Need advice
 

First trip to Italy and want to see as much as possible - have lots of energy! Our "working plan" is to arrive Venice 6/21 and leave in the evening of 6/23 to go to Florence. We will leave there in the evening of 6/25 to go to Cinque Terre and then plan to leave there the evening of 6/26 or 6/27 to go to Rome for either 3 or 4 nights (depending on time spend in other locales). Is this just WAY too ambitious? Our goal is to see as much as possible so we can decide where to return to in the future.

Is there any question that doesn't fall under "Need advice"?<BR><BR>Or go visit the library where every book is titled "contains information".<BR>

Is there really space in this forum for such sarcasm? I think your trip sounds like fun!

Rhonda, That is a bit hurried but doable. Do you have your air yet--start there. Do not get your car until you leave Florence and take it to the CT and then down thru Tuscany and drop it it Orvieto and then train into Rome. Your potential problem will be the open jaw flight itinerary in June.It may cost you. Good luck !

Rhonda,<BR><BR> It is doable, but why wear yourselves out! We have been to Italy 3 times and you are right about wanting to return to certain places, but this is a heckava lot of driving. When you arrive in Venice, you will be tired from your flight. Personally, three days in Venice would give you time to relax and thoroughly enjoy the City. Then I would decide between Florence and Cinque Terre. If you are the museum/history type, then Florence, for outside beauty and water, Cinque Terre. Your will need a minimum of two full days for Florence, preferably three. Then catch the train to Rome, You need two days for the Vatican and two days for the rest of Rome. As you see, this trip is nine days and you won't feel you were too rushed. Save Cinque Terre or Florence (whichever you don't visit on this trip) for your next trip.<BR><BR><BR>Roger

If you look at a tour package, they hit all those spots with no trouble. On your own, you have to do everything yourself, and it takes a lot more time and energy than you think (Find transportation from the airport or train station, check into the hotel, find the sites you want to visit, find a restaurant, find the train station. If you're driving, finding your way, finding a parking space, finding a gas station....). All those things are done by the tour company, so you have more sightseeing time.<BR><BR>It isn't so much the energy that's required, it's the time. Yes, you can do the trip on your own, but you won't see as much as you'd like, and you might feel disappointed. If you're prepared to do that, then, by all means, go for it!

Rhonda,<BR><BR>We did the Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Cinque Terre, back to Rome route in '99. We are youngish and very energetic but we had 14 days. We loved it, saw a lot and really enjoyed the driving time. It sounds like you are not planning it all out in advance. We called ahead from place to place for reservations. That is good because if you get really tired you can rest up (we did in Monterossa - total heaven). Our trip was in late May = you may have a bit more trouble finding accomodations in late June. I say if you are prepared to be flexible and stay in less than stellar hotels, go for it. We always have the most fun when we wing it but I know that isn't for everyone. Hope you have a great time!<BR>Audrey

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Rhonda, Elvira offers great insight. A traveler never realizes how much time picking and moving really takes let alone the inevitable "getting turned around" scenarios on first visits. <BR><BR>Since, as you mentioned, you know/hope that you'll return to Italy someday, I would do Florence, CT, and Venice in your alloted vacation time (11 nights?). Maybe, if you want another stop, add in Lake Como. This also simplifies transportation, as you can just use trains. Then, on your return trip, you can chosee from a southern Italy itinerary ... Rome, Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, Orvieto, etc.

One of the great pleasures of Italy is relaxing at an outdoor cafe in a piazza watching the world go by, regardless of how energetically you generally are. Don't forget to leave some time for this essential activity! Also, you may encounter something along the way you really want to see or do. Too tight a schedule can become a burden, and you cheat yourself if a lot of your time is spent in transit. I'd vote for dropping CT or Florence, too. But, have fun whatever you decide to do.

Hi<BR>everyone has a different travel style, but there's such a thing as editing your plans in advance so that the sights don't become all one blur and so that your lasting memory is how much time you spent driving or on trains, and packing/unpacking.<BR>Rome itself can be overwhelming, 4 days is certainly a minimum; imo, 4 weeks would not be too long. You might want to construct a triangle of Venice, CQ and Florence, or Rome, Venice and Florence.