one more thought: The Tourist House Ghiberti in Florence is an affordable, Michelin-recommended inn inside Firenze with a steam room and jacuzzis. I've stayed there and liked it. You could have a very relaxed time spending the bulk of your vacation in Firenze, where you would have no end of art surrounding you, lots of pleasant piazzas, and lots of shopping.

http://www.touristhouseghiberti.com/

re-posting my July 6 message on your other thread:


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cmt on Jul 6, 09 at 01:11 PM

If you're seeking a carefree vacation, I don't think one week in Italy is a good idea, especially since you'll be flying from North America. That's a lot of flying and many time zone changes for just a one-week vacation. I'd suggest choosing a less distant destination for your relaxing one-week trip. Then, after you get home, think about Italy, read about it, decide which regions or which cities especially fascinate you, and plan some future trip of at least two weeks focusing either on one region or a few cities that are not too far apart. Sicily is a large island with quite a bit of variety in its geography, history, foods, etc., and is one of the most interesting parts of Italy, and really among the most interesting places anywhere. It would be a wonderful destination for a two-week vacation some time in the future, especially if you can understand and speak some Italian and have studied some of the history of the places you'll be visiting. But unless you want to spend one week hiking and swimming on the island of Salina (one of the Aeolian islands that are part of Sicily) or something similar, I don't think Sicily is the place to go for a stress-free one-week trip.


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P.S. If you're looking for a relaxing, stress-free vacation, I think a week in Milan would be a terrible idea, although it's the place to go if your major interest is clothes shopping.

I suggest doing this:

Day 1, arrive in Rome

Day 2, Rome sights

Day 3, more Rome sights. Be sure to include a visit to the Forum.

Day 4, take early-morning train to Florence. If you get the express train, the ride is only 1.5 hours, which will give you a full day in Florence. This is enough time for visiting the Duomo, the Accademia (make reservations in advance), taking a walk around the historical center, and also visiting at least one additional museum.

Day 5, take early morning train to Venice. You will have the rest of the day in Venice

Day 6, another day in Venice

Day 7, return home

Please note: You will not be in any of these towns long enough to see "everything". But you will be in each place long enough to get an idea of whether you want to return at a later date.

Hope it's not too late. This is the first time I've seen this thread.

If you need a rest, fly into Venice. No cars there at all. All that water is soothing. You can just walk around in a jet-lagged haze getting lost and enjoying the city. Maybe go to the beach at the Lido.

Both Florence and Rome are more intense. Florence is more crowded with tourists, Rome with cars. But, given your interest in fashion, I'd pick Rome or Milan for a second stop. And both offer a good selection of flights home.

And I agree: 2 cities at most, especially since you want a rest. Get an open jaws (multi-city) flight, into one city, out of the other.

One more thing: as you talk about your trip, people will give you all sorts of advice, based on their experience, without taking into account your interests or the time you have. Do your own research, here and in guidebooks and other sites. Sicily is great, but not for a first trip and not for your interests and not for your brief trip.