Comments on 11 night Italian itinerary

I've traveled in Italy in late Oct - early Nov (Tuscany and Rome) and I do remember one extremely violent rain-hail storm that stopped traffic. There were other periods of gentler rain that lasted maybe half a day. It seemed to rain more in the morning than later in the day. Other times it was beautiful, clear with daytime temperatures around 80 Fahrenheit. It would cool off somewhat at night. Dress in layers.

Be prepared to maneuver your luggage in the rain over cobblestones, rough outdoor stairways, and steep narrow alleyways. If you're holding an umbrella you'll have only one hand to carry or roll luggage -- and realize that rolling doesn't work so well on cobblestones or stairs, even when they're not wet.

Can't speak for the Cinque Terre or bus questions. Giving yourself only 2 nights for Rome will definitely leave you wanting more on a future visit!

Yogi Baba! A lot depends on the particular interests of you and your traveling partner(s). For me, this is too much jumping around. every time you move towns/lodging, you lose at least half a day to travel, including packing up and checking out, travel to and from stations, waiting for trains, etc. Your itinerary spends a lot of time this way. Two nights each in Venice and Rome leaves just one full day for visiting sites and experiencing the atmosphere of those great cities. Not sure what "Florence/Lucca" means -- does that mean one or the other, or dividing your time. Lucca is pleasant, but I would not spend spend 3 of 11 nights there, or any on such a short trip. I do like that you are mixing big cities, smaller cities like Siena, and small towns like Orvieto, San Gimignano, etc. Each is a somewhat different experience. At just about every place, the less congested early mornings and evenings are very nice. Of course, it's Italy, so you can't really go wrong. Enjoy! (Note: personally, I have often bought train tickets in advance for great savings, but I have never bought a bus ticket in advance. Not even sure if you can in many cases.)

Lot's of hotels but a well planned itinerary. With so many stops and shorter daylight hours I wouldn't commit to any day trips, plenty to see where you are staying.

You have a really short period of time and too many destinations. I can't see the point of "hectic" just for the sake of being hectic. What is it that you want to get from your trip? Some of the places are of great historic and/or artistic interest - - Rome, Florence, Venice. Others attract visitors for their natural beauty or ambience, such as Tuscan villages. What are your goals?
The one inclusion that really baffles me is Civita d B. It's touting by Rick Steves is inexplicable. Do you realize that it's a tiny village with almost no permanent residents and no buildings of any significance? There's no there there. It's also cumbersome to get to. You would have to get to Bagnoregio, then to the pedestrian bridge, which takes 10 - 15 minutes to cross. By November, I suspect that most of the part-time businesses (and there aren't that many even in high season) will be closed, just as you have been warned regarding the Cinque Terre. You could better spend that day several ways; add it to Rome or Venice, visit another Tuscan town, or even devote a second day in Orvieto.

Totally agree with Richard
Lorieann

Thanks for all the replies. I will reconsider the civita day trip depending on the number of rain free hours I get in Orvieto. Same with Sienna and San Gimignano and Lucca and the Cinque Terre.
My flights are not that long from India and I will get 2 full days in Venice as I reach early in the morning. Same with Orvieto and Rome which is hardly an hour and a half away. I usually don't unpack at all for such 2 day halts, I have separate plastic bags of clothes for each stop inside my big bag. I usually reach a hotel before its check in hours I just leave my luggage and leave for sightseeing and return only after the day is over and check in then.
With regards to the Florence/ Lucca part I am undecided about those three nights. they may end up being all at one of the two places or 1 in florence and 2 in Lucca. I know Florence offers more indoor activities on rainy days and that may tip it in its favour.
I just wanted to confirm that I can't book bus tickets in advance?? even for journeys between bigger towns like Florence and Siena?

You can ordinarily buy bus tickets for future dates in person (or from a vending machine if there is one). Some bus companies in some countries have online sales options, but I've never tried that and don't know whether the companies you'll be using sell tickets via the web. You'd need to figure out what those companies are (Rome2Rio will probably identify them for you) and check out their websites.

I see that you are very efficient, but you still have to allow time to get from the hotel to the train station (and traffic?), then a few minutes in the station to find your train, then time to get to your next hotel to drop your luggage.

If you aren't staying near the train station in Venice, it can easily take an hour just to get there on the vaporetto, or 30-40 minutes on foot, over bridges and cobblestones, much much more if you get lost.

Orvieto looks like just over an hour from Rome, but it is more. Traffic in Rome can be pretty bad, depending on the weather and the hour. From the train station in Orvieto, you have to wait for the funicular to take you up to the old city, then you have either the shuttle bus or a walk (cobblestones, hills) to get to your hotel.

When we went to Italy - we had a private tour guide that recommended Lucca (since we wanted to see Pisa). I resisted at first, so glad I add this to our itinerary. Besides our Tuscany wine tasting and private tour - Lucca was my 2nd favorite stop in Tuscany.

We had a very hectic itinerary as well... it is how we love our first trips to a place.. then we circle back and visit the places we fell in love with.