Hi all! This is my first time posting to this message board, so kindly forgive me if I'm missing any key info.

I'm looking for recommendations for a 14 day (give or take a day or so) honeymoon in Italy for mid-to-late June 2006. I know this is a costly time to visit, so any recommendations for airfare sites (flying from Ohio) would be particularly helpful.

A few other things:
1. My soon-to-be-husband and I have very different travel styles (I'm go-go-let's-see-everything-til-we-drop; he's more laid back and leisurely) so I'd like to find a happy balance. It's a long way to go without seeing the sights, but by the same token, a honeymoon should be romantic and relaxing. Itinerary suggestions?

2. We would like to see the usual - Rome, Venice, Florence (Tuscany) and see the Amalfi Coast. Specific suggestions for sites not to miss - or places to skip?

3. Any other tips from recent visitors to Italy?

Thanks for your help everyone!

Hi o,

The very best advice I can give you, especially since you mention your different travel styles, is to make sure you plan a balance.

First, with just 2 weeks, I think you need to choose between Tuscany and Amalfi.

This is what I would do:

Fly into Venice
3 days Venice
2 nights Florence
pick up car
4 nights Tuscany/Umbria
5 nights Rome - allowing one day for a day trip outside the city - if you feel like it once you are there.

Pompeii if you are really up for a long day, Orvieto, Ostia Antica or Tivoli if you want a bit easier day.

Depending on your interests, or lack thereof, in art, history, architecture, you might want to tweek the number of days. Maybe one more in Venice or Tuscany and 1 less in Rome, or 1 more in Florence.

Congrats & buon viaggio!

Hi o,

Good advice from Dayle.

I also recommend the Big 3 and save the AC for another visit.

I think that flying into Venice and out of Rome is your best way.

For airfares check
http://airtravelcenter.com/onetrav.htm

See also Helpful Information: Italy 2
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34568596

Congratulations on your upcoming marriage!

We recently went to Venice for our honeymoon. We are similar to you - I enjoy traveling at break neck speed and sightsee from 6am til 10pm, while my husband prefers something much slower.

What my suggestion is that you need to slow down some for him, or else he won't be willing to travel with you anymore. I compromised by skipping 2 "must-sees" on my list, and we sat down for lunch and coffee (almost) every day so that my husband could rest.

I know how you feel about the urge to "see everything", but just remember that you will return to these places in the future.

My dad used to tell me when I was a kid, "You have to leave some sights unseen so that you'll have an excuse to return in the future!"

I agree with everyone's suggestion except would fly into Rome and out of Venice. Rome was a great place to push through the first day of jet lag and Venice was the perfect final unwind before leaving!

Congratulations!

My husband and I had the same dilemma when we went there on our honeymoon this past April!

And, like everyone said, I really think that you need to choose. I am biased, because we did Tuscany, and really think that you should choose that!

You can see a lot, but when you get to all these "medieval, walled, hill-towns", all you do is walk around, chill, have a picnic, a coffee, etc...so it ends up being more relaxing than you think! And it's the best way to soak up the atmosphere and culture. Also, we definitely had to compromise on some towns - which is better than being in a tow, so close, and not getting to a site.

Let me know if you want more help with an Itinerary. Are you renting a car? That is key...we did and it worked out really well. And oh ya, we also did a few days in the Portofino/San Margehrita/Cinque Terre region...

Susan

I agree with Dayle, except I might add one day to Tuscany/Umbria and drop one night from Rome.

For my own liking, I actually like Rome at the end of a trip. I like it a little more relaxing on the front end to ease into the vacation.

And if you arrive in Venice during the day and think it's the most crowded place on earth, remember nightime is when it is at its most romantic.

I'm not sure how useful this might be for you, since we haven't gone yet, but we are getting married and honeymooning in Italy next May and this is our itinerary:

* 4 nights - Positano/Amalfi Coast
staying at Hotel Marincanto
www.marincanto.it

* 2 nights - Rome
staying at Casa Howard
www.casahoward.com

* 3 nights - Siena
staying at Palazzo Ravizza
www.palazzoravizza.it

* 2 nights - Florence
staying at Residenza del Proconsolo
www.proconsolo.com

* 3 nights - Venice
staying at Ca' dei Dogi
www.cadeidogi.com

We are staying in Rome such a short time because one of us has been there before and didn't like it much, and we wanted a balance of urban/non-urban experiences.

We used this forum, TripAdvisor, and our wedding planner's suggestions in choosing these hotels. For us it was important to have one large bed (not twins pushed together), to have our own bathroom, to be centrally located, and to find those little extra amenities that (hopefully) will make us feel special on our honeymoon (such as jacuzzis, balconies, breakfast served to your room).

Oh, and we're flying US Airways because we're using miles.

Congratulations!

I think you've been given some very good advise so far and just want to suggest an incredibly romantic hotel in Venice--Ca Maria Adele. Check out their website at www.camariaadel.com. We didn't stay there when we were there last May, but we had a tour of the place and I sure would like to next time we're in Venice.

If you would like to see the Amalfi coast, but be in a central location for train,bus and boat travel it definitely should be the Siren land of Sorrento. For honeymooners who want the high end of luxury with the most moderate rates I would strongly recommend the Imperial hotel Tramontano. It rests over an Augustan palace with a spectacular view of the Bay of Naples, offers excellent services,American-size rooms and they say Torna Surriento was written on its balconies. Granted, the Excelsior Vittoria is pretty majestic but at 3 times the rate it should be! My grandparents concieved my mother here. Now thats really romantica.

To all the soon-to-be honeymooners...let your hotel know. When we went this past April for our anniversary, all of our hotels put prosecco in the rooms for us. It was really nice.

I agree with Susan A since it's your honeymoon. We had our honeymoon in late June 03 in Italy. We both LOVED Tuscany and my hubby is active and I am more low key.
I recommend a combo of big cities and small towns.
Save the adventure of busy Rome and Amalfi Coast for another trip, possibly when it won't be so hot.

I'd consider adding Lake Como, so lovely and relaxing after the busy wedding. See www.varenna.net
Fly into Milan and out of Venice.
Train immed from milan (or rent a driver for the one way trip) to Varenna.
Lake Como 2 nights
Train to Florence 2 nights
Rent a car and stay in Tuscany, see www.tuscany.net for cool places. 3 nights in S Tuscany, 3nights iN Chianti region maybe?
Turn car in and train to venice for the remainder of the trip and fly home from there.

We spent nearly two weeks in Italy for our June 2005 honeymoon, and it was wonderful! The first four days were in Florence, and then we rented an apartment for a week in Tuscany (which I highly recommend!). Our final weekend was spent in Paris, as an "extended layover."

The one lesson I learned on our trip was that the wedding was exhausting! We didn't realize how desperately we needed to unwind until we set foot in our Tuscan town, Montepulciano. We came with big plans to vist surrounding towns and sights, and honestly ended up leaving only once! It was heaven to just relax, enjoy leisurely meals, wander into every shop, and drink wine in our apartment while listening to jazz and looking out over the Tuscan countryside.

I think Tuscany is a perfect balance for you, because while there are lots of things to do, you can also choose to do absolutely nothing as the mood fits you. While in Florence, we felt that we simply HAD to see all the sights, but in Montepulciano, Tuscany WAS the sight!

We stayed at the Politian apartments, and I have a review of the place on here and SlowTrav.com that might give you a sense of our trip (haven't gotten around to that trip report yet...)

Enjoy, and congratulations!

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I think the perfect romantic place to unwind and relax after you get married is the gorgeous Amalfi Coast, ( amazing views, unbelievable food!)so I would recommend:

4 nights in Sorrento (which is not really a part of the AC, but has very good transportation connections to most places up and down the coast) or Positano with day trips to Amalfi, the beautiful gardens of Ravello, and Capri

Eurostar from Naples to Rome

3 nights in Rome

3 nights in Florence with day trip by train to Siena or private tour of Chianti or, by bus to one of the medieval hill towns like San Gimignano

4 nights in Venice with day trips from the Grand Canal to the lagoon islands of Murano ( famous for its glass blowers)and Burano ( small picturesque fishing village known for its lace making).

Have a wonderful trip! Once you pinpoint the cities you're visiting, post again for hotel and restaurant recommendations.