I've already asked one of my questions in another post, but I thought I'd go ahead and start a more general conversation and ask for everyone's help planning a trip to Italy. I've got plenty of time to plan, chances are I'm looking at a couple of years before I leave (the trip is a graduation reward from my parents for keeping my scholarship through my undergraduate years). So, if I may, I'd like to offer for your advice and review the very beginnings of my plans:

I'm planning on taking a Monograms tour through Globus, as this will be my first unescorted trip overseas. I understand, from reading through here, that most of the posters are against tours, but I thought it offered a nice balance of managing transportation and getting through the more crowded tours (like the Sistine Museums), without micro-managing my time. Based on this tour-

I'd fly into Naples and immediately go to Sorrento. I imagine I won't have much time the day I get there, so I'm not going to actually plan that day, and if I happen to end up with free time just acquaint myself with the city. I then have two full days in Sorrento. I'd like to go out to Pompeii, and my questions with that trip are 1)Would it smarter to go by myself or take a tour out? ; 2) How long should I expect to spend out at Pompeii? ; and 3) About how much will it cost?
I've read that the archeology museum in Naples is as interesting as the ruins at Pompeii, do most of you agree with that? If I visit Naples, I'm assuming that I'd use a full day there, and perhaps return to Sorrento for dinner. I appreciate any information on other things to see and do, but I realize that my schedule is already tight, so I'm trying to make sure I enjoy everything and am not constantly checking my watch to make sure I'm 'on schedule'.

After Sorrento, I'd travel to Rome. On any of the days that I'm traveling between cities, I'm reserving the time to just amble around, so if I miss a train or the tour people mess up, I won't have any plans ruined and I can just enjoy the atmosphere instead. The next morning the tour visits Saint Peter's Square, the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. This seems like alot to me, so has anyone taken this tour and can you tell me how long they spend at each place? (Mostly, would it be smarter to get my own tickets and come back if I actually expect to absorb anything?) After that morning I have the rest of the day and the next day to spend in Rome, so I'd like to just hit some of the highlights and reserve a thorough exploration for some later visit. What do you consider the best attractions in Rome? Can anyone warn me off any tourist traps that were a disappointment?

From Rome the tour goes to Florence, which is actually where one of biggest concerns is. The morning tour hits "the Academy of Fine Arts, the cathedral, and Signoria Square", but I'm almost certain that I'll have to return on my own to the Academy if I want to see anything besides David. There seem to be alot of recommendations for day trips to Siena and Pisa, but as I'll only have the day I travel in, two days, and then the day I travel out, would a day trip be worth it or just make me miss out on Florence?

The last stop on the tour is Venice. The day after we arrive the tour says we "visit St. Mark’s Square and Basilica, Doges’ Palace and the Bridge of Sighs; glassblowers’ demonstration". I'm thinking about skipping the glassblowers' demo, I have a feeling it will be a sales pitch and I've seen it done before, but I'm not sure either way yet. My questions for Venice: 1) Is it worth the price to be able to say you took a gondola ride?; 2) I understand most people get lost in Venice. Since I'm young and I'll most likely be alone, I feel I have to ask: was anyone ever scared in Venice, or did you just wander around a bit and then find your way back?; 3)Are trips to the islands worth the time away from Venice? and 4) What all do you recommend in Venice?

The tour gives us two days in Venice and then the third day a flight out, but, as I've alreaady posted elsewhere, I'm thinking about adding a day, maybe two, to see at least Milan. I mentioned Verona as another possible stop, one reply mentioned another city to see, but again, I'll already be rushed, I don't want to go too crazy on overbooking myself. The plan I'm bouncing around looks something like this: leave Venice in the morning, take train to Milan, spend the day to see the Duomo, the Galleria, and window shop, spend the night, and catch the latest possible flight back to the US the next day.

I appreciate any of your comments, especially advice on how to get around, what I should see and what I should avoid, and especially places to get good food. I'd rather avoid any place too nice for eating, since I'll have to carry luggage for two weeks, I dress reasonably nicely but my clothes may end up wrinkled by day four or five. Also, cost is an issue since I'd like to use my money on more permanent things. Also, just a note, I am working on learning at least some of the basic Italian, so hopefully I can avoid getting too lost.

Thank you so much to those of you who have read throught this whole thing, and thanks in advance for your advice!

Becca,

It looks like you are really doing your homework. The think I dislike about the big bus tours is that you are lumped in with a bunch of other people just like you and youget very little opportunity to explore anything off the beaten path.

It sounds like you are on the younger side so if you are set on a group tour you may want to expore companies like Kontiki (sp) that cater to a younger crowd. You will have a lot more similar interests.

I'll take a shot at some of the questions. I'm sure others will fill in (and, in some instances, disagree).

If you're more comfortable with a tour, go with the tour. End of discussion.

ROME
That day in Rome visiting 5 sites does seem a little crowded, but you'll really be visiting 2 sites, since 3 venues are in one area, and the other 2 venues are in another area. In fact, you have to walk thru the Vatican Museum to get to the Sistine Chapel. So I think that day looks a little packed, but it's do-able.

FLORENCE
If, as I understand, you have only 2 days in Florence, don't bother with day trips to Siena or Pisa. They truly will be day trips -- taking all day -- and there's lots to see in Florence, certainly enough to cover 2 days.

VENICE
I'm with you on skipping the glass-blowing in Venice. Unless you're interested in buying Murano glass, you can see the same thing at a demonstration in the US. I wouldn't worry about getting lost in Venice, especially in the day time but even nighttime is OK. Venice is very small, and you'll see tourists ambling around everywhere. One problem I found in Venice is that it seems to have more tourist-trap restaurants than just about any other place. In general, avoid the places that offer "tourist specials" and seek out-of-the way cafes.

Thanks for the quick responses! AisleSeat, I'll definitely look into that company.I had thought about trying to go with a 'younger' tour company, but what I liked about the Monograms plan was that I'll only be with the tour group for three mornings, and I'll have the rest of the time for my own.

j, I'm glad you agree with me on the glass-blowing. I just don't see any point in the stress of trying to bring home Murano glass (I doubt it would be safe on my person, I'm not particularly graceful). Also, I'm glad to hear you back me up on the day trip idea, my parents are pushing the idea of me seeing more places, but I'd hate to miss the city I'm actually staying in trying to run around and see everything else : ).

Becca,

you are being quite smart about your planning, and your desire not to overbook yourself. The morning tours you describe sound fine to me because each gives you a little overview and then you have a couple of days to fill in with things that interest you. And to just hang out in a piazza with a coffee, watching people.

The Florence tour shows you very little, though. And the central city is so compact that you will have no trouble getting to other things like the uffizi, the Pitti Palace, and the Bargello, which many people miss. It has some of the loveliest sculpture I have ever seen -- especially the Donatellos. I agree you should not try for day trips from Florence this time. Believe me, you WILL go back, after you have been there once!!

If possible, try to take your trip in spring or fall. It's not as hot (July and August are beastly) and crowded (last time we were in Florence in June, we could hardly get across the Ponte Vecchio!) August is the worst, because in addition to all of the other tourists, half of Italy and Germany and Switzerland seem to be in Italy on summer vacation then.

Since you have lots of time before you go, learn some Italian!! People there will love it if you can say a little to them in their language. And you will feel more confident when you wander around on your own.

Charnee

becca - if you want a tour you could also look at Intrepid. I haven't traveled with them in Europe, but I've used them for Asia, and they travel with small groups (12 max) using local transport and guesthouse-type places to stay.

Don't worry about your safety in Venice! Do worry about pickpockets in Rome and Naples - wear a money belt. If this is your first trip and you haven't read Rick Steves' "Europe Through the Back Door", you might find it helpful for budget travel tips.

Take enough clothes for two or three days and plan to hand-wash and drip-dry them. (See my packing list at www.wilhelmswords.com/faq).

If you only have two days in Venice I'd skip the islands for this trip - if you go to both Murano and Burano (which I preferred) it takes most of a whole day, and there is so much to see in Venice itself....

Well first, congratulations for "keeping your scholarship through your undergraduate years". But since this forum if for opinions, I'm going to give you mine.

If you are (will be) a college graduate, with good grades at that, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to manage a trip to Italy without a tour if you want to. And a few things confuse me about this tour. You say you want it for the ease of transportation. But then you mention trains ("if I miss a train&quot. So if you are doing all or part of it via train why do you need a tour? Tours seem useful for a trip where you want to travel to many different locations in a short period of time, so having someone drive a bus and you can relax between sights is useful to some people. And to see a lot of different destinations in a short period of time. But if you are only going to 4 destinatins, all within Italy it seems rather pointless to be on a tour for that. Trains in Italy are incredibly easy even for someone who speaks absolutely no Italian and has never been to Europe (a comment in your post indicates you have been). So from the transportation aspect I can't see any reason for a tour in your case.

Second, you say you want a tour for ease of getting through some sights, yet you say in some cases that you'll go back again on your own, or skip some aspects, and are concerned that some days are too rushed. Exactly the reason NOT to take a tour. None of the things you have mentioned are anything in which a tour will be beneficial - just the opposite in fact.

I know a tour (and certain day tours within an independent trip) can be very useful in a lot of cases. But for a young college grad wanting to spend a couple of weeks seeing the main cities of Italy. No Way. You don't need a car (or tour bus) to get to any of the places you mention. That's one of the major benefits of a tour, when someone wants to get to out of the way places not easily accessed by public transportation but doesn't want to rent a car. But your tour only does major cities.

The other major benefit of a tour is for people who can't or don't want to do much planning on their own. You are asking questions about specific days on a trip that won't even happen for two years! Talk about advance planning. You obviously don't need someone else to plan for you.

And the last reason some people opt for a tour is they are are afraid of being lonely, want to be with "like" people. Most tours will be full of people your grandparents age. And look carefully at the "younger" tours, I've heard some stories about them that may not be to everyone's liking (that's just hearsay though).

So my advice - spend the next year or so planning a perfect trip to Italy. What would you love to see? Look at photos in books and on the web, read people's trip reports, read all the guide books (most available online, definitly Fodors and Fromemrs and RoughGuide). Then if you still think a tour is the way to go, go ahead. But I bet you won't.

Right after I posted the above I saw this trip report, there are tons like this on this forum. This one might answer some of your questions and give you ideas. http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35096552

Hi B,

You are planning so much time NOT being with the tour group, why bother?

Planning your tour is a piece of cake.

I would fly into Venice and fly out of either Rome (if I skip the AC) or Naples (if I do the AC).

Also, with such a short time, I would visit Venice, Florence and either Rome or the AC.

Getting between cities is not a major problem. See www.trenitalia.com/en/index.html
for train schedules and prices?

See www.venere.com for hotels.

See www.kayak.com, and www.1800flyeurope.com for airfare.

Plan it yourself, and see how much you save over the tour.

If you fly into NAP, there is bus service to Sorrento. See www.marozzivt.it/

The bus Ira meant was the Curreri (Marozzi travels Rome/Sorrento.
http://www.curreriviaggi.it/

The web site for Pompeii -
www.pompeiisites.org

The Accademia in Florence is a very small museum and you can easily see all of it in an hour (unless you spend all your time with David).
http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/musei/

Contiki has a party tour reputation so I'm not sure that's the type of tour you would want, but there are other companies (Trafalgar) that have restricted age tours and less partying.
www.contiki.com
http://www.trafalgartours.com/USA/De...tain/Breakaway

Hi KY,

Thank you for the correction.

Wow, thank you all for all the help, I'm still looking through alot of the links you provided, but I thought I'd reply to some of the comments about the tours first just to clear up (or maybe further muddy, who knows) the whole thing.

My parents are both a little more senior than the average for a a college student, and they are both VERY pro-tour. My thought with the Monograms tour was that it said "tour", to ease my dad's mind, but also only actually structured three of my mornings. Alot of these posts have responded that the mornings that I thought would be overly rushed won't actually be, which is reassurring. Basically, what I'm doing at this point is planning two iteneraries, one with the tour as a base and the other as I would do it if I don't take the tour, and see if I can ease my dad into accepting my going on my own. He and I just have very, very different feelings about travel, one of the most important being that it causes him alot of stress, whereas I'm a little more able to roll with the punches (although this is probably thanks to him and the fact that he's had me traveling since before I could walk). Also, he REALLY doesn't like big cities, (he still doesn't understand my deep love for New York and London, never wants to go to the first and never wants to go back to the second). Basically, the Monograms tour is a compromise-it's a tour that I think I could genuinely enjoy, since it's not much of a tour, but it reassures him (financier of my trip and also just dad-who-I-don't-want-to-keep-awake-nights-for-two-weeks).

I've looked through the links to younger tours, and I appreciate the information, but so far they look too structured for my taste. I'll keep looking every once and awhile and see if they post new iteneraries between now and when I'll actually need to start booking.

Charnee, thanks for all the great advice, especially the Bargello tip and the tips about the weather. I'm afraid I might have to go sometime in the summer, if I managed late May might I miss some of the crowds, or would it be better to just try my hardest to go another time? Although I'll have my undergraduate degree, I'm going all the way through for my doctorate, so I'll still be in school, and I'll also probably be working as either just a TA or at a community college, so I'm worried about ever finding a time during the school year to go, any advice appreciated!

isable, thank you for the trip link, and for all the advice on how to plan a trip! As I mentioned, I think I'm going to go ahead and plan both ways, I have a year to bring my dad around or to decide that I'd really rather do the tour, either way. (I've also thought about planning on my own and then bringing my mom, which would ironically reassure my dad. I say ironically because she has less than no sense of direction and has no confidence anywhere that is foreign to her at all. I know she would enjoy it if I handled all the details, and would gladly jog along where ever I wanted to go, but she's sixty now and I worry about my pace combined with the crowds wearing her out, so we'll see...)

thursday, thanks for the reassurance about Venice, and for the packing list, plus the tips about the islands. I'll admit, being me I may have to pack for more than three days, but I PROMISE I'm planning to pack light with interchangeables (and lots of easy-to-wash undershirts). If it can't fit in my one, medium suitcase, it's not going.

Ira and KY, thanks for all the links, like I said, I'm still sorting through alot of them, but I think I have to agree tha Contiki is not going to be the kind of thing I had in mind.

Thanks for all the input so far!

Becca - I think the idea of your mom going with you is a great one. I'm younger than your mom but I've traveled with my college age daughter and we both love it. She's one of my favorite traveling companions. Obviously I don't know your mom's physical condition, but my teenage kids have trouble keeping up with me so age isn't always the main ingredient in how much you can do in a day. Also, whenever I travel with anyone, I scheudle "breaks" from each other - just a few hours here and there but it lets the one who wants to do more (in my case usually me) get to do things and the other person can chill out at the hotel, in a park, at a museum, etc. So if you are worried about your mom keeping up you could consider that. Just things to think about. Our very first trip to Europe (in 2000) came about because I saw the price for a group tour (high school) that my daughter wanted to go on, and said, I can go with you for less than that. So we did. We both caught the travel bug and now I've been going to Europe twice a year ever since, and she's gone with me on many trips plus did study abroad in both Paris and then the next year in London. Have a great time planning.

Late May to Early June would be OK for your trip. We are going May 14 - June 4 in 2008. there will be some warm days, but not the really hot days that come later.

Charnee