lewissh3

Hi All!

We are going to Italy April 29-May 9 next year and I'm trying to plan out our itinerary since we will be going (at least during the first weekend) during Italian holiday of Labour Day.
Here's what I have so far:
April 28
• Leave home – hoorah! 
April 29
• Arrive Rome (FCO) at 1:30 pm
• Pick up car and head for Rome. I’ve been researching this to find affordable cars. With discount codes I have Avis at $677 incl tax for 1000 km for an intermediate car (Alfa Romeo or similar). Good price or keep looking?
• Hotel in Rome - I have Hilton points that I might be able to use to stay at Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria near the Vatican. Has anyone stayed here or near here?
• Probably will rest up and get some dinner and that’s about it this (first) day due to jetlag, etc. Unless anyone has suggestions for something to do/see close to the hotel?
April 30
• Tour ancient Rome
May 1
• Tour Vatican
• Leave Rome in evening for Tuscany
• Stay overnight along the way– Somewhere between Rome and San Gimignano. Suggestions?
May 2 – 4
• May 2 – finish trip to San Gimignano, stops at Orvieto, maybe Viterbo, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Sienna, etc. along the way. Other suggestions?
• Stay overnight San Gimignano at Hotel Leon Bianco (we have this booked as of today but could change to Hotel L’Antico Pozzo or La Cisterna Hotel?). Has anyone stayed at the Leon Bianco??
• May 3-4 - Day trips to Volterra, Chianti Classico and surrounding areas. Other suggestions?
May 5
• Leave San Gimignano
• Spend day in Florence, perhaps stay overnight or stay somewhere between Florence and Venice. Does anyone have good suggestions for towns/villages to stay at mid-way point?
May 6 - 8
• In Venice
• Stay??? (still working on lodging in Venice proper that’s affordable, i.e. under 200 EUR per night)
May 9
• Can’t decide if we should ditch our car in Venice or get up very early in the morning and drive from Venice to Milan?
• Leave for home from Milan (MXP) at 10:30 am
We realize we’re trying to pack in quite a bit but we’ve never been to Italy and want to see as much as we can.

Any feedback/suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks so much!

bobthenavigator

Do not think about a car until Tuscany, and that should be after Florence.
Why Milan? Fly home from Venice.
Forget overnite to Venice--just drive there and drop car.
You would like La Cisterna better. Leon Bianco is my 4th choice in San G., but with day trips why stay in town at all?

Look at Hotel Messner in Venice for good value.

nygvic

Just initial suggestions. DO NOT pick up car at airport just to drive into Rome. Take public transportation.Pick up car in Rome on day you leave. Personally, I would take train from Rome to Florence. You can do San G by bus from Florence as can you do many of the towns in Tuscany.

Cavelierri Hilton is wonderful but not in Rome proper though they do have a shuttle. For 1 day only in Rome (not enough IMO), I would find hotel in town where you can better appreciate the flavor of the city as opposed to shuttling back and forth to hotel.

Again, Florence to Venice and even Venice / Milan I would do via train.

As for hotel in Venice, good luck with under 200 Euro per night. Venice is expensive city. Look on Venere.com for hotel choices. I have found them very good for pricing hotels.

lewissh3

We are trying to minimize costs by using frequent flier miles/hotel points which is why we have no other choice but to fly out of Milan. There is nothing using our points out of Venice unfortunately (which was our first choice). As far as using hotel points, again there are limited choices so that's why the Rome Cavalieri.

So...you really think I should not get a car until Tuscany or AT ALL? Is it really that easy to get to Volterra, Montalcino, etc from San Gimignano without a car?? And taking trains is convienent with lots of luggage/souvenirs, etc?

ellenem

I think the idea was to go from Rome to Florence by train, do your Florence visit, THEN get the car and do your Tuscany touring.

nygvic

I have been to Italy 8 times since 1998. Other than my first time when I rented a car in Rome(which in retrospect was a mistake) I have always used trains / buses.

The question of luggage is an issue even with a car as you dont have trunk space in european vehicles like USA cars. You need to learn how to pack judiciously (you never wear everything you put in a suitcase for a trip) and that will save you some wear and tear. But train / bus travel with luggage isnt as hard as it seems. Lots of people do it.

Big_Red

This looks like a car/driving itinerary (correct me if I am out of line). If you have a specific/special interest in driving (especially Tuscany), then the Michelin and Touring Club Italia guidebooks might provide you with some good suggestions on towns, villages etc. The Touring Club Italia books have dozens of one-day drives all through Tuscany.

I second Bob's recommendation for the Hotel Messner. I don't know what type/no of stars you want from a Venice hotel but you might research Hotel ca D'or (max euro 105 per night). The is also Pensione La Calcina (on the zattere in Dossoduro).
We stayed at the Bernardi - nothing great, no elevator but well located and around euro75 per night per room.

zeppole

I see no reason you shouldn't rent a car to go to Tuscany, but don't rent it to see Roma. It's up to you if you want to go to San Gimignano straight from Roma. If you'd rather see Firenze (Florence) first, you'll have a shorter drive from there to San Gimignano. But if you hate, hate, hate dragging luggage through train stations, get a car in Roma. Just be prepared for Roman traffic as you exit Rome -- and there is nothing anybody can say to prepare you for it. It's one of a kind!

Otherwise, it's highly enjoyable to drive in rural Italy. More fun than parking, that's for sure.

Jean

Another recommendation for La Calcina in Venice.

http://www.lacalcina.com/

lewissh3

My husband has his heart set on driving in Tuscany and Umbria and hitting the wineries along the way so we're going to still get the car in Rome most likely...but maybe at the end of our stay in Rome. Thanks for tips!

Does anyone have any suggestions of where to stay in Orvieto area?

zeppole

Why not at a winery? Orvieto is a famous wine town, and I think some of the agriturismos in the vicinity make their own wine and serve it their meals.

I think this is one such place, but you might be able to track down others.

http://www.borgosanfelice.com/eng/index.php

HOWEVER, if you are going to Orvieto, why not pick up the car in Orvieto? That's what most people do. It's only an hour by train to Orvieto.

zeppole

Ooooops! Wrong link. San Felice is in Toscana.

Here's the place in Orvieto

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...to_Umbria.html

zoecat

Pick up the car in Orvieto. To find a car-

autoeurope.com
Kemwel.com

Be sure to check the deductables, not just the price.

Turn in the car at the next city you visit (Florence or Venice) and take the train for the rest of your trip.

kybourbon

I would visit Rome (no car), train to Orvieto and spend the night on the way to San G. Tour Orvieto and pick up the car the next morning. Drive to Montepulciano/Pienza/Montalcino (you won't have time for all of them) on your way to San G.

I would daytrip to Florence from San G by bus (runs often) or you will need to figure out parking that won't get you ticketed for driving in zones you aren't allowed. Either return your car in Florence and train to Venice or drive to Venice.

Look at Auto Europe for car rentals.
http://www.autoeurope.com/

lewissh3

Hi All...
Thanks again for the helpful suggestions! The problem with picking up a car in Orvieto is that it's Sunday and most rental offices are closed. So we'll probably just get it at our hotel in Rome and use it until Venice.

annhig

hi lewis,

i know that coming from the US [I assume] it's difficult to think of life in a city like Rome being easier without a car. but as you have never been to Italy before, trust us, it is.

a few tweeks to your itinerary would mean that you could follow the above advice and not pick it up til you leave Florence:

April 29 - April 30 [two nights] stay Rome.

May 1 - train to orvieto or assissi - stay one night.

May 2 -train to Florence. stay 2 nights.

May 4 - pick up car and drive to San gim [or wherever]
stay 2 nights.

May 6 return car to Pisa. train to Venice.
May 6 - 8 In Venice

May 9 early train to Milan
• Leave for home from Milan (MXP) at 10:30 am

However, writing it down like this demonstrates that you are trying to pack too much into your trip - you only have 10 nights and want to stop in 5 different places. remember, everytime you move, you lose at least half a day.

unless you think that you'll never come back to Italy, as you are flying into Rome and out of Milan it makes no sense to go to Venice. if you jettison Venice, you can have another night in Rome, and things start to fall into place:

April 29-May 1 [3 nights] Rome.

May 1st - train to Orvieto - stay 1 night.

May 2nd - collect car [you have now avoided problems with car hire office on sunday and also potential problems on May 1st] - drive to San gim. stay 6 nights. [yes really - or split your time between there and another tuscan town like Siena] use it as base for trips - just as you can get the bus from Florence to san gim for a day, you can get the bus from san gim to Florence!

May 8th - return car to Pisa/nearest convenient railway station for direct train to Milan. Stay milan one night.

May 9 - go home.

you could vary this by spending the first 3 nights in Tuscany in Florence, then picking up your car before driving to San gim.

have a great trip,

regards, ann

zeppole

annhg,

I'm going by the poster's previous statements of wanting to use a car so as not to miss a lot of wineries as they move north.

I also try to discourage people from driving out of Rome. However, they are picking up the car on a Sunday, and that will help somewhat.

Were it me, I would probably train to orvieto and use a taxi to get me to my hotel, and then pick up the car the next morning (monday) using another taxi to get there. It might even be cheaper, even with two train tickets, that picking up a car in Rome and paying for entire day's use just to get to Orvieto. And I would want to go to Orvieto, for its art as much as its wine and food, and vice versa.

zeppole

PS: If I was picking up a car in Rome and was into wine, I'd drive it straight to Montefiascone on Lago Bolsena in Lazio, home of EST! EST! EST! -- my favorite Italian white, hands down. It's also got fantastic views from Elba to Monte Sibillini and a lovely church. Not a lot of hotels, although the one in the middle of town (Urbano V? I forget) is just fine, and no doubt there are lots of fine agriturismi and country inns nearby.


http://www.bedandbreakfast-lazio.com/montefiascone/

annhig

zeppole i agree with you.

but the monday is May 1st, I think, so picking up that day may be problematical too.

I just can't see the point of flying into Rome, and only staying 2 nights. if they stay 3, then one in Orvieto and then pick up the car, they will be able to see plenty of wineries and buy their wares too.

I'm not sure how they are going to get them home, though.

zeppole

Oh.

As for how long they spend in rome, up to them is what makes sense to me.