11 or 12 Days in Italy -- need help with itinerary

I would suggest you fly into Rome, and stay at least 4 nights. Then, take the train to Florence for 3 nights. You could rent a car and move to the Tuscan/Chianti countryside south of Florence to visit the hilltop fortess towns like Sienna, San Gimignano and Volterra. Venice is just 2 hrs. from Florence by train and should be good for 2 nights minimum. From Venice, you can fly to Paris very inexpensively on EasyJet.com. Cinque Terre is out of the way, and might be best saved for another trip (unless you have time to visit there.) Italy is so full of history, architecture, art, food and culture that it's best taken a slowly.
I assume you'll be flying out of the East Birmingham Airport--Hartsfield-Jackson?

Lindsay, You won't have time to see all the places you listed with a very short 12 day time frame, especially as you also want to spend a few days in Paris. Is there any possibility you could get a few extra days? Could you clarify "which" Birmingham you're from? All of the places you've listed are well worth seeing, but some would be a bit "problematic". A few comments.... > Rome - definitely worth 3-4 days, as there's so MUCH to see and do. It can be a bit "intense" for first time visitors, so it might be worthwhile to leave it for the end. > Venice - a very unique location and well worth a visit. Some here really like it while others are not as enthusiastic. > Florence - especially good if you're interested in Renaissance art (statue of David), etc. As it's "in" Tuscany, it's also a good base to take day trips to nearby locations (ie: Siena). > Positano - I would definitely SKIP IT on this trip, as transportation to and from will use a lot of time. Stay with Rome and north on this trip. > Cinque Terre - one of my favourites! Although a bit touristy at times, it's a very unique part of Italy, with five "rustic" towns on the Ligurian Sea (Pesto was invented here). > Tuscany - that's a somewhat large region with MANY possibilities. You'll only have time for a brief sample on this short visit. In order to offer Itinerary suggestions, it would help if you could indicate which of the places you most want to see? As this is your first trip to Europe, I'd recommend reading Europe Through The Back Door prior to your trip, as it provides a lot of good information. The country-specific Guidebooks are good for planning hotels, sightseeing, transportation, etc. Good luck with your planning!

Lindsay, It could be most efficient to fly open jaw (into one city and out of another). I might go to either Cinque Terre or Positano, rather than both on this trip. If you use Florence as your base in Tuscany, you can take a day trip to Siena or Montalcino (great local wine), or some other city of your choice. Have your trip, not someone else's - I think you'll want to return for more.

With 12 days,Paris does not fit your schedule with your interests in Italy. At most you could see four cities and better would be three. Every time you change location you lose at least a half if not nearly a full day of productive sightseeing. You have to repack,check out, find your transportation, using the transportation, find new hotel, check-in, get reoriented to new area, find places to eat, restrooms, etc., Use open jaws fly into Venice and come home from Rome or maybe into Milan and home from Rome. Second read lots of guidebooks and view lots of of travel DVDs. AND adopt the attitude, "I will see that next time." It eases the stress if you skip something.

We will be flying out of Atlanta into Rome, probably. Rome, Sorrento, somewhere in Tuscany, Cinque Terre, and Florence are what I looked at today. I realize this is too much for 12 days. Though a couple of guidebooks have suggested for first timers to spend one or one and a half days in Rome because is can be so overwhelming -just hit what we want to see there on this trip and move on. 2 days 2 nights - Rome 3 days - Sorrento 3 days - Tuscany 1 day and spend night -Cinque Terre
2.5 days in Florence or somewhere like Siena with a day trip to Florence? Again I realize this is too much and travel time takes a lot more than I realize. What would you cut out or add? Open to any and all suggestions. We won't have more than 12 days. We want to see the highlights, but have no need to hit every museum, etc. I'd rather enjoy ourselves and enjoy the culture, food, and beautiful country

You will have beautiful countryside, especially in Sorrento (take a bus down the Amalfi Coast drive and a boat for the return trip) Cinque Terre,and Tuscany. If you can spend one more night in Rome, it might not seem so overwhelming(and you can have a more leisurely time if you decide to fly in or out of Rome, most flights to the US are in the morning (if you are from the UK, disregard). That extra day in Rome might come from Sorrento or somewhere else. If you need to cut something, I would suggest someplace that requires a lot of travel time (Cinque Terre or Sorrento).

You guys have provided some great advice and ideas. It would make the most sense to wait forl another trip to visit Southern Italy. Thoughts on this itinerary: 2 nights in Rome (land at 7:30 a.m. and find somewhere to store luggage until check-in) 4 nights in Tuscany (any favorite towns ?)Siena? 3 nights Cinque Terre - (if time, a day trip to Portofino?) 3 nights in Florence (stop by Pisa en route to Florence)
Fly from Florence to Paris Any specific wine tours or favorite places you have in Tuscany? Or a hilltown that I shouldn't miss? Reasonably priced hotel suggestions? I want to plan wisely and am trying to figure out where is best to stay and which places are best for day trips.

The overnight flight from ATL gets in at 7:30am (or 9am). By the time you get thru the airport, get to the city, you'll be exhausted. Most hotels have check-in time around 2-3pm. Will they let you leave your luggage in the lobby if the room isn't ready? Jet lag can hit hard the next day. I'd cut Sorrento out of this trip, add 2 days to Rome and another day to Florence. You can do day trips from Florence to Siena, San Gimignano, take a wine tour, or vespa tour of Tuscany. It's hard to pack and unpack, move from place to place every couple of days. Give yourself more of a base to come back to each evening. You may find a place you want to return to for dinner or favorite gelato spot. Sometimes the best part of a trip is the time you get to just sit at a cafe and enjoy the atmosphere, wander, window shop, even get lost! Don't miss the ritual evening walk or passeggiata before dinner.
Italy is fabulous and it'll still be there when you come back :)

I second the "open jaws" idea. We've been to Italy 6 times and have done into Rome out of Milan twice. We've also had friends join us who flew into Florence and out of Rome. I think one couple who met us one time flew into Pisa and out of Rome.

We did exactly what you are thinking of, we stopped by Pisa on our way to Florence. You don't need a day in Pisa (my opinion only). We have been to Sienna several times and have even rented a villa outside Sienna with three teenage girls! We love Sienna but have never stayed in the city. We've mostly made it a stop in as we were touring hill towns in a car.

Sorry I've been cutting up my reply but I keep going back to see what you are asking about. As to hotel rooms, we've never (I mean NEVER) gone wrong with Rick's suggestions. We even stayed in the same place twice in Venice. I also agree that you should save Paris for a different trip. We've combined it twice with trips to England. Took the chunnel. We flew into London and out of Paris.

I would take a day from Cinque Terre and possibly 2 from Tuscany and add them to Rome. The day you land is almost gone with getting out of the airport, into the city, checking in and Jet Lag. So 2 nights in Rome really only gives you one day, not near enough to scratch the surface of a city that's 2000 years old! I'd go from Rome straight to Florence and make that my 2nd base. You can do day trips to some of the small hill towns, wine country and even an over-night to Cinque Terre from Florence. How are you getting from Rome to Cinque Terre/ Florence/ Tuscany?
Renting a car? You do know to avoid the dreaded 'ZTLs'? Have you calculated gas ($9.00/gallon) tolls, 40Euros/night parking? Trains from Rome to Florence take 90 minutes and you can relax and enjoy the view and ride.

From the choices you are making it sounds like you prefer the countryside and villages vs. big cities. That is my preference too. Given the choice of an additional day in Rome or a day on the Mediterranean I would choose the Sea. You will be able to see a few highlights and get a good overview in a day, and then can decide if you want to return. I love the mix of Italy and Paris as you can have two countries on one trip. Edit: Didn't realize you had deleted Venice.... are you sure??? If you don't see it now will you make a special trip back to Italy just to see Venice...or would you rather visit some other countries on a future trip? (I would trade Florence for Venice...or just make a day trip to Florence from Tuscany...but that's just me)

Lindsay, We are going back to Italy for our third trip this September also. We always start planning our trip back to Italy on our way home. Our first trip was about 12 days. Second was 21 days. This trip it will be 25 days. Once you visit, you will go back! One thing to also consider is weather. Depending on what time in September you are traveling, the weather can get cooler and damp the later in the month. You might want to consider fyling into Venice for 2 nights, then Cinque Terre (our favorite place) 3 nights, Florence 3 nghts, Rome 3 nights. That way you will follow the warmer weather as you go south. Fly out of Rome. In Florence, you can day trip to Sienna or Lucca. You can't see it all, but you will get a feel for where you will visit on your next trip. Save Sorennto and souhern cities for your next visit. Have a great trip