My wife and I are trying to plan a trip to Italy in May 2012. We plan to stay in Italy for up to 2 weeks then we will be going to meet our daughter in Turkey for a week then fly home from there. A tentative itinerary that I have is: Venice (2-3 nights) * Siena (3 nights)take a day trip from there to Florence.
Orvieto (2 nights) Rome (3 nights) fly to Istanbul from Rome With a day or two in Sorrento and/or Positano. Would anyone care to share their thoughts on this? Thanks!
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
First tier places: Venice, Rome, Florence. (6) Second tier places: Siena, Sorrento. (4) Third tier place: Positano. (2) Fourth tier place: Orvieto. (2) Parens are your proposed nights in each (Sorrento/Positano counted individually). They don't match the value of the places. You're trying to link all the RS dots. Read some more books. Tuscany is not the most important place in Italy. Rome needs a couple more days no matter what. I have no tact.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11338 posts
We did a similar trip, but over 3 full weeks. I think you may be trying to cover too much territory in 13 or 14 nights. Seems you are flying into Venice; spend at least 3 nights there. You will need a bit of time to get over jetlag, and Venice is a wonderful place to do so. If you only stay 2 nights you only have one full day in Venice, so stay 3 nights, at least. (I like 4, FWIW.) For Siena 3 nights is a good plan. One day Siena (plus a bit of the day you arrive), one day Florence. I can understand the allure of Orvieto. We really loved it. So quiet there, and quite a contrast to Siena. If you like to hike, walk the Rupe around the base of the hill for a peaceful experience and a fantastic view of the Etruscan ruins. I'd suggest wrapping your trip up in Rome and skipping Sorrento/Positano this trip. It's not really feasible or efficient to go to Sorrento (and especially as far as Positano) for only one or two nights. It takes while to get there, two trains from Rome and up to 4 hours, almost all day from Siena. 5 nights in Rome will give you time to experience the city. So many people only stay there 48 hours; they miss the experience. In 2 days/3 nights you can barely see the highlights. So: Venice 3, Siena 3, Orvieto 2, Rome 5 = 13 nights, 4 stops. If you have 14 nights, add one to Venice or Siena. Just one person's opinion on an itinerary that includes most of wht you've already narrowed down, but again FWIW, it really does take time and energy (plus $$) everytime you change locations. It's 1/2 day or more each time you move between cities: pack, check out, go to station, ride, check-in (after wandering around to find your hotel), unpack, get oriented.
Posted by
OP
Pacifica, CA, USA
186 posts
Thanks! Very good food for thought.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15591 posts
If you want to spend time enjoying sculpture and architecture, spend at least 2 days in Florence. The train connection between Florence and Rome is very good - fast trains, lots of trains. Via Siena is not so good, I believe.
Posted by
St Petersburg Florida
951 posts
We were in Orvieto as a side trip from Assisi. We were there for 4 hours and felt that was way more than adequate. It is pretty but if I were to return to Italy, I would not feel that it would be necessary to return for a visit and definitely not to stay overnight. But that is just me. A lot of people fall in love with Orvieto. If this were my trip I would to the following: Venice 3, Siena 2, Florence 3, Rome 4. In my opinion, this is the perfect amount of time in each place for a first timer in Italy