amieg

Wow, what an amazing forum! I'm looking for some advice!

Spending Christmas in Italy with my 3 teenaged children. The plan is to fly into Rome and also travel to Florence and Venice. As I've read the forum I think we were spending too many days in Rome so I've decided to arrive in Rome and then take a train to Naples for a overnight. Then 3 days in Rome, leaving on Christmas, Florence for 3 days and Venice for 2. It is our first visit but hopefully first of many.

Here are my questions:

Great hotel/area in Naples?
Thinking about Sofitel Villa Borghese in Rome near Spanish steps, feedback?
In Florence Lungarno Apartments which is next to the hotel, feedback on location/apartments?
Best spot to stay in Venice? I want to be close to the canals but mindful of flooding and overly busy spots.
It looks like the trains cannot be booked yet because of the fare change the second week of December, is that true?
Restaurant rec in ghetto in Rome...

I appreciate any other tidbits/advice/thoughts/restaurants/must sees! I have gone and read much of the forum!

stevewith

Have you already booked air tickets?

Are you flying to Italy from North America or Asia, or coming from someplace else in Europe?

If you are arriving to Italy jet lagged, spending one night in Naples is probably not a good idea unless you have a very specific thing you want to do there. I actually enjoy Naples quite a bit and the weather is often nice there at Christmas time, but I'm not sure it makes sense to be there for just one night.

A lot of people will question why you thought 4 days in Rome was "too much".

In Italy, most everything shuts for Christmas and the day after Christmas, so you really need to think about where you want to be on those two days and whether or not things will be open. Depending on what you and your teens want to do, it might make more sense to spend Dec 25 and 26 in Venice.

What would be helpful to know is if you and your teens already have a specific wish list of sights you are dying to see, or whether you were thinking more along the lines of guided walking tours or just spending most of your time walking around on your own, following whims.

stevewith

Regarding the canals in Venice, they are everywhere. Anyplace you stay, you will be surrounded by canals. The flooding mainly occurs in the half of Venice between the Rialto bridge and San Marco. So if you pick a place to stay between the Rialto bridge and the train station, even if there is flooding, it will not be much of an issue around your hotel. Flooding usually only occurs in the morning, so you can visit the other half of Venice in the afternoon even if it does flood while you are there.

macanimals

Regardless of the order of your itinerary, all your meals on and around Christmas will need reservations as many restaurants are closed and those remaining will be filled. Your hotels can help you locate and reserve but don't let Christmas Eve and Christmas Day go unreserved.

amieg

Excellent tips! Just what I need! We are flying from the US, and I agree about skipping Naples given the jet lag factor. I will absolutely make sure we make dinner reservations. I would say since it is our first visit we will want to do the usual sights. I would say the ghetto in Rome is important because we are Jewish and visiting at Christmas time. Also we'd like to go to Christmas Eve Mass at the Pantheon, is it a ticket required event?

Any Venice hotel advice would be great. We are flying in to Rome and out of Venice.

Thanks again!!