I am hoping for some advice as I'm just getting started on this plan for next summer (2 weeks end of June-July). Our tentative plan is to visit the following:
Fly in to Venice - 1-2 days
Florence/Tuscany - 3 days (the town of Pitigliano is a must-see due to my heritage but I understand it isn't that interesting otherwise?)
Rome - 4 days
Amalfi/Capri/Pompeii - 4 days
Fly out of Rome
Is this too much? I love Venice but have been there before. Not sure if I should drop that portion of the trip and fly in/out of Rome and spend the time more in that region. I don't have a concept of travel times/distances but we'll be using the trains and renting a car, at least for Tuscany and I assume Amalfi. Thank you in advance for any advice.
Posted by
5252 posts
Have your traveling companions been to Venice before? For a day or two, I generally say why bother, but if they want to see it, then sure.
On the contrary, Pitigliano is extremely fascinating! The Jewish heritage and Etruscan sites are very interesting, and the town is beautifully and dramatically situated. You are likely to find it a highlight. Great food, many artisans selling in shops. I really can't say enough good things about it, and I am stumped how you got that impression. You could possibly get there and away by public transport, but it would not be easy, so I would use a car for this part and no other (definitely not on the Amalfi coast).
I would look up the distance from Florence to see what is going to be doable, but the more I look at this plan, the more I think you should allot the Venice days to Tuscany.
I might look at going to the Amalfi coast before Rome so you do not have to split your stays there.
Posted by
Washington DC
28437 posts
I wouldn't go to Venice for just one or two nights as the first stop since sleep-deprivation and jetlag are likely to render your first day pretty useless.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
To get estimated driving times, you can use ViaMichelin, although people say these are optimistic: https://www.viamichelin.com/
To get train times, you can use Trenitalia: http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en. This is also where you can book advance tickets for big savings (non-refundable, so be sure of your plans before buying). Note that even on this English version of the site, you have to use Italian city names: Venezia, Firenze, Roma, Napoli. Trains will not yet be loaded for next summer, so just use something within the next week, on the same day you want to travel, to get an idea.
I agree that since you need to be back in Rome the night before the flight, it makes sense to go right from Tuscany to the Amalfi Coast, then back to Rome for the end of your trip.
As for the question of Venice, that depends on what you would do with those "extra" days if you dropped it. It is nice to start a trip in a place you're acclimated to, but on the other hand, there's always more new places to see. If you want to fly into Venice and see something different yet close by, a great option is Padova. It's got the great Scrovegni Chapel as well as a very nice vibe, and not many tourists. There is a direct bus from Venice airport to Padova, so it's an easy first stop. You can also see lovely Ferrara as a day trip from Padova, or on the way between Venice/Padova and Tuscany.
Posted by
8453 posts
To me for a trip to Italy (especially first time) I recommend the big three.
Venice 3 nights
Florence 5 nights (day trip to Siena)
Rome 6 nights
If you insist on going to the Naples area, cut that to 3 and add a day to Venice.
Posted by
🏝️ Hobe Sound, FL⛱️
3302 posts
If your trip is two weeks, you’ll have 12 days in Italy. Your arrival day is getting to the hotel, settling in, having a walk, dining and collapsing from exhaustion. You might be able to fit in one of the sights that day but you won’t do any real touring. Travel times aren’t bad at all. It’s a 2 hour trip by train from Venice to Florence and a 1 1/2 hour trip from there to Rome. The outlier here is Pitigliano, mid way between Florence and Rome. (Hope you’re not confusing this with Partigliano near Lucca.) Check Trip Advisor to see what there is to see and do there.
I don’t know what you want to see in Tuscany but in three days you could enjoy the city of Florence and add a day trip by train to Pisa and Lucca. You wouldn’t need a car for that and driving in Europe is expensive. Gas, tolls, parking, unexpected tickets that arrive in the mail 6 months after you return home.
My advice would be to take the 2 hour train ride from Florence to Orvieto and rent a car for the day - unless you want to take the 2 1/2 hour bus ride - and then return to Orvieto for a 1 1/2 hour journey to Rome. It will definitely take a full day.
At the time of year you’ll be visiting you DO NOT want a car to visit the Amalfi Coast. Take the train to Naples (1 hr. +) change to the Circumvesuviana and an hour later you’re in Sorento. From there, you can visit Pompeii, Capri. Take a ferry to Amalfi, go by bus to Ravello and return to Sorrento by bus stopping in Positano if you want to. But don’t rent a car.