Itinerary getting closer
 

First, I apologize, I thought I submitted a similar topic a couple of days ago and now cannot find anything, so if you have answered elsewhere, help me find it. Can't believe I lost it. May be in a different part of the world. Thanks for your patience.

Here is our tentative itinerary. Our main reason for traveling to Italy is to visit birthplace of husband's grandfather..Sersale, Calabria and spend time there. Our likes include mostly relaxing, good food and drink and taking in the scenery. Would like to see a few of the main sites of Italy but not our biggest concentration. Would consider driving part of the trip in the "slower", less congested areas, otherwise, plane, train and bus.

Begin in Rome and end in Milan with our FF reservations to and from US.
Sept. 2, 2010 arrive Rome, stay 4 nights

Sept. 6, 2010, fly or train to Lamezia Terme, spend one night near airport?

Sept. 6 to Sept 12 rent car and visit Calabria region, including Catanzaro, Tropea, Sersale. Hope to stay at a B&B in Catanzaro

Sept. 12 to 15, train to Sicily ?not sure where to stay or visit without car or for sure how long.

?Sept. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, fly or train to Salerno (good place to stay?, then day trips to "bus" the Amalfi coast, Ferry to Sorrento..can I do that from Salerno? and 1 day Naples (by what transportation) and/or Capri.

Sept. 20-26 train or plane to Florence and find best transportation to Bagna di Lucca....again may consider a car if not too frenzied. Is there train to Bagna di Lucca and then rent a car there? Day trips to Florence, Siena and Pisa.

Sept 27, 28, 29 train to Venice for 2 nights

Sept. 29 leave Venice for Milan? train...stay near airport?

Sept. 30 Fly to NYC from Milan

Given our "likes" are we trying to fit too many places in? I look forward to your comments and suggestions.

I think this is it:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...uggestions.cfm

Thanks but that was my first attempt at an itinerary. This one is a little more defined and I think getting better.

I don't think Sicily was in this originally, was it?

I think I'd fly Rome-Palermo immediately and work north from there. Pick up the car in Palmero and keep it through Calabria to Salerno but stay in Amalfi or elsewhere on the Amalfi Coast. Then train to Rome for your time there and train to Lucca. If you're only planning to go to Florence, Siena and Pisa, you can get by without a car. Train to Venice and train to Milan. You only need/want to stay at Malpensa if your departing flight is at the crack of dawn.

But having said all of the above, I think your time on Sicily and in Venice is short for the effort and time required to get to both places, especially when you say your likes include "mostly relaxing." I think I might go to one or the other but not both on this trip.

What Jean said !
If you do Sicily you can fly to either Palermo[west] or Catania[East]---you will not have time for both.

> Sept. 12 to 15, train to Sicily ?not sure where to stay or visit without car or for sure how long.

It depends on what you want to see and experience, but I agree with Jean that you are allotting very little time for Sicily. (IMO, it deserves about 2 weeks.) As Jean said, if your goal includes relaxing, I might be worth skipping Sicily for this trip and adding a few days elsewhere (e.g., Rome, the Amalfi Coast, Venice).

> Salerno (good place to stay?

I'm a fan of Salerno, but if your primary goal is to see the Amalfi Coast, than again, I agree with Jean - Amalfi or somewhere else on the coast would probably make more sense.

Hope that helps!

Thanks all for your suggestions. I do think I will drop Sicily this time.

My rationale for staying in Rome upon our arrival is 1. to rest up after the long trip, 2. get used to being around Italians, the language and food & where there is English spoken before heading to Calabria where I hear there is much less English.

My other concern, is since I do most of the driving even in the US, I will also drive in Italy and not sure I want to be in areas of high speed and congestion while driving. Would much rather use other transportation if possible. I have also read of very tiny roads and that concerns me too. I do know that to get around Calabria one must have a car so I have no choice there.

Am I missing places near Bagna di Lucca and/or Amalfi Coast that we should see. I will probably add time to Venice.