Rthomson

Just wanting some ideas/suggestions for my first trip to Italy. My husband and I are in our late 20's and are pretty active. We are interested in pretty much most things one would think of when going to Italy. We have 3 weeks in May 2010 to plan. Here's what we were thinking:
Leave Canada and fly into Milan go to Lake Como for 2 nights, then on to Venice for 2-4 nights, not 100% sure, then head to the Cinque Terre for 2 nights, then on to Tuscany (not sure if we'd stay in Florence for a night or just do a day trip), were thinking of staying in Volterra, and do day trips to Siena, Pisa, Chianti, SG, then head south to Rome. We originally were wanting to head to the Amalfi Coast but have been told that would be a very busy trip with little relaxation in between travel time. We were also wondering if anyone has suggestions as to modes of travel. We were told by some people that it would be easiest and fastest to train pretty much everywhere, but we'd definitely want to rent a car for the Tuscany portion (not if we stay in Florence). Does this sound good? Also, upon leaving Venice by train, would a stop in Verona or Padua be a good plan? Just for a few hours?
Thanks to anyone who has a chance to reply. Oh, and also wondering if anyone knows if KLM or NorthWest Airlines are roomy and have good service? We flew to Portugal earlier this year with Lufthansa and they were amazing but the other airlines will save us some money.
Thanks again.

Peter_S_Aus

I think that an overnight stop in Verona is worth making - it's a lovely town. And I'd suggest four nights in Venice. Travelling by train is quick, easy and cheap.

zeppole

People I know who have flown KLM/Northwest have enjoyed their flights.

I think you might do well to pick up a car in Pisa as you leave le Cinque Terre, use it to see your basically northern Tuscan tour, drop it off in Firenze (florence) and tour the town, then use the train to go to Rome (90 minutes).

But I don't think Volterra is a good base for day tripping. If though it involves a bit of extra driving, I would go from le Cinque Terre to Pisa Centrale station, leave the luggage at the station and see what you want in Pisa, return to the station where the car rental office is, and then head to San Gimignano to spend the night. See the town the next morning, head to Volterra to see it, then drive to a somewhat rural location near Siena for a base. Use that as a base for Chianti and Siena sightseeing, then return the car to Firenze, spend at least one night there or more if you are keen on art, and train to Roma.

I am more fond of Verona than I am of Venezia, but if you find yourself in Venezia have a great time, I wouldn't leave it for Verona or Padova. But either is an easy spontaneous day trip if you're in the mood, or as a stop on the way to le Cinque Terre (check to make sure both stations have left luggage depots). Padova is the more compact town and more easily done as a fast lookaround. Verona is more doable if you skip the inauthentic tourist trap site of "Juliet's balcony" and instead focus on the Roman arena and the castle, and enjoying some strolling around. Both towns have excellent food.

capxxx

I think Zeppole is right about Volterra -- it isn't very central or convenient to the other towns you want to visit.

I personally don't think Verona has anything to make me want to leave Venice -- I found it too noisy and dirty after La Serinissima. The train station is a long walk from the older interesting sites. Haven't been to Padova.

Your idea of taking the train everywhere but Tuscany seems a good one.

bardo1

R,

Assuming 3 weeks means 21 nights; is this the trip?:

Fly into Milan.
Lake Como for 2 nights, Verona for 1 night?, Venice for 4 nights, Cinque Terre for 2 nights, Tuscany 5 nights, Florence 2 nights (1 if overnighting in Verona), Rome 6 nights.
Fly out of Rome.

You CAN take the trains everywhere (and, yes, they are simple, fast, and cheap) but there is no reason you HAVE to. Having a car for Tuscany saves time and allows infinate flexibility.

You can/should wait until you've left Cinque Terre to rent a car and drop it off in (or just outside) Florence.

Your trip seems very well thought out - good work!

Rthomson

Thanks to everyone who's sent me reply's, very helpful. I will definitely re-think staying in Volterra. I like the idea of stopping in Verona or Padua for a quick site-see and then later head to the CT. Does anyone have some suggestions of places to stay that are somewhat on the cheaper end? We have had a few suggestions from people with bigger budgets but need to find more options roughly under 100 euros. Where in the CT would be the best town to spend our 2 nights: Monterosso, Manarola or Vernazza? Is Bellagio a good place to stay on Lake Como? Also, would a day trip from Rome to Ostia Antica be worth it? Thanks again for your help. Oh, do we need to get an international driver's license?

zeppole

You need an international driver's permit for Italy, available at Triple A in America for a small fee.

Ostia Antica is definitely worth it.

Rthomson

Thank you zeppole for your reply.

Also, I'm having a hard time finding a place to stay in Venice and Rome, which areas would be best for the sites in Rome?

kybourbon

What is your budget? What amenities to do you need?

As for stopping in Verona/Padua on your way to CT you have to problem of storing your luggage while you sightsee. Some train stations have luggage storage and others don't.

Le Torri might be ok for the sites you want to see, but normally rent for 7 nights. Their rates are cheap enough you might be willing to pay 7 and only stay 5.
http://www.letorri.com/index.php?dis...hianti-tuscany

It's more north than the area of Tuscany I prefer, but so is your list.

Jean

kybourbon, I think their lodging budget is about 100 euros. Rthomson, that budget is going to be a challenge in many of the places you're contemplating.

Although I avoid one-night hotel stays, I agree more or less with the suggestions so far. My primary recommendation would be to reverse the itinerary, start south (Rome) and work your way north (Milan or Venice). The early days of May can be fairly chilly on Lake Como and along the Cinque Terre.

annhig

hi rthomson,

ref accommodation, you could save money by staying in apartments where you have stays of 3 or more nights, which happen to be Venice, Tuscany and Rome. the tuscany bit might be a bit difficult to do cheaply, [though you could look at a villa type property], but you will certainly have loads of choice in Rome and Venice. not only do you get more space of the same or less money, but you can save on food by eating breakfast at home, making your own sandwiches, having a few meals in, etc.

regards, ann

kybourbon

jean - Le Torri is 610€ for a week so within budget. My apartment in Pienza last Sept. was only 45€ per night, but I don't think they want to stay that far south.

jessicadog

Hey rthomson

When in Rome we always stay at the Hotel Navona (http://www.hotelnavona.com/). They are reasonable and within easy walking distance of Piazza Navona, the Coliseum, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Campo dei Fiori (which is a must see in the morning).

Happy travels

tejana

Because you will likely be able to save money on hotels in Tuscany (and really ANY area other than Venice or Rome), you should be prepared to spend more in Rome and Venice knowing that it will all average out (but I agree that 100E might be a challenge, even on average). That said, Venice is going to cost you more than even Rome, but don't be lulled into saving money by staying outside of the city. The best part of Venice is wandering the streets in the evening, getting lost and getting lost again. Whatever you do, stay in the city! In Rome, I really like the area around the Piazza Navona, as well, or the area around the Spanish Steps. Again, make sure that you stay in a really central location so that you can wander around in the evening and really get the feel of the city. I have always had good luck with the Venere.com website for finding pretty good deals, and you can see the locations of all of the hotels in relation to each other and to the central areas. For Tuscany, on our first trip to the area hubby and I rented a car in Florence and just day tripped for a week all over Tuscany and Umbria, not making plans for where we were going until the day before. We were there in March, so never had any trouble finding a room. (We spent the first week by train between Rome, Venice and Florence, and had those reservations in advance.) The exploring "open road" part of the trip was definitely the best!

annabelle2

I had good luck finding a place in Venice through:
www.veniceby.com (also has sites for other cities, but my only experience w/this site was for Venice).

Friends and I found a reasonably priced B&B(in the 110-120 euro range for a triple); keep in mind this was a few years ago. The place we stayed - Ca' Turelli - was in a great Dorsoduro location. Look for it on the veniceby.com site under B&Bs (there're a lot of other options).

I agree that saving the Amalfi coast for another trip is a good idea; with three weeks you can enjoy the CT, Venice, Florence and a bit of Tuscany, and Rome, but any more sounds too rushed to me.

Another place I stayed in Venice that I loved was Casa Martini:
www.casamartini.it
Totally charming, but a little higher price.

I would not take days away from Venice, but I am a big fan of Verona, too; stayed there a few nights on one trip, using it as a stopover/rental car drop off between our days in the Dolomites and Venice. The historic center, with its great ampitheater, interesting piazza and chic shopping area, was nice and easy to walk around. Lots of good wine bars in Verona, too.

bardo1

Agree that you can't expect prices to be consistent throughout this trip. Figure Rome and Venice hotel prices to be 1.5X that of all your other locations.

Look here for cheap, vetted, and well located hotels in Rome and Venice:
http://www.eurocheapo.com/rome/ Neighborhoods 1, 4 & 7 are best.

http://www.eurocheapo.com/venice/ Neighborhoods 2, 3, 4 & 5 are best.

Rthomson

Thank you everyone for your responses so far. My husband and I and my sister have done a bunch of checking over the last couple days and found a really nice looking (and over our budget, but that's now expected) hotel in Rome and B&B in Venice.
Has anyone stayed in the Hotel Cipressi on Lake Como? Any comments?
Thanks again.

Jean

I haven't stayed at the Cipressi in Varenna, but it's a very attractive property with beautiful views and lovely lakeside gardens.

If you want to stay within your original budget, consider Residence La Limonera in Bellagio. You'll sacrifice the views from your rooms and hotel-type amenities, but save some money to spend elsewhere.

http://www.residencelalimonera.com/