Daughter Trip to Italy-April 2020

rhonda, are you counting arrival and departure days? You don't really have much time to experience things deeply. Maybe just one city, or two at most. Rome-Florence or Rome-Venice. Consider multi-city (aka open-jaw) ticketing as a way to save time: KC>Rome, Venice>KC for example. We like flying Delta via Minneapolis, but you really need to play around with dates and times to see what works.

There is a KC Rick Steves travel group, next meeting Feb 8 at Paneras on North Oak, 10:00AM.

Rhonda
I’m counting 6 nights or maybe 7 at most?
With a trip that short I’d pick one place only
Rome, Florence or Venice

All of those deliver art, architecture, history, food and wine etc.
All offer a variety of day trips fairly easily done.
I think trying to fit in more than one major Italian city will leave you frustrated and you did say you want to explore deeply

I’d probably pick Florence with a day trip or 2 into Tuscany

I agree with the other posters, pick one city and do a couple day trips if you run out of things to do and see (but you probably won't in any of the 'big 3.') I prefer Venice because all you do is walk or ride on boats. Just stay away from the San Marcos area during mid day when the day trippers are there. Rome is too hectic for me, but there is SO much to see. Florence is a great area for day trips. In Venice and Florence my favorite thing to do is just wander, stopping occasionally at sidewalk cafes or bars for a coffee, wine or an Aperol spritz.

Hi Rhonda,

You shared some very helpful info. Could you give us a little more detail about this comment? “ We like to have a more local and a less tourist experience.”. Does that mean that you are wanting to avoid the three most touristy locations - Venice, Florence, Rome? Your request for nature, history, architecture and food/wine could be satisfied in a few smaller cities or villages which could be less touristy (and less expensive) and tend to have a more local experience if that’s what you were intending.

@stan, thanks for the input. How often does the forum meet at Oak Park?

@Jean, good question. Yes, we want to see the things that "tourists" wish to see, but it is the way in which we like to experience things. More than jump from one sight to the next but to get the most out of each but also the neighborhood that surrounds the sight and beyond. Does that clarify at all? But would love any experience and thoughts on smaller villages! Any recommendations would be welcomed. Thanks again!

I agree with a single stop and my choice would be Florence. You can hub there to Siena, Pisa and Lucca easily by train. If you choose Florence, consider Hotel Loggiato Dei Serviti - while a hotel, it is very unique and a bit off the beaten path but still close to the duomo.

Hi Rhonda,

Thanks for the reply. If you would like to see an area more deeply and include smaller towns, here’s a few ideas:

Venice, our favorite European city, has plenty to experience. You could concentrate on just the Veneto region. There’s Venice and the nearby islands of Murano & Burano. Travel by train to nearby Padova or Verona is easy for a smaller city experience.

Ravenna has the stunning mosaics which combines well with Bologna and Ferrara. The food is fantastic in this region!

Or a tourist favorite of Florence with smaller Tuscany towns could easily be a week’s trip.

Or go to Rome and see the sites along with Ostia Antica and Tivoli. Orvieto would be handy by train to experience a smaller town.

Since you will be there during Palm Sunday & Good Friday, be sure to check any local activities, parade type events, etc.

rhonda, the KC Rick Steves group meets every other month or so. It meets North of the River: next one is February 8. This is at the Panera's at North Oak and Englewood Road (NOT Oak Park mall). Usually about half dozen folks or so, for about an hour. If you look under the Tour Group forum, you'll see reminders of upcoming meetings. You can ask to be on the mailing list - there is no commitment.

Hi Rhonda
I just posted the next meeting notice under the travel meeting tab. I also sent you a private message yesterday with the detail about our next meeting.

Thank you all very much for the wonderful insights!