Heart of Italy

I don't ever use a hotel safe so I don't remember this. The RS tour departures for each itinerary do sometimes stay at different hotels so what one person had may not be what you find.

I'd recommend you arrive in Rome 1 or 2 days before the tour start if you have the time available. There is SO much to see in Rome that the full day and the partial day just don't give you much time. Plus it's better to add some flex time in case of travel delays.

I also recommend an extra day in Florence at the end if you can.

This was my first Rick Steves tour and is so good. I love that it had big cities, a small hill town and a coastal area.

Are you planning to hike in CT? Those trails are too sheer for me but many enjoy them. You might need sturdier shoes as they are rocky. Not sure you'd need hiking boots but it depends on what kind of shoe you will be wearing for touring.

I do recommend a waterproof rain jacket with a hood. We got poured on in Monterosso as we headed to the train station, then you have to wait on a mostly open platform. It also poured on us in Florence. I took this trip in a Late May time frame but have also gotten rained on in CT every time I've been there, lol....Spring or Fall!

I would look at the guide book to see what you want to see on your free afternoons in Rome and Florence.

You will not need much cash but do get maybe 50E from an ATM in Rome. My last RS Italy trip (Best of Italy Oct 2022) I only used cash twice and both were for drinks/wine I had at the tour hotels. In Cinque Terre I was in Hotel Pasquale (the tour is divided between Pasquale and Villa Steno - owned by the same family) and had drinks 2 afternoons out on their small terrace overlooking the sea. Try the aperol spritz and the limoncello spritz...yum! I'm not much of a drinker but these were delish! I used ApplePay for EVERYTHING including 3E gelato.

Have a wonderful time!