Questions for a Once in a lifetime trip to Italy
 

I have been waiting my whole life to go to Italy! My husband finally told me to start investigating possibilities of where to stay. Since I'm sure this will be my only trip to Europe, (money and age) I want to make the best of it. I would love to get opinions on places to stay and the time of year to go. I'm thinking October, I don't want it to be too hot or too cold. I would like jeans and sweater weather. I would love a centrally located lcharming little apartment or villa, close to a train station so we can explore other "must see" places. I don't want a real touristy area but would love to be close to charming little (Mom and Pop) restaurants. Since there are so many places in Italy I want to see, I'm not sure if it would be better to rent one place for three weeks and them move to another location for another three weeks. I'm also open to having one central location and traveling by train somewhere else and staying in a hotel for a couple of days. We love good food and wine. I want to see the sites but i also want to be around the locals and shop at the markets. We had originally thought of doing your typical Italian vacation for the first two weeks, (Rome, Florence, Venice, Amalfi Coast) and then renting a place for a month. I'm curious to hear from those of you that have been, if you could do it over again, what would you do. My places of interest to rent are below. But since I have never been, I'm hoping for some friendly input.
Umbria
Perugia
Luca
Manitoba
Orvieto
Portofino
Sorrento
Florence
But, I am open for suggestions. Garzie

A "centrally located charming little apartment or villa, close to a train station" is a tough demand to fulfill.

A villa is usually not centrally located, nor close to a train station. You have to prioritize what is important to you. While many many many people mention closeness to the the train station, if you are staying in one place for many days, then the distance consideration to train is a negligible part of the overall stay and really should not occupy the top place in your mind.

While October is cooler, you will have to contend with more chance of rain.

The ideal mix of number of destinations and how long to stay depends on YOUR priorities, not SOMEONE else's, unless you are content with doing just what others tell you to do. You might be tempted to use a formula to allocate days hoping you get something you want, but why not plug in tentative distribution of days. Ask your self: can you actual visit these places and what you do with that distribution? Once you identify what you like and don't like with that plan, draft next one, and so on until you reach a plan exactly matching what YOU want to do within YOUR constraints.

Hi Debbie!

Just some comments in order to hekp you think about your beautiful trip.

Why not think in terms of cities hat can serve as a base for a week or so stay?

One week , Rome, which includes a beautiful day trip to Orvieto. Remember, you said this will be the trip of your life, don't run.

One week Amalfi Coast, covering Capri, Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, may be Paestum, Sorrento as a day trip from the AC.
To me, best bases can be Amalfi or Positano.

One week Firenze, with day trips to Pisa, Siena and, if you like, San Geminiano or other little town.

Then, you have three great weeks "almost planned". Then, proceed with the remaining time, for Venice, Verona, Portofino , the Lakes, Milano, and many others.

As usual, a good map of Italy can help to sketch your stay. Don't panic....it will take some time but you will made a beautiful plan and trip. Obviously, we all are here to help!

Ask when you need!

Thank you for the suggestions. It's mind boggling trying to figure it all out. When reviewing home away.com I found apartments in many places that advertise they are within a ten minute walk to the train stations. but I do think your idea of doing three locations would be a great compromise. I know my husband wants to explore Rome. I want to visit, Venice, Florence, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast and Tuscany. But after seeing the big tourist sites, I want to submerge myself in a quaint little place to mingle with the locals, eat good food and drink wine. ��. I think I need to get with a really good travel agent and map it out.

Thanks

We spent 3 weeks in Tuscany alone in April/May this year. I think jelopez33 made a wonderful suggestion on how to split up some of the areas in Italy. One suggestion I would make is to stay at least one night in a smaller town to give you the flavor of the town.

If you're going to get with a travel agent, I would recommend you get with someone who specializes in Italy. I love planning our own trips, but certainly not everyone is comfortable doing it on their own.

HI Debbie,

How wonderful to have 6 weeks for your trip to Italy! With that amount of time, you have many, many options.

Honestly, I don't think a travel agent will really be able to help you plan this type of trip better than the Fordorites can!
Travel agents more typically deal with people who are most interested in the very most typical types of trips with the very typical 2 weeks max.

The people on here can provide you with detailed, personal experience and recommendations of their many, many combined trips. There are some super experts here!

My first advice would be to start with your preferred areas, study a bit and decide what sites, activities, scenery, etc. you want to see in each area. Check opening dates/hours. This will really help you decide how many days you want to spend in each place.

I love Italy's cities as well as the countryside so I love to do a mix on my trips. I am interested in many things, so a good mix of activities and sites also works for me.

For the places where you have much to do and see, yes, rent an apartment for a week, but don't limit yourself out of a few shorter stays of say 2 - 4 nights. Moving around Italy is really not hard either by train or car. Just plan for trains where it makes sense and utilize a car when it makes a trip easier - like in the countryside.

Not to confuse things, but with 6 weeks, have you considered including Sicily? If you would be willing to devote 2 weeks of your trip it would be worthwhile going - if it's of interest to you.

Read as many trip reports here as you can. Use the search box above to put in the names of your listed destinations and read about them. Personally I find the trip reports of great help in decided, yes that sounds great, or no I wouldn't care for that....

Your desire to go in October will bring shorter daylight hours and possible rain, possible colder weather into the picture. If you want to see some of northern Italy, then you best start there and work your way south.

Of the times I have visited Italy, May has been my favorite by far.

You have lots of research to do, questions to ask. Don't get too focused on apartments to rent until you know where you really want to be. Some may be good locations, some might not really work as you get to the finer points of planning. There are so many lovely places to stay in Italy, that renting doesn't have to be the first step.

I hope this helps! Happy planning!

Jelopez gives good advice. You can see many places, but you are the ones schlepping your luggage and have to get from town to town. It may be more of a blur than a memory. Also you a car in Florence is more of a burden that an asset.

Also remember every time you move from hotel to hotel you will lose 1/2 day due to packing, unpacking, checking in and out, travel time, and if you travel by means other than a car, getting to and from the bus or train station and waiting time.

Instead of a travel agent. Take your list of cities and rank them in order as to what is important to you.

Get a paper map and mark it up so you understand locations.

Put out all the clothes you wish to take and then take half.

Look into an International Drivers Permit (IDP)
_______

If you want a travel agent ask:

When was the last time he/she was in Italy?
Means of travel?
What towns and cities did he/she visit?

The next one is more a trick question, do you recommend a certain hotel group? If he/she only mentions one group, stay away as they might be limited in their knowledge or get a special rate from that group.

If they mention a specific hotel, look on a map and see where it is located in that town. Two years a poster retained the services of a travel for Spain and it was clear by the location of the hotels, the agent had never been there. Also look at the ratings on Booking.com and Expedia.com they are much more reliable than Trip Advisor.

And finally
Take a deep breath and remember your trip will be wonderful and all this early confusion is all part of the process.

Debbie, how long do you plan to be away? Is it the whole month of October?
The ideal 'quaint little place to mingle with the locals, eat good food and drink wine' IMHO is the island of Procida just off Naples. No one goes there as they all flock to Capri instead. I've spent loads of time on Procida and it has all those things you want. Time almost stands still on that little island. Some images are here.

http://tinyurl.com/qgt9j3b

http://tinyurl.com/o8yov2n

http://tinyurl.com/pr7eadh

Sorry about that post above - the first links are google maps when I meant to post Google street view (as per the third link).
I see you have six weeks - ample time to sightsee and then relax in the quaint destination of your choice.
http://tinyurl.com/qbj5fod


http://tinyurl.com/ojv97g7

Those links actually work properly - if you open link 3 on the above post, that is the high view of this little marina (Marina Corricella).

Oh my gosh, you guys are wonderful! I have plenty of time to research and I'm so happy that I stumbled onto this site. Now I'm thinking maybe May would be a better time to go. I don't want to be stuck in the rain for my trip. I think I want to fly into Rome and start there moving my way down to the Sorrento/Capri area. Then moving up to Umbria/ Tuscany, Florence and then to Lucca (wondering if it's worth the move for these two places) and then leave from Venice. My hopes are to find places in these areas that are centrally located so I can see the most of each area. I don't want to be exhausted from packing and unpacking all the time but I don't have the grasp on transportation and day trips yet. I'm sure that will come from reading many reviews, as I narrow down our trip. Are there any places I'm leaving out that are a must? My brain is spinning but I know the more I read, the better I will be.

I did look at some top rated hotels in each area but do you guys think it's better to stay on the beaten path of each city above or go to something a little out of town and take a bus or train in to the sites. I've read Florence is a hard place to get in and out of so staying in the city is probably the best. I also need to read if three days is enough in the city of Florence.

Thank you all so much!

I would do late April or early May for decent weather (although not perhaps sweaters) but with days that are longer so you have more time for sightseeing. Also since you are earlier in the year you have a better chance of getting lodging discounts and those in the tourist industry will not have been exhausted by a long hot mobbed tourist season through late Sept.

If you go at that time I would do the AC last and fly home from Naples in order to have weather warm enough for the hotel pools.

Agree that you need to focus on which places you want to see since hub and spoke can work for some areas (spending a couple of weeks in tuscany or umbria with a car) but to really see the major cities you need to stay in each one for several nights (I would do at least 5 nights each in Rome, Florence and Venice).

<I want to submerge myself in a quaint little place to mingle with the locals, eat good food and drink wine. I think I need to get with a really good travel agent and map it out>

Nope, actually I don't think a travel agent will be much help with that part! Those are the kinds of experiences that self-planning will best find for you.

I think when you are IN cities (Rome, Venice, Florence) it is better to stay as centrally located as possible (not bus or train in every day). Save your 'off the beaten path' for the smaller towns or villages that truly are off the beaten path.

A couple of things ...
I do not think 3 nights is enough for Florence--unless you want to rush from place to place. From Florence, I took a one-day bus tour with stops in Sienna, Lucca, and San Gimignano. San Gimignano was one of the highlights of an entire trip of highlights. It's not to be missed. But my point is that you can get a taste of several of the Tuscan towns by doing day trips from Florence--if you prefer not packing and moving. I also did Pisa as a day tour.

I'm not a "tour" kinda guy -- I did all my own planning, and I always do. But for me, there was enough time to see the highlights of all these places during the tour--and it included an excellent lunch and tastings at a winery.

Re: the quaint little town ... I want to mention that almost everyone in Rome, Florence & Venice spoke enough English to communicate. But this was NOT the case when I got off the train in Civitavecchia (where I was boarding a cruise). I got horribly lost, there were no taxis, and not one person seemed to speak a word of English. I dragged luggage down cobblestone streets for more than an hour in sweltering August heat and came very close to missing the cruise!

Weather is tough to predict. Because it was combined with a business conference I had no choice of dates. So my trip to Florence (2014) was the first week in March. I packed thermal underwear, sweaters, and flannel shirts--and we hit a heat wave. The weather was as glorious as the city--with highs around 70!

Okay, I'll bite..."Manitoba"?

Although I like traveling in May and in fact will be in Italy next May myself, there is no guarantee that you won't have rain in May, at least somewhere. I few years ago I had a week of rain in Tuscany and Umbria. Be prepared for any weather. Personally I think September is more likely to be dry than any other month outside high summer.

As for places to go, there are too many to consider without narrowing down your interests a bit. Florence is great but very crowded, as is central Rome and the central part of Venice. A little of that goes a long way for me and I spend my time in those cities in less touristed areas when not specifically visiting a museum or a sight. You might try staying in mid-size tourist towns, i.e. Siena, Lucca, Perugia, Orvieto and taking trains into Florence and Rome for day visits or even an overnight, returning to base in the evening or next day. I'm mentioning the center of Italy in this example but it can be done elsewhere as well.

Your desire to meet locals might be easier to achieve in smaller towns and you might enjoy a week in someplace in the Val d'Orcia or Umbria, staying in one town and making day trips to the others in the area.

Good luck, I know it feels overwhelming, but half the fun is in the planning.

We like to travel in Europe between May 15 and June 15 or Sept 15 and Oct 15. For May/June start in the south and work your way north and in Sept/Oct start in the north and work your way south. There are less tourists and the weather is USUALLY very accommodating.

Please note: That in areas where the there are a lot tourists, the local inhabitants (in just about any country), tend not to get into prolonged conversations with visitors, unless there is some common interest.

You would need to have multiple bases to be able to visit the places on your list. You can't day trip to them from one or two central locations as they are too far apart.

Trains don't serve every town and some areas are more dependent on buses. Bus schedules are not always convenient. It really depends on your list of must sees. For much of Tuscany or Umbria, you would need a car.

>>>But after seeing the big tourist sites, I want to submerge myself in a quaint little place to mingle with the locals, eat good food and drink wine.<<<

If you want to do this but you don't want to rent a car, consider the Tuscan towns of Pistoia, with its lovely piazza and cafes or -- especially for October -- the scenic Tuscan town of Marradi, which grows chestnuts and is great if you like to hike. Both are within an hour of Florence by train. From Pistoia there are several other charming smaller towns reachable by train, including Lucca (which now has more tourists that locals). From Marradi, you have the possibility of visiting the very charming town of Brisighella in the Emilia-Romagna, which has outstanding food (as does Pistoia).

For something a little less rustic, it is great (and easy) to go by train from Florence) to the small community of Modena (switch trains in Bologna), whose bicycle-riding, opera-loving residents are quite well off due to the fact the make and sell Ferraris, as well as the world's greatest vinegar and other gourmet treats. It is a beautiful town full of cafes, bars, a fantastic food market (Pistoia has a nice market too) and many nice restaurants, both high end and exceptionally old fashioned (where people eat a communal tables and get no choice about the menu).

http://www.italythisway.com/places/pistoia.php

http://www.turismo.intoscana.it/allt...rradi-tuscany/

If you pick Marradi, the best place to stay is Palazzo Torriani. The family experience is outstanding:

http://www.palazzotorriani.it/eng-index.htm

http://www.susanvanallen.com/golden-...milia-romagna/

For your rental look at Umbria, Piemonte, or Tuscany. The first two have fewer tourists than Tuscany. Perugia is a city in Umbria, perhaps more difficult to come and go from for day trips, though a very beautiful city.

if you are up for renting a car for part of your trip, it would also be possible to wing it for some of the time. I wouldn't recommend it for the big cities, or even the Amalfi, but you might allow yourselves a week or two where you have nothing planned and can just explore an area that appeals to you.

Also,
If you really want the Tuscan countryside experience - STAY in the countryside. That gives you time to "soak" it in. A day trip out from Florence is absolutely not the same experience.

Personally, I would allow at least 3 -4 nights in a very small hilltown, and to me that doesn't mean Siena. Siena is much larger than most people realize. It's wonderful to visit, but it's not as the same feel as some of the much smaller hilltowns. If you pick a hilltown just big enough to have a few restaurant choices, you will love it.

You do have the plan of relaxing and enjoying Lago di Como, so it's up to you if you want both.

Questions now:
Where do I get a schedule of cities where high speed trains run.
Is it reasonable to think we can wing it without hotel reservations in small towns.
Is it hard to drive in Italy and how do we rent a car? Best ways and places..Any rules.
I'm sure we don't want to drive in major cities: Rome/Florence/Venice...others?

The more responses I get the more I am learning. You are all great advisors and I appreciate your knowledge.

The fast trains operate between the major cities mostly and don't stop in small towns except for a few. You can look on Trenitalia at their routes.

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...008916f90aRCRD

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...008916f90aRCRD

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/inde...008916f90aRCRD

You aren't allowed to drive in many cities (including Rome and Florence)a most have restricted centers and only permitted traffic (residents, deliveries, etc.). Even small hill towns will have ZTL and you will need to park at the edge. Learn the ZTL signs (and google the zone for each place you plan to visit as fines are high). Camera controlled in the bigger towns and the ticket is mailed later after they track your info down with the rental company (they charge a fee of about 40€ for providing your info to the police).

I do think it's reasonable to wing it outside of the high season. Few hotels will be absolutely full and you will probably enjoy stopping where you fancy.

Renting a car is as easy as renting one at home. Look on :

www.kemwel.com
www.autoeurope.com

as well as the websites for the main companies that you recognise, Hertz, Avis etc. Driving is easy in Italy, as long as you are prepared for narrower roads than you are used to at home. Avoid cities for the potential hazards that the Traffic Limitation Zones (ZTL) that kybourbon mentions above and the large fines that follow. You won't obviously be able to drive in Venice.

The train service in Italy is very good and you should use it if you're heading into cities, while a car is invaluable in the countryside.

If driving on a highway in Italy note that there is NO driving in the left lane. This is for passing only - and this is taken very seriously. If just sitting in the left lane you will likely be subject to honking and other signs of irritation by local drivers. Also if you are not confident drivers, either keep up with the speed on highways or use local roads instead.

(We were stuck once behind what turned out to be confused americans clogging up the autostrada between Rome and Florence by sticking to about 50 mph.)

It is not unreasonable to go without reservations in Italy if you are traveling with an internet connection.

Different people find different things hard when it comes to driving in Italy. (Persaonally, I find parking in Italy a nightmare, not driving!) But most visitors will tell you that while they enjoyed the freedom of having a car in some very select places, and it always nice not to carry your luggage up the train ststion stairs, they were truly and deeply happy when they finally gave the car back to the rental agencies.

So unless you are a car buff, when you are thinking about your trip, look closely at which destinations would be more enjoyable by train or private driver, and which might be more fun if you rent a roadster for just a part of your trip.

Definitely rent a GPS with the car. Don't let anybody talk you out of it.

Also, I doubt you will want to drive in the left lane because it is where Italian speedsters drive, but don't be afraid to get in the left lane when it makes sense to get in the left lane. It is against the law in Italy to honk except to signal danger (or a wedding!), so I would really not let others try to spook you about Italian attitudes, which are generally cordial and quite used to encountering tourists on the road. I really have no idea how anybody could have possibly figured out the nationality of drivers ahead of them blocking traffic, but rest assured that (a) even Italians are sometimes confused about which way to turn when they are traveling in their own country and (b) there are Brits, Danes, Germans, Japanese, Greeks, Spaniards -- the drivers of all nations descend upon Italy, struggling with stick-shifts, roundabouts, which side of the road to drive, etc. The braggarts will brag, but they won't tell you about all the boo-boos they made in those long ago years ago when they still were travelers and not just armchair internet gassers. Italy is still here despite the tourist onslaught. Rent a car if it makes sense for your itinerary and while you do need to pay attention to ZTLs and such, don't worry. If you know how to drive, you can drive in Italy.

You won't obviously be able to drive in Venice.>>

I had an italian teacher who had worked as an agent for an apartment company in Venice - she said that it was amazing the number of her clients who complained about not being able to drive up to their apartments.

I don't think that she was joking.