Hello how's everyone.

My fiancee and I are planning a honeymoon to Italy for 3 weeks. We would like to create an absolutely beautiful, romantic honeymoon visiting all of the best spots. If we could have an idea of an itinerary for the three weeks with the hotels to stay at and the number of days you think to stay at each place it would be greatly appreciated. We will be renting a car the entire time. What we would like to do is spend our first week (5 days) on the Amalfi coast. We want to splurge this week so we want to stay at the most beautiful hotel there is. Maybe the San Pietro Di Positano, Hotel Caruso (Ravello) or Palazzo Sasso (Ravello). Other than the first week other destinations we would like to visit on our trip are: Rome, Lake Como and Garda, Tuscany (out in the country-side), Sicily, Calabria, Florence, Venice. Basically around the whole country. We would like some ideas. Also we will be going in the begining of August. (I know, bad time of year)

Thanks so much.

Hello there-
I just returned from getting married in Tuscany and then honeymooning in Italy so hopefully I can help you. We spent a week in Tuscany before the wedding and then 2 weeks for our honeymoon. The first stop we made on our honeymoon was to the Amalfi Coast and we spent 5 days here. I can highly recommend the hotel we stayed in which was in Praiano, 4km from Positano. It's Casa Angelina. The hotel is very modern, but has a perfect location that allows you to see amazing sunsets every night and look out onto Positano. Service and food were absolutely fantastic. If you don't stay at Casa Angelina, I would definitely recommend Ravello- it was beautiful. Second stop was to the Aeolian Islands off of Sicily. We stayed at Capofaro in Salina which I can also recommend. Very quiet and romantic. We were there for 4 days but could have used a few more to relax! Last stop was to the mainland of Sicily where we stayed for 5 days. We stayed in Siracusa, but I recommend that you stay in a hotel in Taormina. There are some fantastic ones there. Taormina was beautiful.
As for Tuscany, I think that the place where we got married, Villa Fontelunga, is ideal. It's a small full-service villa with only 9 rooms and very personalized attention. Alternatively, I can recommend Castello di Velona, but it's a lot more formal. As you are going in August, everywhere in Italy will be absolutely packed so definitely be aware of that. First few weeks in September are a great time to go as it is less busy.

We did not go to Venice on our honeymoon, but have been previously and I can recommend the hotel Ca Maria Adele-- beautiful boutique hotel in a great location.

Hope this helps!

we are leaving on sunday and will be spending time on the amalfi coast, rome, venice and florence---i will let you know how it goes

Hi
You're planning to do a lot in three weeks, which isn't that relaxing (or romantic?) One of the joys of visiting Italy is sitting outside a cafe with a wine or coffee, and just soaking up the atmosphere - or on the steps of a fountain, eating a gelato. And if you try and cover too much, then you won't feel you have the time to do that. You'll get home frustrated and exhausted - and believe me, after your wedding, you'll be exhausted enough! With travel time, and the 5 days you want to spend on the Amalfi coast (good idea by the way), you'll only have 2 weeks to cover the rest of the country.

Rome is fabulous - I love it more than Paris - and you could easily spend 5-6 days there very happily. We drove around Tuscany for a week, visiting the hilltop towns and trying the wine. That was the real highlight of our first trip to Italy. Again if you don't have much time, you won't get to explore the little towns, which are the most charming part of Italy. Although it will be very busy (and hot) in August, the little towns will be cooler (and hopefully less crowded) than the big cities. My favourites are Assisi (MUST do!), Lucca, Montalcino (for the Brunello wine), the Cinque Terra, and San Gimigniano. A suggestion - stay there and use it as a base to explore Siena and the surrounding towns and countryside, and when you return there at the end of the day, all the tourists and tourist buses have gone back to Siena, and you have it all to yourself - just you and the locals taking the air before dinner. Its so much nicer than trying to see it with all the tourists.

You kind of have to go to Florence, but we didn't enjoy it as much as Rome, so would recommend only a day or two there.
Venice is fab, but it was crowded in November so you might find it unbearably crowded in August. Go for just a day or two, and allocate yourself more time to be out in the countryside where there is more time for just the two of you. If you want to do the "beginner's guide to Italy" (Rome, Florence and Venice), then I'd skip the very south and north of Italy and keep those for another visit. Alternatively go to Amalfi, then south and to Sicily, and finish off in Rome.

And remember - you don't just have one honeymoon - my husband and I say that we have one every year or so!

We honeymooned on the Amalfi coast in September and it was spectacular. We stayed at Hotel Caruso and LOVED it. We are going back for our anniversary! Ravello is quiet and we liked that since we were exhausted from a three-day wedding celebration and travel. We stayed five days and then went to Positano (Le Sirenuse) for five days. We loved this as well. It was more lively (and touristy) but once we were acclimated we really enjoyed it. Good restaurants in Ravello worth noting: Restaurant at Palazzo Sasso hotel and Cumpa Cosima (we went here three times!)Restaurants in Positano worth noting: Donna Rosa; Max; Cafe Positano

Hi David,

If I checked correctly, you haven't posted this question under the "Italy" category yet. That will help you get many more responses. I did the same for my honeymoon in Ireland, and I've gotten a lot of help. We're also going for 3 weeks...I keep tacking on more days! Congrats and have a wonderful time!

Hey,

The Amalfi coast is perfect for a honeymoon. I suggest staying in Capri, it is beautiful and very relaxing. When I went here I stayed in both Sorrento and Capri and wished I had spent the whole time in Capri.

Lake Como is also an excellent choice. Bellagio was a favorite of mine, I hear Hotel Bellagio is nice a nice place to stay here and almost all the rooms have a lake view.

If you need help with planning your trips itenerary and don't want to get too overwhelmed, I know of this great site in which you can customize your own tour.

If you go to www.geopassage.com they can help you with all the details. I found it really easy to use and very helpful.

Hope this helps, have a great honeymoon!