Hi--I am planning a trip to Italy and someone told me to visit Sicily. I have never been to Italy even though I love Italian fashion. I am travelling solo and plan to spend one week there. I would like to stay in a nice (not necessary 1st class) place where it's safe, be able to walk out and find nice restaurants and shops and a good cup of coffee and do some sightseeing. I hold a very stressful job and I need some good down time without a care in the world. Would someone give me (a first time solo traveller) your expert advise from A-Z. I will be flying out from Toronto. I have not have a clue as to where to begin. Appreciate all your help.<ul>
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I already replied in one of the other three places where you posted the same question.

P.S. I assume you meant to write Sicily.

For your first trip you do not want Sicily--make it your 10th trip to Italy, since you will return.
In one week you can do 2 destinaions---I suggest Venice and Florence--they are less than 3 hours apart by train. You will need to check your best flight options into one and home from the other. Good luck

Hi cmt and bobthenavigator--it's my 1st posting so i'm still learning but thanks. So Sicily is out of the question. Can i do Rome/Venice/Florence in 7-8 days? There is a direct flight from Toronto/Rome but need to change what airline.

Yes, you could do Rome but I do not suggest all 3 in that time. Rome needs 5 days--Florence 3 if you day trip to Siena by bus. That may be easier air connections for you. The train trip to Florence is only 1:40 and I would start there and end in Rome for your last 5 nites.

You may have forgotten where else you posted. Here's where I replied: http://www.fodors.com/community/trav...y-364884-2.cfm

cmt: the OP originally posted on the wrong forums - so perhaps you could have directed her over here to Europe . . . where she will get all sorts of useful help.

Now she is in the right place so let's play nice . . .

jene1: a week may seem like a long time but it isn't - especially when long haul flights are involved. Your first day will be very tiring - you'll likely be in a jet lagged fog. So it is sort of a wash out. You can see/do something but no major sightseeing. then there is all the inter-city travel that eats up time and packing/unpacking checking in/out.

So in One week or a skosh more you are better off just doing two cities. Florence/Rome or Venice/Rome are good "two fers". Sicily simply doesn't fit. Neither does Rome/Venice/Florence. I'd personally do Rome Venice -- but Rome Florence would be absolutely fabulous too.

As I said in my other post, I don't think a one-week trip to Italy from Canada is a good idea if you're looking for a stress-free, restful vacation. But if you're giving up on the stress-free/restful idea, I think one week divided into Florence and Venice would be fine. But a better choice might be one week in Florence only, with some day trips to smaller Tuscan cities and towns. I did that one spring week on my second trip to Italy, and I thought one week based in Florence was just right. If you're attracted to Sicily, I think it would be an excellent choice for a second or third trip to Italy. My first two trips to Italy were month-long ones, and I did go to Sicily on both of thee trips, but Sicily is not something to be squeezed into a one-week trip when you're also expecting to visit other regions.

Florence is probably your best bet for a first trip.
The culture and history are unsurpassed.
This was along with Rome and Venice our first trip, many, many years ago.
We followed the footsteps of Michelangelo.
I am also from Toronto, and have been to Italy dozens of times.
Having said that, we went to Sicily last year for the first time, and to our surprise we loved every minute.
Less sophisticated, and much more relaxing than Florence.
Very friendly, less costly.
We were warned about Palermo, but felt very safe the entire time we were there (One week)
We took many trips outside the city as well.
The downside is that much is neglected.

Janis, of all people, telling me to play nice?

I posted a link to my previous answer. Her thread happened to pop up on the Fodors home page and I didn't even notice what forum it was in until I went to look at it again.

hi again cmt/bobthenavigator/janis and erly--thanks muchly for your valuable info. nothing beats hearing from the pros who have been there and done that. cmt and janis-please don't 'fight' over me, i feel awful.i'm sorry that i posted my question all wrong coz it is my 1st time i'm using the site.everyone's so helpful and nice.

i need to google to find out more about rome/venice and florence and once i have those info, i will then decide which 2 places i should picked and go.

i am aware the history and architecture is superb in these places. However, in addition to these, i would also love shopping.

i need to do some homework on train rides from Rome to Florence (assuming that's where I have decided to go) or Venice or Florence to Venice. I would also like to know if it's safe for a single girl (tourist) to travel alone on these trains? And, are these places expensive? If I pay Euros 7 for a croissant/coffee, 15-20 for lunch and 35-40 for dinner--to me, that is resonable. Also, isn't better for me to book a package which includes flight/hotel from Expedia.com or cheaper for me to book separately. If book separately, does anyone has any less expensive site to share on both hotels and airlines? Thanks again!

Sicily became one of favorite places we have visited. It offers it own rewards, including some of the most magnificant antiquities we have seen. Although I am an admirer of Brunelleschi, I do not like visiting Florence. The frenetic energy of the tourists and the sheer number of them, truly detracts from what is a most interesting and beautiful city.

I read your request & the responses. Hmm. Some good & bad there.

Let’s look at a hypothetical week trip from Toronto:

Fri: Depart YYZ (Air Canada services only FCO Rome direct)
Sat: Arrive FCO & get to hotel early afternoon. Hotel should be in the Pantheon/Piazza Navona area ideally. Then wander locally & do nothing else.
Sun: Ancient Rome – Coliseum, Forum, Capitoline Museum & the area - San Pietro in Vincoli, Pantheon etc etc
Mon: Religious Rome – Vatican Museum (should be booked ahead), St Peter’s etc
Tue: Renaissance Rome - Villa Borghese (must be booked ahead), Via Veneto & shop
Wed: Train/fly to ?
Thu: Explore ?
Fri: Explore ?
Sat: Depart to FCO & home or from ? to Frankfurt to home

As you can see, time moves rapidly & you probably don’t want a high pressure fast-paced blur tour so it might be best to move slowly. The ? could be Florence or Venice but as Janis points out, travel – packing/unpacking, transit to/from train/airport, hotel etc consumes a fair amount of time. And these are major tourist sites so they couldn’t be called relaxing.

As an alternative, you could stay in Rome & daytrip sites outside Rome like Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli etc. Or you could train to Orvieto (or similar) for a peaceful 1 or 2 night hill town stay.

What would YOU like to do? Do your research & then come back with questions.

Ian

I think the best choice for you should be a relaxing stay in Taormina. The location is about 64 km from the Catania Airport and if you find a good hotel they can manage the transfer from and to the hotel.
Taormina is a town known for his culture and the beautiful seaside, I think for you should be the best relaxing first trip to Italy... in future you should plan to visit the other places.

For example I had great time at the hotel Villa Schuler, have a look to their website just to imagine how they can help you to spend the best stay there: www.hotelvillaschuler.com

bye

jene1,

Hi, I live in Italy and I only get to the internet so often, so I'm really sorry I didn't see your post until now.

First of all: You are interested in shopping? You belong in Milano and Firenze (Florence) and maybe Torino! (Skip Rome -- and skip all this nonsensical schoolmarmish advice about what order to see and do things in as if you couldn't just come to Italy and have a great time doing what YOU love to do.)

You are perfectly safe wherever you go in Italy as a solo traveler. Unfortunately, in Milano, you are going to need to be careful picking a hotel on a budget, because Miilano is not clean if you don't spend enough money (but it is safe). But you are budgeting WAY TOO MUCH for food. With a few tips (like, drink your coffee and eat your cornetto standing up at a bar, have pizza for dinner like Italians do) you should be able to spend more a hotel room in Milano. (Florence has lots of good budget options).

I'm going to recommend that you go to the nearest big bookstore and look at Fodor's 2009 guide to Italy. (In fact, it would be worth it for you to buy it). I don't work for Fodor's and I have some criticisms of that guide BUT the section on shopping in Milano is stupendous, and it also has a lot of good maps and information on Florence (Firenze) and how to get to outlet stores near there.

If you've already bought your tickets to Rome, don't worry. Florence is just a 90 minute train ride from Roma, and if you spend a night or two in Rome, you'll have fun and get in some great shopping (they have great perfume shops there).

But if you haven't already bought your air tickets, check out prices of flights to Milan, Pisa or Florence (Firenze).

The city of Turin (Torino) has some great, fun shopping, and it is only 90 minutes from Milan. You can do it as a day trip, or stay there.

Okay -- so go look at that Fodor's guide and learn about Milano. It is almost impossible not to stumble across fantastic art everywhere you go in Italy, so you can pop into churches between stores.

ciao!

PS: You don't want to go to Sicily or Venice if you are interested in shopping, with the exception of a small selection of very particular Venetian goods.

And this is useful if you end up in Milan

http://www.hellomilano.it/Shopping/ShoppingCent.htm

Hi; I would suggest staying in Rome for the week. You will be tired the first day and that will leave six days. There is plenty of 'shopping', wonderfull restaurants and great sights. Or you can just 'sit' by the many fountains and relax. Or sitting in front of the Pantheon. Then there are day trips to take as others have suggested. Orvieto by train [one hour] or bus trips. Hadrian's Villa or Pompeii. This way you fly R/T non-stop to Rome and no taking trains to other destinations that will use some of your valuable time. I know you may want to visit and stay in a few different places. It will be a great vacation for you, but not very relaxing. For us, we don't relax. We try to see as much as posible and Germany in September will be our 30th trip to Europe. Decisions, decisions. Dick

Even if relaxation from your stressful job was the priority and you therefore wanted only one city, then I would make it Florence (90 minutes from Rome), which has a car-free center and plenty of accessible shopping. Roma has lots of pleasant fountains but the city is chaotic and huge.