First Italy Trip - May 2020

Looks like 17 nights? It's a bit more moving around than I'd like but I suppose OK if you must see all those places.

I would not want to travel from Positano to FCO on departure day even with an afternoon flight- too many things can go wrong and it will mean getting up at the crack of.
Are any lodging reservations made? can be changed?

I'd do this- put Rome at the end, move Amalfi to mid trip.
Venice 2
Lake Como 2
Florence 3
Train to Salerno- then ferry to:
Positano 3 nights
Sorrento 3
Rome 4

Happy Anniversary!

Nicely organized ChristineH. Looks like the poster has a tailor made itinerary to follow through. Tom for must see venues on Lake como, may I recommend Menaggio, Varenna, Lecco, and Bellagio. If time permitted, take a visit to Villa Balbianello. The Villa del Balbianello is a villa in the comune of Lenno, Italy, overlooking Lake Como. A scene of the Jame's Bond movie Casino Royale was filmed there. This villa looks stunning overlooking the lake. It is a heaven for selfies.

Joyeux Anniversaire!

https://www.fondoambiente.it/luoghi/villa-del-balbianello?utm_source=organic&utm_medium=gmb&utm_campaign=balbianello

https://www.positano.com/en/e/amalfi-coast-wineries

HI,

I am planning a trip to Italy in late June myself. I have already booked tours for the Last Supper (City Wonders) and the Vatican (Walks of Italy). I chose to pay for tours on certain parts of my trip to have 1) have a guide, 2) Ease in visiting the sites at a very crowded time. Last supper tickets are very difficult to get, so if not going on a tour, go to the official site and check when they go on sale, and then log on the minute they do.

Have a great trip and happy anniversary.

I like ChristineH’s itinerary with one exception. Too much time traveling. I would drop Lake Como and add a day each to Venice and Florence. It seems that your plan allows you only one full day in Venice which is insufficient. Florence has a lot to see and you might want to consider a day trip to Pisa and/or Lucca as well. I can understand your desire to see the Last Supper but question doing the amount of time and hassle it would take as an intermediate stopover on your way to Florence. Check to see if there are “tour boats” on Lake Como; there might only be Lake ferries.

Another 👍 for Christine's itinerary, and I would probably drop the Como/Milan piece as well: too much moving around for my preference, and both Venice and Florence would benefit from another night. A 3rd night in Venice will allow you to well and truly get over any jet lag + have a day to explore Murano and/or others of the smaller islands.

Florence is simply packed with art and architectural treasures that, personally, I wouldn't shortchange for checking luggage in Milan, getting to Santa Maria delle Grazie, having just 15 minutes with the "Last Supper" and then reversing the process en route to Florence. Even if you felt you could see all that you're interested in over 2 full days in Florence, another night would allow you a nice day trip (Siena, Fiesole, Lucca...)

General-entry ("open tour") Vatican Museum tickets are currently available through the Vatican's website through Feb so abt. 2 months out. Tickets for guided tours are currently available through Oct.

http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/visita-i-musei/scegli-la-visita/visitatori-singoli.html

There can be benefits to booking a guided tour - either through the Vatican's own site or a number of reputable independent companies - which allows early entry to the Sistine/museums + includes the basilica but that's another conversation!

Happy anniversary from me too! :O)

Thanks for the feedback. I can change the hotels, and after looking at the travel times from Positano, i have opted to make the adjustment. My concern is now traveling from Sorrento to Rome for the last four days will not give us enough time. If we keep this itinerary, we will arrive in Rome on Saturday. That may not allow enough time if we leave Italy on Wednesday. I have heard many venues are closed on Sunday. If we arrive into Rome later in the day Saturday, and Sunday is limited, then we may be too pushed for time Mon and Tuesday. I have the option to shorten Sorrento to 2 days. As Positano is a very expensive location, my budget tells me to only spend 3 days there. I could stretch it to 4 days possibly, but i thought it best to split the time on the Amalfi Coast based on my budget..

Thats where we are today.. so continued input is appreciated. Thanks for he advise.

Tom

Pretty sure just the Vatican Museum closed on Sunday.
All churches are open, Colosseum/Forum open, Pantheon, Borghese open...

I'd keep at least 3 nights Sorrento- you have 2 day trips planned from there. 3 nights is 2.5 days.

We celebrated our 40th this past May- did our splurge hotel in Sorrento, 4 nights.
Any town on Amalfi coast is pricey! We did 2 Amalfi/1 Ravello.
Glad we did it that way. We used a combination of private driver, shortest bus ride, ferry to get around.
Positano was a day trip- spent a few hours there. Not sure how you'd fill 4 nights. The view is of the Tyrrhenian Sea ;)

Does your schedule have the flexibility to skip Lake Como and add one of those nights to Venice or Florence and the other to Rome?

With the time you are planning for Sorrento/Positano, not doing Lake Como is not a severe loss.

Hi Tom. Have you traveled to Europe at this pace before? I ask because this sounds like a newbie's plan. If that's the case, here are some things to consider. If you're comfortable with the pace, you can ignore my post completely :-)

You have too many long travel days and too little time for sightseeing and relaxing. Every place you go, you will need a little time to get oriented to new surroundings and things like how to use local transportation - where's the stop, how to pay, etc. I understand that you have chosen carefully and your choices are good, you just have too many.

Even if you land in Venice early in the morning, it's likely to be hours until you get to your hotel, after a red-eye flight. There's a 7-9 hour time difference and you are likely to be in a fog on Day 1, just struggling to get oriented and stay awake until it's time for bed. That gives you one full day to see Venice and if you want to visit the "top spots" you'll be seeing them with crowds of other tourists. The charms of Venice are mostly appreciated in the very early mornings and the evenings. During the day, you can find many quiet areas to explore, but not those hot spots. One day is just not enough. Unless you are staying near the train station (not the most charming part of town), it will take you a long time to get to the train station (after packing and checking out), so you'll use at least 1/2 day getting to Lake Como. To Como itself is close to 4 hours by train, with 1 or 2 changes. Getting to Varenna is longer. (you can see train schedules at trenitalia.com - use Italian place names.)

You have one full day on Lake Como, then you spend a good part of the day in Milan on the way to Florence. At best, you'll have 2.5 days in Florence, then use much of the next day getting to Sorrento or the Amalfi Coast.

Don’t worry too much about Sunday closures, Rome is so full of primo sights and enough stuff is open you will have no trouble using the time. Even if a spot is not available, you have many other locations to choose from that are outdoors, Spanish Steps, Treve, Trastevere, walking in neighborhoods. Rome will also beat you down if you pack too much in, rest is necessary. As another poster said, Posi to Fiumicino is quite a lot of transfers. Getting from Positano to the either Naples or Salerno train station takes extra time, then you have to get another train to the airport. Capri is well worth a visit. We stayed out there and were glad for the extra time. The mosaic floor at Cheisa da Michele in Anacapri was a highlight. Also be sure to the to the Faraglioni side of the island, maybe a 20 minute walk from the funicular. Bonus tip- the funicular tickets are to the right when leaving the pier while the station is to the left under the big arch. They are in opposite directions and people are always looking in the wrong place. Buy funicunlar tickets for everyone for all planned trips at one time. Enjoy

As Positano is a very expensive location, my budget tells me to only
spend 3 days there.

Positano is really very small and there isn't much to do there but browse the shops and enjoy the view. Both can easily be achieved in just 2 nights versus 3 so you could shift that third night to Rome if concerned about having enough time there? I wouldn't worry about Sunday closings other than the Vatican Museums and working around mass times at some of the more interesting churches. It's Mondays that the Italian National Museums, such as Galleria Borghese, are closed (the Uffizi, Accademia , etc. in Florence as well) but that doesn't affect the Vatican, Colosseum, Forum, Palatine and other private or civic museums.

I totally agree with Chani. I especially agree that beginning a trip with two nights in Venice is not a good idea. You will likely end up being one of the travelers who leaves the city thinking he's glad he didn't spend more time there because it was so crowded. It takes more time to get into the back canals and experience the real Venice.

Honestly, I'd drop Venice (which I love) rather than just spend only my first two nights there. That would give you more time at other stops, which would much improve the pace of the trip.

Thanks so much for all the responses. I have altered the AC itinerary and we are checking on extending Florence an extra night and dropping one night in AC. i am going to check on flying into Milan and leaving Venice for another trip. Como is a must see for my wife and the more I look into it, the more i want to visit as well. I am still debating if we should give Rome another day. again, thanks for all the help.. To be continued....

If you are celebrating 30 years of wedded bliss, I can think of no other place in Italy better than Lake Como. ( My opinion.) My husband and I have been to Venice, Rome, the Amalfi Coast and Lake Como. Lake Como in May will be so romantic. Stay in a hotel like Hotel du Lac ( in Varenna) with a private balcony overlooking the lake. Hire Varenna Boat Taxi for a midlake tour and reserve the one that includes a tour of Villa Balbiano. Stroll the lakeside promenade in Varenna. Find a lakeside cafe to enjoy glasses of wine as the sun sets over the water. Amaze at the view of the Alps in the distance. Get up early and walk the quaint narrow streets of Varenna with wisteria and blooming flowers everywhere. We stayed in Varenna for 4 nights in May of 2018, and part of my heart is still there.

I hesitate to be a downer but weather can throw a wrench in the machinery where short visits/stays are concerned. The day we spent traveling from Bergamo> Varenna> Bellagio and back in May was largely overcast and foggy so views of the lake from the ferry were not wonderful. We still had a really good time but, well, visual expectations had to be adjusted! We were OK with that but others may not be. :O)

Weather is always a factor when considering short visits anywhere that you're going to be spending most of your time outdoors. It could be dry and sunny, pour rain, or end up somewhere in between!