jdschen

Hi all. I'm planning a 6 night trip to Italy in early-mid April 2017. Boyfriend's 40th birthday and he's never been outside of the US. He likes food, wine, culture, sights, the water, not a huge fan of tour guides. We only have a short time and so many options!

I'm concerned about being in Rome around Easter - we would be flying out the Friday or Saturday before Easter. Thinking of either:

1. Rome and South or South and Rome.
Day 1-2: Tour and stay in Rome.
Day 3: Day trip to Florence, Tuscany wine tour/cooking class, Siena?
Day 4: Travel from Rome to Sorrento. Try to squeeze in Pompei.
Day 5: Take boat to Capri, tour around Positano and maybe Ravello (want to find good Limoncello, wine, restaurants).
Day 6: Travel back to Rome and stay overnight.
Day 7: Depart Rome.

OR

2. Milan and Northern Italy (I'm clueless about this itinerary)
Day 1: Fly into Milan and travel to Lake Como, Cinque Terre, Florence or Venice
Day 2-3: Explore Lake Como OR Venice/Florence 2 nights, day trip to Tuscany wine tour/cooking class - not sure.
Day 4-5: Cinque Terre or Tuscany?
Day 6: Travel back to Milan.
Day 7: Depart Milan.

HELP!

Peter_S_Aus

I think that with so much moving around, the romance might be a bit lacking.

Just spend six nights in Venice, flying into and out of VCE. Take. Acouple of day trips maybe.

RonZ

What's your home airport?

FuryFluffy

Hi jdschen,
almost every listed day of your itinerary is impossible:
Day 3: Day trip to Florence, Tuscany wine tour/cooking class, Siena / not enough to see anything of Florence
Day 4: Travel from Rome to Sorrento. Try to squeeze in Pompei / not enough to see Pompei or Sorrento

If you have only 6 nights and don't like running, then 1 city with day trips would be reasonable. And by Rome day trips, it means Ostia Antica (a small version of Pompei) or Tivoli or Orvieto nearby, not really Tuscany.

If you are able of run all the time, then maybe 2 main cities are doable. But certainly not Milan-Cinque Terre - Venice.

jdschen

Thanks so much for all of your responses. We are flying out of New York. I'm going to have to figure this out. Based on your collective feedback it needs to be a base at Rome or Florence and then day trips... Any other ideas very much appreciated!

HappyTrvlr

Or a base at Venice.

denisea

You will spend too much time in train stations. Rome is an easy city to do a few day trips from. There is so much in Rome.

Consider Orvieto and Tivoli as day trips from Rome. Many also really enjoy Ostia Antica as well.

Albergo del Senato is a great hotel overtlooking the Pantheon. They have a rooftop bar that is great for pre-dinner drinks overlooking Rome's rooftops.

Italy is beautiful but and you can't see it all in 6 days.

Another option, if you can find a hotel is to fly in/out of Naples and spend the time on the Amalfi Coast. It's spectacular. We did a day to a winery in Tramonti that was incredible. You could see Capri, Positano and Ravello without running all over Italy.

jdschen

I looked at flying into Rome and out of Naples and it was astronomically expensive. Cheapest to fly into Milan. Thanks all for your great comments and ideas. More ideas welcome. I'll keep digging.

FuryFluffy

If your boyfriend like "the water" and you want the trip to be romantic, then Venice is a good choice. It's like the most romantic town I have ever seen. You can do day trips to its pretty islands, or to Verona (the town of Romeo and Juliet!), Padua, Ferrara,...

By "certainly not Milan-Cinque Terre - Venice" I meant not all three, or even two of them, on a 6 nights trip.

greg

>>> I looked at flying into Rome and out of Naples and it was astronomically expensive.

How are you booking this? It is astronomical if you enter them as TWO one-way segments. Look at the booking options again. They should be these three:
- Round trip
- One-way
- Multi-city

You want the multi-city.
Try these Multi-city combos:

New York-NAP, FCO-New York
New York-FLR, FCO-New York
New York-MXP, FCO-New York
New York0VCE, FCO-New York

Even if you end up doing round trip, avoid staying at the landing city, then again at departure. You are throwing away 1 out of 6 nights. That is whopping 15% of your time in Italy!

Peter_S_Aus

Best way to see Venice is by kayak. Venicekayak.com finds them, and it is great fun. We have done two tours with them.

A real water experience.

denisea

That does sound like fun!

Mimar

I think you should really consider Venice. It's the most romantic of cities and there's lots of water. If you want to keep it relaxed and romantic, just stay all 6 nights in Venice and do daytrips. Or wander around the back "streets" getting lost.

kawh

agree with greg above. fly into one city (naples or rome) and home from another (milan or venice). this will allow you to have 2 base cities of 3 or 4 nights. MUCH more romantic, even though we always want to see everything we can.

or, you could just do Sorrento as a base (pompei, capri, the amalfi) and then rome as a base with 1 day trip to milan)

by the way.. if you want to take a cooking class, cookingclassinrome with chef Andrea Consoli is really good. perfect feedback on TA. Reasonably priced. Starts in morning to lunch, so doesn't eat up the whole day.

...and if you do stay in sorrento, Minerva Hotel had one of the most romantic views we have EVER had... and we've been fortunate to have a lot. used to be a dump and cheap, but now all spiffed up and $$$. but i'd save and stay again in a heartbeat.

lilyclaire

I would fly in and out of Naples, stay in Positano the entire time and enjoy the Amalfi Coast.

Sassafrass

Arrival day, you will likely have jet lag and be tired. Do not plan a tour for that day! Walk some, relax. Enjoy that you are in Italy! The departure day does, of course, not count. So, you are down to Five (5) days, (5 & 1/2 at the very most) of actual time on the ground for sightseeing. Choose one! Don't rush around wasting what precious time you have, when you can use the time to see more in one area. Relish that place.

Agree with Lillyclaire, if you can do it. The Amalfi Coast is beautiful and romantic, on the water with spectacular views and lots to do and see. Combine that with the ruins of Pompeii, trips on the water and fine food.

Also agree with Furyfluffy who said Venice is the most romantic town you will ever see. There is a lot to do. There are small colorful islands to see by boat. Two lovely towns that are just a few minutes away by train are Vincenza and Padova. You could give a gift of gondola rowing lessons to your BF for a birthday never to forget.

Denisea is right. Rome is the city with absolutely everything, even a river. Art (too much to name), the Vatican, the Pantheon, history, archeological sites, food. Pretty romantic too.

Florence, the city of the Renaissance with the Tuscan countryside and walled cities like Siena. Also wonderful, especially for lovers of Art who prefer a quite small (though crowded) city plus countryside over a major city like Rome.

Do not think completely in terms of flight costs. You have only a short time. Don't save a hundred dollars on flights, just spend it on travel to get where you really want to be, along with wasting some of your very, very short and precious time there. Personally, first trip, little time, leave Milan completely out of the picture. Go directly to the city you will visit.

Sassafrass

In my first paragraph, I mean, choose one place.

jdschen

All, these are unbelievably fantastic suggestions. Thank you all so much. Sassafras - you're killing me in terms of describing how great each city is - it's difficult to choose. I agree spending on travel is worth the opportunity to see what we want to see and experience.

I'm concerned about Amalfi/Sorrento/Positano in early-mid April - too much rain/too cold? Although that would be a spectacular destination and we would just stay there, eat there, etc.

Venice & gondola rides sound amazing. Now considering Venice + Florence (with day trips to Siena, Chianti area).

Maybe we'll steer clear of Rome this time and commit to Venice/Florence/Tuscany OR Amalfi/Positano?

The boyfriend wants to experience all the delicious food I keep talking about and see the sights. Just need to commit to 1 area!

Pros/Cons, help!

jamikins

I think with 6 days I would pick 1 location. Any more would waste too much time and money in transit. There are so many wonderful things to do in each place that your days will be full.

We spent last year in Rome over Easter and it was great. What are your concerns?

Our pics are here

https://flickr.com/photos/[email protected]

jdschen

Thanks jamikins! I know we should stay put in one place. Rome has plenty to offer but I don't want to miss anything (but realize we must with only 6 nights). Concern with Rome @ Easter is that it's a major Holiday, potentially crowded, security issues, etc. Still open to Rome, Venice, Tuscany..

More ideas/comments welcome, please! Still on the fence(s)!