Now that exams are finished I can seriously buckle down and plan my trip! I'm heading to Italy in July with a friend, and the flights are already booked; so now I am working on where we want to stay. Using previous suggestions, this is the itinerary I have come up with:

Tue. Jul. 15: Vancouver to London Gatwick

Wed. Jul. 16: London to Milan (2 nights)

Fri. Jul. 18: Milan to Levanto (3 nights)

Mon. Jul. 21: Levanto to Riva del Garda (3 nights)

Thu. Jul. 24: Garda to Venice (3 nights)

Sun. Jul. 27: Venice to Bologna (3 nights)

Wed. Jul. 30: Bologna to Florence (4 nights)
- Day trips to Pisa and maybe San Gimignano?

Sun. Aug. 3: Florence to Siena (3 nights)

Wed. Aug. 6: Siena to Assisi (1 night)

Thu. Aug. 7: Assisi to Amalfi (4 nights)

Mon. Aug. 11: Amalfi to Rome (4 nights)
-Day trip to Herculaneum (instead of Pompeii?)

Fri. Aug. 15: Rome to London (6 nights)

Thu. Aug. 21: London to Vancouver

So several questions come to mind.

1) Is it worthwhile seeing Herculaneum instead of Pompeii? My guide book makes it seem that Pompeii is rather empty, whereas Herculaneum has more of its original stuff still intact.

2)Is it reasonable to go from Florence to Siena to Assisi? Or is it more convenient to put Assisi between the two others? Train and bus times all seemed about equal from what I could tell.

3)The other issue I have is train prices. The info from my guidebook (Lets Go Italy '07) seems to conflict a lot with what trenitalia says. For example, the prices on trenitalia are often double or more what my guide suggests. I know my book is a couple years old, but are the prices on the website accurate? Or are there cheaper options that aren't displayed? I'm not looking to book in advance, I just want an accurate idea of what it will cost so I can weigh whether or not a railpass would be benificial.

I'm sure I'll have more questions later, but I think thats a good start. Thanks for all your help!

To see if a rail pass is worth it put your itinerary in here. http://www.railsaver.com/ I have found it to be quite accurate for prices.

We enjoyed both Pompeii and Herculaneum. They are very different experiences. I would not say that Pompeii is empty by any stretch of the imagination. If you can only go to one, I'd go to the one that is most convenient--though we did enjoy Pompeii a bit more than H.

Hi B,

> the prices on trenitalia are often double or more what my guide suggests.... but are the prices on the website accurate?

www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html is the Italian National Railroad.

It is much more accurate than an old guide book, especially if you are thinking in USD.

You want the Amica Fares.

Don't bother with railsaver for this visit. It doesn;t have the discount prices.

Take your daytrip to San G from Siena - it's easier.

Assisi is only 2:30 hr from Florence or Rome. Why bother changing hotels for one night?

For Florence to Amalfi, I suggest taking the train to Salerno and the ferry from there.

For Ferry schedules Positano – Amalfi - Salerno (P.zza della Concordia):
See http://tinyurl.com/3cbhkb

You might want to change hotels for a night from Amalfi to Sorrento and visit Pompeii Scavi from Sorrento.

You take the Circumvesuviana train.

It will be easier than doing this from Rome.

There is ferry and bus service from A to S.

Enjoy your visit.

If you are using a 2007 guide, the info was gathered in 2006.

Were you searching for actual trains in July now? Chances are the full schedule of trains and prices may not be posted yet. If you haven't been doing so, try searching for trains for dates next week, being sure to choose the same day of the week you hope to travel in July.

There are a few different kinds of trains. The faster ones, which make fewer stops, cost more. On all but the slowest trains, you have options for first or second class. Keep in mind that 2nd class on the fastest ES train might cost about the same as 1st class and the next slower train (IC).

You might also get a 20 discount (Amica) fare which are available on a limited basis, like frequent flyer seats.

If you do the pass computation at Railsaver, be sure to check 'only if it saves me money.'

Hi Becks,

This sounds like a really fantastic trip! Can I come too?

Seriously, the only suggestion I have is to take at least 1 nt, maybe 2 away from Siena and add it to either Rome or Assisi.

Siena is nice, but without a car and no day trips out, 1 or 2 nts will be enough. You can never have enough time in Rome and there is enough to see in Assisi to warrant 2 nts. I personally liked Assisi and would stay there if dependant on public transportation.

Buon viaggio!

I would move one night from Florence or Siena to Assisi. It is a wonderful little town and really is worth an entire day there. Not just and arrival and departure.

Thanks to everyone for the great advice! I had been searching the train schedules for similar days in May, so I guess the prices on the site were pretty accurate. I've decided against a rail pass, so we will probably just purchase our tickets as we go. I know the trains run pretty frequently between most of our stops, but are there any specific legs where purchasing tickets in advance would be a good idea?

Taking into consideration the advice given here and the further research I've conducted, here is my updated itinerary. If no one can find anything horribly wrong with it, I think I will call it final and start booking my accomodations!!

Tue. Jul. 15: Vancouver to London Gatwick

Wed. Jul. 16: London to Milan (2 nights)

Fri. Jul. 18: Milan to Levanto (3 nights)

Mon. Jul. 21: Levanto to Riva del Garda (3 nights)

Thu. Jul. 24: Garda to Venice (3 nights)

Sun. Jul. 27: Venice to Bologna (3 nights)

Wed. Jul. 30: Bologna to Florence (4 nights)
- Day trip to Pisa

Sun. Aug. 3: Florence to Siena (2 nights)
- Day trip to San Gimignano

Wed. Aug. 5: Siena to Assisi (2 night)

Thu. Aug. 7: Assisi to Amalfi (4 nights)
-Day trip to Herculaneum or Pompeii

Mon. Aug. 11: Amalfi to Roma (4 nights)

Fri. Aug. 15: Roma to London (6 nights)
- At least 1 day trip to somewhere.

Thu. Aug. 21: London to Vancouver

Hi, Becks16 -

> Is it worthwhile seeing Herculaneum instead of Pompeii? My guide book makes it seem that Pompeii is rather empty, whereas Herculaneum has more of its original stuff still intact.

As Jake1 said, they are different, and like Jake1, I wouldn't say that Pompeii is "rather empty." Herculaneum has more of certain things intact, such as things that were made of wood or that were second stories. Herculaneum is much smaller than Pompeii, so some people find it more manageable. Pompeii has more public structures like theaters and an amphitheater. I'm glad I saw both. If I had to choose only one, I'd probably go for Pompeii because of the Villa dei Misteri and the Garden of the Fugitives, but that's just me. . . .