My husband and I are planning to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary in Italy this September (9/12-9/23). We are working with a travel agent as I'm terrified to travel abroad for the first time without one. Tuscany specifically has been on my bucket list for YEARS! We have two weeks, including travel time, so we have been told we can easily fit 3 different locations into that timeframe. As of right now, our itinerary is :
Cinque Terre for 3 nights
Tuscany for 4 nights
Venice for 3 nights
I'm worried I'll regret not going to Rome but don't necessarily want to be overwhelmed by too many other tourists and wasting time waiting in lines, etc. My husband would love to visit any coastal town and get the opportunity to fish. I'd love to see all Italy has to offer in ways of history, vineyards, cooking classes, countryside, etc.
Any suggestions are welcome :)
Posted by
Sioux Falls, SD, USA
3120 posts
WOW!!! A first time traveler with a sensible and limited agenda!! I congratulate you.
We just returned from Italy (Sept-Oct). We went to Milan, Turino, Ravenna, Florence, Siena, Pisa. We did not go to Rome. We did not go to Venice. We had a wonderful trip.
Do you plan on Florence? Tuscany is a region, not a place. Have you considered an agriturismo (farm that welcomes guests overnight)? You do have Venice down, and I am sure that it will be fun. Your stays of 3 and 4 nights are very sensible.
Are you interested in art? You say "countryside" but what does that mean? Perhaps if you were a bit more clear on what you plan on doing in Tuscany, others might have good thoughts.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
15111 posts
That's a good start and no need to try and see everything on your first trip. Have you considered flying in to Venice and out of...say Florence? That might re-order your itinerary as Venice -> CT-> Tuscany ending in Florence.
For me 3 nights would be too much for CT but you might want to hike and might enjoy 2 full days there. What city are you going to stay in?
For Tuscany, are you going to stay in Florence (where you could really do with 4 nights) or try to stay out in the country side?
The reason I suggest Venice first is that it's easier to get FROM that airport to the city center than try to get from the center out to the airport for an early, early return flight. You will likely have to transit thru a European hub so sometimes that means flying out at 6A or so.
Posted by
Land of La
9369 posts
Don’t be terrified. Make a Plan A and Plan B.
Also employ a flexible frame of mind. Helps if a flight is delayed, reservation lost, no internet, etc.
Having been to Rome, Paris, Havana, London, Geneva, Amsterdam, Florence, Vienna, Brussels, Dublin, Belfast, Copenhagen, Munich, and Istanbul my one constant is have a paper trail. TripIt app is great but what happens if you loose your phone?
Also research to See what events might be occurring:
https://www.tripsavvy.com/festivals-and-events-italy-september-4172135
Why travel and be regretful? Add Rome. Research and pre book what you’d see there. Colosseum tour. Vatican, etc. Seeing the Colosseum from Palatine Hill made me cry. It’s the history and the reality it’s still standing.
I might be a math atheist BUT your itinerary adds up to 10 days and you stated you are going for 2 weeks.
Even subtracting your arrival and departure days gives you time to explore Rome.
Travel is eye opening. Provides perspective.
Ciao
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
8064 posts
September will be a bit less busy than July or August, but if you’re concerned about lots of tourists in Rome, Florence will have lots, too. For lots of people, especially first time visitors, Tuscany means Florence, with possibly Siena and some other hill towns and vineyard ms not too far away. That’s inland Tuscany.
But farther southwest, along the Etruscan Coast well south of the Cinque Terre, there’s the Bolgheri wine region, where the Super Tuscan wines originate. One place to consider staying is Castagneto Carducci. Another is at Chicca’s, with 2 apartments above her house. We’ve stayed there the last 2 years (early October, olive harvest time), but won’t be going this year. She does cooking classes in her kitchen. They’re 3 miles from the ocean, town is Donoratico. You won’t have the amazing Renaissance art of Florence, but could have coastal access (some interesting 2,500 year old Etruscan sights along the coast), the island of Elba, where Napoleon was exiled, is very close, wineries, cooking with a professional, and a corner of Tuscany that doesn’t have tourist hoards (yet). Here’s her Website, for her apartments, food and wine tours, and cooking classes:
https://cookingintuscany.cc/casa-toscana/
Posted by
SF Bay Area
944 posts
I reread your post and see you really only have 10 nights in Italy. Your plan looks good.
Rome is wonderful, but I’d suggest saving it for another trip.
Posted by
Sioux Falls, SD, USA
3120 posts
We were in Florence in September, and it was not crazy-crowded just a little busy. We walked up to the ticket booth and got a ticket for the Accademia (David) for 1 hour later, Uffizi next day 9 AM. We did not go into the Duomo, since the line was very long, but did pretty much all the other major sights.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16321 posts
Your plan looks good for 10 nights on the ground.
Where are you from and where is your home airport? That would help,determine the best way to fly.
Ideally if you could fly into Venice and fly out out of Florence (or viceversa) would be best. Since you are staying in Northern Italy, Milan or also Bologna or Pisa could work too. However you must plant to spend the last part of your trip close to the departure airport, or at least the last night, because flying to North America implies flying out in the morning, often very early in the morning.
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7469 posts
If you don’t want to be overwhelmed by too many tourists you might want to rethink 3 nights in Cinque Terre.
JMO