I posted a question about trains earlier. this is a follow-up question. We will be spending our honeymoon in Rome and Venice in March (first half Rome, second half Venice). We will be traveling by train to Venice during the midpoint of our honeymoon. We have decided to buy two tickets so we can stop to sightsee for a few hours and have a relaxing meal. We both thought this would be a good way to stretch our legs and see something new.

Where would you stop? I think it should be somewhere that we can hop off of the train and be near some sights or things to do. We would like it to be somewhere scenic (perhaps more countryside than Rome or Venice?).

Thank you!

I would say Assisi.

I read your original thread, and there are lots of good suggestions already. But I think you still don't quite get the geography or train situation.

The fast and frequent Eurostar Italia takes only 4.5 hours between Venice and Rome. Because they're fast, they only make stops in the larger cities - Padova, Rovigo, Ferrar, Bologna and Florence. I don't think you can call any "countryside" for a 2 or 4 hour stop.

Now, if you want to see beautiful countryside or hilltowns, many Tuscany towns have been mentioned. Siena, Assisi, etc... but you'll need to switch trains enroute, and will add significant time to your journey.

If you want to keep travel time low, then you should stick with one of those stops. And since this is your first time in Italy, you should go to Florence. In fact, you should spent a night or two there if your itinerary permits.

Venice is very different from Florence, and Florence very different from Rome. Italy wasn't a unified country until the 1880s.

Hi ER,

It's only 4:30 hr from rome to Venice.

You can buy some sandwiches (panini) and a bottle of wine before you leave Rome and eat on the train.

Unlike airplanes, you are allowed to walk around on trains.

There are plenty of sights to see in Rome and Venice. Save the other cities for another visit.


PS, you can use the time on the train to write your trip report.

Thank you! We will be stopping in Florence. I appreciate your help.

A few years ago we took an overnight train from Rome to Venice. We booked a first class sleeper car. While I'm not much of a train sleeper (too much in my younger days, I guess) I thought this was very romantic. The attendant attends to your needs and brings coffee in the morning. We arrived in Venice at sunrise, just as the vendors were setting up for the day and it was a really special feeling to see the city waking up.
We had a full evening in Rome and caught the train at about midnight. Can't remember, but it couldn't have been a fast train because I think we arrived at about 6:00 a.m.

There's still a night train from Rome to Venice. It's from Naples to Udine. Leaves Rome Tiburtina 22:50, and arrives Venice 5:24am. It leaves at 6:01, so maybe one can get a few more minutes of sleep.

From Venice to Rome, it leaves Venice 00:04, arrives Rome Tiburtina 6:56.

Hi Emma, if it was me I would make the stop in Bologna, making sure the time there was the hours for lunch. The food in Bologna is wonderful and think you would enjoy walking along the shopping arcade. Check out Bologna and see what you think. Best wishes to both of you on your marriage and have a beautiful honeymoon in Italy!!