Can we do it..travel Italy in May for 30th anniversary?

I think your itinerary sounds very doable and it's not too late to start planning now. Will you have a car in Tuscany?

I started planning a longer (28 day) trip about a month ago for about the same time frame. I have not made any reservations yet because I am still tracking air fares. I do not plan to commit to an air fare until January and then I can begin to make hotel/B&B, car and train reservations. Not an experienced Italian traveler but I do not think you would have many problems.

You have time and your itinerary sounds good. I do this every year and start booking hotels in January or February for the summer, airfare in January.

I am also currently planning a trip to various Italian cities and regions in May, although focusing mostly on the south. I am traveling on United mileage, and found very few seats available when I booked a couple of weeks ago. For regular paid seats, you no doubt have more time. I would advise looking into flights in and out of various Italian airports, to find the best schedules and fares, and set your itinerary with that information in mind.

In looking into hotels and B & B's, I am already finding various, but not all, recommended selections already filled on my dates. so, while it is not too late to start planning, I would certainly begin to finalize your plans and seek out lodging very soon.

Given your excellent itinerary, you really don't need a rental car unless you especially want one. You wouldn't want a car in the larger cities or in Cinque Terre. There are plenty of fine day trips from both Florence and Siena that can be made by train or bus, although poking around the countryside or visiting two or three towns in a day would benefit from a car. The one exception might be the northern lake and mountain areas, but even that really depends on the location(s) you choose.

Sounds like a great trip to celebrate your anniversary, or anything else!

varobin5,

Yes, you can easily plan the trip yourself using Guidebooks and of course the HelpLine. Although I'm normally a big fan of the RS tours, given the occasion a self-guided trip would probably be a better option. You'd have more flexibility to structure the trip on your own schedule and see the things that interest you the most.

In planning your time, don't forget to allow for your two flight days. Your Profile doesn't indicate where you're from, but I assume you're flying from North America?

This is a great time to start planning for the trip. I'd suggest booking rooms in the Cinque Terre as soon as you've finalized your Itinerary, as they book up quickly. Have you decided which of the five towns you might like to stay in? Note that many of the tourist facilities in that area are now closed for the season, so you may not get an immediate reply to any enquiries.

Good luck with your planning!

Most of our trips have been done with a lot less lead time for planning than what you are suggesting. You have lots of time.

2 nights in lake como and you could add one night in Orvieto. It's on the train line between Rome and siena. I loved the town. Small enough for a one night stay

Always add as many days as you possibly can to your trip plans to Italy. A huge chunk of the cost is in getting there, so maximize your money by staying as long as you can.

And even though I dearly loved Orvieto, I would not recommend staying in any place for just one night. Too hectic. One of the things we enjoy most about Italy is taking our time to enjoy where we are, rather than trying to pack in more and more locations. Whenever we've spent only two nights in one place, we've always regretted not staying three. One night is right out, as the Brits say.

I think you might enjoy this trip more if you slowed down just a bit. I personally would skip the Lakes for this trip, adding one of those nights to Rome (allowing a day trip to Orvieto or Ostia Antica) and the other to Venice. Can you fly home from Venice instead of Milan?

My tip is if planning to travel by train to look on the Trenitalia web site and look at the various travel times, timetables etc between towns to help plan your itinerary. For example Rome to Florence is easy, Florence to Cinque Terre is easy, Florence to Venice is easy and apparently Rome to Cinque Terre is easy. Cinque Terre to Venice took us all day and the train delays didn't make for a relaxing journey. But we loved it all, have a great trip.

Your itinerary is basically good but I agree with Charlene in that you're moving around a little too much for my style. I would definitely add more nights to Rome and or to your overall trip if you really want to visit all the places you mentioned. Your first day in Rome will be a wash depending on when you land plus you'll likely be too tired for much sightseeing. There's so much to see in Rome that I would add a few days there. I would drop Lake Como (unless you can add some days to your overall trip) and save it for another trip. Two days in a location really equals 1.5 days when you factor in travel time between locations, time to get from your hotel to the train station, from the train station to your next hotel, etc. I think a lot of folks underestimate the time involved in transit between destinations.

You might consider basing yourself somewhere in Tuscany (perhaps at an agriturismo) and then taking a day trip to Florence and therefore minimize a location change. Alternatively, you could stay in Florence and take a day trip to Siena and perhaps a day trip to Volterra, etc.

I really like Orvieto as well and if you decide you want to visit Orvieto, I would see it as a day trip from Rome (assuming you add some days to Rome).

Just some food for thought. Have a great trip!

I think your itinerary sounds pretty good. My suggestions:

Change the order, as I think it's easier to get to the Cinque Terre from Rome, rather than "backtracking" to and from Tuscany.

You won't be "fresh" in Rome after a long-haul flight and with jetlag. You'll probably need at least one more night there.

Stay in Sienna and day-trip to Florence. It's an hour by bus and the historical center of Florence is quite compact and walking distance (10 minutes) from the bus/train station. Siena is nicer in the evenings than Florence and that saves you a hotel change.

Add a night to Venice. It deserves at least 2 full days.