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12 days in Italy

Posted by (Nova Scotia, Canada) on

My partner and I are travelling to Italy for 12 days in June. We would like to see some of the main cities, but we would also love to get some time in with the coastal towns and driving through Tuscany has always been on the bucket list. As you can tell, we want to see everything. The following is my original travel plan:

DAY 1: Arrive Florence (afternoon)
DAY 2: Florence
DAY 3: Flor → Cinque Terre
DAY 4: Cinque
DAY 5: Cinque → Tuscany (driving)
DAY 6: Tuscany (driving)
DAY 7: Tuscany → Sorrento (drive or train?)
DAY 8: Sorrento/almalfi
DAY 9: Sorrento/Almalfi
DAY 10:Sorrento → Rome
DAY 11: Rome
DAY 12: Rome
DAY 13 - FLY HOME

Now that I have read through many blog postings, I can see that I may be trying to do too much. Although I would love to see Cinque Terre, logistically it may be easier to cut it out and spend a little more time in each of the other places. If you could give you input I would greatly appreciate it. Also, my boyfriend is dying to rent a car. We plan on doing this in Tuscany, but I was just wondering the logistics of getting to Sorrento from Tuscany. We would like to avoid driving through Rome. Would it be better to drop our rental near Rome and train down from there, or is there a way to drive on the coast the whole way down?
Thank you!

Posted by
2124 posts

To each his/her own, but yes, I think you're trying to do a little too much. But keeping in mind what you want to do, and that your boyfriend wants to drive a car (I wouldn't, but that's me, I love the ease of the trains), I would do it like this:

Day 1-4 Florence, rent car at end of stay
Day 5-7 Tuscany, with car
Day 8-9 Sorrento, drop off car (get just a taste of driving on the peninsula)
Day 10-13 Rome

I would bag the C.T. because it's out of the way and will be overrun in June. For that matter, so will the Amalfi Coast & Sorrento, but once you drop off the car it will be better. Short time for that & the A.C., but at least you'll get to see it, then take the train to Rome. Three full days isn't nearly enough in the Eternal City, but it's something.

If you want to cut more destinations, drive the car from Tuscany to Orvieto, drop the car & stay there one night (gorgeous), then continue on via train to Rome, adding another couple days there.

Enjoy your planning!

Posted by
16745 posts

Hi Ellen -
Ah, the challenge of trying to see it ALL, eh? You'll get lots of opinions on that and it'll come down to what works best for you.

So IMHO, yes you're trying to do too much but what to drop depends on what you're interested in. Personally, I think two coastal locations is overkill as it's at the expense of other places I'd give more time to. Sorrento/Amalfi is your outlier - the one that will take the most amount of time to travel to - and the CT is a better fit between Florence/Tuscany and Rome so that would be the location I'd keep. 2 full days for the Sorrento/Amalfi piece also isn't very much time for a region that really needs more than that. One issue, though? Finding an accommodation in the CT at this late date promises to be a challenge as they book up quickly and far in advance of high season.

Anyway, Rome deserves more than 3 nights, and Florence deserves more than 2. Also consider that Florence is a really good hub for a number of day trips? Sure you could do some by car during the Tuscany piece but sometimes train/bus is actually easier as you don't have to deal with staying outside of ZTLs, parking, etc. You could do your entire Tuscan/Florence piece from Florence without a car at all. Trains and buses will drop you off in the middle of - or closer to - the action than you're allowed to go or would even WANT to go with a car. There are day trips you could take from Rome as well, given more time.

I might consider a Florence/Tuscany > Cinque Terre> Rome agenda, assuming you could find a place to stay in the CT.

Posted by
907 posts

Count nights not days. So, if I read this right you have a little over 1 day in Florence and 5 Terre and Tuscany. Not be enough. It is a bit of a train ride to 5 Terre from Florence, so that day is gone basically, although you would have the evening in Vernazza (or some other city). A car is the only way to go in Tuscany. You can get on at La Spezia after your 5 Terre visit, but you aren't going to see much in one day in Tuscany. You need more time there.

It is about 5 hours down to Sorrento from Tuscany (Florence). I drove it once. And of course you go right by Pompeii, which you might consider visiting as well.

For me, I would drop the Amalfi Coast, or 5 Terre, this trip and spend the time elsewhere.

Posted by
28462 posts

Keep in mind that for main-line trips, the Frecce trains will be much faster than driving. You can get from Florence to Rome in 90 minutes by train. ViaMichelin estimates the drive at 3 hr. 13 min., and experienced folks here say that VN tends to be optimistic. It also doesn't include any stops or the time required to find parking. One thing you can be sure of: You will not pick up any traffic tickets while sitting on a train.

Posted by
4105 posts

You're trying to do too much.
Both the Cinque Terre and the Amalfi coast will both be busy.
You need to eliminate one of them.

Two options:

3 nites Florence.

3 nites CT. Rent car in LaSpezia as you leave.

3 nites Tuscany. Drop car at Tiburtina station Rome. Train into Rome.

3 nites Rome.

Or...

2 nites Florence.

3 nites Tuscany.

4 nites Amalfi coast.

3 nites Rome.

The drive time between Tuscany and the AC is about the same as the train. Kind of boaring, just a highway. The advantage is you have no transfers (train has 2) you skirt the cities and your luggage is with you.

Decide which coast is a better fit for you and go for it.

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