Advice about finalizing Italy itinerary for July, 2015

Thank you very much for you input. I am very set on Venice (I've been there once - loved it - the only place in Italy I have seen), Cinque Terre, and Rome but I find myself not as excited about Florence - though I still want to go there. But maybe I would enjoy some other place more. I have already booked hotels for Venice, CT, and Rome but those three days I had blocked for Florence are still open. Thanks again and I agree, it will be an amazing trip no matter what!

Sue, I am not a big art & museum person either. I found Florence wonderful, for the contemporary life there. The markets, restaurants, people-watching, window shopping, etc. There is a reason it figures so much in British & American literature and film - it feels like a great place to live. So I think its worth the three nights. After Florence, I was underwhelmed with Rome. My two cents.

Hi Sue,

Go to Lucca. The connections are quick between it and Florence & Cinque Terre, and it's a nice area. Pisa is more just a quick stop - not worth a night's stay, in my opinion.

Since I'm originally from Florence and lived in that city for almost 30 years of my life (and still visit it every year) I will give you my two cents, actually my two Eurocents.

If you think that Florence is just about museums, you might greatly regret to have booked only one or two nights once you get there and discover there is much more to it.

Three nights is only two full days plus the latter half of the day you get there from Venice. You could easily fill those 2.5 days without seeing any museums. But if you absolutely don't feel satisfied with it, you can easily use it as your base to see other things in Tuscany, including Lucca, Pisa, Siena, the Chianti hills, or many other spectacular towns or villages nearby. It takes longer to pack and check out of your hotel than to get to any of those towns by train on a day trip.

Thanks for the input on Florence! I am happy for any and all opinions and I know that in the end, it comes down to personal preference. I realized on my previous three trips to Europe that I would have preferred to stay in one place longer than 2 nights and I wanted to plan this trip accordingly so maybe Florence will be good for 3 nights. The hotel prices sure seem reasonable compared to other cities. Thanks so much!

You'd be able to get lots of fresh air and exercise just hiking around finding the best views of Florence - e.g., going up to San Miniato, or simply walking by the Arno. There might be ways to go boating on the Arno, if that interests you.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g187895-Activities-Florence_Tuscany.html

As you can see most people on tripadvisor don't put museums at the top of things to see in Florence.

I'll start by saying that I love Florence, but I also love Renaissance art and architecture. My last visit to Florence was in mid-May and I found it to be too crowded for my taste (previous visits in October and February). For me Florence has a big-city atmosphere. Since you don't sound like you're convinced that you're going to enjoy it, consider alternatives for those 3 nights (I agree that you should not split them into a 1- and 2-night stays).

Bologna It's not high on the tourist radar, I suspect because there are no "major" sights, but it's a lovely town with, like pretty much all of them, a historic center. It's well-situated for a 3-night stay with day trips by train to Florence, Ravenna (incredibly beautiful 1500 year old mosaics), Ferrara, Padua, lots of smaller towns, and Florence too.

If you're open to dropping Florence, I'm sure others will chime in with recommendations for replacements.

Bologna would be a great base for daytrips because of great train connections. You might consider staying in Siena and taking a daytrip to Florence, although it's not between Florence and Cinque Terre. Siena has plenty to see and you can get some hilly walks in the city.

Thanks for the good input. I think that I will read up on Florence and all the other options that others have suggested and go from there. I've been to Europe three times and have not disliked any place that I have visited (though I liked some more than others which I would expect). I'm sure that I will be "all in" if I decide to spend my three nights in Florence rather than one of the other options. I've had a great time taking a bike tour of big cities on my first day and that usually sets me up nicely from what I want to visit more closely from there. Thanks for the great advice!

We spent 3 nights in Florence. Never went to an art museum because it is not our thing. There was so much to see in 2.5 days/3 nights. The churches Santa Maria Novella and the Santa Croce are not to be missed. Absolutely beautiful and the leather school at the back of the Santa Croce well, you can spend a hour walking around shopping for leather products. I bought a very nice handmade leather pocketbook decent size for 140.00 euros .Walk over the Ponte Vecchio and see the artist neighborhood. We spent an afternoon there.

Florence is small so I think 1 or 2 nights is fine, even 1 night and a late train to Rome the next day. Rome is hughe and has so much to see, we had a guide from Angeltours in Rome and Florence which just showed us how much there is too see and learn its amazing what you can pass each day in these cities and not know whats there till you have it pointed out.
We only know Rome and Florence so far but spoke today with some people who said the Pisa is not worth a trip, but they had very short time here so maybe thats why they said that.

I totally agree with Zoe - Siena is beautiful. If you decide to go to Florence, don't miss Siena. You could even stay there as she suggested. When I travel to Europe I personally like staying in places about the size of Siena and getting to know that place in a few days vs. having a long list of activities in a city that I feel I have to check off.

Most people seem to love Florence but it wasn't my fave. I'm glad I went to the Accademia to see the Prisoners sculptures even more so than David, and I loved Santa Croce and the area around it. Looking at tombs may seem macabre but it is stunning to see the beautiful work that went into them and the variety of those memorialized there.

It is, however, a great spot for tours. I had 3 nights there and spent one day on a wonderful small group wine tour into Chianti. It's also easy to catch a train or bus and get to another spot for a day trip on your own. So many wonderful choices!

What are your dates in July? I would skip Florence all together and stay in Siena. If you are traveling around July 2nd even better as that is the Palio Horse Race in Siena. I did the one this past year and loved it. The passion the Sienese have and the events leading up to the race are amazing. I would stay there and see that if it fits your travel dates.