Itinerary help 2
Mar 2nd, 2016, 05:49 PM
#1
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Itinerary help 2
I am back now that I have my airline tickets and could use help.
We are a family of four and we don't like luxury (maybe we would but we can't afford luxury). We don't like Youth Hostels. We just want comfortable and away from loud crowds of tourists.
We are landing in Venice and staying two nights. Trying to book an apartment there for those nights.
From there? ___________________where do we go? By Train. And as I mentioned, this trip is to honor my mom who just passed away... so I am thinking 1-2 nights somewhere quiet and peaceful. A small Tuscan town? Maybe Siena? I am feeling sad. I love Assisi but have been there multiple times. Ideas between Venice and Rome (probably not Florence although?? maybe... I just want to avoid crowds staring at art through someone's armpit).
We end our 12 days in Rome (where we fly out) but we have this middle part to plan. My kids will enjoy some art and some history but also just walking and being outside and looking. But this age can be moody and get tired.
A
I am booking apartments to stay in Venice and Rome. I was thinking Piazza Navone (too loud??) and for Venice... just off the beaten path.
thank you
We are a family of four and we don't like luxury (maybe we would but we can't afford luxury). We don't like Youth Hostels. We just want comfortable and away from loud crowds of tourists.
We are landing in Venice and staying two nights. Trying to book an apartment there for those nights.
From there? ___________________where do we go? By Train. And as I mentioned, this trip is to honor my mom who just passed away... so I am thinking 1-2 nights somewhere quiet and peaceful. A small Tuscan town? Maybe Siena? I am feeling sad. I love Assisi but have been there multiple times. Ideas between Venice and Rome (probably not Florence although?? maybe... I just want to avoid crowds staring at art through someone's armpit).
We end our 12 days in Rome (where we fly out) but we have this middle part to plan. My kids will enjoy some art and some history but also just walking and being outside and looking. But this age can be moody and get tired.
A
I am booking apartments to stay in Venice and Rome. I was thinking Piazza Navone (too loud??) and for Venice... just off the beaten path.
thank you
Mar 2nd, 2016, 06:35 PM
#2
Are you driving or taking public transit between stops? How many nights altogether? 11 or 12?
I have been to Italy a bucket of times but always have trouble determining an itinerary, so please take my questions in the spirit in which they are intended: to understand the timing in order to make better suggestions.
Have you thought about Orvieto?
As for where to stay in Rome, I think you have many options, and I consider Rome a block-by-block kind of city in terms of quiet/peaceful vs. loud/crowded. I walked past this hotel two years ago, took aphoto because I liked the location, and have booked it for a few nights this summer:
http://www.hotelnerva.com/en/index
I used http://www.realrome.com/ to book a good budget place for my sister and me several years ago.
As for Venice, I haven't been there in many years, but liked Dorsoduro in the past.
I think you will have a good trip.
I have been to Italy a bucket of times but always have trouble determining an itinerary, so please take my questions in the spirit in which they are intended: to understand the timing in order to make better suggestions.
Have you thought about Orvieto?
As for where to stay in Rome, I think you have many options, and I consider Rome a block-by-block kind of city in terms of quiet/peaceful vs. loud/crowded. I walked past this hotel two years ago, took aphoto because I liked the location, and have booked it for a few nights this summer:
http://www.hotelnerva.com/en/index
I used http://www.realrome.com/ to book a good budget place for my sister and me several years ago.
As for Venice, I haven't been there in many years, but liked Dorsoduro in the past.
I think you will have a good trip.
Mar 2nd, 2016, 08:02 PM
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Have a look at the little town of Vicenza for a couple of days. Not far from Venice, but a world away from lots of tourists and yet has lots to offer in the way of architecture? The town is a Mecca for people who admire the work of Palladio as the city is filled with many buildings designed by him, from churches to homes and public buildings. The Teatro Olimpico is one of the most perfect spaces I Have ever seen and had the privilege to sit in. The Trompe-l'oil painting on the stage is stunning! That alone is worth a trip to see. If you are lucky, a show or concert may be on.
Their are some nice restaurants Also and a bus that circles the city, offering great views.
The train station backs up to a pretty hill where there is a lovey, unique hotel with pretty terraces, comfortable rooms and public rooms, and a stone wall bordered one side of the building, so you enter through the wall. They also have a restaurant.
On the hill even further up, there is sweet church. We attended a service and were welcomed with love and an invitation to return.
There is a wonderful street market in the center of town with local cheese, breads, meats, olives and candies.
Their are some nice restaurants Also and a bus that circles the city, offering great views.
The train station backs up to a pretty hill where there is a lovey, unique hotel with pretty terraces, comfortable rooms and public rooms, and a stone wall bordered one side of the building, so you enter through the wall. They also have a restaurant.
On the hill even further up, there is sweet church. We attended a service and were welcomed with love and an invitation to return.
There is a wonderful street market in the center of town with local cheese, breads, meats, olives and candies.
Mar 2nd, 2016, 09:06 PM
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If you have been to Assisi multiple times, have you not been to other Umbrian/Tuscan towns as well?
Of the destinations you mentioned, Florence is probably the worst in terms of crowds, then Venice. Siena gets tourists but not in the same league as Florence or Venice. Another destination conveniently located between Venice and Rome is Orvieto. The town is way up hill from the train station. If you are traveling light, you can take a funicular up to the town level. From there you can do a half day trip to Civita di Bagnoregio. If you don't know, look at pictures to believe it. It is so so connected from Orvieto. It is possible to do this by bus, but it requires careful timing and a lot of walking. You can hire a taxi from Orvieto to do a fix fare trip and back to Civita di Bagnoregio with one hour wait at the base while you explore the town.
Of the destinations you mentioned, Florence is probably the worst in terms of crowds, then Venice. Siena gets tourists but not in the same league as Florence or Venice. Another destination conveniently located between Venice and Rome is Orvieto. The town is way up hill from the train station. If you are traveling light, you can take a funicular up to the town level. From there you can do a half day trip to Civita di Bagnoregio. If you don't know, look at pictures to believe it. It is so so connected from Orvieto. It is possible to do this by bus, but it requires careful timing and a lot of walking. You can hire a taxi from Orvieto to do a fix fare trip and back to Civita di Bagnoregio with one hour wait at the base while you explore the town.
Mar 2nd, 2016, 11:54 PM
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I like the idea of Vicenza. Also Padua. And maybe you should just get out of the usual tourist circuit and go explore in the hills In Umbria. With a car. You can't really get lost in Umbria and have that out-of-world experience without a car. Go to the hills and small, lost spa towns out in the forests. You can't do this with public transportation. What's the deal with not renting a car? If you want what you say you want, you need one. "Off the beaten path" means you rent a car and go crazy on tiny back roads.
Mar 3rd, 2016, 12:02 AM
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My husband and I did Florence and Rome with a week in the Tuscan countryside in between. We stayed in a medieval hilltop town in the Val d' ocia area of Tuscany - castelmuzio. We rented a car (a must) and visited other small and larger towns. Totally wonderful. We did not have the car for Florence or Rome.
If you would consider renting a car Stu Duddley posts on this forum and has an itinerary for the Val'dorcia area that would be helpful.
There are other areas between Venice and Rome you could consider as well. Someone recently mentioned staying at an agritourism lodging in the Chianti region. There are these farmhouse lodgings in various areas.
If you would consider renting a car Stu Duddley posts on this forum and has an itinerary for the Val'dorcia area that would be helpful.
There are other areas between Venice and Rome you could consider as well. Someone recently mentioned staying at an agritourism lodging in the Chianti region. There are these farmhouse lodgings in various areas.
Mar 3rd, 2016, 12:15 AM
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Maybe your family would enjoy small but beautiful Pistoia in Tuscany, with an excursion to neighboring Montecatini Alto. Or the other way around. If you are going in summer, Montecatini has lots of swimming pools. If your boys enjoy bike riding, Lucca might also be nice, although it gets more tourists during the day. But it is very, very quiet in the evenings, and very lovely to walk around and enjoy. People rent bikes in Lucca and ride them on top of the historic thick walls.
