Another Itinerary Crtique Request

Hi April.
I don't think a car is necessary or even advisable in Sorrento. Parking is difficult at best, and I've heard horror stories about driving from Naples to Sorrento. You could take a train to Montepulciano, too, and rent a car there for your time in Chianti. I think you will wish you had more time in Venice. Maybe 2 nights Lake Como and 3 Venice? A car is also a liability in Venice, BTW.

Having a rental car may work ok; it allows you to travel between Sorrento and Montepulciano without going through Rome (train station). We did that same journey, but backwards, when we visited Sorrento and Pompeii. Yes, the driving in Sorrento was horrendous (drivers are very aggressive and don't feel the need to follow many rules). But I drove into Sorrento, parked it in the hotel lot, and left it there until we were ready to leave. Husband and I prefer the Montepulciano / Montalcino area over Chianti, partly because we prefer Brunello wine over Chianti wine. So I would spend more time in the Montepulciano area. Rather than staying at agriturismo, our personal preference is to stay IN towns, so we can walk to different cafes and restaurants and have wine with dinner without worrying about who has to drive home afterward. We found Lake Como beautiful but a little too quiet for our tastes. If it we me, I would skip that area and spend time elsewhere, but other than that, I would give more time than Venice. It's a fantastic city to sit in a piazza or on the Grand Canal and drink wine. Enjoy!

More time in Venice please. Even at the expense of all the time at Lake Como. five nights in Venice would be wonderful

April, I agree with the previous comment about not needing a rental car in Sorrento. Although you've been to Italy before, are you aware of the usual "issues" for driving in Italy? Do NOT drive in Florence!!! If not post another note for further information. Especially for such a short time frame, travel by train would be faster and more efficient. However, since you'll be staying at an Agriturismo, you could make a stop in Orvieto and pick up a rental car after you leave Sorrento. Happy travels!

Thank you for the responses thus far. Yes, we will park the car in most locations; we are aware of the issues with driving on the Amalfi coast, florence, Venice, etc. We have points and it is inexpensive. Lexma- we also love rosso and brunello but we want to day trip to siena and Florence. Where do you like to stay in brunello region? Thank you all for the feedback! Please keep them coming.

April, Regarding driving "issues", I was referring more to IDP's, ZTL areas, CDW, parking, tolls, high fuel prices, etc. Although the rental is covered by points, the final cost could be far more than expected! If you have all those details sorted, then no need for my usual information on the topic. Cheers!

Como is a beautiful city and that period the lake is just beautiful. Visit Ballagio, Cernobbio, and many other little towns on the lake coast are really beautiful, especially having a car with you is really helpful. I can help you, I am a student so I have a lot of free time and love to help Americans 'cause speaking my own language sometimes helps me not forgetting it ahahahahha And then staying here you can do a day trip to milan, that's worth it too.
Let me know, Cristina.

There's the Brugel exhibit which was inaugurated last night and is a must see here in Como.
Having a car is going to work out just perfect for you guys, you'll love the lake and all the views.

We started our trip in Rome and rented a care when we went to Florence and the Amalfi coast. I love to drive. We found a place to park in Florence and didn't use the car again until we left for the Amalfi coast. I really enjoyed the drive to the Amalfi Coast. Now driving in the Amalfi coast took a day getting use to. I was driving a mini van so it was quite large for auto for that area. However, after a day I did get use to the driving. Just keep your eyes on the road. We went in Late April so the roads really weren't crowded. However, I was glad I had a car when I saw some of the lines for buses in some of the towns. Sometimes the lines seemed okay other times very long. I found the real challange was finding parking, not the driving. But we did find it. We stayed at a very nice hotel in Priano called Hotel Margherriti (excuse spelling google it) Priano a bit out of the way but very nice and quiet. We did take the bus one day to sorrento to catch the ferry to Capri and the bus was did work in that situation because it wasn't crowded and it stopped right in front of our hotel. Other places towns we visisted was Amalfi, Sorrento, Positano and Ravello. Ravello was by far my favorite. A spectaculor view, friendly people and great food. Also if you are driving past Naples Pompeii is right along the way. Also a gps is a must for driving. I don't like the rental care ones so I bring my protable one from home. it is a garmin 650 that works great. Just go online and buy the Italy chip. Mine was shipped in two days. I would be still driving around and divorced if I didn't have the GPS!

Hi April, I was watching the episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond when they went to Italy. It was filmed in a fishing village, Anguillara, 45 minutes NW of Rome. There is also a castle there, the one where Tom Cruise got married. I never heard of it before today. It sounds like a charming, romantic, and relaxing place. Has anyone here been there? Here's one link: http://www.google.com/search?q=anguillara&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=ifNuT5y3DOTniALM-K2CBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CFUQsAQ&biw=1025&bih=468 Buon viaggio! Ruth

Ahahahahha Ruth I've been to that castle, one of my cousins got married there too. It is a beautiful quiet place on bracciano lake.

April:
In a subsequent post you asked Where do you like to stay in brunello region? We had an absolutely lovely time in Montalcino at Palazzina Cesira. It is a remodeled palazzo, 13th century I believe, with fabulous hosts, full breakfast, free parking in the lot outside the walls. Be sure to check out the enoteca with 100 wines for tasting! They also ship to the U.S.

Most of the center of Sorrento is off-limits to most cars, with a one-way traffic system. Even taxis are not allowed through the streets. If you are prepared to park the car while you are in Sorrento, go for it. Just make sure you aren't going to end up paying a lot for parking. You probably won't drive the car during your stay there. Even Ravello/Positano are easier by bus that driving - and you can both enjoy the view. And yes, I thought Sorrento was very romantic. I think Venice is also very romantic and urge you to rethink your schedule (as suggested above) to add time there.

Thank you all for your responses. We are thinking that lake Como may be too slow for us after the rest of the places that we are going that are slower paced too. What are your thoughts for the cinque Terre instead of lake Como? I am looking at vernazza. We like the idea of all of the hiking to do around that area. Then I started looking at perhaps also a couple of days in Verona or Padua.
There are so many options that it is hard to decide! :)

Re your question about staying more in the Brunello area, we actually haven't stayed right in that area, but instead either north of there (Siena or San Gimignano) or south (a tiny town near Radicofani). You could stay in or outside Montalcino or Montepulciano, or San Quirico d'Orcia.

Montalcino is beautiful, small enough to feel like you are getting to know the place. Great wines. Lake Como is so different from other regions in Italy, I wouldn't discourage you from going, especially if you like to relax a bit. You can drive to some of the towns, or take the lake ferries for a different perspective. Either Padova or Verona is beautiful, but can be done as short daytrips from Venice if you spend more time there. I prefer Positano or Praiano to Sorrento, but it's just a personal preference.

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions; this is why I adore this forum! :) Based on your input, we have revised to what I think is the final schedule. April 20- Arrive Rome 8am. Pick up rental car and drive to Ravello. April 20-25 (5nights) : Ravello (Day trip to Pompeii and then another day trip to Ravello/Amalfi/Positano) April 25-26 (1 night):Orvieto (staying inside the city) April 26-30 (4nights) : Agritourismo in Gaiole in Chianti (Badia a Coltibuono) with days trips to Siena, hilltop towns and wineries April 30-May 2 (2 nights) : Florence May 2-5 (3 nights) : Venice
May 5 Fly home from Venice Now to book Venice. This is my last one. Crikey it is expensive there! Any suggestions on value gems there would be appreciated. I am all over tripadvisor, but it looks like we are looking at at least $250 for a decent place. Thanks everyone!

It's getting late for Venice reservations with your trip in May, so it is perhaps a bit pricey as more modest offerings are booked. Are you looking only at hotels or also at B&Bs and apartments? We liked B&B AiTagliapietra and it was quite reasonably priced. Try VRBO.com for apartment options.