zeppole

You and I were posting at the same time.

If you ask people on Fodor's to plan your romantic life, I think that would be biggest mistake of all. Think about what you really want to do before throwing in the towel like that. Also let your fiance see Pisa if he really wants to. It is not that much out of the way if he really really wants to see it.

If the weather is lousy in Sorrento or Positano you will really be stuck there with nothing to do. It is not fun to walk around Pompei in the rain. If you really don't need to see Capri, skip it. You can see Pompeii as a day trip from Rome.

Read up on Venice.

Kanvis

Thank you Zeppole, I asked for opinions because I thought it might generate ideas. My fiance wants to visit Pisa, but at the same time he hates inconvenience of any kind. I just want all the facts so he doesn't end up cranky and disappointed. I would love to see Sorrento and Positano, but I'm really scared of the weather ruining things. Perhaps I should do more research before I post again

jamikins

I agree with Zeppole - what do you want from the trip? But be sure its realistic. Personally I would do this:

3/13 fly into Paris
3/14 arrive in Paris
3/15 Paris
3/16 Paris my birthday
3/17 Paris
3/18 Paris
3/19 Paris
3/20 Paris easyflight to Venice
3/21 Venice
3/22 Venice
3/23 Venice to Rome
3/24 Rome
3/25 Rome - Day trip to Pompeii
3/26 Rome
3/27 Rome
3/28 Rome
3/29 leave Rome and fly back to LAX

Paris and Rome have so much to see and enjoy - and just being there is wonderful. Venice is so enchantingly different and there is more than enough to fill 2 full days there.

I'll throw another option out there - skip Venice and spend 3/4 nights in Florence and do a day trip to Pisa (and maybe even Siena by bus to see a Tuscan town) and then head to Rome for the rest...

jamikins

Sorry one more thing to think about - March on the Amalfi coast could be rainy, but its also off season so if you are staying in Positano or Capri alot of things/restaurants may be closed. W

hereas Sorrento (not on the Amalfi Coast btw) I think will be more open but maybe someone can confirm that for you. From there you could go to Pompeii for a day, and then Naples for another day for pizza and their fabulous museum that holds most of the antiquities from Pompeii...and if the weather is nice Positano is easy to get to from there so you could play it by ear.

Kanvis

My fiance wants really good authentic food, a very comfortable and posh room, and to stroll the streets learning the city without structure. We both would like to explore Rome. I guess we are looking for romance, ambiance, and to really enjoy the Italian spirit without being too touristy. I really don't think my explanation helped.I think the popular sites add to the history, but interacting with the people, living in an apt and cooking is just as important to us.

jamikins

Kanvis, it sounds like you will have a great time no matter where you go. I think the important thing is you havent overloaded on too many destinations. Sounds like you want to relax and enjoy just being in these places so you cant really go wrong. And if you have a good sense of humour about things like weather etc dont worry about it. hubby and I have had the best days in the pouring rain drinking wine and watching the world go by in Paris, Rome etc. In Dec we were in Rome and the cafes still had their outdoor seating areas there with heaters and umbrellas (same in Paris when we were there at the end of Nov) so if you are happy to just chill and relax together you will enjoy no matter what!

I recommend looking at some guide books and deciding on your final destination (whether it be Venice, Sorrento, Capris or somewhere else) based on what tugs at your heart!

Enjoy!

mamcalice

I think Jamikins' suggested itinerary is excellent. Capri is wonderful but while we were there last fall, the owners of our hotel told us that the island all but shuts down late November until the first of April and they take their vacations and do needed projects in the hotel. Capri is so romantic that you should visit it at its most welcoming and beautiful and March is not that time. Save it for a 1st (or 5th) anniversary trip in May or September.

Many restaurants and hotels in the Amalfi Coast also close in the winter.

You can't do better than Paris, Venice and Rome if you want romance, good food and wine and lots to see and do while you are there.

zeppole

Few things:

Great idea to lay out the facts about Pisa to your fiance so it understands just how inconvenient it would be. If you go from Rome, it's at least 4.5 hours from the door of your apartment to the foot of the Leaning Tower. If you include Florence, it takes at least an hour from when you leave Pisa to arrive in Florence, a walk around takes 3 hours, a train back takes 90 minutes, and then you have the short trip across Rome to your apartment.

People are going to kill me for saying this, but if your fiance wants really good authentic food, and to stroll city streets learning the city without structure, and to really enjoy the Italian spirit without being too touristy, you can easily do that in Rome but you won't find that easy to do in Venice or Sorrento, because in both cases, the local culture has been displaced by tourism. You would more easily find that in beautiful Arezzo, near Florence and Pisa. Or Verona, near Venice. Not many people would automatically pick Bologna as a romantic venue, but it has an atmospheric core, some great food and doable day trips to sights of tremendous artistic beauty, for food tours into the hills where they make vinegar, cheese, wine, etc. (http://www.italiandays.it/)

You don't depend on nice weather for any of the places I just mentioned. You can fly from Paris to an airport near any of them (it might make for an easy way to see Pisa). None of these places match the spectacular natural beauty of the Amalfi, and the antique city cores do not have famous sights (with the exception of Verona), although they are all very impressive and speak of a continuum of Italian culture from the middle ages, largely left untouched by tourism. All of them have very good food and markets.

I don't want to take responsibility for your honeymoon. Italy is full of beautiful places that even mass tourism can't destroy. So if you want to go to Venice in March, you can find a way to make it personal (and you can take a day trip to Verona!)

When you get to Italy and see the Italians go about their business and having fun, you'll see how easy it is, wherever you are.

Kanvis

Zeppole,
Thank you for being so straight-forward and thoughtful. I am hoping my travel books come tomorrow, so I can really delve into to all of the suggestions I have gotten. I'm starting to think that having a hub in Paris and one in Rome, might be best. I hope we don't see everything, so we have enough curiosity to come back. The only thing I think we might add at this point is a small 2 or 3 day trip to either Venice, Verona, Sorrento, or Florence in between our two hubs. Once I look into these cities a little more, I can hopefully come back and ask for more specific direction and recommendations.

I really appreciate all of the responses I have gotten, even the one's that went against what I wanted to hear Thank you and I'm going back to the drawing board

jamikins

Sounds like you have a great handle on this! Enjoy the planning, I find its part of the joy of travel for me!!!

Anna_Galea

Hi we were at the Amalfi Coast a year ago in december, and many restaurants were open, you won't go hungry for sure. I had even made my research on the best restuarants with good food, and I had not problem at all. Sure, some of them would be closed, but many were open. You can prebook restaurants to make sure that they would open. They serve delicous food, especially sea food, but then many coastal towns and cities in Italy do. Yes, reviewers are right, Italy is lovely both in Winter and Summer, we go at least once a year since we live in southern mediterranean, and personally I prefer it when it is not a tourist trap. You can't even walk at your own pace in the main streets of Florence, it would be so crowded in the summer, especially in July and August. It is so much better to travel either in September or in Winter. I guess we were always lucky, but we hardly ever find bad weather. It is pure luck of course, but especially in the southern mediterranean areas, the rainy months are end of September till February, although it is still cold in March. I would definitely also go to the Amalfi coast, you wil have the advantage of not staying in long queues. We visited the Smeralda cave last year, and we literally went staight to the lift and boarded the boat in the underground lake. The rower told us that in summer there is always such a long queue. I do not think it is worthwhile going to Campania, (the name of the provence of Amalfi, Sorrento etc) twice, it takes us one and a half hours at least to get there by car. So you will be doing a lot of travelling to go to the same area. Pompei is very near to Sorrento, so if you want to go to this area, believe me the coast is breathtakingly lovely, I definitely would spare the journey twice. On the other hand, unless you are able to visit Italty often, I would not miss Venice either. I personally do not like going to lots of museums either, but the experience you get on a gondola ride in the evenings with the lights glowing is the water whilst going on a ride around the narrow canals is a unique experience, unlikely to be found anywhere. Also the majestic Piazza San Marco and the Cathedral are so wonderful, incredibly lovely, especially in the evenings, when all surrounding cafeterias are open. Drinks are soooooo expensive there though. But you will find good restaurants in the narrow streets of Venice that have menus reasonably priced. Check them out on Tripadvisor. The River Siene in Paris IS close to the Arc the Triomphe, just a short 10 minute walk after leaving the champs elysee (the other end of this very long road is the Place de La Concorde) and you are overlooking the Seine, naturally not on the river bank. Maybe it was our experience, but in that long tree-lined street opposite the Eiffel Tower, not the one that leads to the river bank, we did encounter gangs that hung around, some of them seemed to be drug addicts. Maybe it was just on that one day, I do not know, but I certainly had the fright of my life when one of them was bent down near a tree, and as soon as he saw us he started following us with what seemed a pen knife in his hand. Luckily there were other groups of people around, and we hurried away. You do have to be careful in Paris in isolated side streets as in Paris you find all nationalities, some homeless, or living there illegally. But of course Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, the lights, squares, museums, atmosphere is exceptional. I would go to a show in Paris. It is like going to London without seeing a musical. You do not have to eat at the lido, you can just book the show and a drink, and if you take the latest show, if I remember well it starts around 10.30pm, it would cost half the normal price. It is spectacular and in my opinin worth the money. At least I enjoyed it. Since you are not having kids with you, unless you have never been to a Disneyland park, or are not addicted to theme parks, then maybe I would skip it, as it is quite a small park compared to the American one, for sure. It did not impress me that much. But I still think that a week in Paris is too much. If I were you, (but that is me, I am very adventurous in travel regarding always wanting to see different cities or provences in every holiday) I would skip none of the places you would like to visit, especially if you are coming all the way from America. I would stay 5 nights in Paris, 2 nights in Venice, 2 nights in Tuscany - I would choose Florence as it is central in Tuscany and from there you can visit Pisa, 4 nights in Rome and 2 nights in Sorrento, where Capri and Pompeii are very easily reachable. That way you would cover all the places you are interested in seeing, and you are always going down from north to southern italy, not having to return. Only exception of course is Amalfi Coast which is south of Rome. Also have a look at Ryanair low cost airlines, they do internal flights in Italy, and also to various Europeon countries at a very very low cost, especially in low season, some even just 7 Euro, but they they charge 10 euros for online check in and another 10 a booking fee, but sometimes they still come cheaper than a train fare. If this a one time trip to Italy I would definitely try and fit them all, especially since you are not travelling with kids. I can completely understand the stress you feel having a disabled child. I have one myself, she is both mentally and physically disabled, but that does not deterr us from going abroad as a family, especially since we also have two teenage boys to help us with her and carry luggage etc. But of course I do as well wish that one day I can have a complete holiday without having to dress, wash feed and carry her. Maybe we will one day, me and my husband when the children are settled and older and we can leave her with them. But for now nothing deters us from having a hectic holiday doing lots of travelling around. Of course we always hire a car. We pick it up from the airport, sometimes leaving it at another. Like this last December, we picked it up from Venice Treveiso, then we went for days to Trento in Alto Adige and we went up the mountains to Madonna di Campiglio for the day, then we drove all the way to Citta di Castello (it has one of the biggest crib exhibitions in Italy) in Umbria, where we stayed in a nice relais hotel in the countryside in Pietralunga, we visited a live crib in the surroundings, and the next day we travelled to Rimini. It was so quiet and empty, but we loved it without tourists around. There we visited Italy in Miniature and the Aquarium in Pesaro, the kids loved it. It was so nice to walk along a long empty beach, and without any tourist rush for breakfast etc, since it is a Summer beach resort. But I would not recommend Rimini in March for your honeymoon. It's just to show you that you can really go anywhere if you really want to and make up you mind to do it. Some people like to relax in just one place, I guess it is all a matter of taste. Enjoy your holiday

pookymimi

Anna_Galea please, please, paragraphs after sentences!
I can't even read what you typed!

I'm also debating staying 7 days in Sorrento v/s 4/5 days in Sorrento 2/3 days in Capri. We visited Pompeii, Herculaneum 2 years ago, but this time my husband is also coming so I believe we will do it again.

Cathinjoetown

Anna,

I am sure you have some helpful advice but your long posts without paragraph breaks are very difficult to read.

Anna_Galea

Sorry didn't realize, I will start using paragraphs. In my opinion 7 days in the Amalfi coast is too long, especially if you want to see other places in Italy, or if you do not intend to go to Italy again in the near future. 7 days in Sorrento would not give you much time for other cities.

If you want to visit them all, then I would suggest 4 nights in Paris, 2 nights in Venice, 2 nights in Pisa or Florence, 4 nights in Rome and nights in Sorrento - or 3 nts rome and 3 sorrento.

But if you want a slow relaxing holiday, then you have to reduce stops, it all depends on taste. Personally I just love to make the most of every holiday, so I try and squeeze in as much as possible.

bardo1

FWIW, I also love to make the most of every holiday, which is why I plan as <b>FEW</b> different destinations as possible - since any time spent in airports, on trains, or on buses is time lost for actually visiting places and seeing things.

kybourbon

I've been to Capri (and the Amalfi Coast) in March and it certainly wasn't closed (lemons already on the trees). While no one can predict the weather, when I was there it was sunny and warm (short sleeves during the day, jacket at night). You can't easily day trip from Rome because ferries don't run late even in season (not much later than 7pm).

I think the two of you need to pin down your must sees and then see how they can be worked in.

Anna_Galea

You are absolutely right kybourbon, they do not close.

Capri and Amalfi coast are much warmer than northern Italy, even in the worst of Winters. A year ago we travelled in winter from north to south of Italy and you can distinctively feel the difference in temperature. We were lucky as it was such lovely weather, really sunny the four days we spent there. But then again, there is never any guarantee for weather in any part of the world!!

It would also be too much of a hassle to do it in one day, as you said, and you would be really pressed with time, especially since the hydrofoil is scheduled.

Kanvis

Anna, thank you so much for your thoughtful response. We would like to have a romantic honeymoon, that is not too hectic, and for this reason we are thinking of leaving out Italy. At this point in our lives, we need a break. It seems like most people go to Italy with extensive checklist and touring schedules, which is the exact opposite of what we want to do. We have read a lot of travel books and we really love so many places in Italy as well as Paris and London. Paris looks so romantic and exciting, but everyone cautions against spending too much time there.

We love San Francisco and think that Paris and London, might better match what we love. Although London might have to be a very short stop due to the high price and lousy exchange rate. We are so frustrated with everything, that we are thinking of just going to Paris and then a couple of weeks later hitting up Maui.

For us, it has never been about making a list of what we want to see. We would be perfectly content to rent an apartment or flat and live like the locals do. We would have no problem letting our biggest accomplishment be finding the best gelato and pasta. The problem is finding a town with great food, great views, posh hotel/apartments and open during March.

Another problem, I am allergic to most shellfish and my fiance does not like fish. In every book we have read, seafood is a major part of the Italian diet. Zeppole recommended Verona, which looks absolutely beautiful Capri is more appealing to us than postiano and although Venice is a tourist mecca, I can imagine how fun it might be get lost and experience the city at night.

Either way, thank you for all of your responses

ellenem

"In every book we have read, seafood is a major part of the Italian diet."

Then you are reading the wrong books. Italian cuisine is very regional. Cities near the sea will feature lots of seafood on their menus. Cities that are not near the sea will feature little seafood. You have expressed interest in traveling to Capri or Venice, both seaside locations, so you will find a lot of seafood on the menu, though many other items as well. Florence is known for its special steak and many bean dishes. Verona won't have as much seafood, but don't be surprised if you find horse on the menu. I traveled to Venice with a friend who is highly allergic to shellfish. She enjoyed every meal and never found it difficult to find something she could eat and enjoy.

There is no need to go to Italy or any country with a hectic checklist. It is your choice where to go and how to spend you time. I'm heading to Venice for a week in March and my plan is to walk around, have a nice lunch, and relax. Your honeymoon is what you make it through your own choices.

Kanvis

Thank you ellenem We have gone through Frommers Italy 2012 and Rick Steve's Italy, and both focused on seafood. Are you staying in a hotel or apartment in Venice? Is Venice your only destination? Thank you