Backpacking trip advice

Hi Carrie, sounds like a very workable plan. Now if I understand correctly you said you have to fly out of Rome to keep a travel deal. I recommend flying to Milan or Munich and visiting your friends that you said can accomodate you. That will serve many of your needs and desires, you'll still be near or in Italy with easy access to the countryside of Italy, and it should be a quick flight, but personally and most importantly it will give you a chance to decompress and adjust to not being with the tour group, going from a large group to being by oneself can sometimes be overwhelming emotionally, it's happened to me and I've witnessed it with others. Since you'll be staying with friends you'll have that buffer and have time to adjust. Staying in hostels will provide some you your desires too, getting closer to the culture, metting other travelers. I can't think of any specifics to pass along at this time but you do have a very workable plan and a great timeframe.

If you spend all 7 weeks in Italy, then you have enough time to go from the Alps all the way to Sicily. Rick Steves' Italy book must be his single thickest book dedicated to one country. I have been to Italy, but I am not an Italy expert. Italy has it all, see the art and architecture, experience the history, taste the food and wine, hear the opera, and climb a volcano.

Do you plan to spend all your time in Italy? If not, I suggest you take the ferry across the Adriatic to Croatia or by train to Slovenia then down to Croatia. From there you could venture further inland to Bosnia: Mostar and Sarajevo where there are tourists, but not packed like Italy or Croatia. Other suggestions: north to Switzerland and Austria.

Thanks, guys. I know it's far ahead, but I'm too excited that I want to start planning now.

Barry, I see your point. I didn't even think of the shock from going from a large group to myself. Good idea.

Chris, I will get Rick Steves' book, then! I was not aware Italy had so much to offer. I do want to visit other countries, too. I would like to see as much of Europe as I can without being too ambitious that I wear myself out.

If you can make it up to Brugge, Belgium, I'd highly recommend it! I was there for a few days this summer and LOVED it! It's a very well-preserved historical city, small, but with enough things to see. We took a bike trip to the Dutch border that was phenomenal - you'd get the history and the nature all at once!
Sevilla, Spain is also a great smaller city to visit. It's full of character and things to do.

As a fellow musician, I'd recommend going to Salzburg, especially if you're going to Munich, it's an easy train ride. You should consider Vienna, too. If you're going to be there in August, you can hit the music festival in Salzburg. Plan ahead, though, tickets sell out, especially the cheaper ones. You can catch the Berlin Philharmonic if you're lucky.

Thank you.

Danielle, that place sounds wonderful. I love bike riding, too, so I will definitely take your suggestion.

Maureen, I forgot about the Salzburg Festival! Glad you mentioned it! That will definitely be a new priority to add to my list.

At this point, I would imagine that you have a million ideas running rampant through your mind! May I suggest that you get a map of Europe and some markers. Put a big circle in RED around Rome - your in-and-out place. Then take light colored markers and circle or dot the places you see on the map that are of particular interest to you. Then sort of connect-the-dots from Rome and back to Rome. Work out the travel times and start cutting out what just doesn't fit or takes too long to get to/from. Then take darker markers and mark your final draft destinations.

I hope this will help you begin to get your ideas in order. (You will probably need to buy 2 maps. The first time I tried this, I needed 3!)