4th trip to italy

The Hotel Milan Speranza Au Lac in Stresa is across the street from the lake and the ferry port. The top floor room offers a large roof-top patio. If flying out of MXP the Alibus from Stresa takes an hour.

Orvieto would be a natural choice, since it is on the way. But how about Bologna? Train time from FCO is 3 hours with a change downtown; Florence in 38 minutes.

Happy Big Birthday, in advance!

We went to both Bologna and Cinque Terre on our trip this past fall. Even with a week in Bologna, we’re going back again on our trip this coming fall. Cinque Terre, where we first visited in 2001, was super-crowded last October. And October must not have even been nearly as crowded as it must get in prime summer vacation season! And hiking’s a big deal there. The trails were really packed. You don’t have to hike when you’re there, but the 5 towns will also be crammed. Between Bologna and Cinque Terre, these days, it’d be Bologna, hands down.

You said Rick’s tour won’t be covering many things over its 2 days in Florence. If there are things you want to see that aren’t covered, this is your prime chance to get to Florence early, and see them!

I would start in Florence because it would be a good place to recover from jet lag. It's so easy to walk to everything there.

Have you been to Florence before and, if so, what did you see there? What will you see on the tour?

The "problem" with Florence is that, even after you've seen the "Top Ten" or even "Top Twenty" things to see, there are still many, many more that are only passed over by visitors because they are located in Florence instead of being in a town not crammed full of wonders.

Have you been to Siena? Very easy to take the bus there from Rome. Then, after 3 nights there, a bus to Florence for your tour.

Yes, I’ve been to Florence twice before. I’ve been to the ufizzi gallery, including the Vasari corridor. Boboli gardens and the palace. Toured a couple churches. Did a walking tour. Ate tons of gelato (there was a gelato festival going on during my first trip). Visited a couple museums that I can’t recall the name of just now. And I took a day trip to Pisa.

Siena would be great, I’ve been once before and it was just a one night visit. It’s certainly got enough charm, history, and architecture that I wished I had stayed longer. However the RS tour I’m taking will be spending a day there, before heading to Chianti. Then we go to Val D’Orcia, the island of Elba, a day is spent in Volterra, and the tour ends in Lucca.

The Florence part of the tour does a walking tour, the academia, and goes to a market. There will be a bit of free time to do a few things on my own. But from what I recall of past visits, most things close pretty early there and/or are closed certain days of the week. Although I’d be arriving on a Friday, and the tour starts on a Monday, May 23rd. I suppose most things would be open during the weekend. Guess I need to find my guidebook and look for that sort of info.

To the first person who responded… thanks for the info! I stayed at that exact hotel on my first trip for that very reason!

Have you been to Lucca?
It's just under 2 hours on the train from Florence, and is just charming.
I would vote for you to spend your three nights there!

Maybe do spend your three nights in Rome, or, as someone above said (and if you like to eat well) go to Bologna --- it's only an hour's train ride to Florence when you're done.

IF you might still be interested in spending the extra three nights in Florence, here's some of my favorites there:

1. Benozzo Gozzoli chapel in the Palazzo Medici Riccardi

2. Palazzo Davanzati

3. Museo Bardini & the view from its upper gardens

4. Museo Archeologico Nazionale

5. and the nearby Ospedale degli Innocenti museum

6. San Miniato al Monte

7. Duomo museum

8. Been to the Bargello? Brancacci chapel? Inside the Baptistery?

9. Take a class, like one of the wonderful Art History classes at the British Institute

10. Fiesole (on my list for next time)

Have you slept in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood yet? It’s worth spending a couple nights there and would make a good base to see a bit more of Rome.

I will 2nd Bologna. If you want to stick with the hill town theme, I'll throw out Cortona, or over in Umbria, Assisi, Gubbio. Perugia makes a good Umbria base if you don't have a car.

Thanks for all the help, everyone! But I’m still having trouble making up my mind. Italy is like a candy store, and I want everything!!! I’m kinda leaning towards either staying in Rome, or going south to Sorrento. But Florence isn’t quite out of the running, either.

It makes the most sense to stay in Rome, I suppose. I really haven’t seen a whole lot there, besides the Vatican, the borghese gallery, the capitoline, the pantheon, and always gotta toss that coin in the trevi fountain to ensure that I return! The forum and the coliseum I’ve only seen from the outside.

If you don’t sleep in Trastevere consider the nearby Hotel Smeraldo across the River Tiber. Make sure you spend time exploring Trastevere and have dinner in this bohemian section of Rome.

Hi Angela, congratulations on celebrating your milestone birthday with a trip to Italy!

I’m another person who loves Stresa! Since you like the islands, I recommend spending one of your nights on tiny Isola Bella with a lakeview room at Boutique Hotel Elvezia. It’s so peaceful & enjoyable to sit on the balcony and watch the sun slowly setting on the water as the ducks float by & Isola Pescatori’s steeple lights up. I’m heading back to that hotel during a 4-week solo trip in June.

Since you haven’t spent a lot of time in Rome, I would stay there for your first three days. Someone on the forum recently mentioned a food tour that my daughter & I want to do: Twilight Trastevere Rome Food Tour.

Stresa
Bologna
Lucca
Verona

would be my choices all easy access to Florence.

There’s so much in Rome, I’d stay there. We are doing the Travestere Twilight Food Tour again, this time with our son’s. It was definitely a highlight. Such interesting off the beaten track places to sample and drink. Don’t eat AT ALL before you go! There is one sit down stop for a meal. The rest are just tastings,