Husband and daughter are making trip planning difficult and I am trying to please everyone. Please help me make some decisions...

Fly into Rome Friday morning. Son and husband want to see the Vatican and the Collesium and I want to get out of Rome as quickly as possible. From Rome we will travel either to Florence or Cinque Terre. I want to do both, but we have to fly to Barcelona on Monday morning. I do not want to spend my time running around, so I am open to suggestions. Daughter wants to visit winery, but has heard how wonderful CT is and now is interested in that. Husband likes museums, so I suppose Florence is best for that. How far is CT from Florence and what is the best way to get there? How far is CT from Siena and the best way to get there. Thanks. I really need to get this part of the trip set, soon. Thanks for all your help.

You fly into Rome on a Friday morning and already leaving Italy on the following Monday morning? Wow!

That is far too fast to try to do what you are trying to do. In my opinion, either stay in Rome (which is wonderful, in my opinion) or just go to Florence. Staying in Rome would be better over that brief of a time.

--Marv

by the way, if YOU are the one who has been deligated the trip planning, then you make the decisions.

--Marv

Is this a serious post? Have you no concept of time and space?

When are you traveling?
How much time do you have?
Do you plan to drive?

How could we possibly answer well?

Every soup needs one cook !

Are you flying from Rome to Barcelona or Florence to Barcelona? You can't see all those cities in 2 1/2 days. Let everyone pick one thing/place they have to see and then see if you can work out a plan to include them.

hello

thanks for the quick replies. yes, we arrive in rome on friday am and fly from florence to barcelona on monday. we do not have our ticket to barcelona yet, so we could also stay in rome and fly to barcelona from there. i really want to see florence, though. sounds like we should scrap CT. thanks for your replies. i knew i would get candid feedback...

Keep it simple and avoid undue stress -spend the entire time in Rome. Plenty of great things there for everyone's individual tastes.

I agree, you should spend the entire time in Rome and fly to Barcelona from there. Alternatively, go directly to Florence after you arrive and spend the entire time there. Then, next time plan a vacation in Italy that will allow you to do all of the things you want to do in a reasonable period.

While I loved staying in the CT and hiking the trails, that has no part in your very limited trip. That's the first thing I'd cut out.

It's up to you whether you go directly to Florence and then fly from there, or stay in Rome and fly from there. But I wouldn't try to do both. Frankly I'd chose Rome over Florence any day, particularly considering that you are already flying in there and you can fly out of there to Barcelona.

You say that you want to get out of Rome right away. Why is that? Have you been there before, or do you have some idea of what it is going to be like and you don't want that?

Since it seems arriving Rome is a done-deal, I say stay in Rome the "entire" weekend you have available and continue on to Barcelona Monday. Don't forget you will all probably be jet lagged (assuming coming from US or Canada).

Since you very clearly state you do not want to spend your time running around, I really think staying in Rome for the weekend is your only reasonable option.

Maybe I'm reading your post incorrectly but if you in any way, shape or form think you're doing Rome, Siena, Cinque Terre, and Florence over a 2-day weekend... you really do not understand the logistics and distances involved.

thanks everyone for the info. ok, our primary reason for traveling to europe is to visit daughter who is studying in Barcelona for the semester. Being the over-indulgent parent that I am, when she said that she wanted to meet us in Italy (she wanted to see it), I agreed, knowing that we only had four total days there as she has to get back to Barcelona for class Monday afternoon. I am not interested in staying in Rome because I do not want to spend the entire 10 days just visiting large cities. I want to do something different in Italy as we will spend a week in Barcelona while she is in class during the day, so we will get our fill of the big, cosmo city while in Spain.

Husband and 14 year old son want to see Vatican and Collesium, I agree we should. It is my desire to get out of city. We can fly to Barcelona from Florence. I know this trip will just give us a very small taste of Italy, but I am stuck with it now and need to make the best of it. Thanks again for your suggestions and if someone can convince me that we should use Rome as a home base, then please suggest things we can do that are out of the city and not touristy. Would it help to fly to Florence from Rome? I have no inclination as to time and distances, everyone tells me something different. Thanks!

Hearing your whole story people may, or maybe not, have responded differently. As far as times and distances simply a good map and train/air schedules either from the internet or a guidebook will help you sort things out. Whatever people are telling you, there are facts to be had at least about that part.

One guy's opinion:

If you want to get out of the city atmosphere, then Florence would be no help as it is a crowded, polluted, noisy city.

Not sure what you mean by not touristy--most that things attract tourists do so because they are interesting, or pretty, or unusual. In other words, because they are worth spending a lot of time and money to see.

For ultimate non-touristy, we could all visit a lard rendering plant or a tire factory--neither is in the least touristy. Hah.

If you mean avoiding attractions like Disneyworld or Six Flags, then some excursions outside Rome could include Tivoli and Ostia Antica--but because these are wonderful, interesting places, they do attract a lot of tourists.

But with only 2 days in Rome, if you haven't been there before, your time would go very quickly just staying in the city. If you just don't like cities (and Rome is nothing like a New York or Detroit), spend time in the Borghese Park.

I wouldn't travel all the way to Italy just to go to a place like 5 Terre. 5 Terre is very pretty, but it's not worth traveling that far for a day or two of pretty views.

Hi brita,

IMO, the first thing that is wrong with this trip is that your daughter from Barcelona is meeting you in Italy.

However, I suggest you stay in Rome.
See the miniguide to Rome at www.fodors.com.

You will have only 1/2 Friday, Sat, Sun to see Rome.

You could visit one of the following as a daytrip from the city:
Ancient ruins at Ostia Antica
Tivoli and Hadrian's Villa
the hilltown of Orvieto.

>...I want to do something different in Italy as we will spend a week in Barcelona ... so we will get our fill of the big, cosmo city while in Spain. <

Rome ain't just another large city.

Hope you enjoy your trip.

Why don't you stop being an over-indulgent parent and tell your daughter to visit Italy at a later date? Her short school break is making the rest of you jump through hoops and might leave EVERYONE unhappy and frustrated.

I'd stay the whole time in Rome. Its an amazing place and you can take a daytrip to Ovieto if you REALLY NEED to get out of the city.

I understand your daughter must be in Barcelona by Monday morning, but is there any reason why you cannot meet up with her in Barcelona at a later date? You could enjoy Rome with her for the weekend (3 nights?) in Italy that she has, then continue on your own to Tuscany or Florence for, say, 3 or 4 more nights, then fly out to Barcelona to spend the last 3 or 4 nights with your daughter.

Sue's idea is the best yet. You'll still have plenty of time for Barcelona, but the Italy visit will please everyone.

Hi britab3,
I have a suggestion if I may.... book a villa just outside of Florence for 3 nights. We are staying at Villa La Sosta, it comes highly rec at tripadvisor. It will offer you and your family the best of both worlds. Florence and its museums for your husband and they offer a magnificent tour of the wine country for you and your daughter. You could arrive in Rome, sightsee a bit, catch the train to Florence and then still have 2 full days to experience Italy. Do me a favor and check out the villa's website, I think you will fall in love with it...www.villalasosta.com. Let me know what you think?