winniew

We (a couple in our early sixties) are looking for advice on a plan for our trip to Italy the last 2 weeks in May 2022. We fly to Rome where we'll stay for 3 nights. We want to go from there to Venice by train but want to stop along the way in Orvieto and Bologna. Thinking of spending a few nights in Bologna then a few nights in Venice. Then taking the train from Venice to Lucca where we'll rent a house for a week.
Questions:
Does it make sense to leave Rome, spend the day in Orvieto and continue on to Bologna the same day or should we spend the night in Orvieto and continue on to Bologna the next day? Is there a place in the Orvieto train station to store luggage if we just go for the day? Or should we just do a day trip to Orvieto from Rome and then take the train direct from Rome to Bologna on a separate day? Also do we need to book train tickets from Bologna to Venice and Venice to Lucca in advance? Any other advice is welcome!

Thank you!

Sassafrass

Any way to arrange the week in Lucca so you do not have to double back from Venice?
Arrive Rome. See Orvieto, spend week in Lucca, day in Bologna, on to Venice, home from Venice.
Where is your departure airport for home?
If your have already booked RT Rome, then you have to be back in Rome the night before the flight, so have two hotel check-ins in Rome?
If so, then I would go straight on to Venice and work my way back to Rome, or go to Orvieto for the night, then on to Venice.
Stop in Bologna for a night or two on the way from Venice to Lucca. That way, you have two shorter travel times. After Lucca, return to Rome, so all time in Rome is at the end in one hotel stay.

annhig

You don't have to book train tickets in advance but if you do you can make considerable savings on the fast "Freccia" trains and intercity. The Regionale trains are the same price if you buy on the day or 3 months in advance so there's no point. If you want to play around with trains and get an idea of cost [as well as buy tickets in advance] you can download the Trenitalia App and buy tickets on it.

As for your itinerary I agree with Sassafrass - into Rome and out of Venice makes much more sense than a round trip. You need a "multi city" ticket not two singles which will be much more expensive. And I would go for an overnight in Orvieto, just to have the luxury of being able to take your time and also to see it when most of the tourists have departed. And having now spent 3 weeks in Bologna and even longer in Venice I'd suggest at least 3 nights in Bologna and 4 in Venice as a minimum.

Jean

If you don't spend the night in Orvieto, you'd have to investigate whether the luggage storage near the train station is still there. There's no date on this web page...

https://www.orvietoviva.com/en/orvieto-train-station/

winniew

Thanks so much for the advice! We looked into flying into Rome and out of Venice but are doing a round trip flight in and out of Rome because it's the only non-stop from the DC area. The current plan is 3 nights in Rome, 2 nights in Bologna, 2 nights in Venice then the house in Lucca for a week. Wish we had more time. I'm thinking of taking the train to Orvieto for a day trip there from Rome so we don't have to worry about storing luggage etc. and it's only an hour away. Tough decision though because there's so much to do in Rome but we have been there before. Has anyone done an e-bike trip in Orvieto? That looks intriguing. Also interested in must-do's (or not-do's) in Bolonga and Venice. Good to know about the "Freccia" trains.