Florence To skip or not to skip?

"need to stay in Rome 4 days" hey, you should WANT to its a great city,, .. I would give Rome 5 days myself. So much to see. Venice on the otherhand,, while incredibly scenic etc ,, could easily be seen in 2 or 3 days.. So,, ( and I do not know how the trains run) ,, you could give 2 or 3 days to Florence,, its really up to you.. do you love art?? Nuts for leather,, born to shop,, etc etc.. LOL .

My vote would absolutely be to stop in Florence. So do Rome for 4 days. On day 5, leave from Rome via Eurostar fast train, its about a 2 hour trip. Plan on a 1000 train and be in Florence by lunch time. Plan on staying for at least day 6 and possibly 7. If you get an early start on day 8 for Venice (around 8) via Eurostar again, you will be in Venice again by lunch. Spend the remainder of day 8 and day 9 exploring Venice. We spent a day and a half in Venice last year and felt like we had gotten a very good feel for it. Spent the half day walking around and checking out some churches on our "to see" list and spent the next day doing the sites of San Marco.

I was in Rome for 5 days, Florence for 3, and Venice just overnight (plus went to a few other places in my 15 days there).
There is a lot to see everywhere in Italy; any amount of time anywhere is well worth it. It's more what YOU like or are interested in. A sampling of some great Firenze sights: Michelangelo's "David" (amazing, and absolutely unforgettable); The Uffizi Gallery (look it up online to see what's there; awesome stuff!!); the climb to the top of the Duomo (you'll never forget it!); Piazzale Michelangelo (esp at sunset; great panoramic views); Basilica Santa Croce where Michelangelo and Galileo are entombed (also a sculpture that was the inspiration for the Statue of Liberty); The Museum of Science (Galileo's middle finger is on display there, as well as telescopes he used, and much more cool stuff); Ponte Vecchio; Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens; Palazzo Vecchio; the loggia in, as well as, the, Piazza della Signoria (great sculptures, albeit imitations [I think...])..... soo much to see and do!!

Spend a couple of days in Florence!

Thanks so much to everyone for the advice. It looks like Florence is the clear winner. However, I may still try to sneak in a night in Orvieto or another smaller town. That would make 4 nights Rome, 2 Florence, 1 Orvieto and the last 2 in Venice.
Thank you!!!!
Ardith

ardith,

I'd also recommend spending a few days in Florence if possbile. It's a beautiful city with lots of history. With careful planning, it should be able to fit everything in.

Fortunately the rail links between Rome-Florence and Florence-Venice are fairly short (via high speed trains).

Happy travels!

"Piazza della Signoria (great sculptures, albeit imitations [I think...])."

Robyn the sculptures in front of the Palazzo Vecchio are all originals except for the David. Same for the Loggia. Cellini's Perseus is nearly 500 years old. The statue is the original, the base is a copy and the original is in the Bargello museum.

I'd spend a few days in Florence. It is an easy walking city and it's been one of my favorites for the last 29 years. It is a different experience from Roma. After Florence go to Venice and travel around that locale. With high speed ES trains travel time is short. Always assume that you will return because Italy seduces the traveler.

Buon viaggia,

RB

I debated about this as well.
We are not going to rome as when I go to rome I plan to do the amalfi coast and just didnot have enough time.
In the end I decided to do two nights/three days in florence and 4 nights in venice.
I think it is a personal choice. I have alwasy wanted to go to venice so for me venice was the priority.
I am glad we have included florence though as I have done more research I am really looking forward to it

Definitely - go to Florence! Piazzale Michaelangelo, David, Uffizi, see them all!

Florence didn't impress me as much as I thought it would. However, the dramatic sea cliffs in Sorrento with views of Vesuvius over the blue Mediterranean and nearby Pompeii - that was definitely worth my time.

Don't miss Florence. I would spend 4 days in Rome, 3 in Florence, 2 in Venice.

ardith,

Orvieto is a great choice! With only one night, you won't have time to visit one of Rick's favourite hill towns (Civita di Bagnoregio). However, there's lots to see in Orvieto.

Be sure to have a look at the Duomo, especially the room at the end on the right side with the incredible ceiling frescoes. There's also St. Patrick's Well, which is an interesting site considering when it was built (double helix construction). If you have time, take one of the Underground tours (details in the Guidebook).

Happy travels!