa del Este. You can take a bus/train to either of these locations.

Hope that helps, but remember, you are getting close and things will fill up over the holiday.

dave

mamcalice

davees has lots of good ideas. In December, I would plan to spend a week in Rome and 4 days in Florence. The countryside won't be that lovely, the days are short and there is so much to see and do in the cities. Florence is a treasure trove of art and architecture.

Either follow favees' plan to go south or my suggestion to go to Florence. You will have a full 11 days whatever you decide. If you go to Florence, be sure to visit Fiesole, a small town overlooking Florence, for a taste of the countryside. It is reached by a bus from San Marco square and makes a great half day trip.

zeppole

You really have no need to scared about anything, but you also need to take a look at a standard guidebook, which has all the up-to-date information you are seeking about a sample itinerary, car rental guidelines, tours, etc. Browsing a bookstore or library should be your first stop, since your trip is not far away.

Because you are traveling in the Christmas season, if you want to take trains, you will need to buy your tickets as soon as you hit the ground.

If you want to see the wine country and small towns of Tuscany (Florence is the capital of the region of Tuscany) you need to keep your plans very flexible because the genuine possibility of snow or ice on the roads. There are some areas of Tuscany where driving without snow tires is not allowed at certain points of winter.

Give some consideration to visiting Umbria instead of Tuscany, simply because public transportation options for seeing fascinating hilltowns are much better than in Tuscany. When you look at a comprehensive guidebook for Italy, read up on Perugia, Spoleto, Orvieto and Assisi. All of these places are reachable by train, and all offer sights of fascinating history and world-class art.

It is possible that you will get lovely December weather, with sunshine and temps in the 50s or low 60s. But bear in mind that daylight hours will be short. Sunsets will come around 4pm or 4:30pm.

But do look a comprehensive guidebook for Italy like Michelin, Fodor's, Frommer's, or Lonely Planet, or Let's Go.




It is possib

anothertravelinsong

I would spend 5 days in Rome, 3 days in Florence, and 3 days driving around Tuscany. You could visit Siena, Chianti, and a couple of small towns (Montepulciano, Montalcino, San Gimignano), etc. Don't rent the car until you are ready to leave Florence.

zeppole

Sorry for my last typo glitch.

Mamalice and I were posting at the same time. I live in Italy and the Italian countryside in Tuscany and Umbria is lovely in December if the weather is sunny. It is both green and colorful. Don't park yourself in a city if you don't want to be there, especially not one as expensive as Florence.

kybourbon

Are you flying in and out of Rome?

It's easy to take the train from Rome to Florence to Venice. Each leg is about 45€. You could also bus from Rome to Siena (abut 15€), spend a couple of days and onto Florence (again bus is better 7€).

For Rome, you might want to get a Roma Pass for 25€. Three days of transport, two free entrances and discounts for others. It's lets you bypass lines.
http://www.romapass.it/p.aspx?l=en&tid=2

There's also a new Omnia Vatican and Rome pass for 85€ that includes the Vatican (Roma Pass doesn't).
http://www.omniavaticanrome.org/en/index.html

charnees

Because of the short time you have, and the possible bad weather, I think you should plan to stay in Florence, Rome, and maybe around Naples (to see Pompeii and Paestum) or Venice at the other end of the country. Fly into one end of your trajectory and out of the other. three places shouod be maximum, IMO.

If you do get some nice weather while in Florence, for example, rent a car for a day and visit the countryside, but don't count on being able to.