Another Italy itinerary question- help please!

Personally, with the short amount of time you have, I would whack CT from your itinerary & save it for your next trip to Italy (you'll want to go back). Even skipping CT, you're going to feel rushed.

Having spent three weeks in Italy last June I'm thinkning that I'd agree that Cinque Terre is a "next trip destination." Even with that, I'd suggest that you consider a couple or three nights in Florence - using it as your base to visit the many sites in the city and then be able to branch out to Siena, Pisa, Lucca, and the unexpected places like Montereggio. Tuscany is all about slowing life down and enjoying the simple life.

It's too hard to do both so what is your travel pleasure? If you enjoy hiking and beaches, CT would be the place to go. If you like to experience art, history and culture, stay in Florence. From their you could do a day trip into Pisa for the tower and then on to Siena and back to Florence. Florence offers more options for experience Tuscany.

Thank you for the feedback- so far it confirms what I suspected, even though the few people I've talked to about this have said I'd be crazy not to make a stop in CT. I'm not sold on spending much time in Florence itself, definitely no more than a day (unless we decide to get a hotel in the city as a home base). We do like the cultural aspects of a city, but I feel like we're going to get a lot of art and history in Rome, so I'd prefer the time towards the end of the trip be more scenic and relaxed (although I would love to catch an opera or other performance while in Italy- would Florence be the place to do that? I haven't gotten that far in my planning yet and fear I am embarrassing myself!)

Monterosso looks like the sort of place that would make my jaw drop, but I have also always pictured a trip to Italy involving a lot of time in the countryside wine tasting! So of course, I am quite torn. I hope the comments keep coming while I try to decide!

I'm now wondering if it would be ridiculous to skip Florence in favor of having that extra time for CT? I still want to get some time in Tuscany but would prefer to drive Chianti Road rather than spend more time in a city. Am I going to kick myself if I do that?

The Chianti Road runs from Florence to Siena, about a 50-mile distance. You can easily stay in Florence (which you should NOT skip) and do a day trip to Siena on the Chianti Road.

By the way, the highlights of both Florence and Siena are very compact and walkable. Both cities are very user-friendly.

If you ask me, a trip that begins in Rome, then heads all the way to Turin and then east to Venice IN ONE DAY, then ends back in Rome at the end, is already going to be kind of rushed.

You have a 6:30 PM reservation to see the Shroud? Then on to Venice in the same day? Looks like there's only one train you could catch from Turin after that time, which would get you into Venice at 1:02 am. Unless you're driving, in which case you have a lot of driving. (On the plus side, the earliest train from Rome to Turin doesn't leave until 9:40 am, it appears, so you won't be leaving TOO early.)

If it were my itinerary I would add another day in Rome and in Venice.

The real question about Florence is whether you want to see the Renaissance art in Florence enough to make the time on your itinerary.

If you really want to spend time in Monterosso, and enjoy the walks between the towns and the coast, then commit your time to the Cinque Terre, though it will involve a lot more travel (you're basically criss-crossing the country, twice). You probably can't change your Turin reservation; otherwise, it would make more sense to stop in the CT on the way to Turin.

Or, if you decide that you want time in the Tuscan countryside sipping wine, time there would fit into your need to be in Rome to leave at the end of the trip, and would lessen the travel time. You could leave Venice, train to Florence and spend one night there. After that, head to rural Tuscany, maybe Siena or Montepulciano (depending on whether you'd be renting a car for that portion of the trip). Then head to Rome for that last night.

I actually think it would be possible to change the Shroud reservation to later in the week and then stop in CT after Rome. We were going to chalk whatever day we went to Turn and then on to Venice as being a REALLY bad travel day! I now really wish I had just taken 2 solid weeks off of work but I felt too guilty!

You are going to have to cut something to make this trip work.

If Florence makes sense to you to cut, then cut it. If the CT and Chianti Road outrank more time in Venice or seeing Florence at all, then that is what your trip should be -- what you want.

That said, you've got 10 pounds of manure in an 8 pound bag right now... which is to say... you've got a mess on your hands if you don't trim this a bunch.

Start over by making a list of the sites on your trip, putting them in priority order.

We can then recommend how long makes sense in each, and how to string them together.

The end result may be a trip none of us 'Italy experienced' folks would typically recommend, but it will be your trip nipped and tucked to fit your time available.

I know you are right- we are trying to cram this much in because I am traveling with my mom, and she doesn't think she'll be able to make it back again in her lifetime (she's only mid-50s, but she hasn't seen that much of the world, too busy taking care of us kids I guess, so I think she'd like to get the highlights of any country she manages to see now). I did change the Shroud reservation to Tuesday mid-day so that we can leave Rome Sunday morning, head to CT for a day and a half, and then leave for Turin Tuesday morning. We'll still leave for Venice later that day (just don't have interest in seeing Turin when there are so many other places!), and then spend at least the full day Wednesday there.

I think the main things we want to see are in Rome (Vatican, Colosseum, etc.). Beyond that, the Shroud of course (almost wish it wasn't on display while we are there!), Grand Canal and gondola ride, St Mark's Square. I don't NEED to see the David although it would be nice. I'd like to have the stops in CT and Tuscany because part of the draw for me would be mingling with locals, the vinyards and scenery in general (even in Rome I hope to spend some time wandering the piazzas)...I'd prefer a concert or opera to art quite honestly.

Thank you again for the responses thus far!

Kelly,

If I'm reading your post correctly, you have 10-days for this trip? As Jim pointed out with his colorful wording, you'll absolutely need to drop some of the stops to make it work. I'm assuming your planning has included the day that you'll lose at the beginning due to flight times (you'll arrive in Italy the day after you depart).

You might consider something like this:

Wed. - Depart U.S.

Thur.-Sat. - Arrive Rome; tour Vatican, Colosseum, etc. (plan touring carefully so you don't waste ANY time)

Sun. - Train to Cinque Terre (there's a train departing Roma Termini at 08:10, arriving Monterosso at 12:39, 1 change, reservations compulsory).

Mon. - Train to Torino (there's a train departing Monterosso at 07:36, arriving Torino P.N. at 10:55, 1 change, reservations compulsory); view Shroud

Tue.-Wed. - Train to Venice (there's a train departing Torino P.N. at 08:40, arriving Venezia Santa Lucia at 12:33, 1 change, reservations compulsory)

Thu. - Train to Florence (there's a train departing Venezia S.L. a 08:27, arriving Firenze SMN at 10:30, reservations compulsory. Tour Florence (reservations for the Uffizi & Accademia would be advisable)

Fri. - Train to Rome (there's a train departing Firenze SMN at 10:10, arriving Roma Termini at 11:45, reservations compulsory)

You could drop one day from Rome at the beginning to add one day to the CT or Florence. Do more touring in Rome at the end of the trip.

Given the short time frame, forget the Leaning Tower. You can relax in Tuscany when in Florence, which is in Bella Toscana. Take the Bus to Fiesole to enjoy the ambience.

Tell your Mom to consider Rick's mantra - "assume you will return" or "keep on traveling". I'm in the same age range, have also raised a family and I'm still traveling. As long as there are no money or health issues, no reason to stop now!

Be sure to read "Rail Skills" if this is your first trip.

Good luck and happy travels!

Kelly,

One point to add - use the Leonardo Express from FCO into Rome at the beginning and again from Rome to FCO when you're heading for your return flight. Cost is about €11 per person and the trip is about 35 minutes. DON'T forget to validate your ticket in the yellow box!

hi Kelly, so this means that you'll take the train from Venice to Florence on Thursday and return to Rome on Saturday night? That doesn't leave much time to enjoy the Tuscan country, relax, and mingle with the locals. You'll really have to be very disciplined with your time and it'll still really be just dipping your toes in the water. Plus, it takes time to get from a train station to hotel and check-in, and sometimes trains are delayed too. If you're sticking to this tight schedule, my suggestion is to get a guide for a walking tour of the city - whether it's Rome, Venice or Florence, because that'd save you time (you won't have to hunt for the sights you want to see) and the guide will explain things/ history/ art. I do that when I travel with my mum cos she doesn't really read the guidebooks but wants to understand the context and history of the places she's visiting.

We spent almost 2 weeks in Italy last summer (with 3 kids). Didn't do CT and wish I had. Our friends said that was their kids favorite. We spent time in Rome then rented a villa in Tuscany for a week. Used it as a base to see the area. I would agree with previous post and spend more time in Florence. We skipped Pisa (based on feedback from friends and other travelers). We took a train from Florence to Venice and spent one day there. Just so the kids could see the canals. Glad we didn't spend more time in Venice. The crowds in July were horrible. There is alot to do and see in Tuscany. Good luck.

Thanks for the extra tips! For now it seems we're doing Rome Thursday-Saturday, CT Sunday-Monday (possibly stop in Pisa along the way for a few hours), Turin Tuesday, Venice Tuesday night through Wednesday, Tuscany Thursday-Saturday. I know, it is still ambitious and most of you would advise cutting it down! I'd love it if mom could tell herself she'll get back someday, but she's too eager to get to other places too, so I don't see it happening. Plus, I'm hoping I'm not in a situation to travel at will for too many more years (ie have a family) so she'll lose her most willing travel buddy! She actually says she'd just be happy seeing Rome but I know she's saying that to take the stress off me, because when we first started talking she was the one to bring up Venice, and as soon as I sent her pictures of Monterosso she got so excited :) She definitely doesn't mind bouncing (we were taken on an extended trip in the western US as kids basically driving around sightseeing) and I can suck it up!

Kelly,

Have you considered flying open jaw...into Pisa or
Milan and out of Rome.

You might have a stop to change flights on the way to Italy, but it would save you a ton of back and forth travel.

We already booked our flights- we didn't end up doing what you suggested, although it logistically makes a lot more sense- because the flights were so much more expensive doing it that way- literally would have cost $1000's more. I will never understand why that is! I suppose the trains will make up some of that difference, but I was looking at flights out of Rome one way at $1600. That is just plain insane if you ask me!

Maybe it was just bad timing? We looked for a few weeks before just purchasing the tickets, trying out flying into one airport and out another, and they all came out exhorbitantly more than roundtrip through Rome. I swear we weren't just lazy! My mom wouldn't tolerate that! Oh well, it is done now

Thanks again!

For future reference, you want to look for the option on the booking sites for either multi-destination or multi-city.

It will let you fly into one airport and then fly out of another airport on the same roundtrip ticket. you are not doing one-way flights to/from each city.

I know that you have a lot on your plate right now, but you might want to call the airline and inquire about the cost of changing your roundtrip Rome/Rome into maybe Rome/Venice or Venice/Rome.

Kelly, I am in my 50's and just went to Italy in May. I mostly enjoyed the atmosphere and enjoyed taking time at the main sights I wanted to see without rushing through them. I didn't get to see everything but would have felt stressed if I had to push through tourists on my way to the next destination for just a few minute view. Savor moments at your highest priority sites. The trains were fun in that we traveled during the day and saw a lot of the country side from the train. We rented a car and had no difficulty driving, but the hassle was with trying to find parking spots. That caused more stress than the driving. Flying into Rome and out of Venice was easy too.

hi Kelly, I agree with Ken about dropping Pisa. Also agree that it's a good idea to take the bus from Florence to Fiesole (about a 25 min ride). Have a meal there, relax and enjoy the scenery from the hill. Whatever you decide to do - Enjoy!

It sounds like you've modified your schedule a bit. To make absolutely sure that you and your mom are fully on board with all the moving around, make a big calendar or chart of the days that you'll be in Italy. Then start pencilling in the travel times, and when you'd have to leave, and when you'd arrive at the next destination. Remember to include time for checking in and out of hotels, getting to and from the train stations. You basically have a little more than 1 day in Venice, and almost two days in Tuscany, whether that's Florence or elsewhere.

When it's all pencilled in, and you say to yourselves, we have X hours to enjoy wandering around Venice (or looking at the shroud), or sitting at a cafe. If you're moving around all the time, will you really be enjoying being there? I think this is more a question for your mom than it is for you.

Definitely leave off Pisa.

And what will you do with your luggage in Turin? Take it with you to see the shroud? You will be on the train for 8 or so hours that day, just to see the shroud - is it that important? More important than some of the other things or places that you want to do or experience?