Italy in 14 nights
 

I am planning a trip to Italy for myself and my boyfriend. I have been to Italy once before and received excellent advice from this forum. The trip is 14 nights in length landing day one in Venice and Departing 15 days later from Naples. The itinerary I am considering is this (Keep in mind I have been to Venice and Florence before so I can get around and to sights there with some ease). Is this too aggressive, just right have I gone completely awry at any point.

3 nights Venice (train to Florence)
4 nights Florence (train to Rome)
2 nights Rome (not sure if we should take the train or drive to Amalfi Coast??)
4 nights Amalfi (any recommendations on where to set-up camp would be welcome)
1 nights Naples (flight is at 6:45 am so we figured we best stay)

Thank you in advance!

Two thoughts! First, give Rome more time than Florence--reverse the 4and 2. And, decide what you mean by the AC. There is a big difference between staying in Sorrento[ not really the AC] and Positano[the best of the AC]. That decision will dictate your logistics. Read about both--Sorrento is more convenient but Positano is more spectacular.

Rome is one of the great cities of the world and it gets short shrift. It shouldn't. You need more than two nights there if you want to see anything more than the Colosseum and the Vatican, and considering what's there, you should want to see more than just the Colosseum and the Vatican.

I like Sorrento, it's nice, small and quiet and great if you're going to Capri, Herculaneum, Pompeii, but if you're going to the AC for a beach stop and for X days sitting on your duff, then Positano is a better bet.

Thanks for the suggestions going to the AC for Beach but not duff sitting actually SCUBA diving which we would do from Praino (putting us in Positano as a hub??). Maybe do 3 and 3 with Florence and Rome. I do not want to give Rome a Short shift however my regular travel companions (long term friends) have given me disapointing reviews of their time in the city hence the 2 days (if it helps timing wise not really considering going to the Vatican).

Sorrento wasn't quiet when we where there--it seemed to be tour group and partying singles central for the area south of Naples. But maybe it's changed in the last 2 years.

Hi; You could consider skipping Naples and use that night for Rome. On the Amalfi Coast, we stayed in Ravello. Easy getting around by bus and for us , fun. Especially is you like wall to wall people on the bus. Our flight the next day was at 7am and we left the hotel at 4am for an easy ride to the airport. A bit under an hour. We were concerned about the 4am pick up, but the taxi was right on time. About 130euros, plus tip. Richard www.ravellotaxi.com/home.asp

P.S. Read the trip report by Leslie_S of four days in Rome. Todays date.

iris1745, read the trip report, I guess we need to lengthen the trip 2 more days and give Rome its due! Thanks to you all!

" I do not want to give Rome a Short shift however my regular travel companions (long term friends) have given me disapointing reviews of their time in the city hence the 2 days (if it helps timing wise not really considering going to the Vatican)."

Give yourself a treat and have a private guide for the Vatican.

Amalfi coast is beautiful, but 4 days is too much. Be prepared to pay....a lot.

In my opinion, Rome requires a week in order to feel like you are taking a holiday. Everyone seems to be so rushed.

Yep. Rome is the best. I always stay there at least 3 days on my return, while visiting friends near Assisi(also a good overnight). You can never see it all! I always visit the Vatican also. Try to make reservations for the Scavi. It is the ancient burial hill where St. Peter along with many others rest under the Vatican. E-mail: [email protected] There is much to do in Rome, especially if you like history and the arts. People are usually very friendly there(with the exception of taxi drivers, although every once in awhile, you get a good one.)

I went to Scavi tour today. It is best to visit the St. Peters first and note especially the Baldacchino by Bernini and the vent holes in the floor around the Baldacchino. The last half of the tour involves spending time looking at what is underneath the Baldacchino. At one point, from the Clementine Chapel, you can see the Baldacchino from the below through the vent holes. I went into the St. Peters at 9am and walked right to the bag check machine and walked into the Basilica. By 10am, there was an enormous queue for the bag check stretching to the other end of the piazza. Interestingly, the queue at noon was much shorter than at 10am. The exit from the St. Peters is to the left of the Basilica, and that is also where the entrance to the Scavi is located. So sequencing the Scavi right after St. Peters reduces having to walk across the Piazza.

If you visit St. Peter's after the Scavi tour, you don't have to go through security. My Scavi tour exited in the grotto and then to outside (the grotto was roped off so you could only go one direction unlike on my previous visits). As you got outside, you could just go up the steps into the Basilica.

Working within your current plan, you can take a day off each Florence and Amalfi and add to Rome. If you haven't already purchased your air, you can go from Florence to Amalfi, and then spend the last 5 nights in Rome and depart from there (skipping a night in Naples).

Hi,

I'd spend 3 nights in Florence and 4 nights in Rome. If you're staying in Naples just because of logistics, you might as well skip it, spend that extra time in Rome and depart from there home. I'd even spend 2 nights in Florence instead of 3 considering you could get there early if you take an early train from Venice.

If you're traveling in the Summer, there are plenty of boats departing from Naples to the Amalfi coast, so you could do Florence-Naples by train and then boat to the Amalfi Coast and, at the end of your stay, Amalfi Coast-Naples by boat and then train to Rome for 4 or 5 nights (depending on your stay in Florence).

Castellanese.

We are not traveling in the summer (Late September early October). We are however going to leave from Rome. We have also lengthend our trip. We will land in Venice (spend 3 nights I could do less but this is the boyfriends first trip) then it is off to Florence for 4 nights (I know this is not recommended but I plan to do another wine tour because the one I did 4 years ago was one of the BEST days of my life) and I did not get to the Uffizi (wiil get advanced tickets this time). From Florence take the train to the coast (it is Fall so a ferry I beleive is out we will have to change to another train or bus in Naples)I plan at this point to rent a place in Praiano for 4 nights(unless I get advice to rent elswhere we plan to SCUBA dive in Praiano). Then will backtrack slightly to Rome for the last 4 nights and plan to stay in the Trastevere area.

Rent an apartment in Praiano from summerinitaly.com .
We will be there in May for a week. You may get good prices that late in the season.