15 Days in Italy Itinerary Feedback

Hi Julia!

So it looks like you have 15 nights, which is great. You're going to hear more proposed itineraries than Carter's got pills, as they say, and there's really no wrong answer. Here are my remarks...

First trip, that's plenty of running around. Into Rome and out of Venice? I think the 2 days at Cinque Terre aren't necessary, with similar views on the Amalfi Coast, so I'd add that to your time in Venice or Rome. Speaking of, Sorrento is not technically on the A.C., but it's a great base to tour the peninsula as well as Naples and Pompei. Be advised it will be busy there, however, even in mid-September.

Unless you have a real jones for being out in the country, I wouldn't even think of driving when leaving Sorrento, and take the train to Naples and then straight up to Florence, easily done. Base in Florence, and take side trips to Siena, Fiesole, Lucca, and/or have a private guide take you around Chianti & Tuscany for a day. The cost of that--and it probably won't be cheap--far outweighs the BS of renting a car, trying to avoid the ZTL's (unmanned tickets) and parking. Trains are wonderful in Italy & most of Europe.

Finally, is 3 nights in Rome--one of them fighting jetlag--giving my favorite city in the world short shrift? Only you can answer that question!

Enjoy your planning!

3 nights in Rome shows me that you have little understanding of how much there is to see in that wonderful city.

I recommend a minimum of 5 days.

Sorrento is a great place to base yourself in that area. Capri is worth a visit. We loved the Blue Grotto.
Also, I recommend cutting back on some of your destinations.

Not sure a train goes to San Gimignano. It is a very small town. We drove there from Florence,

Geova, you can tone down the comments a little here re: Rome...

While Rome is my fave, the place on my bucket list I want to settle down a for a couple months at a time, it's a fact that the first time I was there, in October 2010. I didn't care for it much. Three days/two nights didn't even scratch the surface. We spent almost the whole time waiting in lines and taking the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus. Yecch!

It wasn't until we spent a week there at an apartment a couple years ago that I got the vibe, that wonderful bemused but can-do attitude that infuses the people and makes it one of the planet's great cities.

True, Julia needs more time in Rome. Five nights would be most excellent. Heck if it were me I'd make it 7, but first time to Italy she needs to see a few other things!

And hi from me too, Julia!

As this is our first trip we do want to see as much as we can, but are
also looking forward to enjoying some less busy says so we can sit
back and take in everything Italy has to offer.

Something we've learned over time? More can definitely be less when it comes to trying to do too much moving around in too little time. You have 15 nights /14.5 days, and 5 location moves which will eat at least 1/2 day or more apiece in relocation processes. While not nearly as tight as some itineraries we've seen, I don't think you've allowed enough time to acclimate to Rome, and two nights will only give you one day in both Florence and Venice. 2.5 days in the Sorrentine/A.C. region is also pretty short.

It's difficult to someone else whose interests may be completely different than their own but I'd go with Jay's advice to scrap the CT and add 1 night to Rome and another to Venice or Sorrento, and to base in Florence for flexibility/transport options. Raining? Sightsee in town. Sunny day? Catch a bus or train to Lucca or Siena for the day. Eliminating two moves will give you more sightseeing time.

The middle portion of your trip would work better if you changed the order. I would go from Sorrento to Cinque Terre (CT), pick up a rental car in La Spezia for the San Gimignano countryside stay and then return the car upon arrival in Florence. I realize the trip from Sorrento to CT is very long, but that routing still allows you one full and one partial day in CT and it adds almost a half day to your short amount of time in Venice.

Once your itinerary is final, then you could consider pre-purchasing tickets for any travel on high-speed trains. You can potentially save half, but those tickets do lock you into a specific day and departure time (no refunds or changes for the cheapest tickets).

Edit: If you decide do skip CT as some have suggested, then staying first in Florence and then renting/returning a car there for your San Gimignano stay would make the most sense.

Hello Julia and welcome!

With just 15 nights on the ground in Italy I would drop 1 location. Remember each time you change locations you eat up at least a half a day- travel to/check in/get oriented, etc. 3 Nights is really only 2 days, 2.5 at best so for Rome your first day is jet lag day hardly counts as a sightseeing day. If you intend to visit at least the 2 major sights- Vatican and Colosseum area those sights are time consuming and exhausting so I would not even consider trying to fit both in one day- split them up and you only have 2 partial days left to experience Rome and all it's wonderful neighborhoods, piazzas, etc.

Sorrento- Pompeii will take the better part of a day, a bus or ferry or private driver tour of the Amalfi Cost is another day. Not seeing any time for Capri or much time to enjoy Sorrento- which we really liked- very lovely town, nice relaxed atmosphere and fantastic restaurants.

Venice- if you come from CT- you are again spending a good part of the day traveling to Venice- then you have just 1 full day for sights. No time to visit the islands.

So that said- I would drop CT, add those nights to Rome and Venice, then take 1 night from Florence and add to Sorrento.

Rome 4 nights- 1 day Vatican, 1 day Colosseum, 1 day for wandering. Try to fit Borghese Gallery on one of these afternoons.

Sorrento 4 nights- 1 day for Pompeii, 1 day for Amalfi (take the bus 1 way stopping at towns of choice then take the ferry home. The scenery is the highlight of the coast), 1 day for relaxing in Sorrento

Florence 4 nights- just day trip from here unless you really want to rent a car- driving is easy-ish in Tuscany but you will need to research all the caveats about driving in Italy- ZTLs, get your IDP, parking issues, etc
You can take bus to Siena for a day trip and maybe consider a driver for a Tuscany day.

Walk of Italy offers a full day tour of Tuscany- we have done tours with them in Rome (Vatican Pristine Sistine, Colosseum , Crypts/Catacombs) and all have been fantastic and money well spent. They do offer a RS discount and discounts for booking multiple tours
https://www.walksofitaly.com/florence-tours/tuscany-day-trips-from-florence/
You do not want or need a car while IN Florence.

Venice 3 nights- 1 day for sights- San Marco, Doges and 1 day for wandering or visit the islands- we especially like Burano
Get a length off stay vaporetto pass- it will pay for itself in no time.

Mid Sept will still be crowded and heat will also be a factor

All this is easily done by train- you can purchase all tickets in advance for some great savings. Rome to Naples, Naples to Florence, Florence to Venice- you will need to correct station names- (Roma Termini, Napoli Centrale, Firenze- Santa Maria Novella, Venezia Santa Lucia)
www.trenitalia.com

For Naples to Sorrento and Sorrento to Pompeii- here is Circumvesuviana info- no need to buy this ticket in advance
https://www.positano.com/en/naples-to-sorrento-train-schedule?timetable_route=sorrento_napoli

Might also take a look at Mondo Tours (RS recommended)-
www.sharedtours.com
we did Pompeii and Capri with them and both were fantastic. They also do a day tour of Amalfi coast

For more info on bus and ferry schedules Sorrento/Amalfi:
https://www.sorrentoinsider.com

The plan is crowded and Cinque Terre definitely has to go, the single full day involving a lot of unnecessary travel time. Arriving at Napoli Centrale, it would be expedient to visit Pompeii on the way to Sorrento; the commuter train to Pompeii Scavi. Leaving Sorrento a private transfer from the hotel to Naples [about €80] is something to consider. Train time to Florence is 2:52.

If planning to rent a car, read this about driving in Italy and restrictions involved [ZTLs]; avoid leaving anything of value in a car when parked:

http://driventoit.blogspot.com/

Probable car pickup leaving Florence, a taxi to Via Palagio degli Spini, the complex near the airport.

The best way to get to Venice after the visit is to drive there, dumping the car at Piazzale Roma.

What are your top “must-sees”? I agree with other posters that you will spend a lot of time traveling with your current itinerary. It sounds like you are very excited about the place outside San Gimignano and the Tuscan countryside is lovely... but so is all of Italy.

Some time-saving tips:
- see Pompeii on your way from Rome to Sorrento. You will have to switch trains in Naples anyway to get to Sorrento. They have a baggage storage place across the street from the ruins.
- consider a night train from Naples to La Spezia if you decide to do Cinque Terre. It looks like if you take a train from Naples to Salerno, there is a night train to La Spezia. That would save you a day of travel and get you into CT before the crowds for the day. You should make reservations for a night train ahead of time if you go this route. You could also have pizza in Naples before this train as there is a baggage storage place in Naples, too. I like to use the deutschbahn website or ap to check train times.
- it’s a long drive from la Spezia to San Gimignano.... I recommend taking an early train to Florence, making reservations for the afternoon for what you want to see there, and staying there for a night before renting a car and driving to the countryside. If you rent from Knowleggi car rental in Florence, they are super helpful in letting you know how to avoid the ZTL zones when driving in Florence and other cities.

Another night or two might really help you love Rome, especially with jet lag. Your itinerary is doable but you’ll spend a lot of time traveling. If you did decide to cut out Cinque Terre, I would add a day to Rome and Venice. If you keep Cinque Terre, cut a day from Tuscany and pick one base depending on what you want to see most then add that extra day to Rome.

I don't know you, your activity level or the kind of things you like... For me Rome is a big city and Im not a city girl so 3 nights was enough for me... if you are a city girl and add some days to your Rome trip... Amafi and Cinque Terra are very similar... Id add some days to Sorrento so you can enjoy Amafi and Capri... Don't bother stopping in Naples for a pizza, its just as good in Sorrento area. Whatever you decide, do less than more... It will take you longer than you think to go from place to place. You also need time to stop and smell the roses... We planned a lot and just got pooped during the trip... Enjoy Italia.. It will change your life.

I agree, Geeg. Everyone has to decide what turns them on. I have not been to Italy yet, and my proposed itinerary for my trip in May is pretty similar to Julia's and with the same questions. I really wanted to see both Amalfi coast and Cinque Terre, but it just seemed like too much (the prospect of crowds in CT don't excite me either). I opted to cut out CT; I will be staying two nights in Sorrento with a day trip to Capri (or Procida if we decide to avoid the crowds) and then two nights in Atrani. Also, I am not a city person either and 3 nights in Rome is enough for me, at least on this first trip.

My wife and I went to the Amalfi Coast this spring.
Have never been to Chinque Terre

1) AC was pretty
2) but we like history and culture and walking though nature much more than we like AC
3) so, as we walked around Positano and some trails near there, I said to my wife "I dont' need to go to CT any time soon."

So, if I were you, I'd choose one (at most) for the trip