james

we will be going to rome on september 1, 2002. here is a probable itinerary.<BR><BR>september 1 pittsburgh to rome<BR><BR>september 2 arrive in rome and take a private car to the ambasciatori hotel in sorrento for 4 nights<BR><BR>september 6 take a hydrofoil to naples and a train to florence and spend 5 nights in florence. (possibly staying at the balestri)<BR><BR>september 11 train to venice and spend 2 nights in venice<BR><BR>september 13 train to rome and spend 3 nights in rome<BR><BR>september 16 return to pittsburgh from rome<BR><BR>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)<BR><BR>would you offer comments on two key issues.<BR><BR> 1. should we rent a car for this trip and <BR> and simply drop it off prior to our <BR> time in rome. or is the private <BR> car/taxi, hydrofoil and train <BR> better (we may consider renting a car<BR> for a few days to tour the sorrento <BR> and florence areas. <BR><BR><BR> 2. which hotels do you recommend in <BR> florence (on the arno), venice <BR> (between the train station & st. marks)<BR> and rome (near piazza navona or the<BR> spanish steps. we will pay $225 per <BR> night at the ambasciatori in sorrento,<BR> but would like to spend about $150 per<BR> night for the rest of the trip. <BR><BR>Note: our hopes are for hotels with a double bed, air conditioning and private bath.non smoking if possible<BR><BR>thank you for your help<BR><BR>james<BR><BR>

gina

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

Leslie

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.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>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!<BR><BR>Buon Viaggio

Janda

I would spend 4 nights in Venice and 3 in Florence.<BR>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. <BR> hope you have a good trip.<BR> Janda

Nancy

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

cammy

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

jsplitz

Hey<BR><BR>Going against the grain here, but I think more time in Florence.<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>And definately check out Cinque Terre and Siena.<BR><BR>have fun

John

Hi James,<BR><BR>Agree with the others on reducing Florence time and adding a day in Venice and Rome.<BR><BR>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).<BR><BR>You might look into Locando Art Deco in Venice for your hotel.<BR><BR>Have fun.

Dayle

Hi James!<BR><BR>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.<BR><BR>Buon viaggio!

Kay

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