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Honeymoon & attending a wedding...this May...please share le opinions

Posted by (St augustine, Florida, United States) on

My betrothed and I are attending a wedding in Rome (just outside actually) and I'm looking to solicit some opinions for the last leg of the trip.

Background: I haven't been to Italy since I was too young to appreciate it. (I was an unimpressionable 18 year old...a rare condition I know). My task is to whittle the long list of places I'd like to go down to a final couple (few?) destinations for the last week of our honeymoon. We plan to coalesce, in Florence, with our friends who are getting married in Rome...I use the term coalesce loosely.

Itinerary as it stands:
May 25th depart Orlando to Rome!
May 26 - Rome - Recover/sleep/drink wine
May 27 - Attend wedding just outside the city in a quaint place (don't know the exact church yet). Hang with wedding party...probably induce a hangover
May 28 - Recover AM/Vatican tour - hang with newlyweds some more
(flexible starting here because commitments have been honored)
May 29 - Rome - My lady and I sans other newlyweds
May 30 - depart for Sienna
May 31 - Sienna/evening departure for Florence
June 1 - Florence
June 2 - Florence
June 3 - Florence/Day trip San Gimignano
June 4 - Leisurely departure from Florence/san gimignano to Volterra
June 5 - Volterra

Here is where I need help we must fly back the 12th and would love to fit everything in, but I feel something has to go. We are planning to fly back from Venice, but I'm wary of crowds, so Milan is also possible.

Shortlist
Como or CT
Verrona with day trip to Vicenza
Venice

Other questions:

  1. Should we just beat it from Rome and scratch that last day of just me and my new bride? It will be crowded and we've both been...should we venture towards climbs less dense?
  2. Balance of time in Sienna/Florence; we lookin good there?

June 7-12 are utterly flexible save the flight home that we are fairly committed to at this point anyway.

Posted by
206 posts

Here is my two cents worth, but regardless of where you go, you will love it. We were in Italy that same few weeks in 2015. We loved CT. We were there first week of june and other than decent crowds in the good restaurants, it wasn't really crowded. We are from Australia and my kids love the water. Other than the four of us there was only one other snorkeler in the water!! Its a great spot to unwind and chill. Personally I think Venice is one of those must go places. What better time than your honeymoon!! If you are not a fan of crowds just avoid the square in the middle of the day when all the cruise ships are in. Go for a wander and try to get lost (its a tiny place, pretty hard to get lost) and come to the square in the evening for sunset and the live music. Buy one ridiculously expensive drink and sip it slowly while listening to the music.

Posted by
30 posts

More input?

And thank you for the reply. My ladyfriend is of the same school of thought.... So do I sacrifice Verrona for more Venice or CT/Como? More to see vs laid back and romantic?

Posted by
263 posts

I am booked at the Hotel du Lac in Varenna (Lake Como) in July. Check it out, especially the photos. I did a lot of researching to find the perfect place to relax at Lake Como for my anniversary trip this summer.
As for your other short list locations, I recommend CT if you like coastal locales, and if you like walking/hiking outside. The views are spectacular. I did it for a day trip from Lucca. I agree that if you go to Venice, stay away from St. Mark's Square in the daytime. Too many people, too many pigeons.

Regarding your "other questions", no, don't beat it from Rome! Spend time walking to whatever you find interesting.

I don't think you need 3 days in Florence, unless it is your number one destination or if you just love museums.
My style of travel is to go all the places I want to go, even if its for a short time. So, my recommendation:
June 6 arrive CT
June 7 CT
June 8 travel to Lake Como
June 9 Lake Como
June 10 Venice
June 11 Venice
June 12 Fly from Venice or Milan. They are only a few hours apart, especially easy if you are traveling by train.

Posted by
263 posts

If you don't want to sacrifice Verona, you only need a day there.

Posted by
11613 posts

In Venezia, go to Torcello. The church has beautiful mosaics and many couples choose to get married there. It will also get you away from the crowds during the day, as will a stop in Burano. Check out the vaporetto pass for your time there.

Siena will be beautiful at night, with no crowds. You could visit Montalcino from Siena, a small, romantic town with great food and wine.

If you have a car, every place is a possibility. Public transportation requires more planning; on this trip, you may want more spontaneity.

However you split your time, you have chosen great places.

Posted by
1175 posts

I like Julie's itinerary for your last days.

You could go to Siena from Florence if you don't want to do the 1 night stay thing.

You could take a day from Florence/Siena to add to Venice/Verona.

We saw San Gimi and Volterra in a day drive up to Lucca. Loved Volterra, but we got stuck in a car park in San Gimi without our parking ticket….

Posted by
30 posts

Excellent, thanks for the input.

I will finalize and post by Monday I hope.

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