Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - italy itinerary in september...comments please

Fodor's Travel Talk Forums (https://www.fodors.com/community/)

- Europe (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/)

- - italy itinerary in september...comments please (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/italy-itinerary-in-september-comments-please-204954/)

italy itinerary in september...comments please

we will be going to rome on september 1, 2002. here is a probable itinerary. september 1 pittsburgh to rome september 2 arrive in rome and take a private car to the ambasciatori hotel in sorrento for 4 nights september 6 take a hydrofoil to naples and a train to florence and spend 5 nights in florence. (possibly staying at the balestri) september 11 train to venice and spend 2 nights in venice september 13 train to rome and spend 3 nights in rome september 16 return to pittsburgh from rome this itinerary represents a well thought out itinerary. we are using dividend miles tickets from usairways and there are no options to change our flight dates. (i would have prefered october) would you offer comments on two key issues. 1. should we rent a car for this trip and and simply drop it off prior to our time in rome. or is the private car/taxi, hydrofoil and train better (we may consider renting a car for a few days to tour the sorrento and florence areas. 2. which hotels do you recommend in florence (on the arno), venice (between the train station & st. marks) and rome (near piazza navona or the spanish steps. we will pay $225 per night at the ambasciatori in sorrento, but would like to spend about $150 per night for the rest of the trip. Note: our hopes are for hotels with a double bed, air conditioning and private bath.non smoking if possible thank you for your help james

james, your itinerary sounds good. traffic may be and issue in september, therfore the public transport itinerary makes sense. you should have little trouble finding hotels to accomodate your price range. gina

Sounds nice. I would just add that, for my money, the number of days in Rome and Florence are reversed - I'd do 3 in Florence and 5 in Rome...unless you are a huge art fan and really want to do all the Florence art museums. Another thought might be to connect directly from the Rome airport to a flight to Venice, either at the beginning or end of your trip. The Venice to Rome train ride and the Naples to Florence train rides are long, while the Venice - Florence and Rome-Florence rides are short. As to car rental, can't advise on the Amalfi coast (haven't been yet) but do think Tuscany in September (harvest time?) would be glorius and might balance out your urban/coastal experience. However, I don't think you really have time to fit that in. With the "big three" cities and two weeks time, itinerary planning seems to involve making a choice between the Naples/Amalfi/Capri option or the Tuscany/Umbria/Cinque Terre option. Either one would be great. I can say that renting a car for touring between Rome and Florence is very comfortable and lot's of people opt for this as you do need a car to see many of the hilltowns. I guess with 5 days in Florence, you could consume a couple of those with day-trips on bus tours, such as a day in Siena or a day trip to San Gimignano/Lucca/Pisa. Sometimes the options get overwhelming and you just have to make choices so your trip isn't too strained...and then hope for a return trip to bella Italia! Buon Viaggio

I would spend 4 nights in Venice and 3 in Florence. You will love Sorrento it is so beautiful with friendly people. We had a car down on the Amalfi. The drivers are crazy. Drive very carefully. Vespa's will zoom past you at 90 miles an hour !! Dont have a car in Rome. hope you have a good trip. Janda

James, Two nights in Venice is not enough - have a least 3 nights. I would also spend one more night in Rome taking away those nights from Florence. You'll love Sorrento & Rome. Enjoy!

Agree-I would spend the least amount of time in Florence as opposed to Rome, Sorrento or Venice.

Hey Going against the grain here, but I think more time in Florence. Casa Pucci is a great B&B in Florence, close to the Arno, check it out on the web, I think it's about 150 a night. Ask for a room in the courtyard. And definately check out Cinque Terre and Siena. have fun

Hi James, Agree with the others on reducing Florence time and adding a day in Venice and Rome. Renting a car in Sorrento makes sense if you are going to visit a variety of sites (Pompeii, Herculaneum, Paestum, Caserta, and the cities on the Amalfi Coast). You might look into Locando Art Deco in Venice for your hotel. Have fun.

Hi James! Another vote for more time in Venice & Rome. Unless you plan to tour hilltowns during some of those days in Florence. If so, I would stay in the countrside rather than in the city. Buon viaggio!

I would also take more time in Rome, but I thought 5 nights in Florence was perfect on my last trip.