leaving soon for trip through Italy - advise please!
 

Hi, I'm travelling through Italy this September, and I'm a bit unsure about where to go to make the most of our time. I'm travelling with my boyfriend and his sister - we're all early 20's. We will be in the Alps to begin with, having travelled down from Prague. We should arrive in Italy on 5th Sept, and fly out on 23rd.

I've worked out a rough schedule:

The Lakes (Como)- 2 nights
Milan - 3 nights
Venice - 3 nights
Florence - 2 nights
Rome - 3 nights
Amalfi via Naples & Pompei - 4 nights
--> fly back to Vienna --> Sydney

I'm wondering if this is trying to cram too much in, and if I should cut one of the cities?

I'm also not sure about the best mode of travel. We had considered driving down from the alps and leaving car in Milan, to do the rest by train...I've also hear that sometimes it's just as cheap to fly between some cities.

Any advice people could offer would be fantastic!

Thanks.

If you fly from Prague, you'll miss everything in between. You seem to have plenty of time. I wouldn't fly between the cities in Italy. I would take the trains. Look up www.trenitalia.com The only change I would make is to stay two nights in Milan and add that to Florence. Otherwise it sounds great! Have fun!

You are travelling *this* September and you haven't booked accommodation yet ? Advise you to do it asap !

As for your schedule, I'd suggest that Milan only needs one night, unless yoju want to do a lot of shopping. The rest of your schedule gives you a taster of the main sights.

I'm not anti-Milan at all, but I would not spend three nights there. I would spend one, tops. There are two really fantastic art galleries to see, the Pinacoteca Brera and the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, if you are interested in art. The Last Supper is in Milan as well, you will need a reservation. The Duomo is magnificent, but it may be covered in scaffolding. There is also the La Scala, which is lovely and interesting to tour.

I would do one overnight if you want to see some of Milan, and add 2 nights to Rome or Florence.

Other than that it sounds like a great trip!

I agree with the others about Milan, skip it or only do one night. How are you getting from Prague to the Alps? And what exactly do you mean by that - Germany, Switzerland, or Italian Alps? I think you can do the Italian portion all by train, you don't want a car in the cities and you don't mention any time in small towns. That's the only place a car comes in handy.

So the main change I would make to your itineray is to skip Milan, adding the nights to Florence and then do one or two day trips to smaller towns in Tuscany like Siena and/or Lucca. And those can be done by train/bus so you don't need a car.

Should have mentioned, I think the Last Supper is generally booked up about 6 weeks in advance, although you can queue on the day in case of no-shows. Here's the website for booking : www.cenacolovinciano.org

I second what isabel said, but I would add a night or two to Rome. There's quite a bit to see and do there.

One thing you should know about early September around Como and Milan: the Monza Grand Prix puts huge pressure on accommodations for all of Grand Prix wek, and could well have a spillover effect to the following week, since it is such a prime time. All of the Lake Como destinations are VERY popular with the GP crowd. The GP is early this year - - Sunday, September 4 - - and for some properties, rooms will be much more available the very next day. But it may be tough for all of September. And popular attractions, like the Last Supper will surely have unusually bad waiting lists for the next couple of months. I would try reserving immediately for that.

You might even consider going to Venice BEFORE Como and Milan (i.e., reversing the order).

Best wishes,

Rex

Hi Flex,

Another vote here for limiting Milan to 1 night (if at all). Take your days and spend a couple nights along the Ligurian coast or in Tuscany/Umbria instead!

Buon viaggio!

Dear flexlex,

I would keep two days in Milan. There are many interesting things to see there. Check Fodor for Milan and you will see what I mean. I would add the extra day from Milan and a day from Venice for day trips from Florence, like Piza,Piza is a fun day trip or Siena, Umbria, or Assisi would work as well. Maybe you could fit in a vineyard tour on these day trips.
Anyway you look at it, your trip sounds great! You will love Amalfi, Naples, Pompei and hopefully Capri will be in there somewhere.

Have a great trip!

Give up a day in Venice to visit Pisa? I think not!

Thanks so much for all your replies. I'm definately going to cut a day of Milan & I think I will add it to Florence in order to do some travel in Tuscany. As for accommodation - we're doing that on the cheap i.e. mainly hostels - have made some reservations. Availability has not been a problem as yet.
Thanks again, and any other advice to be offered will be very welcome!