I and my wife just completed a 12 day trip to Italy. Started in Venice for 2 nights, Tuscany 5 nights (Florence 2, Lucca 1, Siena 2), Orvieto for 1 night and Rome for 4 nights. All the advice regarding museum and bus / train reservations in this forum helped a lot in making it a memorable trip. The vacation was considered a bit rushed by most in the forum but it was all the time we could afford and we had a lot of fun.
It rained a lot in Venice but it made the time there special as most places were empty or had no lines. Experienced a mini aqua alta with the middle of St Marks converted into a splash pool. Vaporetto pass bought before hand proved invaluable in helping us zip from place to place without wasting time.
Florence Duomo dome climb I had reservations for 3 pm but they allowed us in at 12 as there was no crowd. The Uffizi and Academia reservations helped us bypass small lines but nonetheless helped us schedule our sightseeing.
Rome - Colosseum and Forum online tickets are of super use as you can enter from the capitoline hill end of the forum with no lines at all. Even at the colosseum we saved a lot of hassle by having an online ticket. The Vatican museum reservations are a must to prevent you from being hassled by 100s of touts selling tours tickets etc etc.
Personally I enjoyed the smaller towns of Lucca, Siena and Orvieto more than the block buster cities as they were more small, personal and with very few tourists in November, especially after sundown when the day trippers left town. I am glad that I stayed overnight in these places rather than do a day trip from Florence or Rome. I would highly recommend the La Rome B&B in Lucca and Antica Residenza Cicogna in Siena for their excellent rooms, location and service!!
Thanks to all, will bother you again when I plan my next vacation.
Posted by
1865 posts
Italy is a jackpot for tourists. It is so rich with historic, cultural jewels. In Italy - you just can't do it all in any trip. Italy always leaves you wanting more. It's great to experience both the "blockbusters" and rural Italy. I felt much closer to the people and heart of Italy in towns like Orvieto and Assisi. I could feel and witness the rhythm of Italian life among everyday citizens. I have been to Italy twice and have had wonderful and different experiences both times. Now, it's your turn to be an expert opinionator on the forum.
Posted by
Chicago
1949 posts
Couldn't have said it better myself, Sun-Baked--'the rhythm of Italian life'. And when you see it, and feel it, it's an unexpected pleasure that to date I've gotten nowhere else in my travels.
Couple of examples--very early morning in Florence, about 6AM. No tourists, the town waking up, the street sweepers' whooshing sound omnipresent, stopping in for a quiet espresso. Just great, me & the barrister, nodding to each other and enjoying the tranquility. Then...about 10PM, maybe that same night, absolutely nobody around Il Duomo & the Baptistery, so I walked right up to the building and ran my hands along the exquisite detail--I could almost feel the worksmanship and history.
Finally, late afternoon down south in Salerno, we knew restaurants don't open until around 8PM, so we had a walk along the lungomare by the Tyrrhenian Sea, and saw many other couples doing the same thing, calling out well-wishes to each other, almost like they do this every day. A nice life to be sure.
You just never know when these moments will 'hit' you. Hope to experience more of this coming up late winter as we spend 6 nights at an apartment in Rome, then 5 nights at a B&B in Sorrento.
BTW, YogiBaba, kudos to you for making what could be a rushed trip end up winningly. Not everyone can do that. It's about planning and having a Plan B, isn't it?
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Great to hear that you enjoyed your trip; I hope you will write a trip report with even more detail!
Posted by
Pleasant Hill, CA, USA
473 posts
Can't wait for our trip in June. Five nights in the Dolomites (Alta Badia). Then returning our car back to Venice then on by train to Florence for four nights. Then returning to Venice for three nights. We will be in Florence for their big holiday The Festival of St. John. Should be fun. Sounds like you had a great time 😉