Regarding excursions from Venice, in the lagoon and accessible by vaporetto, there's Murano, the glass blowers' island, and Burano, very cute, brightly colored houses and traditionally lace-making. Also you could do day trips on the train to Padua, Vicenza, or Verona.

But I think you'll find plenty to do in Venice in that relatively short time.

Is this your first visit to Rome? I am planning our first visit for May 2009 (our fourth trip to Italy) and have been going back and forth between staying in the Spanish Steps area and Trastevere. The consensus I've received (both from info here and from Italian friends/relatives) is that for your first visit, you would want to stay in an area that is more central to the major attractions. Trastevere is definitely a place to visit for a nice romantic dinner but you may prefer to stay in one of the areas across the Tiber. Hope that helps for Rome.

We spent 4 days in Venice and I could have stayed longer. It's absolutely enchanting!

Overall, we like to spend more time in one area rather than hopping around in order to get a sense of that area. So I agree with your timeframe.

Hi Robin,

Stick with your 2 destinations, and if you are able to swing it, stay at the Danieli. It is absolutely sumptious, magical, out of the world of today. Some may say that it is over the top, but I love to be carried away into another incredible romantic era.
When in Rome, though, get practical and stay in walking distance to Pzza Navona, Pantheon, the Tiber. There is so much to see in just your few days and you don't want to spend your time in transport.
Also, you could get some tips on life in Italy by taking a look at ItalianNotebook.com, for anyone who loves, or will love, Italy.
Enjoy your stay and tanti auguri (that's best of luck) for a wonderful trip and your good health.
yolanda

I totally disagree with other posters who say that you should only go to Rome and Venice during a 10 day vacation. While you would need a couple of weeks to adequately "do" Rome, you can hit the high points in 2-3 days. Rome is a big, chaotic city; although its charms grow on you, it is not the quintessential Italy experience. Venice is great, but there is a limited amount to do in a short stay. So... I would spend 2-3 days in Rome, and then take the 90 minute train ride to Florence. Florence to me is the ultimate Italian city. The core of the city is "frozen" in time, the location is beautiful, the history palpable and the art, well, the art made an art lover out of me. Within walking distance of most hotels are dozens of truly superb restaurants. So, after 2-3 days in Rome, I would spend 2-3 days in Florence. I think that the train from Florence to Venice is about 3 hours. You could leave in the morning and be in Venice by early afternoon. The rest of that day and 1-2 more would be plenty to see the main sights and soak up the ambiance.

Regardless of your itinerary, Italy is fantastic and the perfect choice for a very special trip. Have a great time!

Uncjat, as a fellow Florence fan, I've got a book for you.

"Dark Water: Flood and Redemption in the City of Masterpieces" by Robert Clark.

I'm only halfway through and can't put it down (and also don't want it to end). It's specifically about the 1966 flood but so much more...

I can't speak to 2-3 days in Rome versus 5, but I will say that 2-3 days in Venice might or might not be enough time depending on what's important to you.

Two years ago we had the chance to spend one day in Venice and loved it. Visited St. Marks, took a gondola ride, visited a few "neighborhood" campos, enjoyed a couple of wonderful wine bars, wandered around and got lost. It was a fabulous day! Just enough of a "tease" to get us to plan a return trip....

So, we just returned from a week in Venice (after a week in Tuscany) and still didn't see/do everything we wanted to. We went to a different area of the city each day, as well as to Lido and Burano. It was amazing! And we allowed some downtime each day to just relax and enjoy where we were.

If you just want to touch on the highlights and well-known spots, you can probably do it in a couple of days. But if you want to experience the city, my recommendation would be to stay longer.

Everyone,

Sorry I haven't been able to respond earlier---my in-laws are here for Thanksgiving and it's the first time I've ever cooked Thanksgiving dinner (EVER) and I've been panicked for weeks getting ready. They're leaving tomorrow, so I'm hopping back on Fodor's.

OMG, MaMaw aka THERESA. I love you!! I JUST finished reading your trip report about your trip to Rome 2 years ago and can't believe THE THERESA wrote me on Fodors!! I echo everyone's posts that yours is the best trip report I've ever read. And I just have to tell you, on a personal note, how much it's meant to me. As I mentioned before, we're planning this trip to Italy not only to celebrate our 10th anniversary but also to celebrate the fact that I survived cancer this year. Very long story short, I have an extremely rare form of cancer that first appeared in 2002. I was told that if it didn't recur within 5 years, the chances of it ever recurring went WAY down. Well, unfortunately, I was rediagnosed a little over 5 years later (last November). I've had a very, very difficult year, and our upcoming trip is something for us to look forward to. I've been told that it's not if but when the cancer comes back---and it's been devastating to me emotionally because my little girl is only 3 years old. I want to see her grow up, go to prom, find the love of her life, have her own children. I don't know if I'll ever be able to do that. So I guess Italy has always been in my "bucket list." A lot of my friends told me to go back to Hawaii (we love it there) for a romantic anniversary, that I can "do" Italy later. Well, I don't know if that's the case for me. So we're "doing" Italy next May.

I'm rambling now---but MaMaw, I printed your trip report along with a bunch of others to get ideas and tips about travel to Italy and I didn't realize until tonight that MaMaw and Theresa10 were the same person! I have been very emotional lately because it's coming up on 11/29 (which is the day I was diagnosed with my recurrence last year) and your trip report has been such a bright spot in my life lately. I've been reading it every night before bed the last few nights, and it has really help distract me from my worries about my health and future. For just a few minutes each night, I was laughing so hard and loving your stories that I completely forgot about my troubles. So thank you, thank you. Please, please send me a friend request on FB. I would love to talk to you more.

And for everyone else who has been so thoughtful to give me advice, I'll read through everything this weekend and then post new questions.

Big hugs,
Robin