ellenem

I think changing hotels fewer times can make a trip seem less rushed, even when you are busy each day with activities. Plus you can choose to skip a day trip if you need more relaxation time.

You might enjoy my recent trip report for the variety of less typical things to do when visiting Venice and Florence—I spent 8 nights in both places.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

Michael

If staying in Bologna, try the B&B Miramonte.

From Florence it is an easy train ride to Lucca and Pistoia, the latter has a very nice central piazza.

lynsu

Thanks so much! We made a quick stop in Lucca on our last trip and only had time for lunch! Which do you prefer- Lucca or Pistoia? Is one an easier trip than the other? Do any of these train trips (Venice to Florence, Florence to Lucca, Pistoia or Fiesole) require advance reservations? Can you purchase them before leaving or just before boarding?

ellenem

For Venice to Florence, tickets on the faster trains come with a reserved seat, but purchasing ahead is not necessary unless you want to get a discounted seat. Purchase the same day or a day before if you must take a specific train.

Florence to Lucca or Pistoia would probably be on a slower train that has no reserved seats nor discounts, so no need to purchase ahead.

Fiesole is reached by local city bus (#7) from the center of Florence.

mvor

Michael, your Bologna/Ravenna photos are fantastic; thanks for sharing. I'm planning a tentative week in Bologna in October and have become enchanted with the city and your photos really bring the city to life for me. I can't wait to share them w/my husband.

lynsu, Venice is magical, the art in Florence is incredible and you've already fallen in love so it sounds like a terrific trip! Rome is my favourite city but logistically I think it makes more sense for you to stay in the north. Enjoy bella Italia!

Mimar

Daytrips/excursions from Venice: By boat: the other islands in the lagoon, Murano, Torcello, especially Burano, also the Lido. By train: Padua, Vicenza, Verona (which could also be done en route to Florence; there's baggage storage at the Porta Nova station)

Daytrips/excursions from Florence: Fiesole (by local bus); Pisa; Lucca; Pistoia; Prato; Siena (by bus); Arezzo

You need to research these destinations to see what you'd like. And, given that the weather might not be perfect in early April, maybe decide in the morning according to the weather.

Have you bought you air tickets yet? If not (or if you can change them for not too much money), fly into Venice and out of Pisa or Florence. Pisa airport is an easy train ride from Florence, and has more international flights than the small Florence airport.

Michael

Pistoia is closer to Florence, and they are on the same line. Aside from Lucca's oval piazza, I preferred the look of Pistoia. It is not surrounded by a wall, but don't imagine Lucca's wall to be something like Carcassonne or Rothenburg. It functions mainly in keeping Lucca's core intact and is not particularly picturesque.

zeppole

lynsu,

It all depends on how you feel about day trips using the Italian rail system, and what you mean by a "relaxing" vacation.

If you like to be able to sleep until 8 am and then have an unrushed breakfast, and you aren't staying right on top of the train station, daytripping can become problematic in Italy using the trains (or even a car).

In many places in Italy, shops and historic attractions often shut by 12:30pm and don't re-open until 3:30 pm or later. The smaller regional trains often are delayed.

What that means in practice for many travelers trying to relax and not be rushed is that they arrive in a town with only an hour or so opening time left to them. They stay for lunch, but even the longest most leisurely Italian lunch doesn't last from 1pm to 3:30. Some people get tired of kicking around a small town with everything shut, and want to get back before dinner so they end up seeing very little for their effort.

One way to solve the problem to go to the town AFTER lunch. It works very well, I think, for a small town like Pistoia or even Lucca. If you arrive by 4pm, you have plenty of time to enjoy the sights plus experience the evening passeggiata. Eat a big lunch and book lodgings with a kitchen so you can snack when you get home.

There are travelers now who are almost religiously committed to "bases" as a form of travel, wherever they go, and insist they never find it a problem in Italy. But people who are not early risers, who like lingering over morning coffee, who pick daytrips more than an hour from their "base" sometimes end up seeing only a fraction of what they came to see.

Venice and Florence are such intensely rich places you can easily spend weeks in each without going beyond. But if you are thinking of using either town as a "base" for exploring further, what kind of personality you have and your morning habits have a lot to do with whether that is a relaxing strategy for you, not looking at distances on a map.

By the way, I have never found it difficult to switch hotels, but that may be a quirk of mine. I let the amount of time I spend in one town be governed by what I want to do in that town. Then I move to the next town where I want to do something.

zeppole

PS: I just wanted to add that many, many people would vehemently disagree with Michael's perception that Lucca's walls are not "picturesque". They are widely regarded to be beautiful, with a fabulous patina of age.

caroltis

Personally I would spend 4 full days in Venice and the rest in Florence, renting a car and driving through Tuscany (Siena, Montepulciano, Pienza). Perhaps taking an overnight bag and spending the night in one of those places.