Dream vacation to Italy fall 2012, NEED HELP!!!!!

Silvia/Dennis, do you have the RS Italy book?

Yes we do a 2007 issue. Waiting for the Just 2012 book to arrive.

Did I understand that you have ordered the 2012 Italy book?
It is out now elsewhere on this web site if you have not.

Yes as a matter of fact we ordered two books one for us and one for our daughter.

It will take over 3 hours by train from Florance to CT by train one way. For me it is too far away for a day trip. Also, it will take over 4 hours by train and boat one way from Rome to Capri Island. You will spend the whole day just running around. From Siena to CT will take 3 hours by train. I dont think it will work for a day trip.
I do not know which northern Italy city you plan to fly in. You may consider fly in Milan and fly back from Naples to save time so that you can stop one night in Sorrento or CT.

Dennis Would you provide us with the stops you were thinking of including in Northern Italy? This will help us have a better picture of your entire trip. What is the total number of days you will be gone? Including arrival and departure day. Also, if you want to see scenery, do you need more time in the countryside or CT? Right now you have most of your time in the city. However, you can't just add more scenery places without dropping some cities. IMHO, skip Murana and Burano; CT and Capri are not possible as a day trip. Good luck as you work on your itinerary! Bobbie

Dennis / Silvia, I agree with the previous reply - some extra information would be really helpful. It may be possible to fit some time in for the Cinque Terre and Siena, but that will depend on your overall plans. While it is possible to take a day trip from Florence to the Cinque Terre, it's a VERY long day and not really practical. Regarding Capri, there are tour companies in Rome that offer day trips but again that's a LONG day and IMO not really worth it for the short time that it allows on the island. Are you planning to use open-jaw flights? Good luck with your planning!

Dennis, The suggestions posted by Laurel provide some good ideas. Whether to stop in Florence will depend on how interested your group is in seeing the sights there. Regarding the transportation question, a rental car is an advantage for places not well served by public transit (ie: the hill towns of Tuscany). It may be beneficial for the Dolomites, depending on where you'll be touring in that area. Note that for driving in Italy, each driver will need the compulsory International Drivers Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot. You can obtain an IDP easily at any AAA office. A few other points to consider regarding car rental... > Renting in one country and dropping in another often comes with huge drop-off charges. > Some countries require a Vignette / tax decal (Switzerland). Failure to obtain one can result in fines. > Be sure to consider the costs of CDW / Insurance. It will be easier to determine the most efficient method of transportation once you've finalized your list of destinations. I've found that travel by train is often the quickest way to get around, especially the high speed trains. I can't remember if I suggested this before, but the Italy Guidebook would be a really good resource to use in your trip planning. Cheers!

Dennis / Silvia, If you have the 2007 book, does that mean that you have previously visited Italy? I agree with the above comments. 2 nights in Venice gives only one full day, not enough time to do much, certainly not enough time for tours to the outer islands, etc. Same thing about the 2 full full days in Florence - you want to give over half the Florence time going far away? If you have been before you will understand travel in Italy. If that's what you want to do we can help - but your questions make me think you don't really want to.

Dennis, I agree with others that it's a lot to cover in two weeks. I've been flying open-jaw and it works out very well (you can fly into Milan or Venice and out of Rome. I would group Northern Italy and Venice together and split the time between Venice and one other city as hubs. You can take a vaporetto to Murano and Burano on your own. If you have time, Torcello is a little further away by vaporetto but in my opinion worth the visit. Three nights in Florence is pretty tight, but if you are more interested in wine/food than churches (definitely try Amarone in Northern Italy), a side trip to Montepulciano or Montalcino might be in order. You could do Siena as a daytrip from Florence and spend an extra night in Florence, saving some packing time. I would think about choosing between Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast rather than trying to do both areas in two weeks, or perhaps just concentrate on the other cities and leave these areas for another trip.

We are flying into FRA. Spend a few days with friends. We are all traveling to Bavaria , then Austria into Italy. The plan is to spend 4 nights in the Dolomites area. We are planning on having a rental car to get us there . After that go to Venice 3 nights, Florence 3 nights, Rome 4 nights and fly out of Rome. I have been to Italy, however it was over 30 years ago. I know Capri was an all day thing but if I remember correctly it was beautiful and would love for my family to see it. Another concern is the car. Any suggestions on travel within Italy, where do we really need a car and where can we do train/bus.
Thank you everyone for the great comments/suggestions.

Dennis:
If you are more interested in food, red wine, and scenary, consider trading the Dolomites for more time in Tuscany. Or skip Florence in favor of the countryside fewer churches and museums (that's what Florence is about) and better food and wine. One nights stays just aren't worth it. From your last post, it sounds like you have at least dropped the one night Siena/Assisi/Orvieto idea. Slowing it down a bit will allow you to have your dream vacation. Moving too fast is more of a nightmare, IMHO. One possible plan might be: - 3 nights Dolomites - 3 nights Venice (the minimum, IMHO) and you can easily do Murano in a short trip, maybe for lunch and a walk. Including the other islands pretty well commits a full day. - 4 nights Montepulciano or Montacino with day trips by car to other Tuscan towns (you could do Siena instead, but the smaller towns are more charming) - 4 nights Rome also a minimum, and no time for daytrips. Take a look at Rick Steves' guide to planning your time in Rome for persepctive on how much you can do in a day with planning http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/rome3.htm. If your heart is set on Capri, drop the Dolomites and go to Sorrento for 3 days, but you will ad a lot of in-country travel time to your itinerary.

Dennis Kudos in not rushing your stay through Italy! You may want to tweek as you read posters' suggestions. I agree with previous poster on changing your Florence time to Tuscany. I know there will be dissenters from some posters but Florence is really an art and culture city. If you are just going there to "check" off this city from someone else's list, skip it. Read up to see what is there and if it doesn't fit what you want to do, spend the time in Tuscany. This is, after all, your trip. Will have to think about which cities (or nearby villages or agriturismos) might be best to base your Tuscany travels from. Keep us in the loop as you work on your itinerary. Bobbie

I would not do 3 nights in Florence. 2 is good. You can drive to Assisi and do one night. You might want to consider a drive to Sorrento for two nights and than finish up in Rome. I think your better off taking the train if you can. Since you loved Capri add southern Italy but give up on CT and limit the rest. Too much can make you crazy and it's not why your going to Italy.

Not knowing what "northern Italy" is its hard to make a suggestion. I did a RS tour that spent 2 nights in the Dolomites. I would have rather spent the time in Naples. ( being from the NW, the mountain scenery wasn't as big a deal to me as it might be to someone from a flatter region) You cannot spend too much time in Venice
Given your preference for food/wine/scenery, Orvieto is probably the best choice. Cinque Terre is not a "day trip" destination in my view. Either spend a couple nights and enjoy the area and food or just not go A day trip to Capri from Rome? A crack of dawn train might make it possible but I doubt one would enjoy the day . Spend 2-3 nights in Sorrento to do Capri and take a trip along the Amalfi coast. Give yourself the time to enjoy your trip, not just check off a 'to do' list

I think the four of you need to sit down and really, REALLY decide on which places and things are most important to you, because you're doing way too much in 14 days. Ask yourselves exactly what you're going to do in these places. I would never recommend fewer than 3 nights in one place because of the traveling inbetween. We always stay in Siena and do a day trip to Florence (1 hour by bus) so that's something to consider unless you want to go to more than 2 or 3 museums there. You can also easily rent a car for the day (or two) in Siena and drive to Montalcino and Montepulciano. You just really need to sit back and discuss what's most important. Don't let something like a day trip to Capri dominate your concerns, but if it's a priority, you need to consider eliminating or decreasing your time in northern Italy so you can spend a few nights in Sorrento instead.

A couple of quick thoughts: Every time you change destinations, you spend a goodly amount of time either traveling or getting ready to. Consider doing fewer places well, rather than many places in a rush. A side trip takes a day away from your base destination. I would advise getting a calendar, and marking down your days (and realistic travel times). By the time you spend an hour getting from your hotel in Venice to the station in plenty of time to make the train, and another hour getting to your hotel and checked in, that 2.5 hour train ride ends up taking more like 5 hours of destination time. Also think about what you want to see/do on the trip. Mark out realistic times for museums/attractions, etc. And give your self some time to sit back and enjoy the "sweetness of doing nothing."

I agree with the suggestion of staying in the countryside in Tuscany and doing day trips with your car. Villages, vineyards, country roads and just rambling around with a roadside picnic. No need for a car in Venice or Rome. I would also take a day trip (by bus) into Florence to see the highlights. You can definitely do that in a day. If you have extra time in Venice, Murano was a fun day trip, just don't cut your time to short in Venice. (loving the villages and small towns like I do , I would take away one night from Rome in favor of another night in Tuscany)

If you decide to rent a car for some (all) of your trip, be aware that most European cars are quite small. Check into the prices (and availability) of a car (minivan?) large enough to hold 4 adults and their luggage before you commit yourself to this option.

Making progress with our trip plans to Italy. Has anyone heard of the Thermal waters of Saturnia and hotel Albergo la Fonte del Cerro. This is one of the places my daughter wants to go. Any comments/advice Thank you
Silvia