Hi all,

Just getting started on helping my parents plan a visit to italy -- so I realize this is a bit of a vague question.... but any help is always appreciated.

They think they want to go for about 3 weeks in the fall - with one week at a self-catering apartment somewhere in Tuscany. They are a retirement aged couple who want some relaxation but usually like a pretty fast paced vacation, a lot of scenic drives, good food and wine, and exploring quaint villages.
My questions are:
1. For a week in Tuscany where would you base? Somewhere scenic but central - within an hours drive of Florence for a daytrip. Any specific recommendations about where to stay? Also, would it be really worth doing a second week in Chianti after spending a week in Tuscany? Would that get a bit boring?

2. Where else would you go with the rest of your time?
Currently I am thinking either
a: flying into Venice overnight 3 nights, 1 night overnight between Venice and Tuscany ,Tuscany week, then down to Rome 3 nights, 5 days or so in Amalfi coast - then 2 nights in Naples and fly out of Naples....or....
b: flying into Rome overnight 3 nights, Tuscany week, then up Cinque de Terre 2 nights, Lake Como 5 days or so, overnight Venice 3 nights.

Any opinions or recommendations? Thanks in advance!!

Some geography: The Chianti area of Italy IS in Tuscany -- in fact, it's less than an hour's drive from Firenze (Florence). Sounds to me like a self-catering apartment there would be ideal.

Where I would go with the rest of my time to avoid getting bored may not at all be where your parents would go, and that is equally true of anybody who posts after me, even people who describe themselves as retired and liking a fast-paced vacation.

My question to you is: Why aren't your parents doing this for themselves? It's understandable you are not an expert on Italy, but if they would look at a comprehensive guide book, I'm sure they could answer these basic questions.

Your itinerary includes an awful lot of time spent in places that cater to sightseeing-free relaxation (Lago di Como, le Cinque Terre, Amalfi coast). Ask your parents if they want to sightsee great art and architeture, or look at pretty scenery and relax in quiet places. If it's the former, they'll want to do more than daytrip into Firenze, and eliminate so much time in remoter areas with views but not much else.

I agree on the redundancy of Chianti on both scores: one week in Tuscany with day trips to Firenze s/b fine. If they like a faster pace, how about a self-catering apt in Rome for a week? with a few days for Venice and a Cinque Terre jaunt thrown in, that is a really well-balanced 3 weeks. Lucky parents, 3 weeks plus a nice child like you to do all the planning for them!

Are you thinking 2009? If so, they need to get moving.

We too are retired and will be celebrating our " Silver for Gold" trip this fall in northern Italy. It will be our 25th trip to Europe[Silver} celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. Of the 25, 15 have been to Italy.

I suggest flying into Venice and home from Rome, with 3 other destinations in between. The dates may dictate some choices.

Venice---4
Florence-3
Tuscany--7
Amalfi coast--4
Rome --3

The other good option is to stay north. Keep the first 3 the same but subsitute the CT and Lago Orta at the end--flying home from Milan. I would not do the lakes after 15 Oct.

Tons of good choices with 3 weeks to play with. Have they driven in Italy before?

Hi; Bob has made good suggestions. For convience sake, I would just substitute Umbria instead of the Amalfi Coast for 3 or 4 nights. Then Rome for either 3 or 4 nights. But flying into Venice and out of Rome as Bob suggested is a good choice. Dick

Thanks so far for the suggestions.
Just to clarify...I am not technically planning their trip - but I am a long-time poster at Fodors and always find the advice here to be invaluable....so when they started talking itineraries, I immediately wanted to ask all the experts!!

Another specific question --- does anyone have a favorite centrally located town in Tuscany that would be a good base for renting a house, driving around, daytripping, etc. ??

I like your suggestions Bob -- they have been to Florence though, and only want to daytrip there this time, so besides the 3 days there it looks good. Maybe I could add those days to Amalfi Coast or the Lakes depending on which direction they pick. Also, do you think I would need an overnight stop between places - or could you easily do the drive from Venice to Tuscany in a day? (They have driven all over Europe -- about 10 years ago.)

also, if anyone has any sites they have used for renting villas/apartments in Italy. I know about vrbo.com, but wondering if anyone has a good experience with any others.

Hi; Try www.slowtrav.com/italy/ Dick

P.S. We used www.villavacations.com and had very good results. They are listed on 'Slow Travel'. Dick

We rented a villa in Castellina in Chianti, it's a very cute town and about a 40 min drive to Florence. From here we also checked out Siena and San Gimignano. The surrounding countryside is absolutely gorgeous!

Just want to add, you (or rather your parents) don't want to drive into Florence. Driving in the center is very strictly controlled; otherwise you have to park farther out and take a bus into the Centro Storico. It's better to find a town with public transportation into Florence and use that. You don't have to stay in this town, just park there.

Now that I think about it, Siena makes a good central location for exploring Tuscany. And has both bus and train into Florence.

I think a week in Chianti after a week elsewhere in Tuscany would be great -- if you've seen all the other beautiful places in Italy. Bob's itinerary is good, but with too many days in Florence -- per your original post. Maybe take those days and add them to Rome, which could soak them up and many more.

And another vote for the Slow Travel site. It has many reviews of villas and villa rental agencies. I favor renting though an agency; they're more reliable.

Agree with Mimar re parking. We parked on the outskirts of the city one day and walked in to the centre. I wouldn't recommend that option as it was a good 30 min walk which just added to the sore feet later on! If we had realised how far it was we'd have caught a bus. It was a pretty easy drive from Castellina to Florence though.

I suggest 1 week in each of areas near Lucca, Florence and Siena. gives them chance to visit a range of styles.

The Tuscany location is qualified by the need for Florence access--not always easy. I would not compromise the Tuscany location for that criterion--just stay in Florence and cut down Tuscany to 5 days. And, self-catering sounds cool until the water goes out and you cannot operate the stove. I would have the owner right there unless they are Eagle Scouts.
Spend time at slowtrav.com for best Tuscany rental reviews.

We used Sea and Country Villas to rent an apartment in Portovenere and really liked their personal service.

http://www.seaandcountryvillas.com/

We have stayed in Fonterutoli, a small hamlet and wine estate, 8 times. We enjoy the location - between Florence and Siena, and close to many interesting villages: Castellina in Chianti, Panzano, Greve, Radda, San Gmigiano, and others. There is a B and B unit, plus individual apartments from 1 bedroom to 4 bedrooms. We have stayed in all of the apartments, depending on how many of our family members were able to join us, and in October will return to Carpentiere - perfect for two. The estate is owned by the Mazzei family, who have been in the wine-making business for 400 years. There is a tasting room there, as well as a very fine restaurant across the street. Having had difficulty in navigating the traffic in both Florence and Siena, we now drive to Panzano, park the car, and take the bus into Florence city center. For Siena, about 1/2 hour away, we drive to the train station, park, and take the bus into the city center. Check it out at www.Fonterutoli.com.

You best bet is to stay somewhere near Castellina in Chianti. Very pretty, and as central as you can get. Check out TripAdvisor for some places to stay: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Tourism...Vacations.html

Take all reviews with a pinch of salt, but it's a pretty safe bet.