Positanto, Capri, Tuscany, Rome?
Jan 29th, 2000 | 08:39 PM
#1
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Positanto, Capri, Tuscany, Rome?
Hi, I'm planning my honeymoon to italy this June. Our plan is to station ourselves out of Positano for 5 days, stay a night in Capri, then drive up to Tuscany for 3 days, and finally Rome for 3. Think I'm trying to do too much? Am I discounting Capri by only staying one night?
Jan 30th, 2000 | 07:23 AM
#2
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On such a limited time, I am tempted to say you are trying to much, but if this is your first trip to Italy, I say go for it. It gives you a really good taste. Capri is fine for just one night (infinitely better than trying to make it a day trip -- the early evening and night is the best time there, after the daytrippers leave.) But go early in the morning and maybe not return to the mainland until fairly late the next day so you have almost two full days there. Staying "out of Positano" for 5 days is the part I'd question. Are you prepared to just sit and relax somewhere? It is a hard, long drive along the Amalfi coast if you plan to make daily side trips. We stayed in Positano for three nights, taking the boat to Amalfi one day. Then stayed three nights in Sorrento, easier access by train (we just left our car in the garage) to Pompeii and to Naples for day trips, and the hydrofoil to Capri for three nights. If you have six nights in the whole area, I would stay in Positano three nights, drive up to Sorrento, leave the car there while you go to Capri for one night, then back to Sorrento for two nights. Then drive to Tuscany for three nights and back to Rome. We kind of did the reverse. We were driving from Spoleto to Positano and thought it would be a long day, but we arrived in Positano just after noon. So you could arrive somewhere in Tuscany easily around noon driving from Sorrento. Of course it is your honeymoon so you might be content to relax at a villa or resort in Positano, but if you plan to be on the go, think it over before you book 5 nights at a remote place.
Jan 30th, 2000 | 07:37 AM
#3
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I think your itinerary sounds great. I agree with Patrick, Positano is a wonderful town, but 5 days there might be too much unless you just want to relax. Three days is just right. My husband and I were there in October and had a wonderful time. Here's our itinerary - it was busy but not overwhelming: <BR> <BR>Hi All, <BR>> <BR>>I was on the Fodors forum and found you all responded to marisa kramer <BR>>regarding her trip to Italy. My husband and I just returned and had a <BR>>wonderful time and wanted to share out itinerary since it worked out <BR>>amazingly well. <BR>> <BR>>We flew to Rome, rented a car and drove to the Amalfi coast (only drive <BR>>there if you don't have a heart condition!). After much investigation, we <BR>>ended up renting the car at Hertz - they had the cheapest rates. We stayed <BR>>at the Hotel Poseidon which I highly recommend. It's a 4 star, all rooms <BR>>have a beautiful, large terrace with an incredible view of the city, <BR>>mountains, and sea. Staff was wonderful, rooms were clean and a decent <BR>>size, bathroom was very large. We stayed in Positano for 3 days and <BR>visited <BR>>from there. We didn't use the car at all for the whole 3 days. We took a <BR>>ferry to Capri which is a definite must do. While there, make sure to <BR>visit <BR>>the Blue Grotto - a cave off the sea, that because of it's location and the <BR>>reflection of the sun on the water into the cave, the water in the cave is <BR>>bright, brigt blue!! Put aside a full day for Capri. In Positano we ate <BR>at <BR>>Da Vincenzo twice - that's how good it was! It's very close to the <BR>Poseidon <BR>>and inexpensive - try the fresh grilled anchoives (very different from the <BR>>canned version). If cost is no object for hotels, try La Sirenuse in <BR>>Positano. It was recently rated one of the top 10 hotels in the world. <BR>>Weather could not have been better - sunny and 75-80 degrees everyday. <BR>> <BR>>After three days, we drove to Tuscany. Highways are great in Italy but <BR>>tolls and gas are expensive. The scenery, however, is worth the cost <BR>>because by car you can stop anytime you want to take pictures. We stayed <BR>in <BR>>a small town called Greve-in-Chianti because it was central to all the <BR>towns <BR>>we wanted to visit (between Sienna and Florence). The hotel we stayed in <BR>>was Villa Vignamaggio and is a working vineyard. It was spectacular (I'm <BR>>running out of adjectives!). Ask for apartment #21 - it's a loft room with <BR>>a huge bathroom with 2 person jacuzzi, kitchenette, large terrace and <BR>>georgeous pool for just 3 or 4 rooms right in front of your door. Since <BR>>it's an active farm, hotels like these (called Agriturismo) don't have the <BR>>normal 2/3/4/5 star ratings but I would rate it between a 4 and 5 star. We <BR>>travelled to the cities during the day to visit. The only problem with <BR>that <BR>>is that travelling back to the hotel at night through winding roads was not <BR>>a soothing experience. Also, Villa Vignamaggio is to be enjoyed. I would <BR>>recommend staying there for a weekend - it has spectacular views, amazing <BR>>grounds and facilities, and the rooms are incredible. We spent a day in <BR>>Florence - drove there, parked the car, and walked everywhere. Have the <BR>>hotel reserve museum tickets for you - its a small service charge for a <BR>>great benefit, you can then bypass the long lines at the museum. The other <BR>>2 days we visited San Gimignano, Sienna, Castellina-in-Chianti, and Lake <BR>>Bolsena. All worthwile. <BR>> <BR>>We then drove to Rome, dropped off the car (driving in Rome is yet another <BR>>heart stopping experience). We stayed at the Crowne Plaza near the <BR>Pantheon <BR>>which was central to everything. We walked almost everywhere - we ate like <BR>>crazy for 12 days and each lost 5-10lbs. We got a AAA rate at the Crowne <BR>of <BR>>495,000 LIT which was very reasonable for Rome for a 5 star hotel. In 2 <BR>>days, we managed to see the Colliseum, the statue of Moses, the Vatican, <BR>>Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese, and shop our faces off! <BR>> <BR>>>From Rome, we took an overnight train to Venice (we reserved a private <BR>>compartment with bunks). Left Rome at 10:30pm and arrived in Venice at <BR>>6:00am. It sounds a tad early, but it turned into a priceless experience. <BR>>We were able to visit Venice and take pictures when absolutely no one was <BR>>around. There are typically thousands of people in St. Mark's Square at <BR>any <BR>>one time but this early in the morning with the sun rising, it was us and <BR>>the pigeons. We stayed at the Hotel Metropole very near to St. Mark's <BR>>Square on the grand canal. We reserved a standard room, but it turned out <BR>>to be very large with a beautiful pink marble bathroom with a glass door! <BR>>Very nice hotel (4 or 5 star), but don't eat there - very expensive and <BR>food <BR>>was mediocre. Ask the locals where to eat (don't ask at the hotels, they <BR>>send you to the most expensive, and not necessarily the best restaurants). <BR>>Venice is very small and yes, we walked everywhere there too. The hotel <BR>>offered free boat ride to Murano to see the glass factories. Go see but <BR>>don't buy there, it's no bargain. <BR>> <BR>>All over Italy, we found it advisable to make dinner reservations, or you <BR>>didn't eat! Lunch reservations are typically not required. Italy is an <BR>>amazing country with wonderful people. Enjoy your time there. Sorry I <BR>>rambled on, but it was a great trip!! If any of you have an
