1st Trip to Italy

"The Pisa side trip will be on the way to Florence from Venice." I like your itinerary, it's nice to see someone making a 1st trip who is not giving in to the temptation of trying to do too much too fast. But would make one suggestion: looking at the map, coming from Venice, Pisa is all the way past Florence and almost to the west coast of Italy. With 6 nights in Florence, you have the time to do Pisa as a day trip from Florence.

For us, six days in Florence would be too much unless you doing a couple of days from there. It would make more sense to catch Siena on the way to Rome.

Nice work Michelle! Personally I'd do 4 nights Venice because love it so, and 6 nights in Florence seems long to me, BUT it makes for a nice pace to stay somewhere for 6 nights. 5 nights Rome is very nice, too. You might want to keep your options open on renting a car. After a couple of days in Florence, driving to some hilltowns for a day or two (still sleeping in Florence) will appeal. I think you can "wing it" though, as long as you get an Intl Drivers' Permit before you leave the States. It's only $15 to have that option. You sure know how to spend your birthdays!

Michelle, I agree with the others that your Itinerary is well organized, especially for a first trip. With this Itinerary, my suggestion would be to reduce the time in Florence (depending on what you want to see there) and add a few days in Siena. Although you stated that you wanted a "relaxing trip and don't want to move around too much", you're planning to take several day trips so you will be moving around anyway. Siena is "on the way" to Rome, so would be a logical place to stop for a few days. It's also a good location for day trips and perhaps wine tours. Siena has a slightly different "atmosphere" at night, when all the day-trippers have departed. Also, I'm not sure if visiting Pisa on the way from Venice to Florence is the best idea. Pisa is some distance west of Florence, so that will be a LONG travel day. You'll be hauling your travel kit with you, so will have to store it while you visit the Tower. If you're intent on visiting Pisa, taking a day trip from Florence would be a better idea (and probably a more relaxing day). Happy travels!

I'd lop 3 nt off Florence and head for Siena and the rest of Tuscany enroute to Rome. We opted out of Pisa and don't regret it. The countryside, read hill towns, were our favorite memories of a month in Italy (car rental). Pienza, Montalcino, and Montepulciano are calling me back. You'll love it!

I found 3 nights in Florence was enough for me. I agree with another poster. Lop off 3 nights in Florence and spend them in Siena. You will not be disappointed. You can take many wine tours from Siena.

Great job on your itinerary. I would add a day to both Venice and Rome and take them from Florence. I think 6 days there is too much. On your first day in Venice you'll be very jet lagged so having an extra day will be more relaxing and having the extra day in Rome will allow you to go at your own pace and see more of the city. Great job, and have a great trip, Donna

Thanks for the advice guys! I think we will take a couple days away from Florence. Although we don't want too many stops on our vacation, we both would love to see Pompei. Originally, we decided that a trip to Pompei might be too ambitious for a 14-day trip that already included Venice, Florence and Rome. Any thoughts? If Pompei is a bad idea, we will take the days away from Florence and go to Siena for 2-3 nights on the way to Rome. If we added Pompei, then we would do 3 nights Venice, 4 nights Florence (day trip Siena/wine country and not go to Pisa), 3 nights (somewhere near Pompei), 4 nights Rome. Another idea is a day trip to Pompei from Rome. Is that even practical?! If we did that, we would add a day to Rome. Thanks again guys!

I would take a day from Florence and add it to Rome and then do Pompeii as a day-trip from Rome. On your 5 days in Florence, you can do a day trip to Pisa and Lucca (lovely town) and a day trip with a tour to Siena and a couple of hilltowns. That would leave you 2 days to see all the sights in Florence and 1 day in Florence to just relax (or take another day trip to see more hilltowns).

Michelle, This is a good Itinerary, but I would change just a few things. First, I think 6 nights is way too much in Florence. Florence was actually my least favorite city in Italy. You can easily do the museums and highlights in Florence in 3 days, and the food is sub-par compared to other places. The best food I ate was in Bologna and Siena, and then Venice. Personally, I would also skip Pisa...it's a long side trip just to see a poorly constructed tower. Based on your interests noted above, here's what I would suggest with 14 nights: Venice 4 nights (the day you arrive will be wasted due to exhaustion from the overnight flight, and this is a wonderful place to explore, also great jewelery shops and tasty food) Florence 3 nights (still time for a day trip if you need it - this will be your best shopping but worst food, in my opinion...not that any food in Italy is "bad" but you know what i mean) Siena 2 nights (one day to explore Siena and another to day trip to another Tuscan town or tour some wineries - the food and gelato in Siena were amazing) Rome 5 nights (5 nights is more than enough time to work in a day trip to Pompeii while still catching all of the highlights and doing some shopping as well. If you have time, stop in Naples on the way to/from Pompeii and have the best pizza in Italy)
The trip from Florence to Siena is only about an hour, so it won't really feel like a "travel day." Have fun!

Michelle, Taking a day trip from Rome to Pompeii is certainly possible, but it will be a LONG DAY. You'll need to take the "regular" train from Rome to Naples, and then transfer to the Circumvesuviana train. Overall, it will likely be ~4H travel time in each direction. An alternative would be to "adjust" the time in your other stops in order to allow a few days in Sorrento, which is not only a beautiful city but also a convenient "home base" for visiting Pompeii / Herculaneum / Vesuvius. I'd suggest keeping Siena at two nights and dropping the day trip to Pisa. Good luck with your planning!

I could easily stay 6 nights in Florence, but then I could spend 3 days just in the Uffizi :-) I do agree with the folks who suggest a side trip to Siena. We'll be spending 2 weeks in a villa outside the city in just a few weeks. Not worried about losing interest... trips to Chianti wine towns, side trips to Florence, Assisi... and relaxation. The net: there's a lot to be said for just sticking in one place and enjoying it, without having to worry about moving on to the next place.

Michelle
I like your second idea " If we added Pompei, then we would do 3 nights Venice, 4 nights Florence (day trip Siena/wine country and not go to Pisa), 3 nights (somewhere near Pompei), 4 nights Rome." The "somewhere near Pompeii" would be the lovely Sorrento. From Sorrento, you could also visit the Amalfi Coast, and see a whole different side of Italy. It would be a nice break between Florence and Rome. A bit of a long travel day getting there, but I think it would be worth it. After your 3 nights in Sorrento, you can train or bus back to Rome to finish out your trip.

If you plan to visit Pompeii, I suggest you to stay in Sorrento for two nights and fly back from Naples. I think you should make a stop at either CT or Sorrento. It is different from the big cities.

Hi Michelle, I'm really into Renaissance art and history yet found three days in Florence would have been enough (I stayed for 5). I did a daytrip to Lucca which is nearby and wonderful. The hilltowns are beautiful too. I went to Perugia on my way to Rome and it's definitely worth a day and easy to get to by train. Regardless of what you decide to do, you will have an amazing time, it's the best country in the world.

Thanks for all the advice guys!!! I have been spending a lot of time planning and thinking about this itinerary! After much debating, I think we will focus on Rome, Tuscany area and Venice. I would love to see Pompei, but I have mixed feelings about staying in Naples or Sorrento. We will save southern Italy for another trip. So, our itinerary we be as follows: 9/17--------Depart STL for Venice 9/18-9/22----------Venice (4 nights) 9/22-9/27----------Florence/Siena (3/2 nights) 9/27-10/2---------Rome (5 nights)
10/2-----------Depart Rome for STL I have B&Bs booked in Venice and Rome. Any recommendations for B&Bs or hotels in Florence/Siena? We are looking at spending 170 Euros or less per night (of course, less would be better)! Thanks!!!

Michelle, Your revised Itinerary looks great! It provides a nice balance, without being too rushed. "I have mixed feelings about staying in Naples or Sorrento" While Naples and Sorrento may not fit the plan well on this trip, I haven't had any problems in either of those cities, and would have no hesitation in staying in either one again. Of the two, Naples is a bit more chaotic and "intense" than Sorrento, but I find that to be part of the "charm". Southern Italy in general has a somewhat different "character" than the north. Were you planning to pre-book Hotels? Now that the Itinerary is somewhat finalized, that might be a good idea. Also, how are you planning sightseeing in each of the cities. I find the Italy Guidebook to be a valuable resource in that regard, and usually pack it along. Cheers!

Michele - your revised itinerary looks good. We spent 27 days in Italy and Rome was our last stop for 5 nights. Pompeii had been a childhood dream so we did a day trip through context Rome and it more than exceeded our expectations so I would not hesitate to do a day trip there. We felt 5 days in Rome was too much even with Pompeii and aside from the main sights - did not enjoy it as well as the rest of our trip. Rome itself felt like a any other large city. I'd recommend more time either in Venice or Siena

Michelle I have traveled Italy the last ten years, mostly at BB's and have a place for you in Firenze, Villa La Sosta. Nice people, will help with the Uffizi, Accademy, Palatine gallery and all...say hi to Antonio. Also, he gave us a map to go to LaCantinetta di Rignana(Restaurant). This was the best meal we had in Firenze, by far. The trip requires a car( which is the only way ) and the sights are to say the least, unusual. You think the Restaurant is on a farm, yep! Have fun!!! BTW, just got my first ticket(driving) in Italy.
Still mad, but will go back.

Loved this place in Venice http://www.aitagliapietra.com/homepage.htm and this one http://www.anticaresidenzacicogna.it/pages_eng/presentazione.asp in Siena. Buon viaggio!