GereTime

Okay so, if we wanted to start off in Tuscany but want to visit - Rome, Portofino and the Amalfi Coast. What are some helpful, suggestions for novices? Your replies of knowledge and experience are most encouraged! Thank you.

TDudette

Add 2 more weeks!

Sorry to be flippant but there is simply too much to see in one week. That being said, what do you like to see/do when visiting? Museums? Scenery? Ruins? Hiking/boating?

Maybe there will be some suggestions that would help you more than I.

janisj

Tuscany, Portofino, Rome and the Amalfi Coast can't be done in a week . . .

If you want to dash through all that -- look for a coach tour of Italy that does a series of one night stands and all day on the bus . . .

GereTime

I figured it was lofty.. I don't know where to begin! We're are planning to go in October.

annhig

ok - assuming you've not been before, where do you really, really want to go?

Choose just one place. The place that you can't bear not to see. Then work out how to get there - and how long you want there, and add in one more place. That's it - you don't have long enough for that.

Then flights. you can either do a round trip [into and out of the same airport] or open jaw [into one and out of another; sometimes called "multi-city", they should't cost much more than a round trip flight].

for example, you might long to see Rome - well, just do Rome - with perhaps a day trip or two. or if you are dying to see Florence, do Florence but perhaps add in a day or two in the tuscan countryside. or you might pair Florence and Venice. you get the idea.

Have fun planning. Do you have a guide book?

janisj

How long exactly? 7 days total - including travel days? Or? Where are you flying in and out of? What sorts of things do you want to see/do?

janisj

was posting the same time as annhig -- yes -- if you haven't booked your flights yet you have several options.

massimop

Weather in Italy tends to change rather dramatically from Oct to Oct 30, and the change can particularly affect the Portofino area. Which week would you be traveling?

If I were crazy and rich, the way I would try to see everything on your wish list would be to

fly to Genoa and take a taxi to Portofino.
Next day after lunch, take a taxi to Rapallo, take a train to Pisa, spend the night with a view of the leaning tower,
Next morning, see the cathedral and rent a car in Pisa. Drive to a countryside lunch with a view of San Gimignano, then spend the night in Montalcino.
Next day go to Pienza, have lunch nearby, and drop off the car in Orvieto (see the facade of the cathedral) and take the train to Rome. Have dinner & visit the Trevi fountain
Next day Rome -- see what you want, have lunch, have taxi driver take you to Positano in time for dinner
Positano or whatever else you want to do
crack of dawn car transfer to Naples airport, fly home.

I have no idea why I would ever do that (and couldn't afford it anyway) but if I had to do it -- like somebody asked me to go with them as their dying wish and paid for it -- that's about as much fun as I could have doing it.

suze

Everyone has different ideas, but with only one week, I would pick only one place... and go there.

isabel

I agree with the others who say pick one or two places, you certainly can't do what you suggest in a week. However, last March I went with a friend who had never been to Italy and we did Venice, Florence and Rome in a week and had a great time. My friend said she really enjoyed it and didn't feel rushed. I wrote a trip report on it. You might get some ideas from it. http://andiamo.zenfolio.com/blog.

And as much as I love both the Amalfi coast and the area around Portofino, by October the weather is getting iffy and you might be better off with cities where there is lots to do if you get a rainy week.

suze

<we did Venice, Florence and Rome in a week>

Well that works because they are major cities and easily connected by train.

Completely different logistics than the places this post mentions.

annhig

<we did Venice, Florence and Rome in a week>

>>Well that works because they are major cities and easily connected by train.<<

Still too busy for me. i know that it depends how much you want to see but all three are major destinations where you can easily spend multiple weeks. Also they tend to be very popular so if you are only there for a couple of days looking at th major sights, you can get the idea that they are wall-to-wall tourists, whereas with a bit more time, you can get away from the crowds and have a more relaxed time.

Loacker

It's rushed but here's a suggestion based on your list of must-sees:

3 days Rome
Train to Portofino
2 days Portofino
Train to Florence
2 days Florence
Back to Rome


I think is easier to do Portofino than the Amalfi Coast in such a short time. Positano and Amalfi requires many changes to get to.

suze

annhig, Too busy for me as well, but it can be done. Even I *could* do it.

As opposed to the itinerary we're talking about here trying to cover Rome, Portofino, Amalfi Coast in the same short time frame.

GereTime

WOW!! Thank you all so much for the feedback. We don't want to be "chewing up" monuments and rush around. I so wish that we had more time. I am getting the feeling that staying put in one place might be the best laid plan.

suze

IF you find yourself "bored" in that one place, for whatever reason, you can always add a day trip to somewhere nearby.