Italy Itinerary

I am not a seasoned traveler, but my suggestion would be to plot it out on a map... seems like there is some backtracking there you could avoid. :) Kim

Rome, Florence, Venice - enough for 11 days. Remember 2 nights = 1 full day in a place. Every time you change locations you lose at least 1/2 day. The CT is a crap shoot in March, so spend your limited time where you are likely to have options in inclement weather. Also skip Pisa. It's a one trick pony town. Not worth the WHOLE DAY you will spend to go there. If you truly have 12 nights, do 5 Rome, 3 Florence, 4 Venice.

With your proposed itinerary you will be spending most of your time checking in and out of hotels, getting to and from stations,and riding on trains. First task is to get a good map of northern Italy and see exactly where Rome, Florence and Venice are located - you will see the backtracking you are planning and also an idea of the distances you will travel. Purchase open-jaw tickets - say arrive in Rome and leave from Venice. They are no more expensive than return tickets to/from Rome. You can then spend three days in Rome, get the train to Florence and use that as a base to visit Pisa (a half-day is all that is needed there) for 2 or 3 days and then train to Venice for the remainder of your stay. I agree with the comments about CT being a wash-out (possibly literally) in March - the trails could well be closed and hotel rooms will be scarce as many hotels close for the winter season. Your best bet for the coast is to visit Lido in Venice. Its one of the islands on the lagoon and has great beaches. No cliffs, no views but great empty (in March) beaches. I think one of the best coastlines in Italy is around the Gargano Peninsula in Puglia. It's relatively unspoiled (compared to CT and Amalfi), beautiful cliffs, small towns and also has great beaches. It is also just above the heel of Italy so is way out of your planned itinerary. Italy is a great country to visit and Rome, Florence and Venice will give you a good introduction to the country..

Faith, It's a bit challenging to work out a linear route for your Itinerary, since you want to both start and end in Florence. This is one route that might cover most of the bases.... > D1 - Fly Inbound Venice > D2 - Arrive Venice > D3 - Venice > D4 - Train to Rome (To save money, pre-book Freccia train from Venezia S. Lucia to Roma Termini - check www.roninrome.com for instructions on how to use the Trenitalia website). If you use a mid-morning train, you'll have time for some touring in Rome. > D5 - Rome > D6 - Rome > D7 - Train to Florence (again, pre-purchase Freccia tickets from Roma Termini to Firenze S.M. Novella). > D8 - Florence (if you're planning to visit the Uffizi or Accademia, pre-booking tickets might still be a good idea in March - check the Guidebook for details). > D9 - Florence (day trip to Siena OR Cinque Terre - buy tickets locally and travel by Bus to Siena and probably Regionale trains to C.T. - DON'T FORGET to validate tickets for Bus or train prior to boarding on the day of travel). > D10 - Florence (tour Duomo, climb Brunelleschi's dome or visit Fiesole). > D11 - Fly outbound Florence (take Shuttle or Taxi to airport, which is close to town - Taxi's have a flat rate for that trip). The C.T. is worth a visit and I included that as a day trip as that will allow you to adjust for weather. If the weather is bad, do something else. A brief one-day visit will provide a glimpse and give you an idea on whether you might want to return. Seeing as a day trip also means you won't have to worry about finding a hotel in the C.T. (although a few will probably be open in Monterosso). If you need details on taking a day trip there, post another note. Cheers!

I too used to try to see as many tourist sights as possible in a short two weeks. I've seen the light, and now travel slower. I've been to Italy 5 times, last of which was last year. Take in Venice and take a train to Florence. Then take a train down to Rome. Fly home from Rome (leaving after 10:00 a.m.) With two weeks, you really don't have time to take in the C/T, and Pisa's a second priority sight.
The weather the last two weeks of March can be hit and miss in Italy. Cinque Terre is best seen in warmer weather.

My suggestion: Fly to Venice. Spend 3 nights in Venice. Devote one day to Murano and Burano islands. Take a train to Florence (2hrs). Spend 4 or 5 nights in Florence. Devote one or two days to day trips to Tuscan towns (Pisa, Lucca, Siena, San Gimignano, or many others, even the 5 Terre, although weather may be an issue). From Florence take a train to Rome. Spend 3 or 4 nights in Rome.
Fly back to US from Rome. I'm not sure how many nights you really have on the ground, so you can adjust my suggestions up and down depending on your interests.

Roberto's suggestion is a good one, particilay about flying into Venice and out of Rome since most international flights out of Venice are really early in the morning. I would add Torcello to the islands of Venice - it's close to Burano.

I wish I had met this sight before I had purchased my plane tickets but unfortunately I booked them first. We are flying into Florence and flying out of Florence. My bad - I should have chosen Venice, however my daughter will be in Florence for three months so I thought that made sense. Thank you all for your great help.

Since you are flying in/out of Florence, you could go straight from Florence to either Rome or Venice and start the trip there. I recommend starting in Venice as Roberto suggested and then head to Rome (`4 hours by train) and finish in Florence. If you book train tickets early, you can save a bunch of euros but the downside is you are tied to a specific train.