Please sign in to post.

Advice on Itinerary

Posted by (Seattle) on

Hello all! I've been reading through the forums and thought I'd ask for some advice. My husband and I will be in Italy May 12-25. It's his first time, my second, having spent time in Venice, Bologna and Florence.

We arrive in Venice around 4:30pm on May 12 and leave Rome in the morning of May 25, flying to France for a wedding. I'm second guessing the itinerary I put together due to several 1-night stays. Here's what I have currently:

  • May 12-15: Venice (3 nights)
  • May 15-17: Vernazza (2 nights)
  • May 17-20: Florence (3 nights)
  • May 20-21: Sienna (1 night)
  • May 21-22: Assisi (1 night)
  • May 22-23: Orvieto (1 night)
  • May 23-25: Rome (2 nights)

My plan has been to rent a car leaving Florence and turn it in at Orvieto before boarding a train or bus to Rome. While we are adventurous (we skydive, ride motorcycles, scuba dive, etc.), we are wanting a relaxing yet cultural experience, and by that I mean experiencing the people and the feel of Italy, not needing to see every piece of art or church. We enjoy wine and good food, but it's not the most important thing, either.

I'm thinking of reducing Florence to 2 nights, and then picking an agriturismo in Tuscany, maybe in Pienza, for 4 nights (replacing the 3rd night in Florence, and the three 1-night stays in Sienna, Assisi and Orvieto). Since we'd have a car, we could leave Florence at our leisure, stop at Sienna on the way to the agriturismo, and take a day trip to Assisi. We'd see Orvieto on the way to Rome.

Someone recommended Walks of Italy tours, and I've found good 1-day tours for Florence and Rome that would make efficient use of our limited time. There's also a great tour in Venice, but it would at early on our first morning there, which I know is a poor idea!

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Posted by
33 posts

For a relaxing trip, we try to avoid a lot of moving around. You can eat up a lot of time checking in, checking out, and finding your way in and out of towns by car (many one way streets, etc). We consider a travel day pretty much a lost day. I recommend staying in just a few places, with day trips by car. You can do Assisi, Orvieto and Sienna in one day each. So I vote for your second option, although I think two nights in Florence might be pushing it and two nights in Rome is not nearly enough considering that you will only have a partial day when you arrive after visiting Orvieto, and will have to check out the the morning of the third day and get to the airport. That just leaves you one full day to see Rome! Impossible! I would either add another two days in Rome, or skip it and come back when you have more time. It is an amazing city. Yes, I have used Walks of Italy several times in both Venice and Rome and was very satisfied. I've booked two more of their tours for Florence and one in Milan in April. But I also enjoy Rick's audio tours, which you can download to your phone. His recommendation to take a vaporetto (water taxi) from one end of Venice's Grand Canal to the other at dusk, is a great idea. We actually circumvented the island and it was lovely. Enjoy your trip!

Posted by
5 posts

Thanks for your reply. Initially we were planning to save Rome for another trip, but it seems to be the best bet for flying to southern France (probably Marseilles). And if we are there, we have to see a little bit! My taste goes more toward the ruins than the Vatican, and we have booked a place near the Coliseum for that reason.

Maybe we should stay in Florence for 3 nights and Tuscany for 3 nights. That does feel more relaxed.

Thanks again!

Posted by
15798 posts

My visit to Assisi and Orvieto was about the same time of the month you'll be there. There were no crowds anywhere in Assisi - such a beautiful town, I would have liked to have a second night there. Even in Orvieto (3 nights - a little longer than one "needs" but it was the end of my trip and I was ready to relax), there weren't so many day-trippers from Rome that it was really noticeable. On the other hand, I was dismayed by the flood of tourists in Florence.

Posted by
7175 posts

If you decide on a car then make Florence your stop before CT.

May 12-15: Venice (3 nights)
May 15-17: Florence (2 nights)
May 17-19: Vernazza (2 nights)
Pick up car in La Spezia
May 19-23: Agriturismo (4 nights)
Drop car back in Orvieto
May 23-25: Rome (2 nights)

Posted by
11613 posts

Art (and church art) is part of Italian culture and history, and has had a lot of influence on the Italian people. You don't have to seek it out, but stop by a church or a small museum a couple of times on your trip.

You are setting a fast pace, but if that's your preference, I think your expectations are right in line with it. With a car, you could even stay outside of Firenze and daytrip there (leave the car at a garage outside the city center); most people spend more time in Firenze because of the museums and churches, so if you have limited interest in those things, a daytrip might be sufficient.

Walks of Italy gets very good recommendations on this forum, so a tour would probably be a very good investment of your time.

Posted by
5 posts

I wish we had a month! Even then, I'd be having the same problems deciding! I do understand that church and church art are a big part of the culture there, and we do want to do some of that in every place we go. I am so intrigued with the church in Sienna (based on pictures and a friend's description). Initially my husband was very interested in just being in the countryside, but then we went to a couple of classes with Rick Steves, and now he wants to go everywhere and see everything. LOL.

David (djp_syd), do you suggest Florence first because of the long train ride from Venice? I know that we'd likely go through Florence to get there, unless we go through Milan. There didn't seem to be a big difference in time going either direction. We were planning to skip Pisa and Lucca for time's sake, but picking up the car in La Spezia would give us more options there. Hmmmmm.......

My husband has said that an hour of Renaissance art is probably enough for him. But he'll learn! That's part of the reason I'm thinking of shorting the time in Florence.

Based on everyone's input, I think we'll go with this schedule, with the possibility of switching Vernazza and Florence if the accommodations I've picked in Vernazza are available the alternate days.
- May 12-15: Venice (3 nights)
- May 15-17: Vernazza (2 nights)
- May 17-20: Florence (3 nights) Pick up car
- May 20-23: Tuscany (3 nights) Drop car back in Orvieto
- May 23-25: Rome (2 nights)

Thanks, everyone!!!

This topic has been automatically closed due to a period of inactivity.