Yayalala

Hello All!

My fiance and I are planning our honeymoon departing NYC May 26th and coming back around June 11th (dates flexible). We are looking to relax, not rush, wander old streets, sit outside and eat amazing food and drink wine and swim and hang out on beaches.

We want to try to stay out of touristy areas as much as possible and get an authentic experience. We want beaches that are not crowded, we want to hang out where the locals are and eat what they eat. We want a romantic, sexy and fun vacation! We are young and want to enjoy Italy and everything it has to offer for young newlyweds.

Here are our thoughts and we are up for completely changing this if anyone has any ideas for itineraries!

-Flying into Rome spending 3 nts there
-Taking train to Florence and spending 2 nights there
-Then we want to head to the country side. I would love to find a place with a pool, on a winery with amazing views of rolling hills, restaurant and bikes to ride around to other wineries. We live in NYC and don't drive much so we are not comfortable renting a car. We need to find a place easily accessible by train/bus.
-Then head to sorrento/ravello or somewhere on the amalfi coast. We want beaches and good food and interesting streets to walk around. I've read positano is "disneyland like".

Please let us know your thoughts.

THANK YOU ALL IN ADVANCE!!!!!

StCirq

May/early June could be way too cold to swim, or even for people to have their pools open. Depends on the weather, of course, but something to consider.

And trains don't typically (maybe never) go to where the wineries are located, at least those wineries that would hhave thee rolling hills, etc., that you describe. You could patch together some sort of public transportation to get to some medium or small towns, but honestly, Italian countryside is all about wandering around in a car. At least for me it is.

nytraveler

Well - every place you have listed is on the main tourist trail and you should expect to be crowded - although June will not be nearly as bad as August.

Also many of the beaches on the Amalfi coast are pebbles or even rocks - and it can be expensive to rent space on the few sand beaches (still nothing like the quality of the beaches we have in NY). So do your research and be prepared for the local conditions.

IMHO Positano is a cute town cut into the side of a cliff (LOTS of stairs) - and nothing like Disney - which I find incredibly plastic.

BigRuss

Who said Positano is Disneyish? That's just daft.

Look: if you really want to prioritize the beach portion, go to the Caribbean. Caribbean beaches are FAR better than Italian ones.

Umbria would work for your rural section, but you'll need a vehicle.

bobthenavigator

your goals are admirable but not realistic.

You will need a car to see the places you desribe.
You could use local buses or private drivers from Siena to see Tuscany, but do not plan on pools being open.

June is your best time, but I would not focus on beaches---Italy is so much more. After 17 trips to Italy my favorites include these:
The lakes
The Tuscan hill towns
Venice
The Amalfi coast

We can help you to plan a very nice honeymoon, but you need to reset your goals.

Yayalala

Thank you all for your feedback! This is very helpful.

We are going to put together another itinerary and we will post back soon for updated advice.

Thanks again

Yayalala

Hello All!

We have revised our plans! Please see below and let us know your thoughts and if you would suggest any changes in route or train advice between the locations.

Depart NYC to Rome 5/26
Arrive in Rome 5/27-5/31
Cinque Terre 5/31-6/2
Parma 6/2-6/4
Florence 6/4-6/6
Sorrento (use as our base) 6/6-6/10
Rome 6/10-6/11
Rome to NYC 6/11

Also, would you suggest buying train tickets online in advance or at each station?

Thank you!

bilboburgler

Hi Yayalala, Parma or Bologna or indeed any of the cities in that area would be fine, the food is good and you can hire bikes easily to get around (very much a bicycling culture).

You will not need (want) a car so get to undertand the train network, start with seat61.com and then work your way into one of the Italian websites.

Rome, chose a hotel away from termini station (a lttle rough) you may like Vatican as a quarter that is very much where the locals live rather packed with tourists.

If you are booking a hotel with a pool, I'd still look for a heated one even in late May.

ellenem

You might look into multi-city tickets to avoid the double stay in Rome. You could fly from NYC to Pisa and ten travel in this order:
Cinque Terre
Parma
Florence
Sorrento
Rome

bobthenavigator

I agree, put all of your time in Rome together. Delta has a flight from Pisa to NYC on certain days--or fly home from Florence---no reason to backtrack.

WWK

I would choose an Amalfi Coast town ( Positano, Amalfi) over Sorrento, unless you are planning on a trip to Pompeii. Sorrento is tour bus central, and not nearly as charming or beautiful as the Amalfi Coast towns.

BTW, Positano is nothing like Disney, which I hate with a passion! You an avoid some of the day tripping crowd by getting an early start each day, then taking a long lunch slightly out of town ( walkable). But the heaviest crowds are later in the season, anyway.

WWK

More later, but wanted to add that I think two night stays are a big PIA. You lose half a day settling in, then pack up again for the next stay. If you really want to enjoy yourselves Italian style, slow down the pace, and maybe nix one or two places from your itinerary.

msteacher

Congratulations on your honeymoon! You will have a fabulous time in Italy. Since you said you want a "not rushed" experience, I would encourage you to consider eliminating one destination. Remember that each time you travel to a new city, you will lose at least half a day to transit and logistics. You need to check out of your hotel, travel to the train station, find your train, travel, get to new hotel, and get your bearings in a new city, all of which always seems to take a little longer than you'd think. And for Sorrento, it will likely take closer to a full day.

So a two night stay is really only one full day in a location, which is not really much time to relax and soak up the culture. Therefore, I would suggest cutting out one of your destinations (whichever is least important to you), to give you more time in the others. Also, since you'll already be in the north, I agree with the suggestion above that you might consider Lake Como (or one of the other lakes) as a replacement for Sorrento. Happy planning and buon viaggio!

rineurope

Hi Yayalala...

I like the late Stephen Covey's mantra when planning a trip - "Begin with the End in Mind." To that perspective, originally, you said you wanted:

<<<We want to try to stay out of touristy areas as much as possible and get an authentic experience. We want beaches that are not crowded, we want to hang out where the locals are and eat what they eat. We want a romantic, sexy and fun vacation! We are young and want to enjoy Italy and everything it has to offer for young newlyweds.>>>

After some discussion and thought, your itinerary has evolved into Rome, Cinque Terre, Parma, Florence, Sorrento, and Rome. Like bobthenavigator, I too have my favorite spots... and they're quite similar to his - the exception being I put Rome at the top of my list ... and that's primarily because I lived there for years and probably have the same affinity you have for NYC.

I don't know your budget but here's my two cents...

LISTENING to what you originally said.... I would fly from NYC to Milan, spend a day there to recover from jet-Lag and be a fashionista. Milan is highly under-rated, especially if you love "shopping!" Your husband can crash and you can window shop. (My wife can give you ALL the details on this!) And it's primarily NOT a tourist destination.

The next day, I'd head for the Lakes area - Like bobthenavigator, it's high on my list for the beauty and the "get-away-from-it-all" factor. Stay on the north side of the Lake area and you can combine a short (5-7 miles) trip into Lugano, Switzerland. (again, sexy, lot's of shopping, etc.) Here you would have touristy AND the recluse option!

From there, you can do Parma and/or Bologna. Other options - depending on your budget - would be a resort/spa in Tuscany where you can be pampered (and quite removed from the tourist scene). There you could hop to various hill towns of the region. To get "realistic" experiences, I'd work with private guides (and thus private cars) rather than the large tag-along "tour groups."

But like most recommendations, the less expensive alternative - and I know it may be outside your comfort zone - would be to rent a car. I feel you pain === Living overseas for five years we did not OWN a car === but in Tuscany, we always rented a car when coming up from Rome.

Florence is a must-see... and it's touristy, but beautiful. For a romantic evening, take a bottle of wine, corkscrew, and glasses and head to Piazza Michelangelo, above the city. Watch the sun set over the Arno and Ponte Vecchio! My wife and I have done this many times - it never gets old.

And then there's Rome. I lived there for 3+ years and still have 100+ things on my list to "see." So it's like NYC. Take what you want from it. Yes, it's noisy, crowded, and yes, parts are touristy... As it's your honeymoon, stay in the center, where you can walk every evening. But get off the beaten path. Again, use local guides to get behind the scenes.

You'll note I did not mention Cinque Terre; Although beautiful... based on your initial description, I am not sure it fits your original "thoughts." It is VERY touristy. Not the best first impression of Italy when you hear more English than Italian.

The Amalfi is great - I love Ravello. I also like *Il San Pietro di Positano* when staying in the Positano area (because it's outside of town!!). But for beaches - as mentioned - it might not be the best spot. I am not sure you have the time to do the Amalfi on this trip === and not sure it fits your initial thoughts. It is worthy of a separate, solo RETURN trip (EVERYONE comes back to Italy!)

If you want beaches in Italy... consider Sardinia. We would often head over from Rome and just fell in love with the island, the food, and the quiet, beautiful beaches. Again, not sure you have the time ... but if beaches AND Italy were the priority, my trip would include Sardinia and NOT the Amalfi. That's a separate vacation destination for us - too much to see on the Amalfi!

So I would humbly suggest... NYC - MILAN - THE LAKES - PARMA/BOLOGNA/TUSCANY - FLORENCE - ROME - NYC ...

OR... if the beach is important.... NYC - VENICE - TUSCANY/FLORENCE - SARDINIA - ROME - NYC

But this is YOUR vacation - your honeymoon! Take all this "info" from me and others and digest and decide. Depending on your budget, there are many different options available to you... Good Luck and Congratulations!

Yayalala

rineurope- Thank you for taking the time to write the above (along with everyone else)!! We really like this plan and are looking into it now.

Thanks again!