i posted this on the us forum by mistake, so i,ll try again. we are first time travelers to italy this aug. i realize timing is not ideal. we have arranged for a tour guide 4 hrs per day. we do not like to be on a rigid early schedule while on vacation so i was wondering if some one can recommend a good time of the day to get the most of our time, crowds weather etc. also any help on great restaurants, not star rated or tourist traps. thank you in advance

Hasn't your guide made recommendations about how to organize your daily schedule?

hi elaine, the company is waiting to here from me re: the time of day we want to start out since we insisted on leisurely mornings. is it better to start out at 10am or wait till after 1pm.

You are going there during a very warm time of the year. To avoid the midday heat--and it can get hot there in August--you're probably best off going early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
Regardless, you'll probably hit crowds no matter what time of the day you go!

I think it depends on what sorts of things you want the guide to do with you. Also, do you like to linger over lunch? I also don't understand if this is for every day or just one day in each of the 3 cities.

I think the best thing to do is decide what things you want the guide to show you (ie shops will be open at different times than "sites" and museums in terms) and then see what the best times are to see those.

Find out if the VAtican Museums are open until 4:30 pm. If so, plan to enter the Vatican Museums about noon. that's what we planned and did, and there wasn't any line! We saw the sistine chapel without having to wait in any line too.

It might be hot, but in June it was comfortable enough inside the museums.

Saw St. Peter's about 9:30 or 10:00 am and it wasn't too crowded.

For the Ancient Rome area, you'll be outside a lot and it will be hot, so do that in the early morning. Get a private licensed guide who can get you inside the colosseum without waiting in line.

We didn't use a guide for the VAtican Museums and St. Peter's, and thought they were great without a guide. But you need a guide for the Ancient Rome area. A 4-hour walking tour of the Ancient rome area is good, and is enough time to include going inside the colosseum and the Pantheon.

You would need about 2 or 3 days to see everything in the VAtican Museums, but we saw plenty for our 4 1/2 hours there. REcommend you buy "Mona Winks" from your local bookstore travel section. Has an entertaining guide to the museums of Europe.

For florence the Uffizzi gallery is also less crowded at noon. It only takes about 2 hours to seee the uffizzi gallery and you can get advance reservations. check and make sure you know the museum hours for your day, though.

What we tried to do with our schedule was not spend any time waiting outdoors in long hot lines. Our planning worked and we didn't wait in any lines! This was in June and I found the temperature inside the museums to be comfortable enough. Have never been in August.

Our #1 favorite restaurant in Rome, and in all of Italy, was the family-run Ristorante der Pallaro in Rome, walking distance from the Pantheon, on a small piazza. I can give you walking directions to it if you want to write me at [email protected] and put Rome in the subject line, I preview mail before deciding whether to open it. rome was our favorite city in Italy!

Venice, restaurants are expensive. Bring recommendations with you!

Buon viaggio!

You might also try posting with a title that references using a tour guide to best advantage.

My thinking is because it's not really so much about "rome, florence and venice" that is your question, but more how to effectively work this 4 hours happily into your vacation schedule.