Drop Rome from Itinerary?

Rome! Rome is so rich in history, art, culture. Can't imagine going to Italy and missing Rome! Are you spending two full days each in Venice and CT, meaning three nights each place?

I adore Rome, but I would say it depends on your travel preferences. Small towns, laid-back atmosphere, food & drink? Or gritty and exciting city stuffed full of more history and art than you could ever hope to see in the amount of time you have. Some people find Rome chaotic and overwhelming, while others (myself included) find it to be full of energy and absolutely enthralling. If you are doing Venice & CT already, Rome might make a nice (faster) change of pace. However, as Laurel pointed out, make sure you have spaced your time out properly. Venice - CT - Rome is spread out and you'll lose a good chunk of time transiting between each segment.

Well....we are planning on one night, two days in Venice and two days, two nights in Vernazza. I think I'd like to visit Rome again but have never seen Tuscany. My wife has seen neither. Thanks again for your thoughts and considerations!

Hi Brandon. we are planning on one night, two days in Venice and two days, two nights in Vernazza If Venice is your first stop, arriving from the US, Day One is a loss. You arrive, jet lagged, check in, maybe get to wander a bit from San Marco to the Rialto, have dinner and collapse. That gives you one day to "see Venice" because the next day you need to leave early for the CT as it is most of a day to get there. (We left Venice about 1000 and arrived CT about 1600.) I like to plan in terms of the number of nights we spend in a place because I know my tour time is basically the afternoon I arrive and the full days between the nights. While I adore Rome, your trip may be more balanced and enjoyable if you stay north: 2 nights (1 full day) Venice; 2 nights (1 full day CT), 4 nights Siena or Florence. You also might want to do it in order Venice-Tuscany-CT. Less backtracking. Depends a bit on your departure city.

I disagree about the first day of European travel being a waste. Assuming arrival by late morning I usually consider it more like a half regular travel day and plan accordingly for a light introductory day to set your bearings touring afternoon and early to bed. In terms of travel time if you are only traveling for a week to 10 days you would be best served keeping to Northern Italy. I am spending almost 3 weeks in Italy this spring and traveling to and from The Cinque Terre is the longest travel time. The fastest train from CT to Rome is 4.5 hours, while CT to Florence is about 2.5-3 hours, Venice to Florence is 2 hours, Florence to Rome is less than 2 hours but that doesn't help you if you are going to the CT. Also consider about 1.5-2 hours for prep and travel to and from transport centers. Where do you plan to fly in and out of? Are your flights set? What is the total time on the ground in Italy?

IMHO, you really don't have time to really see everything you list above. 1 day here and 2 days there doesn't permit it. Also, don't forget the train travel time. The train time between Venice and the CT is about 6hrs. From the CT to Florence, it's 3.5hrs. For the sake of a better experience in Northern Italy, I would suggest skipping Rome on your 5-day trip. Even with your 5 days, you will have difficulty seeing any other part of Tuscany such as Pisa, Lucca, Siena, others. You just don't have the time.

I would do the Venice-Florence-Rome trip if it was my wife's 1st time in Italy. I really like Rome with the many fountains,squares,and the ancient Rome. Vatican city is overun with tourists and the only thing I like is the Sistine Chapel.

It really does depend on what you enjoy doing. Are you more of an urban type or a small village type? Good points have been made above about the travel times and the difficulty some people have (me included) adjusting to the time change, making the first couple of days less than optimal (to put it mildly). My personal preference would be Rome over the CT (which you didn't exactly ask), but that's because I'm a city boy and because I think the CT have become overhyped. And my own travel preference is to never stay fewer than two nights in any one place. Also, there's a very good reason that the standard first trip to Italy is Rome-Florence-Venice. Have a great time.

Reading Michael's message above, I agree that you could drop the CT in favor of Rome. You would slightly decrease your train time by riding more of the high-speeds but, the high-speeds are more expensive so your train travel costs will increase sightly. I really would prefer Rome over the CT given your short schedule. Also, you could fly out of Rome.

I don't think the OP wanted to drop CT, the question was whether to drop Rome. If I were this limited in time I would just do Venice and CT but everyone has their own travel style.

(from Laurel): "If Venice is your first stop, arriving from the US, Day One is a loss." I'm with her - by the time my airplane is GETTING to White Plains, NY, I'm exhausted...LOL :-( And I've gotten up at some unholy hour just to make my flight, so I'm pretty shot before I even find my aisle seat...AND I fly direct; landing in Venice probably means a connection in Europe, and that means more exhaustion. Add at least one more day to Venice, assuming you aren't planning daytrips from there. I agree with other recommendations: Either spend the remaining days in Florence and Siena, or do Venice-Florence-Rome. Yes, I just chopped out the CT LOL. Whoa - for what time of year are you planning this trip?

Do your best to work Rome into your itinerary. My wife and I (early 30s) spent 4 days in Rome and can't wait to go back.

From a husband-wife duo in their late 30's ...Rome! The energy of the city is so exhilirating and romantic. I second the Venice-Florence-Rome suggestions (though I'd reverse the order).