bowen

There's no turning back, we've booked our flights and plan to be in Italy to meet our daughter in Florence for a couple of days and then on to Rome for 4 days. I'm very excited, but concerned about reports of the extreme heat and crowds! I don't want to remember our first trip to Italy as being unbearably uncomfortable. With this in mind, I've booked our B&B in Rome (Relais La Maison) based on Trip Advisor's excellent reviews, and hope it will be a little oasis so that we can re-charge and rest comfortably at each day's end.

What can we do to make our first trip to Rome as comfortable and stressfree as possible? What sights should we NOT miss and which places should we AVOID at all costs?

Also, I wondered if we should skip Florence and visit a smaller more rural town, such as Assisi for the two days before we arrive in Rome? We'll be flying into either Pisa or Florence to meet our daughter, so if we skipped Florence, is Assisi accessible from either of Pisa/Florence?

Thanks so much for all your advice and suggestions.

Leely2

I am confused: how long is the trip exactly, where are you flying from and when is the trip?

Generally, in Rome when it's hot (I am a hot-weather-phobe), following the siesta plan is good. Get up early, get out and about and do some sightseeing. Have lunch or a snack. Head back to your apartment/hotel/b-and-b to put your feet up, relax, nap, etc. Then head out again when you're feeling refreshed and it's a bit cooler. Romans eat late so there's no reason to dine before 9pm. Do some strolling after dinner enjoying the beauty of the city at night. Gelato. Bed. Repeat.

I wouldn't avoid any sights I really had my heart on seeing, but that's just me. What would you like to see? You could choose to see one "major" thing a day, aim for the morning or late afternoon if the opening hours permit, and otherwise keep a loose schedule that allows you a lot of time for serendipity, discovery and sitting in the shade with a glass of white wine.

Leely2

Oops, I'm sorry, I see this trip is in August. Even more reason to go easy on yourself! I love Assisi, Siena, Gubbio, etc., but I leave it to others to discuss transportation and the advisability of skipping Florence.

Ackislander

What attracted you to Florence in the first place? Ask yourself and consider whether you would be unhappy if you could not fulfill that dream.

In Rome, avoid the afternoon hours as Leely suggests and try to stay hydrated without dragging aroung a big plastic water bottle. When you get hot and your feet hurt, sit down in a cafe and watch the people walking by. These are a "sight" as much as anything else.

bowen

Thanks Leely and Ackislander - We've got two days before Rome where we have our B&B booked. I'm thinking since we'll be in Rome for 4 days, maybe Florence would be more of a "mini-Rome" and we should opt for two days in a more rural setting before arriving in Rome. What town would you suggest for a two day stint if we few into Pisa (heading in the direction of Rome)? I am drawn to Assisi, but have no clue as to where it is in relation to Pisa or Rome. Thanks much!

Cries_Van_Notebook

Whilst in Rome, sweetie darling, head to the Borghese Gardens. There are many benches situated under shady trees.

You can also spend some time in the air conditioned cocoons of Gucci and Prada on the Via Condotti.

If all else fails, throw yourself into a fountain like Anita Ekberg. (Although you will be arrested--but maybe by gorgeous Roman police officers!)

I am leaving for Rome on Sept. 2. I PRAY it is hot!

Thin

bowen

HAHAHAHA! Thanks Thin ... I love it! Yes, the Borghese Gardens are on my list (I'm an avid gardener)! Can't help my fear of heat ... I've got Scandinavian blood afterall.

kismetchimera

In August the Romans are taking their annual vacations at the beach or the mountains,then the city will be left with ordes of Tourists walking around with nose up in the air...

Is going to be Hot..however,Florence will be worse..

Oh,Thin, I spent many ,many happy hours at Villa Borghese..Beautiful Remembrances of my Carefree Youth..

hausfrau

I was in Rome with my mom in June 2007 and took a gamble on it not being too hot, because we are both heat-o-phobes, and guess what? It was REALLY hot! We just took things nice and slow, spent a lot of time drinking chilled white wine and tons of San Pelligrino in the shade, and stayed out late at night. Basically everything Leely2 said.

As for the crowds, I think there are always crowds in Rome, at least at the main attractions. Just don't plan to try to squeeze too much into your short visit. The worst crowds I've seen in my three trips to Rome were always at the Trevi Fountain, but of course that's where you'll be wanting to throw yourself in and get arrested by gorgeous Roman police officers...

Leely2

I love Renaissance art and that's why I like Florence, but I have to admit that it's not on the top of my Italy list. However the city itself is nothing like Rome (except for the crowds ) if you're concerned about similarities. But doesn't your daughter want to show you around her stomping grounds?

Are you planning to rent a car or bus/train it? If you bag Florence and decide on a hilltown, if I were you I would determine which one based on easy public transportation--if that's what you're doing. Not knowing how to get to/from Pisa, off the top of my head I would say Siena in Tuscany and Assisi in Umbria both have enough to keep someone busy for two days without venturing out and neither are way out of the way on your way to Rome.

I will let the real experts make additional suggestions. I do see Orvieto mentioned here all the time--you might look into that as well. I tried to visit this past winter but they were having a festival and the whole town was fully booked.

bowen

Hi Leely - We will probably "train-it" from Florence or Pisa. But don't yet know where "IT" is for our precious two days before we arrive in Rome. This will be my DH's and my first trip to Italy - we're meeting up with our daughter also her first time in Italy after travelling with friends and her last week of a 5 week trip around Holland, France, Germany and Cinque Terre region) either in Pisa or Florence, so she's as "green" as us. My inclination is to skip Florence in favour of a more rural town en route to Rome from either Pisa or Florence. I'm thinking Assisi because I adore Saint Francis' story. I'm an open book and know nothing about the geography of Italy, so will do some research on Orvieto and Siena and any other places before we arrive in Rome for a confirmed 4 days.

Thanks much for your help!

Leely2

I dearly love Assisi but have only been in winter so I'm not sure what August would be like. If you do go, try to make time for Santa Maria degli Angeli in the lower town. It's quite near the train station so you could easily visit before you pick up a train to Roma (under two hours from Assisi). I finally made it there for the first time this past New Year's Day. I had been to Assisi before but only the upper town.
http://www.porziuncola.org/index.html

I think it's also about 2-3 hours from Florence to Assisi, but that's from Santa Maria Novella--you'd have to get into town from the airport. Check out schedules on trenitalia.it.

Also, if you choose Assisi, I don't know your budget but I have stayed at La Pallotta
http://www.pallottaassisi.it/

and the nicer/more expensive, but not by a ton, Il Palazzo
http://www.hotelilpalazzo.it/

No hand-holding at either establishment, though. In Siena I stayed at the Albergo Duomo--however that was over seven years ago.

AvidTraveler4Life

Hey there,

If you're going in August, I think it will actually be less busy than other summer months, because the Romans are take their vacations during that month.

I love art so I wouldn't skip Florence! It's one of the most evocative places I've been to in Italy - even better than Venice in my opinion (Venice is filthy! ... yuck!).

zoecat

If Assisi interests you then you should go. It is a lovely town. I think it would be a nice change from Rome.

If you cannot find a hotel room in Assisi, consider nearby, lovely Spello. You can easily take the train from Spello to Assisi within 20 minutes.

Check http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/homepage_en.html for train schedules.

nytraveler

Most important is to make sure that your hotel has good AC (many have none) that you control n your own room. Otherwise you may get the european version (lowers temps about 5 degrees).

Also locate restaurants and cafes that have good AC - so you have a comy place to stop for a meal or a cool drink. And be sure to carry your own water at all times to stay hydrated. And a hat is also a good idea.

Plan on sightseeing in the am, having a relazing lunch, retire to the hotel - then go out again early evening. Midafternoons can be brutal (I've had shoe heels get stuck in the melting pavement) in terms of temps and humidity.

zeppole

Firenze (the Italian name for Florence) is going to be just as hot -- and probably muggier than Rome -- and just as crowded, and you'll feel the crowds more because they all jam into the historic center, which isn't nowhere near as big as Piazza San Pietro at the Vatican.

But at least it's flat. If you like hill-climbing in the heat, then head to very hot Assisi or the hot Borghese Gardens up the hill in hot Rome.

I suggest you park yourselves in either Orvieto (one hour out of Rome by train) and drink nice white Oriveto wine and do nothing except occasionally take early morning walks or early evening walks and enjoy the town and the truly spectacular cathedral.

Be sure to have an air conditioned hotel wherever you go.

zeppole

You can read up on Orvieto here. (Note the section on cool breezes in shady streets, and the fact it is easily reached by train).

http://officinecomunicazione.com/2007/008.htm

bardo1

I agree with the siesta plan: up and out early, lunch indoors, then relax at hotel until late afternoon, back out and about and a typical roman dinner seating (9:30 pm or so), relaxed dinner, and wander around till before return to hotel around midnight. Oh, and make sure the hotel AC is good - check tripadvisor or such.

LAwoman

We were in Rome last August and it wasn't that bad. You may get lucky and hit a string of days with below average temps, like we did - it was still hot but not unbearable. Just stay in the shade as much as possible (sounds lame bit it makes a big difference) and avoid midday forced marches thru places like the forum. We were there after the 15th and the restaurant closures were a bigger disappointment than the weather.

LJ

I hear you about the heat and I think you sound well-prepared.

I would just make a suggestion that you NOT elect Assisi as the 'alternative' to heat. It is on top of a mountain and almost totally gardenless and very exposed. One of our family trips to Italy was August and we did very well in Rome, Florence and Perugia (I'll come back to that).

But in Assisi, we totally lost it because of the heat and the crowds. We all ended up cranky and went off on our own. We were just really glad we were not committed to stay more than a day. We fled back down to our green, valley paradise about 10 miles outside Perugia.

There are many places like the Castello Oscano www.oscano.com
and I hasten to add we only stayed in the elegant castle part for one (expensive) night. But the little apartments they also run in the converted farmhouse by the pool are charming and were not expensive. We had the option of heading up to the fancy hotel dining room or making something in our little kitchen (or taking out pizza) and eating on the comfortable outside shady terrace by the pool.

Seek out something like this to come back to after a day of touring rather than a hotel in a tourist city in August and you will have a more balanced trip.