First Italy Trip - Village Italy or the Big Cities

If the villiage Italy tour is what interests you, then do it! However, you will be flying into and out of a major city, and it's wise to arrive at least a day in advance of your tour.... Why not take the opportunity to tack on a couple days either at the beginning or end of the trip to see places such as Rome or Venice? Venice is extremely easy to see on your own.

Or you could plan a trip all on your own to go see all the things that interest you at your own pace... The rick Steve's Italy book would give you pretty much all the info you need to plan an amazing trip, and people on these boards would be happy to help you. That's what I do since I can't afford to take a tour. I'm currently planning my second trip to Italy for this October, for 3 weeks I'm going to Rome, Sorrento, Orvieto, Assisi, Florence, Ravenna, Venice, and Milan.

My favorite tour of the 5 I have taken was Village Italy. Why don't you fly into Venice, stay a few days, take a train to Padova for the start of the tour. Then at the end take a train from Milan to Florence and spend a couple days. Then fly out of Florence or Milan. That way you get the lovely villages plus Venice and Florence, too. Rome is more hectic and I would save for a future trip. You will return. Italy gets in your blood. I have't been for a couple of years and cannot wait to return.

Nancy,

The Village Italy tour would be a good choice (or any of the other Italy tours for that matter). You could (for example) take the tour and then visit some of the larger cities on your own when the tour ends. One advantage of doing some self guided travel after the tour, is that the tour will provide you with a "tutorial" on how to travel in Italy, so with that you should be perfectly comfortable getting around on your own.

Of course, if your budget allows the 17 day Best of Italy tour would provide a good blend of both smaller locations as well as cities. If you don't think you'll be able to get back to Europe for awhile, that would be a good option to consider.

BTW, I'm not a "spring chicken" either and I still manage to get back to Europe on a regular basis.

Buon Viaggio!

Thank you for your thoughtful replies. Although I can't spend time before the tour, I would be able to visit Venice and maybe Florence after the tour. Saving Rome for another trip sounds like a good idea and makes this seem doable. Grazie!

For departure back to the states Florence airport you will usually have a connection in Europe somewhere like Germany. From Milan they have more flights to the US and you'll connect usually in Newark or NYC. I like to have my connection in the US and fly out of Milan.

Thanks, Robert, that is a big consideration. Looks like Venice is the obvious big city choice. The more I research, the more I see Laura Beth's point that Rome is intense and deserves more time than I would have this trip.

I have been to Italy 7 or 8 times and while I enjoyed Rome & Florence if I had to give up something to spend time in villages or by the sea I would definitely do that. When I long for Italy it is the villages and countryside and vineyards that call to me... not the crowds in the cities (especially in the summer) Now Venice is a different story, however in the summer it is also quite congested. But it is such a unique place that I think you should see it. Just be sure to spend a day or two so you can be there when it is less crowded.

I think the "Village Italy" tour, as far as a tour go, adds more to the experience of going on a tour than one covering the major cities only. This is due to the fact you can easily arrange train trips and self-guide yourself in those big cities, alone, whereas following on your own the Village Tour itinerary, on the pace the tour goes, would be quite a challenge in logistic terms (doable, however, if you have more time available).

Hi Nancy,

I am also on a teacher schedule and my first RS tour was Village Italy. I have done two others, but it was my favorite. Since you will be going later in June/early July, it will also be nice to be in some less "touristy" spots. Venice, Florence, and Rome will likely be VERY crowded, whereas Padova and some of the smaller towns were not as crowded. As others have stated, you can definitely add on a few days to the beginning/ending of the tour.

Enjoy!

Aside from a couple of weeks at Viareggio about 50 years ago, I hadn't been to Italy until I took Village Italy. I spent three days in Venice before going on to Padova to meet the group and fell in love with the city. Loved the Village Italy tour - you really do see more of Italy through the back door, and Rick's Southern Italy and 7 days in Rome tours. As someone said, once you have been to Italy you will go back - I am trying to figure out if I can fit Italy in this year before heading to Crete.....

All your feedback has really helped me focus on what I want from my first trip to Italy given my time constraints and time of year. If all goes well I will start with the Villages of Italy tour. Since my work year ends late June, I'll have one day of flight and one day pre-tour to decompress in Italy. That leavessome time at the end of the tour. I am thinking of 3 days in Venice. Thanks for relieving me of the frenzy of trying to do "the greatest hits" of Italy.

Having been on the Village Italy tour and also to Rome and Florence and Venice, I suggest you start out with Village Italy. The cities will be much easier next time around, even if you decide to travel to them on your own. When we took Village Italy, we flew into Venice 2 nights early and decompressed there. We had been there before and find Venice relaxing. By the time we got to Padua to start the tour we were well rested. Have a great trip!