L_Garabito

hello- planning a group trip to Italy for 6 people in May/June. My group has developed a tentative itinerary and would love thoughts/feedback/suggestions from fellow fodorites.

May 27- Fly from MIA to FCO (layover in Madrid)
May 28- Arrive at FCO in AM and pick-up rental for 3hr drive to hotel in San Giustino Valdarno/check-in
May 29- rest day/ spend day at hotel
May 30- spend day at hotel (wine tour/spa day/ etc)
May 31- Take train to Florence/Day trip
June 1- Explore Tuscany by car- visit near-by towns (suggestions?)
June 2- Train to Venice/Day Trip
June 3- Explore Tuscany by car- visit near-by towns (suggestions?)
June 4- Check out of hotel- Drive to Sorrento and check-in hotel
June 5- Day trip to Capri
June 6- Day trip on Amalfi Coast (suggestions?)
June 7- Check out of Sorrento hotel/ Visit Pompeii on way to Rome
June 8- Rome (suggestions?)
June 9- Rome (suggestions?)
June 10- Fly FCO to MIA

Few side notes: Hotel in Tuscany is already booked/paid for (got an excellent deal for a 3 bedroom villa) so im not flexible with moving my dates around. Driving to Sorrento versus taking train as one of my group members experience train to Sorrento and had such a bad experience she preferred we drive there. Also- some of you may shun the fact that we are driving around- but honestly, we are coming from Miami where our work commute is no less than 2 hours a day so we are used to driving- plus we are Disney Passholders and literally drive there almost every weekend (8 hours roundtrip) plus having done multiple road trips throughout the US- we honeslty enjoy car rides as its a form of sightseeing for us.

Anyway- please let me know your thoughts/suggestions/ideas...we are still working on finalizing the itinerary and are super excited for Italy! Thanks

Viajero2

This trip planning is a little baffling to me. Usually you picked lodging so that it fits an itinerary. In your case, you planned an itinerary that fits the lodging. It is no wonder you got a great deal on a 3-bedroom villa in San Giustino Valdarno. It is so out of the way (and logic!)! All I can say is that if I only had 15 days in Italy I would fly into Rome AND STAY IN ROME. WHY are you leaving immediately to go sleep for three days in the middle of nowhere....???? :-?

bobthenavigator

I would start from scratch and change your sequence:

Arrive FCO---to Sorrento--4 nites
Get car---to Tuscany---5 [ forget venice]
Drop car---to Rome---last 4 nites

Why are you asking now---may be too late?

Golfergal

That's a lot of traveling for a 15 day trip and it isn't about the driving (I've done the Miami commute as well) so much as not having enough time to really see anything. You won't experience what we all love so much about Italy seeing it from a car. It is wandering around the little streets, stopping for a gelato or wine or nice long meal. I don't know where your villa is, but a day trip to Venice seems too much. I love Capri and Sorrento, but unless you have all spent a lot of time in Rome already, you are not doing it a service at all with 2 days. If you have then, just spend the last night there before you flight and put your time into Sorrento or add time to Tuscany.

We ourselves have insisted on similar trips where we hit the places we wanted and jumped around and honestly they were far from our favorites. We saw the places, but didn't get to really enjoy the experience of being in Italy (or wherever we were as we just made that mistake again in Greece).

I'll stop lecturing now. Positano is my favorite town, so I recommend visiting it. We didn't love Amalfi, but many do. Instead of driving the Amalfi coast, how about ferries or even the bus. We did the bus from Positano to Sorrento one day it was a hoot, slow, but a day we still laugh about. Or maybe you can hire a driver for the day and tour the coast. The drive is as crazy as people say and not as enjoyable slow with a bus and long line of cars honking right behind you. Rome has so many great sites, so pick a couple that everyone must see and start there and stop often for gelato and to just take it all in. Vatican is my favorite major site, but Forum is DH's. My last suggestion is to plan a couple nice stops on your arrival day as a 3 hour drive can seem like a 10 after a TA with a layover. Good luck!

charnees

Not everyone is interested in spending 15 days in Rome. DH and I are two who are not. Having been to Italy a number of times, we stayed in a villa for 8 in the middle of nowhere, namely Torre Alfina, a half-hour drive from Orvieto. We loved it: the little village was friendly and quiet, we were not surrounded by tourists all day, and we could tour nearby places of great interest. So I can understand your location. In our case, we loved the place so much that on our last full day, no one wanted to go anywhere! DH and I canceled our apt in Rome and stayed in the town for 4 more days before heading home.

However, you may find getting to places takes longer than you expect, so you may have to adjust your itinerary. Even though you are used to driving, you will find that the roads (except for the autostrade) are slower than at home.

I do think your day trip to Venice will be a very long day, even by train.

You will not be able to see much of Rome in two days, but you can go back another time. Do NOT drive into Rome. Leave your car somewhere outside the city -- either at the airport or in Naples.

Jean

Six people with luggage in one car? I hope you're all packing very light.

Six people driving around in one car? I hope you're all amenable to "group think" and completely agree on each day's plan. From my own experience, groups are difficult to assemble and move, even on an agreed-upon schedule. Distractions and detours are inevitable. IMO, your experience driving long distances in the U.S. doesn't compare to driving in Italy. I agree with charnees' comments that journeys take longer, and it's "foreign."

I also would drop Venice. You're too far from a station where you could catch a train, and it's a 3.5 hour drive each way if you take the car.

The day trip to Florence would be easier by car, but you'll want to identify the best approach to the city in light of the no-traffic zones and know where you're going to park.

Would you consider swapping the Cinque Terre for the Amalfi Coast/Capri, especially as one of your group has already been to the A.C.? You'd lose less time moving around. It's at least a 5-hour drive from San Giustino Valdarno to Sorrento not counting lunch and rest stops.

L_Garabito

Thanks for your replies.

Viajero- our trip started with visiting the villa in Tuscany for 7 days and then return home as the villa is highly recommended and our initial reason to visiting Italy. As time progressed we decided to add another week to our trip and therefore added Rome/Sorrento to it. And honestly- as much as im sure Rome is amazing- im a city girl (born and raised) and wanted to experience the more tranquil side of Italy- where barely anyone speaks english (and put my italian skills to some good use). So we opted to stay longer in the villa and just hit major sites in Rome.

bob- thanks for your itinerary suggestion. im going to look into it to see if i can change my arrival date with the villa in tuscany. I'll hope they'll be flexible.

golfergal- thanks for the advice on hiring a driver in the Amalfi coast- we're thinking of just spending a day in Positano as its not too far from Sorrento and hiring a driver seems like a great idea.

Jean- not sure where you got the idea that i was having everyone in my group cram into one car...

Jean

Sorry, but you didn't say you were renting multiple cars. Your OP sounded like you were all moving around together.

lindy27

I would stay in the villa however long you want to and then drop the car off in Florence and see Florence for a few days (2 days minimum for me) and then end in Rome (at least 3 days).

Going to Sorrento is a bit out of the way and you are not spending enough time in Florence, Venice, Rome, or the Sorrento area the way you have it now.

LoveItaly

I too thought you meant six people in one car as you typed car rather than cars, L_Garabito.

Anyway, your itinerary would not be my choice but we all have different styles of traveling. I would be inclined to follow bobthenavigators suggestion.

In any case, good wishes to all of you for a lovely time in Italy.

tuscanlifeedit

I'll suggest Arezzo as you will be close. Arezzo is a favorite of mine. It seems you will be leaving the area on Saturday the 4th; the 4th and 5th will the days of one of Italy's best antique fairs. Nevertheless, the town is worth a visit.

I can suggest an itinerary for art in this area, if you are interested.

Not really great sightseeing from the car getting in or out of Arezzo; lots of semi industrial sprawl.