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25 days in Italy

Hi everyone - thanks for your help in advance. My husband and I are traveling to Spain and Italy this summer for a month. We are starting in Barcelona for about a week, and then heading to Italy. We are thinking about flying into Venice and then doing the following:

1) 3 nights in Dolomites (rent a car in Venice and drive up to Dolomites)
2) Venice (2-3 nights)
3) Milan (by train)
4) Lake Como (day trip)
5) Cinque Terra (3 nights)
6) Florence (2-3 nights)
7) Tuscany (not sure where - probably rent car in Florence and stay 2 nights)
8) Amalfi Coast (via Rome - return car in Rome and take train - stay 2-3 nights)
9) Rome (4-5 nights)

We are totally flexible, and would love any tips that you would suggest. The parts we are unsure about are 1) renting a car in Venice and driving - can we take a train up to Dolomites or is it better to have a car? 2) Milan/Lake Como - not sure if this is worth going to? 3) Are there any places in Tuscany region that are nice to visit? 4) What other towns would be good to add to our adventure? Would Switzerland be too much to add?

We love the outdoors and are pretty adventuresome - any tips are greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

Posted by
32353 posts

Kim,

You can reach most places in Italy via train (including the Dolomites), although there are some smaller hill towns in Italy that are not well served by public transit so a car is a better option in that case.

A few things to note about driving in Italy. Each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which must be used with your home D.L. These are easily obtained at any AAA office. Failure to produce an I.D.P. if requested can result in fines on the spot!

If you're planning to drive in Florence, it would be a really good idea to read some of the previous posts here regarding the dreaded ZTL (Zona Traffico Limitato) resricted areas. Each time cars pass by the automated Cameras, a €100+ violation ticket is generated. The ZTL zones also exist in Siena and other towns.

For some examples of the fines, have a look at www.travelandleisure.com/articles/worlds-strangest-traffic-laws/1

Finally, a GPS unit along with a good map for "backup" would be a really good idea.

Good luck with your planning!

Posted by
9436 posts

Hi Kim, Just my 2 cents on one aspect...Steve suggested 2 nights in Sorrento...imo, there's no point in going all the way to Sorrento/Amalfi Coast for 2 nights. That gives you only one full day to do anything, and there is so much to see and do. It would be like driving 8 hrs to go to Disneyand for 1 hour. Sorrento is my favorite place in Italy and I highly recommend including it in your trip, and staying at the very least 3 nights. Staying 4 or more would be even better.

Posted by
2 posts

Wow - thank you.

Steve - thanks for the great route and ideas!

Ken - thank you for the tips about driving and the ZTL zones - my husband and I are both teachers so our financial means are not quite ready for a $100euro fine!! We are trying to do this trip as cheap as possible...those tickets sound like they could add up to a lot of money! Thanks for the headsup.

Susan - definitely will take your tip about staying in Sorrento longer - we have 25 days anyway and think that we will be able to add 1-2 days to each of Steve's places that he recommended.

Thanks again!

Posted by
9436 posts

You will love Sorrento! It's the most relaxing place I've ever been, but has lots of fun things to do at the same time.

We've stayed at Hotel La Tonnarella 3 times, and really like it. It's in Rick's Italy book.

Have a great time!

Posted by
39 posts

Hi Kim,
I like Siena and San Gimignano also (in Tuscany).
I've together 8 pages of notes covering everything from museums to transportation, lodging, different cities, etc. If you send me your email I will send it to you. So jealous - sounds like a great trip you'll have!