Venice is a one-of-a-kind treasure, I would want to include it in a first trip. I've been to Venice twice, both times in August. Certainly it is hot, and I guess crowded tourist-wise, I have nothing to compare it to, but it was a great visit! The only time I smelled anything amiss was once, when I walked over a bridge & canal that had been drained and was under repair.

Suze and RTF,
Thanks for the Venice feedback.
-Bill

I agree with Suze and RTF.

The itenerary I posted worked well for us because we wanted to see as much of the country as possible within the 2 weeks. It may not be everyone's way to travel but we liked it. We would have liked more time in Verona and Venice.

We really enjoyed having the car for a few days to see Tuscany. I would highly recommend that.

Hello! Based on the advice of people on this board and a lot of reading, we are spending 13 days in Italy for our honeymoon- 6 days in Florence and one week in Montepulciano.

You mentioned that you wanted to do some walking and hiking in addition to renting a car. It sounds like Montepulciano might be a great spot for you! We bought the book "Walking and Eating in Tuscany and Umbria," and it has been invaluable (as we are not renting a car). There are some walks, such as Montepulciano-Pienza, that you could easily do in half a day. Montepulciano seems to also be well-located for touring with your car.

Best of luck, and have a wonderful trip!

TarheelsInNj,

Thanks for your information. Montepulciano sounds like a great spot to base oneself. I saw that book you mentioned at the bookstore. I will get it.

What are you planning to do once you are in Montepulciano? Where are you staying?

I'd love to hear about your trip when you get back. Be sure to post. When are you going?
Thanks.
-Bill

try these web sites for hotel deals and lot of pictures on each hotel
www.venere.it
www.florenceby.com
www.tuscany.net
www.veniceby.com
www.romeby.com
Have fun!

Dear Bill

I think the most important thing to remember is that you will have a great time, no matter where you go. I have been to Italy several times, and always enjoy myself.

I do a lot of work in Florence, so of course I am most familiar with it, but I've loved it from the first time I saw it.

Rome is my husband's favorite place in Italy. I sometimes get overwhelmed in Rome, but I love it too. l

I just visited the Amalfi coast for the first time, and although I enjoyed myself for several reasons, it isn't at the top of my list of favorite places in Italy.

Those favorites include Tuscany, Umbria and Liguria for small towns. The lakes for great beauty. Florence and Rome for art, architecture and sophistication. Venice is unique and I also think it is quite romantic.

Anyway, no matter where you go, you will be happy and anxious to go back to Italy. I just wanted to add my two cents as an Italy lover.

Hello! We are not going until early June, and we're still in the early planning stages. It's our first trip to Tuscany!

We will be on our honeymoon, and part of the reason we chose not to rent a car (aside from cost) was to allow us to just relax and take in the quaint town. I think I will be perfectly happy just spending the days going on picnics, drinking cappuccino and eating gelato in the Piazza with my new husband :)

We are planning to explore just the Val D'Orcia during the week. Patrick actually stayed in Montepulciano and explored with a combination of local buses and walking, so we will take some of his suggestions.

We are staying at the Politian apartments- www.politian.com
Both Budman and monicapileggi have trip reviews that include this apartment.

Good luck! :)

Dear TarheelsInNj,
The views from The Politian look amazing! That is exactly what I am looking for! I'll be back with more questions...
-Bill

shameless!
-Bill

Here is our Italy itinery from 2001 --
fly into Rome pick up car drive to
Chiusi - 2 nights
Verona - 2 nights
Venice - 3 nights
Florence - 2 nights
Tuscany near Monteriggioni - 2 nights
Orvieto - 1 night
(picked up sister in Rome)
Frascati - 1 night
Amalfi Coast - 3 nights
dropped off car @airport
Rome - 3 nights

It was May, weather was exceptional. Wouldn't have done it any differently. But now we know where we want to go back and stay longer :) and of couse, visit places we missed. We'll probably do one 2-week trip focusing more on Northern Italy, and another on Southern Italy. In between I expect we'd grab a week in Rome if we saw a good deal, ditto for a week in Tuscany or Umbria.

iamg, no wonder nocinonut can't understand you! He must not be a public school graduate! Anyway, go buy a DK Eyewitness travel book. They are the greatest nest to Fordor's! 4 of us are going to Italy 08/26/05 to 09/06/05. 1 week in a villa in Florence/Tuscany, 4 nights in Venice and 3 nights in Rome. We have also scheduled a 1 day cooking class with Cucina Divina in Florence.

mauimaui,

Thanks for the tip on the Eyewitness books. I bought one about a month ago and have been looking thorugh it. It has been very useful.

When did you make your reservations for your villa and hotels?

Thanks and enjoy your trip.

-Bill

My husband and I just got back from our first trip to Italy. It was one of the top 3 trips we have ever done. We were there a week and we stayed in Venice at an awesome inn Locanda Orseolo
San Marco, Corte Zorzi 1083
30124 VENEZIA (ITALY)
Tel. +39/041/5204827 - Fax +39/041/5235586
Email to: [email protected] - Web: www.locandaorseolo.com
. We spent 3 nights in Venice and took the train to Florence where we stayed in an apartment for 5 nights. We rented a car in florence for 2 days and took a day trip to Chianti country and Sienna one day and the 2nd car day we went to Lucca. Sienna and Lucca are walled cities. Sienna gets the most buzz but we found Lucca more charming. we did not go to Rome and was glad we chose not to so we could really get the flavor of Florence as a city( we sight saw for 3 city days) and the surrounding wine country areas (2 days)
I think adding Rome is a bit much unless you are there a good 11-14 days. If you are interested in specifics let me know.

mbohn99,

Thanks for info on Locanda Orseolo. It will probably be on the short list of hotels for Venice.

Any good restaurant suggestions for Venice and Florence?

What places did you go in Chianti?

How long were you in Sienna for? Could you have spent more time there?

-Bill

Hello,
We just got back from a 3 week trip to Italy yesterday. I'm still dreaming of the wonderful time we had and can't come down! 2 weeks is short if you are trying to do too many cities. You should probably concentrate on one area. I would probably fly into Venice (stay at Locanda Orseolo - it was incredible!) stay at least 3 nights. Then, take the train to Florence and stay 3 nights (Tourist House Ghiberti is fabulous and well located). Then rent a car and drive to Lucca and stay a night or two (Hotel La Luna (ask for a room in the older section with frescoes on the ceiling). Drive through the countryside to San Giminagno (sp) and either stay there for a night or go on to Siena. We stayed in Siena and used it as a basecamp for exploring Tuscany and it worked out great. We loved the Piazza Ravizza a small pensione inside the walls. They give you a 10% discount for 4 nights or more. We rented our car through Bob Bestor who is an agent for several companies. I got a great rate that covered all insurance,etc. ($239 for the week). You could then return the rental car to Florence and fly home from there. Or fly into Florence and home from Venice. It is kind of special to save Venice to the last which we did. It was like a vacation within a vacation because it is so unique and magical. Always crowded thought if you get off the major tourist areas, it's a dream. The cruise ships leave thousands of people off for the day and by night they are gone.

We flew into Rome and spent 6 nights in Rome first and 3 on the Amalfi coast which is beautiful, but I don't think you will have time to do this part in 2 weeks. We took the Eurostar from Rome to Naples and hired a driver to pick us up in Naples and take us to Pompeii the first day and the second day down the Amalfi Coast. He was wonderful. The Amalfi Coast is incredibly beautiful. Save it for another trip. We spent a day in Capri and were disappointed because it was so crowded. We were in Italy 21 nights, and could have stayed for at least 3 more weeks!

E-mail me if you want any more suggestions. I spent 9 months planning our trip and it was well worth it. Everything went like clockwork and we had lots of time to explore and wander. Whatever you do - just carry on one bag and don take a lot of luggage. It is a burden. We had one carryon for the entire 3 weeks and did laundry once in Sorrento.