Planning a trip to Italy . . . where to start??
 

Hello,

We are planning a trip to Italy in the spring for our 1st Year Annivesary. I'm not sure where to start. We'll be there for about 2 weeks. We know we definately want to spend some time on Capri and the Almafi Coast. We'd also like to see Rome and one or two other Cities. If you had to choose -- which cities would it be -- Venice, Florence, Sicily, Milan or Naples?

We're both in our early 30's and neither of us have been to Italy (although we have done quite a bit of traveling.) I guess we're looking for the typical, romanitic Italian experience!!

Any recommendations or advice are greatly appreciated!!

Thanks,
Cindy

Hi cindy,

For a 2 week trip I suggest either, Rome, Naples and the AC

OR

Rome, Florence and the Tuscan countryside, Venice,

although if you don't mind the train rides you can fly into Naples and out of Venice seeing the AC, Rome, and Florence on the way.

Hi
Maybe Bob the Navigator will chime in, he is truly an expert on this, or try doing a search in the box at the top of this page for bobthenavigator, in the Italy category.
He has some great suggested itineraries.

If you decide on Florence, Rome, and or Venice,I have long files on those cities. If you'd like to see them, email me at [email protected]

My standard recommendation for anyone going to Italy the first time is to buy Rick Steves' Italy book for 2003. His books are very easy to read (not like a text book), funny, and provide very good information for all of the places you're interested in. My husband and I have gone to Italy four times in the last six years and every year I buy his updated version. I then supplement with other books specific to the selected areas we plan on visiting. Once you've read up on Italy in his book, I think you'll be very excited and can then search here for opinions from others on hotels, restaurants, etc. There's also a lot of information at www.slowtrav.com. We've found that we prefer to stay in one place for a week and use that spot as a homebase for traveling to other nearby towns or attractions. Our first trip was four days in Konstanz, Germany (we have friends there), five days on the Ligurian coast, then four days in Rome. Next, a week in Tuscany and a week in Sant Agata (near Sorrento). Two years ago, we did a whirlwind trip with five kids: four night in Konstanz again, one night in Milan, four in Venice, four in Rome, four in Lucca, four in Lavagna, and one on Lake Como - all by train (we won't do that again). This year, we spent a week in Tuscany and Umbria, and a week in Positano (no kids). This worked out much better! Every year we say we should go to another country but we end up coming back to Italy. I can't say my favorite - they're all wonderful in their own way. You'll just have to go in to it knowing that you'll have to go back - but that's the fun part! Ciao . . .

We recently went to Florence and loved all the art & culture there. We also renewed our wedding vows for our ten year anniversary in Venice, and found it to be a truly amazing, unique, magical and romantic city.

In your quest for the typical, romantic Italian experience, my vote would be Venice, for sure.

Florence is a MUST SEE! You may want to fly into Milan - go to Florence then to Rome then further south to Naples, Capri - then fly out of Rome of Naples (if your carrier flies there). Train travel is very easy in Italy.

If you are going in the spring, there is no more beautiful place to be in Italy than Sicily. I went there this last April for Easter vacation, and it was shockingly beautiful. I expected to find the dusty, dry Sicily of the movies, instead I found a green fairytale countryside that made me think of Ireland. Not to mention great beaches and seasides. In other words, gorgeous. And Sicily has an amazingly unique concentration of history (Greek, Roman, Moorish, Germanic) that I am unsure can be beat anywhere else.

With two weeks I would personally spend them all in Sicily, but you could also spend 5 days in Rome/Amalfi, and the rest in Sicily. I would recommend Rome over Amalfi since the natural beauty of Sicily personally impressed me much more than Amalfi did (as did Cinque Terre).

Venice!!!! On our trip we chose Venice over Rome. I will never regret it. But decide what you like to do and see and plan your trip around that. We went to Florence and I got my fill of the city for that trip. My next trip I will go back and see Rome ( but I will never leave out a trip to Venice.)

Last year we spent 5 nights in Rome, absolutely incredible! We also went to Venice (gorgeous!) and Florence and Paris. This year, we're going back to Paris and Rome and also 5 nights on the Amalfi coast. If you have a short time, definitely do Rome and Venice. Florence was very crowded, the best part was Fiesole(spelling?) and San Gimmigarnio(I'm a hopeless speller)..
This year, we're going to Pompei, Ravello, Capri, staying in Sorrento and Positano.

We just spent our honeymoon in Lake COmo, Venice, Florence, S Tuscany, 5 Terre and Milan. Of all of it, the smaller Tuscan hilltowns were our favorite. We spent 5 days in this area! (not counting the 2 in Florence). See tuscany.net and find a farmhouse!
(I second reading a Rick Steves or simple travel guide to narrow down what you want to do). Good luck!

To maximize your time and money fly into one city and out of another.
Dont exclude Venice.

We have been to Italy many times; last year we did Venice, Positano, and Rome. We took the train from Venice to Naples and the hydrofoil to Positano. Then we took the train back to Rome. On your first trip, if you decide to do Venice and you can, save it for last. It is so quiet and restful; it is a good place to end a couple of weeks in Italy.

While on the Amalfi Coast, I suggest you take some time to visit Villa Cimbrone in Ravello (see http://www.villacimbrone.it : the hotel is closed, but you can visit the gardens).
I agree you should not miss Venice!