august77

Last year I visited Venice and Rome for 7 days and absolutely loved it. Venice was especially my favorite. This year again in May I would like to spend 7 days in Italy. I am considering Florence and somewhere else. Would appreciate suggestions.

bvlenci

What was it you loved about Venice and Rome? That would help us make suggestions.

tonfromleiden

If you loved Venice for its atmosphere, I think you'll like Spoleto. It's also a good base for visiting destinations such as Spello, Perugia and Assisi, and also close (1,5 hrs) to Rome if you need its airport.

august77

I loved Vince for its unique atmosphere. I found it very relaxing and clean. Each building was a piece of art.
How many days is enough in Florence and how many days in the suggested second area?
Thank you for your opinions

StCirq

I think you will find Florence radically different from Venice in every way. Are you interested only in visiting cities? For a lovely change of pace after Florence I would consider a few days in the countryside in Umbria (which would require a car unless you wanted to stay in a town with train service).

tonfromleiden

Florence has beautiful things, no doubt about that, but as a city I don't find it an attractive place. Siena might be much more to your liking.

august77

Siena has been on my mind. I also thought of revisiting Venice for a day or two then head over to Florence. How many days in Florence and how many in Seinna would you recommend?
I am interested in visiting country sides too but I will not be driving. I would rather fly or if not an option take the train.

august77

I just came up with this itinary on the UW alumni website. The advantage of this is that it is a guided tour through university the disadvantage of that is that it is April 13-21 and also it does not cover Florence which I am dying to see. I was planning of May, Florence for warmer weather. Any input appreciated.

Day 1

Depart for Naples, Italy

Day 2

Naples/Sorrento

Upon arrival, transfer to Sorrento and your centrally located hotel. This afternoon, take a walk around downtown Sorrento with your campus director. Tonight, attend a welcome reception and dinner.

Day 3

Amalfi Coast/Positano/Amalfi

Drive along the fabled Amalfi Coast. Enjoy leisure time in Positano, Italy’s most vertical town. In Amalfi, enjoy a walk through the town to see the Duomo di Sant’Andrea and the piazza.

Day 4

Paestum

Visit a dairy farm where mozzarella cheese is produced from the milk of buffalo; enjoy tasting this famous cheese. Learn about Paestum, a Greco-Roman city that was overgrown by vegetation and forgotten until the 18th century. Chat with local residents during lunch at a restaurant in Paestum.

Day 5

Naples

Enjoy a panoramic tour of the historic center of Naples. Start at the top of Posillipo Hill for a view of the city and the entire Bay of Naples, then drive into the city and see Castel Nuovo, San Francesco di Paola, Teatro Carlo and Piazza Plebiscito. Travel back in time with a visit to the Museo Archeologico Nazionale.

Day 6

Pompeii/Herculaneum

The cities of Herculaneum and Pompeii were destroyed when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79. The small seaside town of Herculaneum was preserved by mudflows, while Pompeii was covered with ash. Marvel at the treasures found at both sites.

Day 7

Isle of Capri

Travel by hydrofoil to the Isle of Capri. One of the world’s most glamorous places, it is situated majestically in a crystal-clear sea and is known for its many grottoes and blissful scenes. Enjoy a private boat ride around the island before exploring Capri’s side streets.

Day 8

Sorrento

Enjoy an optional excursion or spend the day at leisure. Tonight, attend a farewell reception and dinner.

Day 9

Transfer to the airport for your return flight.

kja

If you are dying to see Florence, then see it! I think you will find that people differ markedly in how much time they give Florence. Some people visit it only as a day trip. I love art and architecture, and found 5.5 days there insufficient. It really depends.

I recommend that you get some good guidebooks (or spend some time with a few in your local library), identify the things you most want to see, check opening/closing times on the internet, and mark them on a calendar. Then pencil in your transportation, add some time on either side (for getting to/from your lodging, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting oriented, etc.). Only then can you see how things fit together and what would work for you.

As for the tour you found for Naples and the Amalfi Coast, if you want to join a tour and this one meets your needs, then go for! But if you prefer to travel independently, note that tours can move people along faster than most travelers can move themselves, and so visiting the same places and things on your own will generally take longer. Again, you would do well to time it out on your own based on your interests.

Hope that helps!

mama_mia

What is it about Florence that interests you? If it is Renaissance art and architecture, you could certainly spend more than a few happy days there.

Florence is a great transportation hub, so if you wanted to, you could take easy train trips to Bologna, Lucca, Pisa, Pistoia and Arezzo (even Cortona, I think). Siena can be reached more easily by bus, so you could do it as a day trip, or spend a few days there.

HappyTrvlr

If you add on Umbria to Florence, Spello is beautiful and is on the train line.

nytraveler

Agree to have a look at some guide books and decide if Florence is for you. We love it - but find that 3 days is enough for us. Then we do a couple of the nearby towns by car - in either Tuscany or Umbria. Pick which seem most interesting to you' we loved Siena, Pisa, Perugia and Assisi.

As for the AC - that is a completely different trip - and there is no way I would do that as a tour - since it would rush you around and not give you enough time to see much of anything.

Once you have a better idea of which places speak to you return and people here can help you focus the trip.

august77

Thank you

Florence, San Gimignano and Sienna appear most interesting to me. I am considering total of 7-8 days in Italy.

bilboburgler

If you want to do a bit of Venice and somewhere else you could do

Chioggia for two nights (look it up, and it shows that Venice is not unique )
Bologna for the rest of the time but with day trips (by train) to Ravenna/Ferrara/Padua etc etc

If I wanted to see Florence in a week I'd do 3 nights in Florence and 3 nights in Siena. You may prefer to stay in a smaller city near Siena and just pop in for a day trip. This would require a car and there are lots of nice places to stay nearby

topeater

We were in Italy in April and spent 3 days in Florence. We booked Walks of Italy which was a great way to learn more about the city's history. The tours are small and with headphones so you don't have to be right in front of the guide to hear her. I had been to Florence before, but the tour really brought it to life for me.

We then spent 3 days in Sienna and it was better than Florence to us. Less people, really beautiful, the best food.

august77

thank you

i wont be renting a car so i will look for a hotel in sienna. what i will have to figure out is plan for the departure day. i will have to return to florence and fly from there.

kja

In that case, consider putting all of your time in Florence at the END of your trip.