I had just posted a question regarding my itinerary for a 1st time trip to Italy. Knowing we can't see it all in approx 12 nights, I had decided on Rome/Sorrento/Amalfi Coast. My husband actually visited Italy (Venice, Florence, Rome, Milan) from an architectural perspective decades ago, but that hardly counts now

After reading through trip reports, I wonder if I am making a mistake by not including Venice in my first trip to Italy. I am absolutely torn I was thinking Rome/Sorrento/Amalfi Coast because they are geographically closer & that it might be easier to combine Venice with a future trip. But ....

Any advice? Should I stick with my original Amalfi/Sorrento/Rome or should I do Venice/Rome/Sorrento (with day trips to the AC, Herc, Capri or Ischea). I have 11 nights to work with and can fly in/out of Venice, Rome or Naples.

I wish I had a month to visit Italy!! As for what we are looking for - a little history, a couple museums, strolling streets, coastal towns/scenery, good food, ... I guess what I am saying is that we are not history or museum buffs. We do a lot of cruises so have become accustomed to "seeing it all" in one day & traveling at a fast pace. I was hoping to slow down a bit for this trip which is why we are choosing a land based vacation versus a cruise.

Decisions, Decisions!

I have never been to Italy but have been researching a lot lately in advance of my first trip. You are smart to skip Florence since you're not museum buffs, and I'd suggest probably skipping the Vatican Museums as I hear they are a mad crush of people - not exactly a leisurely holiday experience at all. There are plenty of other fabulous museums in Rome to get a taste of some art such as the Borghese Gallery, area churches, The Gallery of Modern Art, etc. Remember that Rome is a busy crowded city so it may not be the best place for a slow paced visit.

Venice on the other hand sounds like the perfect option for you. Once the daytrippers leave it will be silent and you can stroll and see the sights without worrying about educating yourself too much on the way. You can check out St. Mark's Basilica for fabulous religious architecture and get lost wandering the little shops of Venice.

You didn't mention the time of year you're traveling, but have you considered visiting the Ligurian coast? You can spend a 2-3 days hiking in the Cinque Terre and visiting the coastal towns in the area. Pisa, Lucca, and Genoa are also very nearby. There are some nicer towns to stay in such as Portovenere and Santa Margherita Ligure.

Good luck!

If you click on my name, you'd find a couple of trip reports that I wrote about Venice. They might influence your decision as to whether you'd like to visit.

I love the Amalfi Coast and Venice, so I understand it is a tough decision. In your 11 days, I would really suggest not trying to do all 3. I stayed 2 weeks on the Amalfi Coast and still didnt see everything I wanted. The very first time I went to Venice I only stayed 2 days and left with a not so good impression. Many years later, I have been back several times, including once for 8 days. So if you really want to see Venice, I would suggest a minimum of 4 or 5 days. I saw on your other post that your trip is for Sept 2012 ? I think Sept would be a great time to go to Amalfi Coast, so I would probably be leaning towards Rome and Amalfi, and save Venice for later. You can always go back and go to Venice, maybe Tuscany and the Ligurian Coast (as suggested above), not to forget the Lakes Region, Piedmont, the list goes on and on...

Good luck !

From my conversations with other travellers, it seems that people who rush a visit to Venice don't enjoy it at all. I agree with Kelly that Venice needs time to soak it in.

Venice--Rome (briefly)-- Sorrento/Amalfi Coast.
I dont care much for Rome, so that influences my recommendation. Disclaimer-- i've not yet been to Sorrento, where we are based for trips along Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, etc, in June.

With a similar disclaimer that I've been to everywhere you've mentioned except Milan (and Ischea, although I'm assuming that's only a fumble), I'd suggest sticking to your Rome and southwards plan for this trip.

Then next time - depending on how your first visit has gone - either redo somelike similar to your husband's earlier itinerary, or else spend a few days in Venice prior to cruising off to pastures new?

Between the pairing of Lazio and Campania, I think there's more than enough to see and do!

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/lazio

http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/tele

And if still thinking of September, you'll find it a lovely time down this way...
http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde/pics_sept

Peter

You are smart to skip Florence since you're not museum buffs>

I love Florence and return everytime I am in Italy and I NEVER go to any museums there. Florence is a lot more than museums! You could easily include it on your trip - end your trip in Venice and hit Florence for a few days en route IMO.

I love the Amalfi Coast too but several days there would leave me bored to death - so it really depends on what you want - to lay around ancient seaside and heavily touristed Amalfi towns or are you more interested in cities like Florence and Venice that have a plethora of offerings for many interests - and Florence again is not just museums as I find that comment rather unenlightened - appropo for the birthplace of the Renaissance!

With children, I would choose Venice over the Amalfi coast. Imagine, no traffic, constant activity on the canals, lots of bridges, exciting passageways, open areas. What a memorable adventure, and September is a very good month to visit.

Oops, sorry about that ... we are planning our trip for September 2012 - no kids - just me and my husband It's funny, based on his experience decades ago, Rome would be the last of the destinations he'd want to revisit. Venice and Florence being his favorites.

Don't get me wrong, Florence is definitely on my list of places I want to see eventually. However, knowing I can't fit it all in during our first trip, I though Florence might be easier to combine with a later trip to Tuscany &/or the CT area.

My initial itinerary included Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Rome & the AC. It would require us to be away the better part of 3 weeks Can't do this right now with jobs and teenagers at home. That's when we decided we would break it down in manageable 2 week trips & keep going back til we've visited all the places on our list!

A_Brit, that's exactly what I was initially thinking about Venice. There are so many cruises that depart from Venice that we could easily make it a pre or post cruise destination with, say, some of Greece or Turkey.

Yet, I'm still torn with going to Italy for the first time and not seeing Venice. The more I read about Rome, the more I think I don't need as much time there if I am not going to linger in the museums and the Vatican. Ugggghhh...

Thanks for all your advice and posts. I am going to look through everything in more detail and see what I come up with. I guess this is the good and bad of early planning

But a day in Rome could include a day trip to nearby Tivoli and the famous water gardens there at the Villa d'Este and Hadrian's Villa, to me one of the finest and most poignant of all Roman archeological sites anywhere - easily done both in one day by bus from Rome.

Rome is also more than museums and the Vatican! A whole lot more.

Go a lot actually am doing for 12 days in April

2 nights Rome Sheraton Roma $69/nt hotwire.com

2 nights Amalfi www.hoteldelfino.com $60 Otel.com

2 nights Florence Maciavelli Palace Otel.com

www.venice-tourism.com my absolute fav

2 nights at the Bauer

on the Grand Canal suite free with FF miles

1 night B4 and after www.hotelpausania.it 59 euro Otel.com

Back to Rome for my flight out last night at the Sheraton.

seat61.com trains nice pretty quick

Might consider something like that...I cannot wait!

insuremytrip.com always wise...

Have fun,

You are wise to stick to no more than 3 locations in 12 days.

Venice is unique and magical, and needs at least a few days.

My advice would be to drop Sorrento - you are going to the Amalfi Coast and that's much nicer.

I would go with flying into Venice, 4 nights there, train to Rome, 3/4 nights there, train to Salerno & bus/boat to Amalfi, 4 nights there, fly back from Naples. (Not sure exactly how many nights your 12 days equates to - does it include arrival/departure day ?) That way you get a decent amount of time in each place, doing the busiest place in the middle with a more relaxing place at the end, and are following the best chance of good weather south.

Hi my,

I would stay with the current itinerary and do Venice, Florence and the Lakes on my next visit.

You will go back.

Enjoy your trip.

I would not plan on Venice as a prelude or ending to a cruise unless I could stay there three or four nights on my own. I have done it, but only after visiting Venice several times before. You simply can not get any kind of feel for Venice without actually staying there.

Florence is a lovely city, and much more than only museums. Last visit, I was there for a couple of days, and didn't go into any of the museums. Must say though, that many people who think they don't care for art, fall in love with sculptue when they see David.

Rome, when you take time to explore, rather than rushing from place to place trying to see everything (impossible anyway), can also be relaxing.

Your first plan, especially since you want a relaxing, vacation kind of trip, is perfect. I've spent as many as ten days in the AC area, not really seeing anything, just relaxing, and it was wonderful. If you want to see more, you could always add Paestum.

I like enjoying the area I am in, and seeing all that a smaller area has to offer, rather than using up time traveling from place to place once I am in Europe. There are lots of places very near Venice to visit, so it makes Venice and Tuscany, or Venice and the Lakes, a good place for a longer trip.

All that being said, I love Venice. If you enjoy a bit more moving about, and if you could fly into Venice and out of Naples, than I might do the Venice, Rome, AC.

Rome to Venice is now just about 3 hours by train - end in Venice if even for just a day as in life you never know if you will actually be able to come again and to me Venice is not only the most exquisite visual feast in Italy but the world. Taking a boat up the Grande Canale but in day and at night to me is the most scintillating thing I have ever done in Europe. I would organize my trip with Venice as my numero uno priority. Life is short.

A month ... I need a month!! I might end up pulling destinations out of a hat ... I want to see it all - Venice, Florence, Rome, the AC, CT ... I'll ponder some more, keep researching & I'm sure I will be back to bounce ideas off the most knowledgeable Fodorites!

A month ... I need a month!! I might end up pulling destinations out of a hat ... I want to see it all - Venice, Florence, Rome, the AC, CT ... I'll ponder some more, keep researching & I'm sure I will be back to bounce ideas off the most knowledgeable Fodorites!

I think one of the most exciting ways to see Italy is to fly to Veince and arrive by water into the City. It's so beautiful.
And really gets the trip off to an amazing start!

I'm one of those who absolutely loves Venice (not everyone does). Having been once to both Venice and Rome, and wanting to visit AC, I would split your limited time between Venice, AC and whatever else is close (Capri?). Is it sacrilege to skip Rome? If so, maybe just 2 nights in Rome at the end of the trip (just one would be a TOTAL waste of time) and the rest split between Venice and AC.