Three weeks in Italy
 

So next year a friend and I will be flying to rome from Australia on the 12th of August. We have about three weeks before we part ways (I to stay with a friend in Sicily and her to fly to family in London) So I thought, how should we divide our time?

I'm basically the one outlining this as a rough draft and I was thinking Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre. We are doing this on a student budget, everything I have read says that Venince is unbelievably expensive but is this true? Could we squeeze it in?

I thought maybe a week in Rome because there is so much to see, a day trip to Cinque terre from Florence... but then how long in Florence? AND IF Venice could be squeezed in, how long there?

And can anyone suggest any good sites to book accommodation?

Thank you SO much!!

Hi Kay,

If you skip Venice you will hate yourself for the rest of your life.

Use www.venere.com, www.booking.com, www.eurocheapo.com, www.tripadvisor.com and the Thorntree forum at www.lonelyplanet.com to search for hotels.

You can find a decent twin room for about 70E/nite.

I would do

Fly into Veniice - 5 nights
Train to Florence - 5 nights with visits to Sienna (by bus) and San Gimignano
Train to the CT - 3 nights
Train to Rome - 7 nights with visits to Ostia Antica and Orvieto

I can highly recommend www.bedinflorence.it
We liked our stay at www.hotelmaikol.com/ in Rome.

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

Great suggestion from Ira. You can't really enjoy Cinque Terre as a day trip from Florence. And I agree that you must visit Venice.

Sicily is amazing - I hope you can get to see lots of the island.

Agree with the above but would include Tivoli as a day trip from Rome for Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Est.

>>>Venince is unbelievably expensive but is this true? Could we squeeze it in?<<<

You will find some discounts for Rome/Florence/Venice in the second half of July and August. It will be very hot in August so make sure you stay somewhere with AC.

>>>We are doing this on a student budget,<<<

You will get better suggestions if you state your per night lodging budget (in euro).

>>>a day trip to Cinque terre from Florence<<<

Not easy to do as a day trip from Florence as the travel to and from requires connections and takes several hours.

What kind of accommodation are you looking for? Hostels? Cheap hotels? There's a third option in Italy, staying in convents. Here are some websites: www.monasterystays.com and www.santasusanna.org/comingToRome/convents.html and www.romefile.com/accommodation/convents.php.

You will get to see a coastline (Cinque Terre) again in your life but Venice is unique.

Many people believe that you have to stay in Venice to experience the city. I don't, though it is interesting at 7am and 11pm. I think it is worth looking at B&Bs in Venice but you will be looking at Euro100+ for a night for twins. However I do suggest looking at Mestre (which is at the other end of the causeway from Venice) and is linked by train and bus for very cheap and fast transfer. Mestre station/bus station is pretty travel busy so not the most perfect place to stay, but old mestre is just to the East of the station and prices here are way down and in amongst a more ancient town. So if money is tight, look at B&Bs in Venice, if not Old Mestre does great deals.

Apart from that, as Ira says.