barbaralk

I haven't been to Europe for over 25 years! Feeling a bit overwhelmed, especially about logistics, places to stay, etc.

We have not planned on getting a car. Would prefer to use bus, train, etc. if not stupid to do so....

I would like your opinions/advice/ other ideas from your experiences about our preliminary itinery:

6/11 - 6/20 Husband(he's never been to Italy) and myself (just us two!)in Florence, side trips.etc.? Pisa, Milan? Other?
6/21 - 6/28 2nd US generation Italian mother-in- law (doesn't know Italian language however) and 11 yr. old son join us to tour Rome and Venice, maybe boat to Padua? Where to stay for family friendly experience? Where to see glass blowers?
6/29-7/9 All train to London to meet 17yr old son. Stay in self-catering apartment for 5 people in Mayfair area, visit friends at Cambridge, 'regular 'touristy sights (castles, jewels, boat tour Parliament, Tower of London, see Globe theatre play, Wimbleton, Cabinet War Rooms, Museum of London....?

Return home: 7/9

Recommendations for first city of Italy for grandma(fairly active) and 11 yr old son? Rome or Venice? (thinking of jet lag sag...)
Should we get a tour guide in Rome or try to navigate the city and sites on our own?

I've taken an Italian for Travelers class - will I need to know Italian? Seems like we'd have more fun if we could converse a bit?

Also: am hoping to buy some Italian tapestries to hang on our italian themed walls at home. Any recommendations where to get these?

Thanks!

rex

Train from Italy to London? No way. One thing that has happened in the opast 25 years has been the successful proliferation of small maverick airlines - - similar to Southwest in the US. Check out ryanair.com or easyjet.com or volareweb.com just to name three.

I don't really understand "boat to Padua".

You'll do fine in Italy without a car, to visit major cities as you have indicated.

Best wishes,

Rex

nytraveler

For the major tourist areas of Italy you don;t need to know any Italian at all - even assuming you're doing it totally on you own. It's always nice to understand a little of the language and be able to do greetings and please/thank you - but is not necessary. In 8/9 trips to italy the only places I came upon where no one spoke any English were a small mom and pop grocery in a residential area of Rome ( we went in to get orange juice for a cold and were able to sort out what we needed with our feeble Spanish) and an ice cream stand in San Gimignano (and we ended up with very interestingly-flavored double-dip cones). Just get a couple of good guide books and tour yourselves at your own rate - its much more fun and less stressful than keeping to group timetables.

flanneruk

Rex:

What's not to understand in "boat to Padua"? For your information see www.italyguide.com/Burchiello/default.htm

Barbara: I've never taken it, but I've driven the parallel road during one of those dismal autumnal phases weather can get in the Veneto (road gets you to see the Brenta villas a lot more quickly than the boat). This stretch of the Brenta (and Padua itself) was the highlight of an otherwise depressing week. Certainly I've enjoyed it more than, say, Florence. And if you're tight for time, Milan is missable.

Venice: boat to Padua, train to Florence, train to Rome is probably just about squeezable in. Or hire a car at Florence, drive to the coast so you pass the tower at Pisa, then drive down the coast to Rome.

ira

Hi Barbara,

These threads might help you

Ira?s Trip Report
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

Helpful Information: Italy http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34443340

rex

Okay, my bad... in fact, I started to add - - do you mean "boat the Brenta canal?"

When she said tour Rome and Venice, I was just thinking - - why not simply tour Padua on your way BETWEEN Rome and Venice? It's right on the Bologna-Venice line, no?

m_kingdom

I'm curious as to what you mean by "Wimbleton"

If you are making reference to Wimbledon, please note the correct spelling, the only point in going there is if you have tickets for a tennis match, otherwise your visit will be pointless.