Hi All!

My fiancé and I were initially thinking of spending our two week honeymoon next June in the Greek Islands. While that is still a possibility, I've started to get the Italy bug after reading some recent trip reports on the forum. I lived in Rome for four months, but my fiancé has never been to Italy. Neither of us wants to spend the honeymoon doing a lot of sightseeing, but I also don't think we can go to Italy without spending at least a couple of days in Rome. The ultimate goal for the honeymoon is to find a place where we can sit back and relax, enjoy beautiful scenery, and eat and drink well. To that end, I started to think about the possibility of the Amalfi Coast, although an upscale agriturismo in Tuscany is also appealing.

Our plan was to fly out of New York on Monday evening and return home the following Satuday for a total of 11 days on the ground. I know this question is frequently asked, but is it too ambitious to do both Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast with 2-3 days in Rome given our timeline?

Not terribly so, but I would choose one or the other. Because you may be able to find what you are looking for in Tuscany somewhere closer to Rome or the AC, and you may be able to find what you are looking for in the AC near Rome and Tuscany. Does that make sense?

but is it too ambitious to do both Tuscany and the Amalfi Coast with 2-3 days in Rome given our timeline?>

11 days fine if that is all you want to do -skipping Florence and Venice.

Rome take train to Naples or Salerno and buses or private transfers to your Amalfi base-takes about 5-6 hours all told.

I'd chose one with ferry service to Capri and close to Sorrento if you want to see Pompeii. Otherwise just putz by bus or ferry to other Amalfi towns.

Take the train from Salerno or Sorrento via Naples to Florence and do day trips to Tuscany by train and or bus. If you really want to putz around Tuscany's hill towns rent a car for a spell. In this case you could pick it up at Orvieto (train from Rome) and return it at Pisa or Florence airport for your flight home or in Florence.

Cars are useless on the Amalfi.

I'd try to spend a day or two in Florence.

Trains are cheapest if booked far in advance - check www.trenitalia.com or www.italotreno.com/en for schedules and fares and book your own tickets online. You can always get on trains but booking in advance will save lots of money.

For lots on trains and where to go by them check www.seat61.com (sage advice on discounted train tickets); www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! My husband and I honeymooned in Italy in 2004 and have been back almost every year, sometimes a couple times. I understand the Italy bug! Although we love Greece as well

One thing to keep in mind is how tired you may be, physically and mentally, after the wedding. Rome is one of our absolute favorites, but not exactly relaxing the way most of us tend to approach it . So after a wedding, the travel, a few days in Rome... I would choose just one other spot, were it me.

If you choose a spot in Tuscany, you'll have many easy options for daytrips if you get antsy (assuming you rent a car which I'd recommend - driving in Tuscany is very user-friendly). June can be hot - it certainly was this year. We roasted for the two weeks we were there. Lago Trasimeno has a lake beach of sorts in Castiglione del Lago, but unless you head to the coast, that's about as close as you get to waterside relaxation unless your accommodation has a pool. Most luxury accommodations do, fortunately .

If you go south to the A/C, I wouldn't drive given that it's June. We drove in November years ago and it was fine, but we drove there again in April 2016 and it was pretty stressful (and my husband is pretty fearless - driving in Naples doesn't phase him!). You can still get around via bus, private driver, ferry, or if you base in Sorrento - commuter train. Popular day trips are Capri, Naples, Pompei, Herculaneum, Caserta, Paestum, and the other A/C towns.

Given the hope of enjoying good food and wine, relaxation, and scenery - have you considered the Maremma region of Tuscany? You'll find charming villages (Pitigliano is one of our favorites and not overly crowded). You'll find tons of history. And the best beaches in Tuscany. It's not too far from Rome either, so you wouldn't miss a ton of time schlepping all over the country. It's driving-friendly too .

I should add that Castiglione del Lago is just across the border into Umbria, not technically in Tuscany. Short drive from either Cortona or Montepulciano (our favorite base in Tuscany).

Last thought - many of the Tuscan hill towns do have public pools. We use them frequently with our kiddos and they're great. Not what I think of when I think "honeymoon" though, LOL

You read my mind TexasAggie, I'd go so far as to say the Maremma has some of the best beaches in all of Italy! While I am not pressing the OP to go where I went per se, I do want to emphasize that there are SO many places to go in Italy, and traversing half the country is not always necessary.

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I don't think I know anything about Maremma so I'll do some research. We love being on or near the water, but I was afraid that we would get bored staying in the AC for 9 days. Perhaps that's a bad assumption.

3-4 days is about my max for the AC itself, however if you choose to day trip to some of the other nearby sights (Pompei, Herculaneum, Naples, Capri, Ischia, Paestum), you definitely have enough options to fill your time. The thing is that staying on the AC itself isn't particularly convenient to daytripping. Sorrento is much more so.

I believe you could easily fill 9 days in the Amalfi coast area provided you spent some time in Naples, some time on an island (or even 2), some time on the actual Amalfi coast, and you could also venture a bit further south (great sandy beaches on the Cilento coast). Depends on what you like to do of course. Congrats!