Andrea

hi,<BR>i'm traveling to italy the last week of september. i've only got a week to spend and am flying in and out of rome. i figure 3 days in rome is a good taste, but am stumped as to what to do with the other days. i want to pick one other city/locale. any opinions on relative merits of tuscany, florence, amalfi, venice, etc. for 3-4 days?<BR>thanks!

Sant

Depends. I really loved Florence: the people, the food, and the Uffizi gallery is one of the world's greatest galleries. But after 3 days of Italian art and sculpture in Rome you might be in the mood for something different. If that's the case, the Amalfi coast may offer more variety.

Leslie

Andrea - it depends alot on what your interests are. It sounds like you are traveling solo? If, so, then you probably don't want to rent a car (no navigator) which is pretty much required for alot of the small towns of Tuscany.<BR><BR>Orvieto is a great town. Many people make this a day trip or an overnight from Rome by train. No car required. Florence is Renainssance art and Piazza's so if these interest you then Florence is an easy train ride from Rome. If you have 4 days, then you could easily take a day trip via bus to Siena which is another highly touted town. There are also day trips to San Gimignano or Pisa or Lucca, and September might even offer some specialized grape harvest day trips.<BR><BR>Venice is very special but I feel 4 days there on your own would possibly be a bit much unless, again, you really want to visit all their art museums. The problem with Venice is that you'd kill so much time on the train going there and back.<BR><BR>I don't know Amalfi, so others will have to comment, but this general direction affords the opportunity to see Pompeii and Herculaneum if you're into ancient ruins. I've heard these are fascinating. Some people feel you can see a bit of the Amalfi coast without a car...still others take bus tours to see alot more than using local public transit.<BR><BR>Have fun planning.

Leslie

I'm sorry I didn't make clear. The bus trip to Siena or San G.,etc. would be out of Florence, basing yourself in Florence. Not from Rome.

Lisa

If you are going to be in Rome for only a week you may want to spend most of your time there and then take one or two day trips or one overnight trip. <BR>You can take a bus from Rome to Siena in a couple of hours. I would recommend one day and then an overnight stay in Siena because all of the bus tours clear out in the evening. You will find Siena (especially in the evening) to be a relaxing break from the hustle and bustle of Rome. I highly recommend the Osteria Tamburino for an excellent and reasonably priced dinner. You can find information on the restaurant in the Rick Steeves Italy guide.<BR><BR>Another option is to take the train from Rome to Naples (2 hours) and then take the local train (Circumvesuviana) to the Pompeii Scavi stop, which is less than an hour from Naples. If you leave Rome early in the morning, you can make a trip to Pompeii, visit the Archiological Museum in Naples, and return to Rome by about 10:00 or so. <BR><BR>

Janice

Dear Andrea,<BR>I tried the same thing a couple of years ago, and planned to spend part of my time in Rome, and part in Florence. Turned out that my friend and I could not pry ourselves out of Rome - a week was barely enough time for us. Happily, we have the luxury of assuming that we will get to visit again someday, so Florence was something we could pass on. But Rome can consume a week if you are bitten by the art/history/food bug. (not to mention REALLY GOOD LOOKING people to watch)<BR>So my advice would be to keep your options open and allow yourself the flexibility to do what feels right at that time and place. <BR>p.s. I love Venice, and would recommend it to anybody, anytime....

Lisa

I completely agree with Andrea. If you are bitten by the art/history/food bug 1 week in Rome is barely enough to scratch the surface! However, if you want to get a taste of a different part of Italy, Siena or the day trip to Pompeii/Naples are great options.

Andrea

thanks to everyone for your helpful advice. the prospect of art/museum overload from combining rome and florence is something i hadn't thought of ... and the siena restaurant recommendation was a nice added bonus!