celiakalach

Hi, I am planning a trip to Italy!!!! I came up with this itinerary:

Mexico-Florence
Florence 3 nights
Luca 2 nights
Pienza(or other Tuscan town depending on the hotel) 3 nights
Rome 2 nights ( we have been to Rome before)
Ravello 2 nights
Positano 2 nights
Naples or Rome- Mexico

What recommendations do you have for this itinerary? Are there too many places for the number of nights? Can we make the whole journey by car or train? is it to difficult to drive in the Amalfi coast? Any Hotel recommendations for this places?

bilboburgler

Lucca is a commute to both Pisa and Florence. I'd base in one and travel out

Pienza is nice (very flat on top of a hill and not that big) I might look at Siena, Montepulciano (both very hilly but bigger) to enjoy this area you may need a car.

Put your final destination as the place you fly out of, it saves a double visit and protects you from a strike

nytraveler

IMHO way too many 2 night stops - which is really only one day in the city. I would remove at least one stop.

And agree to put Rome at the end of the trip if that is where you will be flying out of - to avoid staying there twice.

southeuropetravel1

I do agree with the advice above.

In addition, while in Tuscany you might want to consider San Gimignano or Voltera; gorgeous off the beaten track towns. I also suggest spending some nights in Naples if you can re-arrange the itinerary.

You won't need a car in Florence, Rome, or Naples…however your in between stops will require one to make it a little easier to get around.

As for driving around in the Amalfi Coast, you should be fine but keep in mind if you're not a confident driver, don't like small roads, don't like aggressive driving, then driving in Italy is not for you, anywhere. Yes, the roads along the Amalfi Coast are tight, but as long as you keep to the speed limit and don't allow others to pressure you with speed, you'll be fine. You've been to Rome so you should have expectations regarding driving.

Best of luck.

Laura

ekc

I would not break up your time between Positano and Ravello. Stay in Positano and visit Ravello as a day trip.

If you are traveling between April and October, there is no need for a car on the Amalfi Coast. You can easily use the ferries for transport between Positano, Capri, Amalfi/Ravello and Salerno/Vietri. If you are traveling in July or August there is also ferry service to Minori and Maiori.

Fly home from Naples - no need to backtrack to Rome.

PalenQ

No you won't need a car but like southey says it may be nicer for some rural areas though with your schedule you don't have much time to linger. Cars are completely useless in large cities which have banned them from city centres - hotels may not offer parking, which can be scarce at times in places like Florence and expensive.

You can get everywhere on your trip by train _ bus or boat. the Amalfi Coast can be a hassle driving with loads of traffic and sinuously twisting cliff-hugging narrow roads - boats are nicer way to get around IMO.

Though Pienza is a UNESCo World Heritage site for its neat town center you want to use it as a base as it is small - just a few thousand population - buses go everywhere but here is one place you may want to do a short-term car rental.

anyway others are easily reached by train - Lucca from Florence or Pisa- the Amalfi by train to Salerno or Sorrento and then bus or boat to the Amalfi (Ravello is high above it - only buses go there) or Positano - quicker via Sorrento.

for lots of neat stuff on Italian trains and what to expect - like the difference between first and second class check these informative sites: www.ricksteves.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.seat61.com - latter has good advice on discounted tickets you can get if you book well in advance for long-distance high-speed trains like to Naples or Salerno - most of your other train trips are on regional trains with a flat dirt-cheap fare so just buy those as you go along.

celiakalach

Ok maybe i should change luca for Siena, stay 3 nights in Positano and 1 in Naples before Flyng home from Naples?

Florence 3 nights
Sienna 2 nights
San Gimignano 3 nights
Rome 2 nights 2
Positano 3 nights
Naples 1 night Fly home

We pick up a car leaving Florence and where should we drop it of? Rome? And get to the Amalfi coast by train?

Thank you!

Does this sound better?
We are going in september

PalenQ

Well Siena is so close to San Gimi that I would chose one base there and keep Lucca in mind - to me it is an amazing old walled city - a flat one not a hill town but a good base in itself like day trips to Pisa or Montecatini-Terme, one of Europe's plushest and nicest spa towns - these all can be done from Florence too if you prefer a large city base (like I do) but if you like the slower pace of a smaller town...

ekc

You can drop your car in Rome and take the direct train from Rome to Salerno, then the ferry from Salerno to Positano. When it comes time to book your Rome-Salerno train tickets (May/June) be sure that your train does not arrive in Salerno after the last ferry has left for Positano. Not a problem if you leave Rome in the morning.

I never spend the night in Naples prior to flying out - I just have the driver take me from Positano to Naples the morning of my flight. But if you are interested in seeing Naples, then by all means spend the night there.

I know it sounds nuts, but book your Positano accommodations soon - many places are booked out a year in advance.

PalenQ

May consider dropping the car in Orvieto - a fantastic hill town with superb rail service to Rome to connect with trains to Salerno or drop car at Rome Tiburtina station which is a bit out of the center and much less hectic and has direct trains to Salerno I believe. On east side of Rome.

Jean

What time of year is your trip?

What did you want to see and do in Tuscany? Staying two nights in Siena is good for seeing that town. San Gimignano is close to Volterra, Certaldo and the towns of Chianti but is somewhat far from the towns of Montalcino, Pienza, San Quirico and Montepulciano.

Personally, I wouldn't consider San Gimignano "off the beaten track." We've been in the town when it was extremely crowded with tourists who arrived by the busload. But, of course, all of these towns will be full of tourists in the summer months.

Choose your Siena lodging carefully. The town has a ZTL (limited traffic zone), and morning and afternoon traffic outside of the zone can be heavy. We stayed at the Palazzo Ravizza. Although the street at the front door of the hotel is within the ZTL, the hotel parking lot is not.

celiakalach

Ok now to Hotels!
Small, chic, good food, moderate price! In Florence, Siena, Tuscany, Rome, Positano?

ekc

Good food won't matter for Positano, because there are loads of restaurants. And "chic" really isn't the Amalfi Coast style.

What is your budget per night in euros?

You can use www.venere.com or www.booking.com to narrow down your choices, as you can sort by price, location, amenities, etc.?

PalenQ

Where in Italy in hi-end restaurants tourists go to can you find "bad food"?

An oxymoron in Italy it seems at prices Fodorites typically pay.

Even McDonalds in Italy has gourmet menus compared to those in the U.S.