I am a new member to Fodor's and really enjoy the wealth of experience that contributing members have to share. I have been to Europe a number of times but never to Italy. My wife and I are planning a trip to Italy next July (2011) and we would like to spend a week in Rome and a week in the southern part of Tuscany. I already have an apartment booked for Rome (I can change the dates) and have looked at dozens of wonderful options throughout Tuscany. I am wondering which would make more sense, to spend our first week in Tuscany or our first week in Rome?

I'm assuming that you are landing in Rome. If so, I would start there. Big cities kinda help me get over jet lag too.

Tuscany may make you quite "mellow". If so, Rome could be quite a shock to your system if you start in Tuscany & then visit Rome.

Stu Dudley

Well, I hate to have to stay in Rome twice--assuming you will fly home from there and your takeoff is before noon. I can argue both ways--depends on departure time to me.

Thanks for your suggestion. I've been to many of the big European cities but my wife has not and given that this is her first time, I am trying to consider what be best for her. I love the energy and life of large cities and I know that there is a ton to do and see in Rome but I am also thinking of her ability to adjust to the intensity of that environment as opposed to a quiet setting in rural Tuscany followed by the bustle of Rome. The other consideration is our flight plan. Do you suggest in at out of Rome or into Rome out of Florence?

My answer would depend somewhat on what time you land in Rome, how long and difficult your trip from home was, and where in Tuscany you're staying (i.e., how remote). If you're going to arrive Rome in the afternoon feeling like a whipped dog, the last thing you want to do is drive a rental car on foreign roads or take multiple forms of transport to get to your Tuscany base.

Are Rome and Tuscany the only places you're visiting? You could fly into Pisa or Florence and out of Rome, or vice versa.

Just my personal experience- I find I dislike big cities after spending time in the countryside. So for me, I would visit Rome first. I now spend my last night in Fiesole before flying out of Florence, just to avoid the city crowds.

Last time we (DH and I) were in Italy, we flew into Rome and out of Florence, which meant a short (30 min) flight to Rome anyway, and then home (JFK). Unless you have found a non-stop flight from Florence to wherever home is????

Personally, I would fly into Rome, rent a car and drive to your Tuscany location (or train, if that's your plan) immediately. I find that jet lag does not set in as soon as I arrive, I actually have a lot of energy on arrival - jet lag seems to set in when I relax after unpacking ....

So, I would head to Tuscany the first week and enjoy Rome the second week, which also means I would be in Rome when the time came to fly home.

I think it depends a lot on your travel style. For me, I like to hit the ground running and then I slow down as my trip goes on. So I would pick Rome first. But if you are the type that needs to relax first and then pick up the pace, do the reverse.

Maybe you could make it a little easier on your wife by splitting the days? Perhaps stay for three nights when you arrive, then go to Tuscany, then back for your last two nights in Rome.

It's always going to be a busy place, but so glorious I'm sure you both will love it.

I really appreciate the various options that have been presented. My own experience is that when I land after a lengthy flight and a significant time change, although I may want to rest for a while, it is often good to get going. That's me but I'm not sure what my wife's preference would be. What I might add is that this is actually a honeymoon trip and that our departure will be out of the south eastern US. It will be our first major trip together so I have no previous international travel experience with her to give me some idea about what might work best. The idea of returning to Rome just for our departing flight after having spent a week there doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. I really appreciate all the feedback I'm getting. By the way if I choose a city other than Rome for our departure do you recommend Pisa or Florence. I have seen both recommended.

You'll probably find more or easier flight options in/out of Pisa than Florence. It depends on where you live.

Why don't you ask your wife if she thinks she would prefer the city or countryside first? It seems as though it would be a good idea to get her input, since you obviously want to defer to her preferences.

Rome is my favorite place, so I like to end there. I love the energy there. But I love the city. Even though I also like the countryside, I like the city even better.

I would definitely not split the time in Rome, as that adds another hotel change. Either fly into Rome and stay there, then move on to Tuscany and fly out of Florence or Pisa, or vice versa. I believe Delta has direct flights to Pisa, but I'm not sure if that is only out of JFK. If you have to do a round trip to and from Rome, then as soon as you arrive in Rome, continue on to Tuscany to get the longest travel out of the way at the beginning, and also to avoid the extra hotel change (you'd have to be back in Rome the night before your flight).

Thanks for the suggestions SusanP. I value my wife's input a great deal and we have talked about a variety of options, however, I don't want to reveal too much about the specifics of the trip since I want there to be an element of surprise to it. I have outlined a number of options for her and have received some interesting responses from her. The other side of it is the more practical, on the ground perspective that I value from people who have been in Italy, specifically this region.

May not be applicable to your trip but perhaps applicable to others who are reading this post. We rented a house for 2 weeks in rural Tuscany and then did a 3 day excursion to Rome in the middle of the trip via train. It was great - we could leave our car at the small train station, the train trip via Florence was easy and we showed up in Rome with only small suit cases. It was a great break in the middle of our trip. I loved both areas equally - maybe Rome a bit more. This year we are going back to the same house and doing a train excursion to Venice this time.

I'm a little bit of the opposite of some here. I would actually suggest Tuscany first. If you're the type that gets worn out from traveling, then it might be nice to have that mellow mood of Tuscany first. That way, you'll be more alert for the hustle & bustle of Rome when you go. You could also argue that you do the places further away from your "entry" point first and work your way back. That's generally my travel style, but it will depend ultimately on your travel style, which leg of the trip you'd rather relax more on etc. The others here have all brought up good points to consider, though.

I do think it's absolutely completely personal preference, but for myself I'd rather head to the countryside first. That would make more sense for me to get acclimated and get over the jet lag. However you can easiest do that after your flight lands. Then do Rome at the end of your trip and fly out from there.

I usually wouldn't to a city twice, but I don't think that's a terrible idea (a couple nights at the beginning and a couple nights at the end) in this case since we're only talking 2 places total and you have two whole weeks for the trip and aren't covering big distances.

Thanks so much for the very informed responses and suggestions. Very helpful

I am in stay-in-each-city-only-once camp. For this type of trip, I consider both in practical terms as well as preference as many noted.

In practical terms, you can add these factors rather easily to see if you really want to do this.

Supposed you take train mostly except in Tuscany.

Rome-Tuscany-Rome requires one additional check-in out cycle. How much does this take? Termini to your apartment, check-in and settle into your room 30min, check-out 30min, your apartment to Termini-30min. For a comparison, a frequent train from Termini, to say Chiusi, takes 1:40. So while you can reach your apartment quicker if you go to Rome first, you can get to your destination in Tuscany not much later.

Additionally, how does your arrival time synch with the apartment check-in time? If your arrival is early in the morning and the check-in is not available until afternoon, what are going to do in between? My Rome arrival is always so early in the morning, and for this reason, I always skip to go to my first destination. By the time I get to my first destination, it is usually the earliest check-in time.