14-day trip at Christmas - Tips and Ideas please!

Hello Frongmom,
It sounds like you've already booked flights into/out of Rome. If not, you might try flying into Florence and out of Naples, or vice versa.
I would suggest:
Spend the first week, north of Rome. Second week, south of Rome.
If you are in Florence for a few days, you could add any number of Tuscan towns....Lucca, Pisa, SanG, Siena, etc. Lots of options. You could add Venice and go via train.
Surrounding and south of Rome...also lots of options.
Around Salerno....Pompeii, Herculaneum, Sorrento, Capri. or other islands, etc. Plus, other not-so famous, but just as interesting places. (I haven't been to Salerno, but based once in Sorrento)
Get a guide book, either from your library, or keep perusing forums such as this.

You didn't indicate your interests, art, history, archeology, etc, or time of year. More details would help to make suggetions.

Hi and welcome to the RS forum -
First questions...Your trip is THIS Christmas? As in just 2 weeks or so from now?
Reason why you choose Salerno? Weather along the coast could be sketchy, and ferry services will be limited.
Have you done some homework on driving in Italy (hint: you do not want or need a car in Florence, Rome, Venice, Cinque Terre and some other locations.)

Where to go during your 14 days very much depends on your interests: what do you want to do/see on this trip?

Consider not renting a car initially, it’s easier and quicker in Italy to travel distances by train - Rome to Florence and Florence to Salerno. Generally it sounds as if having a car in Florence is a hindrance, parking difficulties, no go zones for anything but local traffic. Trains will also get you to Lucca, Pisa, Verona, Venice. Renting a car when you get to Salerno would be good for exploring the Amalfi Coast. Paestum, an Ancient Greek city is easy to reach by car and Pompeii is less than an hour away by car. You could easily and quickly get into Naples itself by train, a car in any city is a hindrance.

Hello FrongMom, and welcome to the forum!

A few quick notes:
- You haven't listed any locations in which a car would be anything other than an expensive burden. Trains are faster and easier between all major cities you've listed.
- If you do rent a car make sure you get an International Drivers License for everyone who might drive before you leave the states.
- This sounds like your first trip to Italy - Rome, Florence, Venice is the classic first trip for a reason.
- Unless you absolutely need to see The Last Supper or a into fashion I wouldn't add Milan but it wouldn't be hard from either Venice or Florence on the fast train.
- If you are in Florence area before Xmas check out the holiday markets in Florence, Siena and Arezzo.
- Pisa is easily do-able from Florence on the train and worth it if you want to see the leaning tower.
- Weather in all beach areas will be cold and sketchy with no, or limited, ferry service so both Salerno and CT are questionable choices. Check the weather for Venice as well. Be prepared for rain everywhere.
- Keep track of nights rather than days spent places - keeping in mind that 2 nights somewhere is 1 full day in that city.
- Grab a couple of guide books, make a list of everything you "must" see and of things you "want" to see and edit for weather, time to get there and come up with a tentative schedule. Then get more feedback here if you want.

Keep in mind no one can tell you want you want to see or how you want to travel. You're the only one who can know that and they won't be taking the trip with you.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

One idea is to spend an entire week in a big city. Rome is the obvious choice, but any the top cities would do.

I spent Jan. 1-8, 2012, in Paris: It was wonderful! Big, aggressive European cities acquire a bit more charm in the winter compared with other times of the year when the number of visitors is substantially lower. The locals reclaim their city. If Paris was superb for a week in winter, Rome would probably be even more so. There will still be tourists there around the holidays, but the numbers would be nothing compared with summer and even the shoulder seasons.

Hello

I spent a few hours in Florence while on a cruise excursion and I wish that i could have spent a couple of days there.

It is. great walking city.

If you are into museums, I strongly suggest spending time at the Ufizzi Galleries. Magnificent.

There are shops that sell exceptional gold jewelry and leather in Piazza di Santa Croce which is also a great place to people watch and eat very good gelato. For gold and leather, check out The Gold Market.

I went to Pisa and while pretty, it would not be a must do as far as I am concerned. I wish that I had done some research on Pisa before I went. This was part of the shore excursion that I was on and we had very little time. It was also on our own time. I might hve appreciated it more if I had more time and was guided.

I did not see much of Rome but from what I did see, it was wonderfully beautiful. I was on a shore excursion that was not satisfactory but I did like St. Peter's Square. Lots of nice gift shops and lots of places to eat. Great people watching and a good place to relax.

I went back to look at my pictures of Rome.

It was very rainy and crowded when I was there plus I was very disappointed in the excursion that I had to take last minute because Norwegian had cancelled the excursion that i had chosen without telling me.

But I also want to recommend the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain. I think the latter might still be closed because of rehabilitation but there is still somewhere to throw your penny and look in through mesh. Again, I suggest you do some research if possible before going to.

We walked around Rome and did go into an old church but I do not recall the name. It was beautiful. There are going to be a lot of old churches and they will all be beautiful.

Rome is going to be especially beautiful during Xmas time but very very crowded. Until you experience the crowds, there is no way to describe the crowds.

Consider a walking tour of Rome.

Thanks for the helpful tips. I am thinking we won't get a car until we need to be in Salerno to visit family in a nearby area. It's great to hear that trains and public transit will get us to major areas. I am thinking during our 14 days (I guess really 12 with travel time) we will focus on Florence with some day trips possibly to Venice and Cinque Terra/Pisa, then travel down to Salerno and check out Pompeii and the coast before finishing with some time in Rome before we leave.