I like to see historical things and have fun at night. I am 25 and my wife is 35 from DFW. We have never been to Italy, or Europe for that matter. We like to sight see, shop, eat good food, drink good red wine and at least get a tast of the beach. Is there nightlife in these cities, I am a night-owl. My two must sees are Rome and Venice and hers would be Florence and whatever. I need help finding the best ways to get a taste of everything. She says we have about 10+-days to play with but nothing is locked in stone. Price wise I would say moderate, not cheap or expensive, mid upperclass. Will be flying on AA miles also have points with Hyatt, probably won't do much good though. Appreciate any expertise. Shooting for August to September time frame.

Hello D. Leonard, I am in Ft Worth Texas. I would recommend that you go to Italy in September. August would not be a good idea. It will be crowded and hot. September is better. I like October personally. Anyway good luck. Why not do an open-jaw ticket. Fly into one city and then return from another. That way, you travel in one direction. (I used to work in international res for AA!) This was very popular with passengers. Hotels I really cannot help you with because I stay with friends in Italy. But if you take anything from this post do not go to Italy in August. Trust me on that one. Good luck.<BR>PS I am also a night owl Hoot Hoot

Congratulations on your first trip to Italy.<BR>I suggest you buy a good general guidebook for Italy (Fodor's or some other that appeals to you--do some browsing in a bookstore) and start getting some ideas on what you absolutely "must" see and how you might want to spend your time, including getting from one city to another. <BR>In my opinion, any day spent going from one city to another, even if travel time is only a few hours, is a day pretty much lost to sightseeing. If you can salvage a couple of hours from it, consider it a bonus. Checking in and out, traveling, getting to stations or airports, getting to the next hotel, etc, takes longer that you might think.<BR><BR>I recommend the time from mid-Sept through October. The earlier in that time period you go, the warmer the weather you will have and the less rain, but earlier in that period things can still be crowded. I usually plan for the end of Sept and beginning of October, and I've had quite warm weather in Rome (upper 70s to 80F) and the crowds weren't too bad.<BR><BR>I have files on Venice, Florence, and Rome; if you'd like to see them, email me.<BR>

Okay- This is what I am thinking. Let me know if I could even do all of this and is a train ride between the cities described more than a few hours? Arrive in Naples on the last Saturday of August early morning. Rent a car and drive down to the Amalfi Beach Area? Just to get our taste of what it is like. I'm not a beach bum just like the scene, I burn too easy to layout. Ideally would stay there until midafternoon then drive up to Rome for a late checkin and have a late dinner. Do Rome outskirts by car on day 2 and return car on third day early. Walk the streets of Rome all day, nice dinner the latenight music. Rome half a day before train ride to Florence. Do dinner and night walking scenery. Fifth day do touring and shopping... Sixth--more Florence???do___...&___Seventh train to Venice check in and have dinner. Do Venice and surrounding area Eighth and Ninth days coming home on the Tenth. <BR>Check my thoughts, by looking at a map Naples to Rome looks about 120 miles and a 2-21/2 hour drive. Yes No Maybe<BR>Is that first idea a bad one? Should I just skip it all together and fly into Rome? <BR>Rome to Florence looks like about 150 mi<BR>and a four hour ride by train.?? Y N <BR>Florence to Venice looks about the same?<BR>Yes? No? If anybody knows how far I am off let me know. Thank You

The Amalfi coast is definitely not a beach area but wonderful coastal scenery. You can get to Amalfi from Naples by the Circumvesuviana train to Sorrento and bus on along the coast. The drive is spectacular. You can plug your other trips into the Italian train site at http://www.fs-on-line.com/ to see your options.

Hello D,<BR><BR>You're planning a very tiring first day! Driving around Naples and the Amalfi Coast and then to Rome after a long flight wouldn't be my choice of fun.<BR><BR>A second thought: are you sure you need a car for Rome? IMO a car is a liability rather than an asset in Rome.<BR><BR>If I were you I'd probably fly into Rome and have the extra day there. But if you especially want to fly into Naples, I think you'd find the Amalfi Coast more relaxing and enjoyable if you weren't driving. <BR><BR>Instead of driving you could take the train from Naples to Salerno, and from there take the ferry to Positano or Amalfi. You could then return to Salerno and catch a train to Rome, or take the hydrofoil from Positano back to Naples and train from there.<BR><BR>To answer your other question:<BR>Rome-Florence takes 95 minutes by train (Eurostar).<BR>Florence-Venice takes approx. 3 hours, depending on which train you catch.<BR><BR>Let me know if I can be of more help ...<BR><BR>Steve

Hello D. Leonard, please never from Naples to Amalfi by car in the last Saturday of August!<BR>It's quite better to stay at your home, really.<BR>Come here, if you can, on October: you'll find the best weather and you can have beach, sun and sail, even. You'll have wonderful dinners and you'll be far from crowd.<BR>If you cannot October, choose September, the second half, but never August. August is the month of the holidays for Italian people. <BR>Ciao.

Agree with others . . . August should be avoided . . . it is too crowded.<BR><BR>Even though the Naples area is my favorite place in Italy, I would skip it if you are not going to spend 4 - 5 days there (Capri, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Caserta, Paestum and attractions such as Pompeii, Herculaneum and Paestum take time to visit)<BR><BR>In Rome/Florence/Venice there is soooo much to see and do in the core center areas it does not pay to have a car (impossible in Venice - a burden in both Rome and Florence). You will need to make many choices just to see/experience a fraction of the sites available. Innercity public transportation is exceptional (vaporetto - a bus like boat - in Venice) and many, many sites are walking distance. Between cities use the trains, they are super and easy to use.<BR><BR>If you stick to the city centers, you will find very full days sight-seeing and shopping, great food and wine, and quality night life. The biggest issue you may have to face is will you get worn out during the day and need to cut back on the nightlife or do the nightlife and cut back during the day!! <BR>

Leonard,<BR>My first trip to Italy was fabulous. We flew into Rome and spent a few nights. Took the train to Milan for a few days. Spent a day cruising Lake Como with lunch in Bellagio (took the train from Milan). Then we took the train to Venice for 3 days - most fabulous time! Finally we took the train to Florence for two days and then back to Rome for our flight. All arrangements were made over the Internet - hotel and train tickets. So easy - I stuck with Fodor recommondations all the way. All meals were gut feelings - If I heard Italian or saw a dog we went in; If I heard English we stayed away. Every meal was fabulous except for the one time we went into a restaurant full of Americans. We just walked, ate, and drank. The most fabulous time of my life.

Hi D,<BR><BR>I am from Corps Christi, but I live and work in Naples now. I have to agree with the others...I live here and know the roads very well and would NEVER drive to Amalfi the last 2 weeks of August. I made that mistake one Sunday in the beginning of last September and spent 5 hours in traffic that normally takes 30 or 45 minutes. If you want to visit the coast during this period I recommend you take the light rail from Naples to Sorrento....it takes about an hour and costs about $5 round trip. From there you can enjoy walking on the cliff/coast parks in Sorrento or take a bus along the Amalfi coast and stop in the beautiful towns along the way...Positano, Ravello, Amalfi, etc... I just spent the last weekend in Rome. You can take the Eurorail there from Naples...it's a very nice and fast train. It takes about and hour and a half and second class is clean and comfortable. It costs about $23 one way. When I was in Rome we stayed at a Fodor's recommended hotel called Margutta. It was inexpensive ($104/night) and very convenient to the Subway and close to the Spanish steps...a hub of nightlife activity.<BR>I'll be happy to answer whatever other questions you might have. I hope you have a great trip!!