Vacation Help - Rome/Tuscany
 

We are planning our 2009 vacation to Italy and would appreciate your help. We have read a lot of good information on this site as well as other travel books.

Here is our itinerary.

Fly from Toronto Canada to London Heathrow and then to Rome.

Rome 4 nights.
Then high speed train to Florence and stay 2 nights.

Train from Florence to Cinque Terre (Vernazza) and stay 2 nights.

Train from Vernazza to Pisa and stay one night. Rent a car and travel to San Gimignano and stay 4 nights and see Tuscany. Then back to Pisa to drop off the car and fly to London Gatwick and then back to Heathrow to go home.

Does this seem like a good amount of travel in these days? We want to enjoy the Italian lifestyle and don't always want to be on the rush.

A couple of extra questions - are the trains as easy as everyone says? We are a couple in our 50s who are very active and enjoy "car travel" vacations but heard that it would be better to take the trains in Italy with the exception of Tuscany. Do you agree?

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

We're a couple a bit older than you and we too [are very active and enjoy "car travel" vacations].

We've been to Italy (and other European countries) many times and not used trains to get about. We like the freedom and spontaneity of having a car. We're not beholden to train timetables, etc.

Therefore, I suggest that you consider an agenda that has you renting a car upon leaving Rome and returning it in Pisa. No trains.

Tuck: There would be no need for the car in Florence or CT. It seems to me it would be just more hassle having to park it.

I think the plan sounds great. The only thing I might do is pick up the car in La Spezia (CT) and not spend the night in Pisa. Other than that: well thought out.

Thanks for your replies. We can't find major car rental chains offering cars in La Spezia. Do you know where we could rent a car in La Spezia and can we have the drop off in Pisa?

Thank you both.

Check out www.autoeurope.com
We've rented from them 4 times in Italy and they offer nice cars and great service.

I don't see the point in spending the night in Pisa after leaving 5t. Leave Pisa until the end when you are departing. If you don't have hotel rooms booked yet, then I would train from Rome to Chuisi, rent a car to see southern Tuscany - Montepulciano, Pienza, etc. (4 nights),drive to Vernazza (2 nights), drive to Florence (drop car at airport - do not drive in to Florence - see threads about tickets), train or bus to Pisa for last night and flight out. This would avoid backtracking.

You mention that you don't want to always be on the rush. This seems like a lot of moving around to me. Thirteen nights in five hotels. That's a lot of unpacking, repacking, traveling, and checking into new hotels. Personally, I would drop one location and spend a little more time enjoying wherever I am.

Jeanne - Of course a car is not "needed" in Florence or the CT - I didn't mean to imply that. And it shouldn't be a hassle to park it.

Byron said, "We want to enjoy the Italian lifestyle and don't always want to be on the rush" and my impression was that there'd be a lot of time and effort involved in rushing to make train connections.

With a car, he'd be able to set his own timetable. With a car, he'd be able to impulsively stop and spend time in a small town and "enjoy the Italian lifestyle". And I don't agree that "it would be better to take the trains in Italy with the exception of Tuscany".

Hi Byron,

I agree that your itinerary looks a bit crowded.

At the moment it looks like this:

Day 1-5 - rome

Day 5-7 - florence

Day 7-9 - CT

DAy 9-10 - Pisa

Day 10 - 14 - tuscany.

the main change I would make is to frop or move the night in Pisa - what there is to see there can be seen on half a day, though it IS worth seeing.

so i would go straight from Florence to the CT, stay there 3 nights [will really only give you 2 days] then pick up your car and spend the day in a leisurely drive down to San G or whereever.

if you have an early flight back out of Pisa, book your last night there, arrive early afternoon, and return your car.

you can pre-book your slot to climb the tower [www.opa-pisa.it]. enjoy the evening there [the campo dei miraccoli is magic lit up at night and most of the tourists have gone by then] and then catch your flight next morning. A cab to the airport from the centre is about 10e.

good luck,

regards, ann

I agree with your point. Picking up the car in Rome would make for an entirely different, and pleasant, trip. We did that not long ago and loved the spontaneity provided by having a car the entire time.

I was simply going by the itinerary Brian gave us. I presume he will spend those days <i>in</i> Florence and CT, not seeing the countryside on the way. In that case, it makes sense to wait and pick up the car later (perhaps in La Spezia).

Everyone gave us a lot to think about. We really appreciate your input.

Our next question is &quot;has anyone stayed at La Mala in Vernazza&quot;?

Second, any good restaurant suggestions in the locations we have mentioned? We like to eat with the Italians. We like to experience real good ethnic food.

Thanks again everyone.

We ate at several good restaurants in Rome. But I'll give you this one because the Italian Archbishop sitting next to us leaned over and whispered, &quot;How did two Americans find this...the best restaurant in Rome?!&quot;. Nothing fancy, just very good food and welcoming atmosphere. If you arrive a little early, try for a table in the main room with the brick fired oven.

FIAMETTA: Near Pza Navona. Find the Genio Hotel on a map. Standing in Pza Fiametta, facing the hotel, the restaurant is immediately around the corner on the right.

We just returned yesterday from Rome. The best (and most expensive) meal we had was at La Penna d'Orca a few blocks from the Piazza di Popolo.

I hope to start my trip report in the next day or so and will include some information about the meals we had.

Annhig-- Do you really have to pre- book a spot to climb PISA tower?

Byron1-- With Autoeurope there is a big deductible so if you scratch car it comes out of that. With Kemwell there is a ZERO deductible. As I mentioned in below thread of &quot;Car Rental in Florence&quot; Note- maybe you can ask them to extend the May 15 sale to you or perhaps they have one for Memorial Day? Here is what I replied to in that thread:

Author: ciaodeb
Date: 05/11/2008, 09:16 pm
Both Auto Europe and Kemwell act as booking agents for major car companies.

I just got better deal from Kemwell vs. Auto Europe for our August'08 trip. Halfway through trip we will need a stationwagon for my family and I saved over $300 from Kemwell just for car. I am further saving by picking up in a city (Rome) and returning at Milan's Malpensa airport when we end our trip. Agent said I save on airport taxes on pick up only, not drop off.

Each, however, e-mailed me a voucher so I could lock in price in case it goes up with the weak dollar. Kemwell does not have a deductible as Auto Europe has a $700. With Auto Europe, if you scratch car, they get estimate and take it from the $700 they hold on your credit card.

I also gave the Kemwell agent my hotel address and was given the closest Hertz office for pick up. This agent also e-mailed me the car picture, inside, rear plus she went to Google Map and e-mailed me directions from hotel to office with map!!

Both companies have a deal going on until May 15th where you save a few hundred off car rental.

For your convenience:

Kemwell: 1.800.678.0678

Auto Europe: 1.800.223.5555

Enjoy your trip when it comes!

ciadeb - You usually need to reserve to be able to climb the tower and you might not get the time slot you want.
http://www.opapisa.it/index.php?id=216&amp;L=1&amp;T=2

Here's a link to a very recent trip report with an extensive and enthusiastic description of La Mala.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35116654

Prefacing my comments, Italy is our favorite European country, but we are not enthusastic about their train system.

The distances you mention are not that far for car travel, and you'd save considerable time by not worrying about train schedules. And, besides, our experience was that Italian trains are not that great---dirty and not following a schedule. Disappointment and frustration at the time lost. My opinion is that European trains are best for going from a major city in one country to a major city in another country. Horsing around on a local train (within Italy) is a major drag and a waste of your precious vacation time and energy.

My suggestion would be to pick up a car as you leave Rome, and drive on the A1 autostrada to Florence (4 hours max)for your stay there. Drive from Florence the Cinque Terre, and directly on to Chianti (San Gimignano). Then visit Pisa last, on your way home, dropping off the car at the Pisa airport. Pisa is lovely and can be seen in 3-4 hours, but not worth a whole day/night's stay. My recommendation would be to spend any extra/accumulated time in the Tuscany/Chianti region. Tuscany is great and there is so much to see there, and quite easy to navigate by car. Leave the Italian trains for the Italians.

I'd get off the autostrada ASAP. Visit Orvieto and Civita di Bagnoregio. Then spend a few nights in the Val d'Orcia prior to San Gimignano. Visit Siena, Volterra and Monteriggioni. Florence is likely to be infested with tourists, so your stay there has to be planned carefully. Make a stop in Lucca on the way to the CT.

hi, cioadeb,

yep you really DO haave to pre-book your time to climb the tower, if you want to be able to guarrentee doing it.

of course, if you've got all day, and/or are travelling in december, you could probably wing it. but they get lots of groups, and they only allow 30 people up every 30 minutes or so.

Byron - other posters have suggested picking up your car in Rome. if you are planning Florence as your next stay, please think carefully about this. you do not want or need a car in Florence. if you think you'd like one to eplore the CT, then pick it up when you leave Florence.

trains to Florence from Rome are very easy.

regards, ann

Annhig-- since we do not know our arrival time I think we will wing it. If we cannot get in, seeing it from outside is fascintating enough! What I do not understand is
the closing time according to the site for buying tickets:

Leaning Tower:
8.30 - 20.30- (until 13/6 and from 05/09 until 30/09) 8.30 - 23.00 (from 17/6)

Then I wrote out to make sense of it: (until June 13 and from Sept. 5 until Sept 30) 8:30 – 11PM from June 17

Even putting date as we are familiar with, I could not make sense out of it. That last June 17 makes it un comprehsible. We will be there on 19 August '08, will it close at 20.30, which I think or later?