<I>which means far, far fewer people talking on cell phones...</i>

...and fewer people on the boarding platform, making it easier to board, store luggage, settle in one's seat, etc. That's my main reason for preferring 1st class if the price difference isn't too great.

Anybody have any advice on the best air travel route from Los Angeles?

To Rome, I meant to specify!

I found found great success finding flights using kayak.com. If you do check there and are still not sure, let us know the choices you are considering and perhaps we can advise.

"Best route" can be subjective. For some it would be the cheapest, while for others it would be fewest connections. I like fewest connections combined with cheapest price. Try kayak.com to search for flights.

pezlie, one more vote here for taking the train from Rome to Florence. It is a nice, relaxing, scenic ride. And the hour and a half will fly by. You will sleep on the plane and not be jet-lagged so much that you cannot get to Florence via train. (Maybe if the three of you were over the age of 70 or 80).

I also think first class is a total waste of money. With our "2nd class" tickets, we got wonderfully roomy seats with foot rests, tray table dropdown with cup indentation, plugins for our headsets, hook for our purse or jacket, footrests and plenty of overhead storage. This was, of course, after we very easily stored our larger luggage in the compartment provided as soon as you get on the train. You don't have to "lug it" anywhere. Additionally, there was a "food car" on the train and we enjoyed a lite lunch while traveling.

Save your money and take yourselves out to a lovely meal in Florence. I highly recommend Semidivino. Best meal we had in all of Italy. It is not far from the Duomo. You can ask your hotel front desk to make you a reservation.

Buon Giorno!

PS If you are all single girls, do consider staying in Florence at the Hotel Casci. Pierpaulo is about the finest 6ft4in of Italian man you will find. His family owns and operates this hotel. We loved it. Price was right and included a nice breakfast and free computer/internet in their lounge area. You can check out all their reviews on TripAdvisor.com and even search here at Fodors. Nothing but excellent reviews:
http://www.hotelcasciflorence.com/en/location.htm

I can second the Hotel Casci (and I'm not even single!)...nearby in Florence is also the Hotel Port Faenza which is also small, charming and well run by hosts who speak excellent English.

ok! we have decided on the following itinerary:
Sept. 9th fly lax to milan. --travel from milan to florence
4 nights florence (Accademia House?). --train to rome
3 nights in rome.(alle fornaci a san pietro?) --travel to coast via naples (ferry down the coast)
3 nights on the coast (hotel bellevue?) --travel back to rome on the last night
monday Sept. 21st fly rome to lax

Any comments? Pretty good rate on the flights $781!

I think that sounds like a pretty good itinerary. The only thing I might change is to head directly to the coast from Florence for 3 or 4 nights and then spend the last 3 or 4 nights in Rome.

Yes, end in Rome--why go there twice?

My friend who I am traveling with (yes, we are now 2 chicks traveling to Italy) really wants to end the trip with the more relaxed-pace coast. Is getting back up to Rome the day before our flight a big deal?

it's not a big deal, but for many, packing again just to get to a hotel for one night would be much more hectic than having been settled in one place for a few days before heading home.

I'm not sure how you plan to travel between your location on the coast and Rome, but it could take a bus, train, and transfer to another train, taxi . . . 3.5-5 hours in transit to spend one night in Rome.

Hi again Pezlie -

I would skip Naples and the coast and go to Venice instead. But if you really have your heart on set on seeing Naples and the coast, go there right after Florence and then head to Rome instead of backtracking back to Rome later.

hmmm...Maybe we should fly into Rome, stay for a few days, head down to the coast for a few, then travel up to Florence and end there? We can fly out of Milan, which seems close enough to Florence??

Either from Naples/the coast back to Rome, OR Florence back to Milan, still you're building in one extra stop (hotel, night) that people were trying to help you smooth out.

<Milan, which seems close enough to Florence>

it's about 200 miles

Pezlie: I addressed your concern over that paranoid post on another thread...you know, where the poster talks about never finding less than a $250 lunch in Italy or Greece, etc. <i>ad nauseam</i>.

Go to it and read my response so you won't fret one second longer. As you'll see by all the responses, she's so far off base, the centerfielder ran in to tag her out!!

stu

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...lunch-bill.cfm (The Thread in question)

I find Rome and its airport much more convenient to Florence than Milan.

If you really want to end in Florence, then fly out of Florence with a connecting flight that might go through Rome (or Milan, or Paris, or London, or Frankfurt . . . ). Don't add on changing location again to Milan (or even Rome).

If you really want to end in the Amalfi area, then pay for a private driver on the morning of your return and fly out of Naples with a connecting flight that might go through Rome (or Milan, or Paris, or London, or Frankfurt . . . )

We're trying to help you avoid having to change hotels the day before you head home.

I agree, once you're heading for home, go home! Find a flight that works from your last destination, without an extra city/hotel stop on the ground.