Hi. Wish I had found this sight earlier! My niece is getting married in Artimino, just north of Florence. We are flying into Rome and leaving out of Nice, Fr. 10 day trip. So far, our itinerary is: 2 nights in Rome, 1 night in Florence, 1 night in Artimino for wedding, back to Florence for 1 night. Train to Venice for 2 nights, train to Nice, drive to Provence for 3 nights. Avignon area. Should we purchase train tickets on the trenitalia sight, or purchase there? We could stay at the wedding location, but there is not a train station there, and everyone is leaving there soon after the wedding. We are looking into mini-buses to get to the wedding from Florence. Is anyone familiar with Artimino? Also, is anyone familiar with a B&B by the name of "Domain du Moulin"? It is near Saint Laurent des Arbres, which is 15 KM NW of Avignon. Is this location still convenient to the area? Thank you for any suggestions or advice!

Artimino is about a 30 minute drive from Florence. It is a pretty village with a great restaurant,Da Delfina, and a wonderful view of the neighboring villa of the Medicis. The mini bus idea is a good one as it can be difficult to get to Artimino without a car and I don't suppose you want to take the bus.

No, the bus would be difficult, with a group, and the train only goes half way, then a taxi. This is why we are trekking back to Florence, to be able to leave from there to Venice by train. Does this sound like the best idea? Also, is 3 hours about right for the drive from Nice to Avignon? How many stops should we expect along the way?

Congratulations on your niece's wedding. I think your itinerary needs some help. Is Artimino on a local train line or within reasonable driving distance from Florence? If so, I'd recommend that you stay there for the two nights, and daytrip to Florence for sightseeing. One night stays are a hassle-- too much travel time and unpacking.

Also, I'd recommend leaving Venice for another trip. It's totally out of your way if you're going to Provence and Nice. And it would make an incredibly long train ride. I'm guessing it's about 10-12 hours. I suppose you could fly between the two destinations if this routing is available on a low-cost carrier. For this, you'd need to check whichbudget.com, but frankly, for two days, I just don't think it makes a lot of sense time or moneywise.

A better itinerary might be going to Cinque Terre and/or Santa Margherita for a few days. Santa Margherita is only about a 40 minute drive from Genoa, which is where you can catch the train to Nice. The train ride takes about 3 hours.

Avignon is about a 3 hour drive from Nice, so this makes a really long travel day. Is there a reason that you need to be in Avignon? If not, you might want to consider just staying in Nice itself and doing daytrips by train or bus to the surrounding hill towns and cities. There's more than enough to do there for 3 days, and it would maximize your vacation time.

Good luck!

How many of you are going? If you'd like the name of the wonderful driver we used last summer in Florence and Chianti, let me know. He is very reasonable, and drives a mini-van. I'm sure other posters here have names to recommend, too. Might save you a lot of aggravation and time.

Weadles ~ Yes, I would love the name of the driver you used in Florence. There are 14 in the group, so will need 2 mini-buses. I agree, one night stays are a hassle, but we would like to see more of Florence...The train schedule says it is approx. 3 hrs. from Florence to Venice. This is also where my niece is going for their honeymoon. Avignon is not a necessity. We don't mind the driving, but I know it will take a lot of time. Still uncertain. Anyone heard of the area & B&B in my first post? Thanks for the suggestions Weadle! Will talk it over with hubby...

Oh, and I was told by the B&B that it is a 3 hr. drive from Nice to Avignon. Does this sound right?

The name of the wonderful guide/driver we used is Luca Garapa. He can be reached at Hillsandroads.com. He is based in Siena, but can do pick ups ( if he's available) in Florence, and other day trips as well. We really enjoyed his company for several trips into the Chianti countryside. I think at the very least he'll be able to organize transportation for your group.

Re: Avignon. Yes, I think that a 3-hour drive from Nice sounds about right, depending on traffic. Not sure why you want to go that far esp. after a VERY long train ride from Venice. From Nice you could easily see: Cannes, St. Paul de Vence ( medieval hill town), Monaco, Eze ( another beautiful medieval hill town) and St. Jean Cap. And you could do all of this without renting a car!

Anyway, good luck. Hope you have a great trip!

Hi! To Weadles ~ The tour guide you recommended was in fact booked, but he did reply quickly. Thank you so much for the contact. I believe my sister has found 2 drivers as we will need two mini-buses. I appreciate your offer, and will keep the name handy, in case!<p> At this time, it looks as though we will stay our last 3 nights is Nice and do day trips as you suggested. If we make it to Avignon, fine, but if not, that is ok too.

Sorry to hear that! You can also try Alex Cammili at [email protected]. He is another driver from the Florence area who is often highly recommended here on the forum. I was all set to book him for our August trip, but he was busy at the time.

Good luck, and hey! enjoy Nice. It is one of my favorite cities in the world. Can you tell?!