I'm trying to finalize my itinerary so I can start booking things! I'll be flying into Rome early morning on Oct. 23, and flying out of Milan Nov. 6th, giving me 14 nights in Italy. This is what I've come up with, and I would really appreciate any input!
Travel directly to Sorrento, and stay 5 nights. Stay 3 nights in Orvieto. 2 nights in Assisi. 2 nights in Ravenna. Finish up with 2 nights in Milan.
Any ideas on how to improve this?
Thanks!
Thanks, David! In my previous travels I've been to Rome, Siena, Florence, Pisa, Venice, Verona, and Stresa. While in Sorrento I plan to see the Amalfi coast, Pompeii, Herculaneum, the archeological museum in Naples, Capri, etc. And I figure ill need 2 full days in Orveito to see everything on my wish list since I'd like to do a side trip Civita di Bagnoregio.
Angela, what do you feel needs to be improved? The itinerary looks really good. Perhaps there may be lots that you want to do that we are not aware of. It looks really good.
Oh...I just don't know! Last time I travelled to Italy I put my itinerary on these boards, and people were saying that it was too rushed. I didn't listen(mainly because i had already booked several hotels), had a great trip anyway, but I know they were all right. I should have seen fewer places and stayed longer in each one, just as they said. So this time I intend to benefit from people's experience and have a more enjoyable vacation.
What I'm not too thrilled about this current itinerary is that it starts out very leisurely, then speeds along at the end. But I'm not sure where I would want to linger more...? Originally I was thinking to spend 1 night in either Padua or Bologna before heading to Milan (with 1 day less in Sorrento), but decided this morning to scrap that idea completely.
I think it looks great! Starting at a more leisurely pace is a good idea, in my opinion, so your journey builds to a grand finale, like a good opera.
Just now I purchased my plane tickets, and I'm going a day earlier and staying one day longer!!! I'm like a kid in a candy shop right now!!! So now what do I do with my 2 extra days? Add more to existing places, or add in a new locale? Ideas floating around in my grey matter include Padua, Cortona, and Volterra. But I also wished I had spent more time in Siena and Verona on my last trip, so perhaps I should consider re-visiting someplace I've been before? And there is still so much to see in Florence and Venice. Rome would be an obvious choice, since I fly into there anyway.
Too many possibilities, HELP!!!
Remember to breathe! You have your ticket, so take a little time to think about what you loved before. I like to mix returning to favorite places and finding new ones. I like the balance of discovery and familiarity. I also like to avoid one-nighters, but lots of people do well with them. If there's someplace you wish you had spent more time, go back. You sound like an upbeat, positive person so you will probably have a great time wherever you go. Sometimes I google images of different cities or sites and choose a place based on that. I went to Sansepolcro to see a fresco I had studied in an art history class. And sometimes I just like the sound of a city's name.
If you've just rushed through Rome in the past, I'd add the time there -- but I am assuming you rushed through! I've spent weeks and weeks in Rome, and have still missed things!
It will get dark pretty early, so I'd stick with places that have something to offer in the evenings.
Thanks everyone! Well, I had decided to just add on Rome at the start of the trip and keep the rest of the itinerary the same. So I immediately started looking at hotels to stay... Already so many of the inexpensive places are booked up! I have a very tight budget for this trip and Rome is starting to look a bit spendy, so I found a "reasonable" place and just booked 1 night. So at this point my plan is:
1 night Rome
4 nights Sorrento
3 nights Orvieto
2 nights Assisi
2 nights Ravenna
1-2 nights Milan
So I still have 2-3 nights to work with. If I were to add in Florence, would it make more sense to add it in between Assisi and Ravenna, or should it be Ravenna, Florence, Milan? At this point it seems as if either Assisi or Ravenna are a bit off the beaten path, and one of them ought to be taken out. What if I did Rome, Sorrento, Orvieto, Florence, Ravenna, Padua, Milan? Or Rome, Sorrento, Orvieto, Assisi, Cortona, Florence, Milan? Its so hard to decide!
Hi Angela,
I'll second the comment about taking a moment to just breathe! : )
Everyone's ideal itinerary is unique. Describe in just 1-2 sentences to yourself, what do YOU really want to do on this trip (not specific locations, yet), i.e. "This trip would be ideal if I could see Italian art galleries, leisurely walk through a small village & have a glass a wine with a view, hike in the mountains and experience a non-touristy town. " Then, write down each of your current locations you're considering & briefly note - city vs. village, evening possibilities, daytime priorities, mountains/water/other. Do you see a gap between what is important to you & what's on your current notes?
Next, my recommendation would be to go to the www.rome2rio.com site, input your destinations and see how long it takes between locations + plus, look in their view map for additional locations with good connections between what you're planning. Personally, I only want a couple of days where I'm on a train 3 hours during the entire trip to maximize our experience.
I just finished our itinerary and we'll be going to Lauterbrunnen/Wengen, Stresa, Florence, Siena, Grosseto, & Rome. Some are repeats to spend more time there. We haven't been to Stresa, so I would love to hear how you like it.
I feel your pain. I loved Cortona, but I would keep Ravenna and Assisi if possible, and start planning the next trip.
Stresa was very lovely! I was there mid May of 2012, so it was a great time to see all the lovely gardens. It's fun to take the ferries out to the islands, Isola Bella being particularly beautiful, and Pescatore fun to just explore. We took the funicular to the top of the mountain, but it was late in the day so we didn't leave ourselves much time to explore... Plus there are rides at the top that we were unaware of, and they were shutting down at that point. My travel partner would have loved to ride them had we known in advance and gotten there sooner.
My great love is architecture (very old buildings in particular), followed closely by history, good food, nature, and gardens. I doubt gardens will be at their best in late October, so I'll focus this trip on other things I love.
I went ahead and booked my final 2 nights in Milan... But I'm going to hold off booking the rest for a while until I finish hammering out my itinerary.
I think it's time for you to use the train timetables and plot out the details. It took me the best part of a day to get from Sorrento to Florence, and half a day from Venice to Ravenna. Keep in mind that you have to get from your hotel to the train station and luggage can slow you down (not to mention the time for packing/unpacking). When you do this, you may find that you have less actual touring time then it seems like. While there are lots of trains between Rome and Florence, they aren't necessarily that frequent to places like Assisi and Ravenna. By the end of October, there may only be one train an hour on the Circumvesuviani between Sorrento and Naples and even when you're there, it isn't easy to get an up-to-date timetable.
Also consider how you're going to feel when you arrive: jetlag, long-haul flight, and a long trip from FCO to Sorrento, 3 trains (averaging an hour each) plus wait time.
