Italy July-August trip plan - ideas invited
Jul 5th, 2010, 05:57 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Italy July-August trip plan - ideas invited
Hi,
We are planning a trip end of July, beginning August to Italy. Our plan is to spend close to 11-12 days.
Our trip plan is as follows
a) Day 1-2 Venice (do a walking tour of venice, take an excursion to Burano etc and do a boat ride down the canals)
b) Day 3 - morning train to Florence, do Pisa post lunch
c) Day 4 - use the morning to explore florence, keep the noon / eve at leisure to do some wine tasting (any ideas)
d) Day 5 - travel to Rome, using train, relax the rest of the day and take a nigh tour of rome.
e) Day 6 - Take the hop on hop off ( Do we need this?) and take all the major sights
f) Day 7 - Do the vatican and sistine chapel all day
g) Day 8 - 11 - We now want to go to the Southern side of Italy and cover the following places over 3 -4 days
- Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Ana capri, Amalfi coast.
Couple of questions:
a) I want to spend 1-2 days at Siena Sangemino, Chianti region etc. What do you recommend?
b) What are we missing here in Italy?
c) Do we do a guided tour or should we book / plan every step on our own?
d) What is the best way to get from Rome to Naples?
We are planning a trip end of July, beginning August to Italy. Our plan is to spend close to 11-12 days.
Our trip plan is as follows
a) Day 1-2 Venice (do a walking tour of venice, take an excursion to Burano etc and do a boat ride down the canals)
b) Day 3 - morning train to Florence, do Pisa post lunch
c) Day 4 - use the morning to explore florence, keep the noon / eve at leisure to do some wine tasting (any ideas)
d) Day 5 - travel to Rome, using train, relax the rest of the day and take a nigh tour of rome.
e) Day 6 - Take the hop on hop off ( Do we need this?) and take all the major sights
f) Day 7 - Do the vatican and sistine chapel all day
g) Day 8 - 11 - We now want to go to the Southern side of Italy and cover the following places over 3 -4 days
- Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Ana capri, Amalfi coast.
Couple of questions:
a) I want to spend 1-2 days at Siena Sangemino, Chianti region etc. What do you recommend?
b) What are we missing here in Italy?
c) Do we do a guided tour or should we book / plan every step on our own?
d) What is the best way to get from Rome to Naples?
Jul 5th, 2010, 06:03 AM
#2
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 12,268
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
too much cramming pare way back do 3-4 days
in each major city all you hav time for...
www.eurocheapo.com Venice Florence Rome
in each major city all you hav time for...
www.eurocheapo.com Venice Florence Rome
Jul 5th, 2010, 06:38 AM
#4
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
a) Use a car for the Tuscan hill towns. It is the easiest way. Do San gimignao ath the end of the say and maybe Volterra at the start. If time allows, stop in Pienza for cheese.
b) Italy is a coutnry better explores in multiple trios. I woouldn't try to go south of Rome in a 10 day trip. You can spend easily 10 days on Tuscany alone. Try to take something off.. quality rather than quantity
c) No, no... go as you please. I good guide book and some preplan are esential but don't get yourself prisioner or you will be stressed and then.. what's the point?
d) Train.. but Naples is a complicated city... it can be dangerous in someplaces, no outstanding attractions... instead add days to Florence and Rome.
b) Italy is a coutnry better explores in multiple trios. I woouldn't try to go south of Rome in a 10 day trip. You can spend easily 10 days on Tuscany alone. Try to take something off.. quality rather than quantity
c) No, no... go as you please. I good guide book and some preplan are esential but don't get yourself prisioner or you will be stressed and then.. what's the point?
d) Train.. but Naples is a complicated city... it can be dangerous in someplaces, no outstanding attractions... instead add days to Florence and Rome.
Jul 5th, 2010, 08:14 AM
#6
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 2,672
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I agree - with two weeks or less, consider one of two options:
1. Venice, Florence (with day trips to the Tuscan hill towns)and Rome, or
2. Rome and the south.
As your trip is currently laid out, you will not get a chance to see much of anything.
And use the trains - they are great.
Consider flying into Venice and out of Rome or into Rome and out of Naples. Or, if you go with your current plan, into Vence and out of Naples.
1. Venice, Florence (with day trips to the Tuscan hill towns)and Rome, or
2. Rome and the south.
As your trip is currently laid out, you will not get a chance to see much of anything.
And use the trains - they are great.
Consider flying into Venice and out of Rome or into Rome and out of Naples. Or, if you go with your current plan, into Vence and out of Naples.
Jul 5th, 2010, 08:21 AM
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks, looks like you we are all leaning towards just 3 destinations. If i had to choose florence as base, and explore tuscany, what are the must visit towns in and around tuscany, lean towards hill towns, easy to be able to get to....?
Jul 5th, 2010, 09:22 AM
#8
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,422
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Start in Venice, but instead of basing in Florence, base in Panzano in Chianti. Rent a car out of Venice and drive it there. Use the car to explore some nearby castletowns, but use the bus from Panzano to visit Florence. Drop off the car in Orvieto (take a scenic route south of Siena to get there).
The point for most people of going "to Tuscany" is to do scenic driving and visit the many, many, many walled medieval castletowns. They are all over the place. The "must-see" ones are wall-to-wall (literally) with tourists, so might have more fun lingering in one that is fairly empty except for Italians, but which is no less fascinating or charming.
The point for most people of going "to Tuscany" is to do scenic driving and visit the many, many, many walled medieval castletowns. They are all over the place. The "must-see" ones are wall-to-wall (literally) with tourists, so might have more fun lingering in one that is fairly empty except for Italians, but which is no less fascinating or charming.
Jul 5th, 2010, 10:18 AM
#9
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,355
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My answers will hardly be what you've been hoping for, but at least they're honest:
a) What I recommend is to spend the whole 11 days in southern Tuscany if you really want to SEE it instead of rushing by like a scalded cat.
b) You're missing almost everything, except for the handful of arbitrarily chosen destinations that literally everybody is visiting in Italy.
c) Even though guided tours are famous for the pathetic timeframe they assign to even the greatest sights, my impression is that even guided tours won't go at your pace, so you'll probably have to do that on your own. In other words, even guided tours feel obliged to show their clients some more sights than each city's train station, and you're not going to see anything else.
d) To cope with your general pace, the best way would certainly be "beam me up, Scotty".
a) What I recommend is to spend the whole 11 days in southern Tuscany if you really want to SEE it instead of rushing by like a scalded cat.
b) You're missing almost everything, except for the handful of arbitrarily chosen destinations that literally everybody is visiting in Italy.
c) Even though guided tours are famous for the pathetic timeframe they assign to even the greatest sights, my impression is that even guided tours won't go at your pace, so you'll probably have to do that on your own. In other words, even guided tours feel obliged to show their clients some more sights than each city's train station, and you're not going to see anything else.
d) To cope with your general pace, the best way would certainly be "beam me up, Scotty".
Jul 5th, 2010, 11:00 AM
#10
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
First the trip you have outline will take a month.
Second it is already July - are you talking about THIS year? (Air fare will be a fortune if you don't have tickets, tours will be sold out as will many hotels unless you have an unlimited budget.)
In 11 days you can see 3 places (and that's a rush). The itinerary you have is close to madness - you would spend the bulk of your time sitting on trains and checking in and out of hotels - and practically no time actually seeing or doing anything.
Italy (except for the northern lakes/mountains) is incredibly hot and humid in midsummer and many places (shops, restaurants and even hotels do not AC at lower price points) - are you ready to deal with that?
You could spend the first 3 nights (2 days) in Venice, then rent a car and pick a town in Tuscany from which to tour for 3 days, then drop the car in Rome and spend the rest of your time there. IMHO you need 3 full days (4 nights) to see even the most basic sights in Rome.
Second it is already July - are you talking about THIS year? (Air fare will be a fortune if you don't have tickets, tours will be sold out as will many hotels unless you have an unlimited budget.)
In 11 days you can see 3 places (and that's a rush). The itinerary you have is close to madness - you would spend the bulk of your time sitting on trains and checking in and out of hotels - and practically no time actually seeing or doing anything.
Italy (except for the northern lakes/mountains) is incredibly hot and humid in midsummer and many places (shops, restaurants and even hotels do not AC at lower price points) - are you ready to deal with that?
You could spend the first 3 nights (2 days) in Venice, then rent a car and pick a town in Tuscany from which to tour for 3 days, then drop the car in Rome and spend the rest of your time there. IMHO you need 3 full days (4 nights) to see even the most basic sights in Rome.
Jul 5th, 2010, 02:50 PM
#11
Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 5,830
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Because of the brutal heat in August, I would say don't stay in Florence. It's super-crowded, stifling, and airless. If you want to see it, arrive in late afternoon, spend the evening wandering around, spend the night in an air-conditioned B&B, do a couple of museums in the morning, and get on an air-conditioned train or car by noon and get outta thee!
Also, the Vatican and its museums will be crowded, stifling, and hot. Riding around on a bus will be insufferable, too.
Sorry to rain on your parade, but you need to know that. If you live in a place that is 90+ F. in summer, with high humidity, and it doesn't bother you, perhaps the heat won't faze you. Otherwise, be forewarned.
And if you are talking about this summer, you are just about out of luck for accommodations in all those popular places.
Also, the Vatican and its museums will be crowded, stifling, and hot. Riding around on a bus will be insufferable, too.
Sorry to rain on your parade, but you need to know that. If you live in a place that is 90+ F. in summer, with high humidity, and it doesn't bother you, perhaps the heat won't faze you. Otherwise, be forewarned.
And if you are talking about this summer, you are just about out of luck for accommodations in all those popular places.
Jul 5th, 2010, 03:03 PM
#12
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,355
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
So sorry to disagree with all of you who posted here with good intentions, and yet tried to send the OP on the usual Venice - Florence and/or rural Tuscany - Rome route... but I just can't stand these recommendations any longer. Are you guys among those (few) who hang around southern Lombardia, western Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Abruzzo, Molise, central Sicily or Basilicata, and just want to make sure all the others won't ever bother you while you're on your relaxing, tourist-free Italian experience? How can all people in the world do PRECISELY the same Italian holiday? Venice, Florence, Rome... plus, perhaps, other parts of Tuscany (Siena, S. Gimignano, Pisa, Val d'Orcia - nobody ever seems to go to Sovana, Massa Marittima, Carrara or Chiusi), Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast. Huh? Ok ok, the famous destinations are justly famous (with the exception of the Cinque Terre, where the "famous" part has long outshined the "justly" part) - but why not combine one of those justly famous, and crowded, places, with unjustly unknown (and often equally great) places nearby? Why not explore one REGION instead of rushing over the peninsula? Italian regions, with their rich and long history, are so different from each other, they are almost like self-contained continents... who would want to do a North America - South America - Japan holiday (in 11 days)? So why do Venice - Florence - Rome holidays, in 11 days? Just because distances are manageable?
Why not try, at a reasonable pace, to concentrate on ONE of those "big" destinations, and explore its hinterland?
1. Venice (5 days, a good start for beginners), then rent a car and explore Padova, Vicenza, Montagnana, Verona, S. Giorgio, Bardolino, Bassano del Grappa, Asolo, S. Vito di Altivole, plus the Palladian villas at, say, Lonedo di Lugo, Malcontenta, Piombino Dese, Maser, Fratta Polesine and Fanzolo di Vedelago? 11 VERY full days in Veneto - perhaps a bit too much for 11 days, but at least plenty to choose of without traveling over large distances.
2. Florence, Fiesole, Prato, Pistoia, Lucca, Pisa, Poggio a Caiano, Camigliano, Barga, Carrara, Torre del Lago, Castelfiorentino, Certaldo. More than enough for 11 days!!
3. Siena, Monteriggioni, S. Gimignano, Volterra, Torri, S. Galgano, Arezzo, Monte Oliveto Maggiore, Pienza, Montepulciano, Chiusi, Bagno Vignoni, S. Quirico d'Orcia, S. Antimo, Abbadia S. Salvatore, Roccalbegna, Pitigliano, Sorano, Sovana. Another intense 11 days.
4. Rome, Tivoli, Ostia Antica. Already way too much for just 11 days.
5. Amalfi, Ravello, Positano, Salerno, Paestum, Pompeii, Ercolano, Naples, Pozzuoli, Caserta, S. Maria Capua Vetere. A more relaxed itinerary, allowing for perhaps two days on the beach.
Why not try, at a reasonable pace, to concentrate on ONE of those "big" destinations, and explore its hinterland?
1. Venice (5 days, a good start for beginners), then rent a car and explore Padova, Vicenza, Montagnana, Verona, S. Giorgio, Bardolino, Bassano del Grappa, Asolo, S. Vito di Altivole, plus the Palladian villas at, say, Lonedo di Lugo, Malcontenta, Piombino Dese, Maser, Fratta Polesine and Fanzolo di Vedelago? 11 VERY full days in Veneto - perhaps a bit too much for 11 days, but at least plenty to choose of without traveling over large distances.
2. Florence, Fiesole, Prato, Pistoia, Lucca, Pisa, Poggio a Caiano, Camigliano, Barga, Carrara, Torre del Lago, Castelfiorentino, Certaldo. More than enough for 11 days!!
3. Siena, Monteriggioni, S. Gimignano, Volterra, Torri, S. Galgano, Arezzo, Monte Oliveto Maggiore, Pienza, Montepulciano, Chiusi, Bagno Vignoni, S. Quirico d'Orcia, S. Antimo, Abbadia S. Salvatore, Roccalbegna, Pitigliano, Sorano, Sovana. Another intense 11 days.
4. Rome, Tivoli, Ostia Antica. Already way too much for just 11 days.
5. Amalfi, Ravello, Positano, Salerno, Paestum, Pompeii, Ercolano, Naples, Pozzuoli, Caserta, S. Maria Capua Vetere. A more relaxed itinerary, allowing for perhaps two days on the beach.
Jul 5th, 2010, 06:38 PM
#13
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 57,890
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Franco -
We are trying to advise someone who want to go 14 places in 11 days - by suggesting they cut back to a few places that almost everyone likes.
Your point is that there are a lot other places in italy worthy of time - and spending it in one area makes sense. I agree - have been to Italy more than 12 times - and often do what you're talking about - explore just one city/area.
But to say to someone don't do 14 places - do 1 place you've never heard of - doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. Although I admit trying to organize a trip to major cities in Italy less than a month from now doesn't make sense either.
We are trying to advise someone who want to go 14 places in 11 days - by suggesting they cut back to a few places that almost everyone likes.
Your point is that there are a lot other places in italy worthy of time - and spending it in one area makes sense. I agree - have been to Italy more than 12 times - and often do what you're talking about - explore just one city/area.
But to say to someone don't do 14 places - do 1 place you've never heard of - doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. Although I admit trying to organize a trip to major cities in Italy less than a month from now doesn't make sense either.
Jul 6th, 2010, 02:16 AM
#14
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,422
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Geetha,
Franco has a point; If you are going to take a cram trip to Italy, you should at least cram in some destinations that are not only tourist swarms. Everybody who takes a trip to Italy who goes on an unusual tangent loves it and doesn't regret it. But a lot of people who take the standard Venice-Florence-Rome trip (now with bits of coast or hills jammed in) end up hating the tourist centers. At least give yourselves a chance to enjoy Italy
Charnees is also right that the heat is likely to dictate your mood and enjoyment -- and your stamina for keeping up with this gasping pace. It's not unusual for summer visitors to Florence, Rome and Venice to spend a huge amount of money and time to get to each tourist mecca only to find themselves so flattened by the combination of heat and fatigue they can't sightsee. They sit in tourist cafes, exhausted, deciding what to scratch off their lists.
Better to pick one area you think holds the most interest for your party, and take time to enjoy it.
Franco has a point; If you are going to take a cram trip to Italy, you should at least cram in some destinations that are not only tourist swarms. Everybody who takes a trip to Italy who goes on an unusual tangent loves it and doesn't regret it. But a lot of people who take the standard Venice-Florence-Rome trip (now with bits of coast or hills jammed in) end up hating the tourist centers. At least give yourselves a chance to enjoy Italy
Charnees is also right that the heat is likely to dictate your mood and enjoyment -- and your stamina for keeping up with this gasping pace. It's not unusual for summer visitors to Florence, Rome and Venice to spend a huge amount of money and time to get to each tourist mecca only to find themselves so flattened by the combination of heat and fatigue they can't sightsee. They sit in tourist cafes, exhausted, deciding what to scratch off their lists.
Better to pick one area you think holds the most interest for your party, and take time to enjoy it.
Jul 6th, 2010, 03:42 AM
#15
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 978
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I would rather spend 10 days with my mother in law than work my way through your schedule...
Well Franco, having lingered over the last ten years in the Veneto, le Marche, coastal Tuscany/Maremma, central Sicily and the Puglia inner side heel, it may be so that some people still have to come to Italy for their first time... and I cannot say I am unhappy not to see too many of them.
So the elementary 3-destinations rule, however much it may displease you, is basically not a bad rule.
Geetha is a new member. It is for her (I presume) to decide if she wants to follow the-ohh-so-often-beaten path, or if she wants to adventure on smaller side roads.
But I do second your 11 days in Tuscany; a nice agriturismo with a pool somewhere around Siena, a small car for daytrips in a 100km radius, moments of peace and quiet at the pool or a bike trip in late afternoon,...
Well Franco, having lingered over the last ten years in the Veneto, le Marche, coastal Tuscany/Maremma, central Sicily and the Puglia inner side heel, it may be so that some people still have to come to Italy for their first time... and I cannot say I am unhappy not to see too many of them.
So the elementary 3-destinations rule, however much it may displease you, is basically not a bad rule.
Geetha is a new member. It is for her (I presume) to decide if she wants to follow the-ohh-so-often-beaten path, or if she wants to adventure on smaller side roads.
But I do second your 11 days in Tuscany; a nice agriturismo with a pool somewhere around Siena, a small car for daytrips in a 100km radius, moments of peace and quiet at the pool or a bike trip in late afternoon,...
Jul 6th, 2010, 04:03 AM
#16
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,355
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
IMO, the 3-destinations rule is a guarantee to hate Italy - zeppole explained how and why, two postings above this one. But basically, I'm fine with making first-timers hate Italy so that you and I and that handful of others have the less-beaten paths for ourselves... it just might not be what people who come here expect us to do 
Also, please note that I didn't advise against visiting the "big 3"; just against visiting more than one of them per trip.
Also, please note that I didn't advise against visiting the "big 3"; just against visiting more than one of them per trip.
Jul 6th, 2010, 04:47 AM
#18
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 2,672
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My first trip to Italy included a lake, Venice, Rimini, Assisi, Perugia, Orvieto, Rome, Tuscany, Florence, Pisa, Milan and Genoa in 2 weeks. I don't remember many details and don't even remember which lake it was. My second trip was to Venice, Florence and Rome. I remember it vividly and it inspired 5 additional trips with a 6th this fall.
There is something to be said for travelling to the obvious locations and spending a good amount of time there. They're full of tourists because they are more worth seeing than many others. I've been back to all the places we visited on my first trip and have had the opportunity to enjoy them at a slower pace.
I'm an advocate of the "big 3" for the first trip to Italy.
There is something to be said for travelling to the obvious locations and spending a good amount of time there. They're full of tourists because they are more worth seeing than many others. I've been back to all the places we visited on my first trip and have had the opportunity to enjoy them at a slower pace.
I'm an advocate of the "big 3" for the first trip to Italy.
Jul 6th, 2010, 06:47 AM
#20
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,355
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sorry, mamcalice, I'm stubborn and still not convinced. After all, you did that Venice-Florence-Rome trip as your SECOND trip. You already knew Genova, Perugia, Rimini, Milano... so you already knew what Italy can be like, without throngs of tourists. Are you sure that you would have gone back had the "big 3" been your FIRST trip?
No doubt that Venice-Florence-Rome have the greatest concentration of world-class sights. Everybody should visit them, I'm deeply convinced of that. And I've started a couple of threads on this forum to help people explore Venice and Rome (both of which I know better and like better than Florence, but that's of course a matter of personal preference). I just think it's dangerous to do all of them on one trip and particularly on your first trip - dangerous for your possible love of Italy. Unless, of course, you can afford to stay for, say, six or eight weeks on your first trip and can include many Genovas and Perugias, as well; in this case, it's certainly no problem to do ALSO all three of the "big three".
No doubt that Venice-Florence-Rome have the greatest concentration of world-class sights. Everybody should visit them, I'm deeply convinced of that. And I've started a couple of threads on this forum to help people explore Venice and Rome (both of which I know better and like better than Florence, but that's of course a matter of personal preference). I just think it's dangerous to do all of them on one trip and particularly on your first trip - dangerous for your possible love of Italy. Unless, of course, you can afford to stay for, say, six or eight weeks on your first trip and can include many Genovas and Perugias, as well; in this case, it's certainly no problem to do ALSO all three of the "big three".
