I know it's early but I am attempting to put together a trip to Italy for New Years for a small group. This is the first time to Italy for most of us. We are thinking of leaving the US on Dec 26th, which would put us in Italy on the 27th and come back to the US on Jan 2nd or 3rd. I know that you can spend an entire week in Rome and not see everything. But we want to see two or three cities while there. Any advice on the best city to bring in New Years? If we end up in Rome for that night where should we start our vacation?

Tickets on the 25 to FCO are usually cheaper than other dates. Returns on the 4th or later are also usually less expensive. Use Kayak.com to find some good fares, we got ours for $644 RT from Orlando. Going price is now about $750-$900.

We spent last Christmas in Rome and it didn't take much to get us to return for this year.

Rome is great for New Years. While you could do 3 cities in a week, you are going to spend more time traveling and less time seeing.

This time we are renting an apartment, less expensive than hotels and more convenient.

Here is a thought, use Rome as a base. Rent a car for 2 days. Day 1 drive from Rome to Paestum, leave by 9 am you are there by early afternoon. Paestum contains what are arguably the most pristine Greek temples in the world. Spend the night at Casale Giancesare, a fantastic B&B, in Paestum. Next morning drive up to Pompei, spend half-day there. Get there in the morning and you'll miss the noon time tourist buses. In the afternoon, drive back to Rome, you'll get in early evening.

Use this link, I've put together 3 MP3 itineraries for Rome, they are free. This gives you many of the main sights in 3 days.

http://www.5dayguides.com/trips/rome/RomeMP3files.htm

So, if you left on the 26th and returned the 3rd, you'd have 7 days and nights for the trip. 2 days/ 1 night in Paestum-Pompei, 3 days with the itineraries. You still have 2 days and 2 nights.

You could do the Vatican one day and just futz around the next. Or you could go to Ostia Antica and skip Pompei (it is much prettier and is only a 1/2 hr train ride from Rome central).

New Years Eve -- Piazza del Popolo.

dave

Thanks Dave - definitely thought about renting an apartment in Rome for a week. Just didn't know if it was smart to start off in say Venice or Milan, spend a couple of days in each, and then work our way down to Rome for New Years and the duration.

Yes, you definately could. Spend a couple of days in Venice, take the train to Rome for the end. I just wouldn't do 3 cities in a week.

dave

Dave - the link does not seem to me working. Pity was interested in downloading - am always interested in collecting MP3 travel files

OOPS, sorry about that. I had moved the files and forgot to change the links on the page. It is fixed now.

Each zip file is about 20 meg in size, holding around 25 mp3 per zip.

dave

Warning: Avoid Florence on New Year's Eve. I was there with my family on Dec. 31, 2003. That evening, around 5, the city began to fill up with young Italians from the surrounding area, each one with enough firecrackers and M-80s to re-enact Gettysburg. Walking that evening with our daughters after 11 pm was loud, bone-rattling and harrowing. Not fun, not celebratory. I actually watched as a father took the lid off a trash can so his young son could drop a firecracker inside. At midnight, the fireworks over the Duomo were understated and would've been sweet had we not returned to the safety of our hotel. New Year's Day, however, was glorious. Like the tide, the revelers receded and Florence became a beautiful city again.

Many thanks Dave - am downloading and listening as I post this.