Honeymoon in Italy

If they can only be away for 10 or 11 days, they'll only be on the ground for around 8 days. I would only do two cities, either Rome and Florence or Rome and Venice. The day in they'll be jetlagged, and the flight home will not count at all, because the flights back to the US depart Rome @ 9 or 10 am, and they will need several hours to get to Terminal 5 which is a special terminal for US and Israeli citizens with added security, meaning you have to go through security in Terminal 5 and then get bussed to the actual terminal the plane departs from. That being said, Florence 4 days with two day trips. One to Sienna and another day maybe doing a wine tour which would take them through more of Tuscany. The remainder of the time STAY in Florence and enjoy Florence! Florence is Very Romantic at night, the Piazzas are just beautiful. Then return to Rome and enjoy the remaining 3 or 4 nights, and remember that Rome is a very large city with many, many sites. The only other option I can think of is to skip one of the Florence day trips and leave Florence a day early and do ONE night in Venice. Look at Roninrome.com for hotels in their price range in Rome. Don't know Florence hotels very well, since I always stay a full week and
rent a two bedroom apartment. For a honeymoon, I'd recommend hotels, and not have to clean up after yourself IMHO.

Thank you, Donna! Great suggestions!

I just went on a honeymoon to Italy in November. We flew into Venice and out of Rome. Here is our itinerary: Day 1 depart US Day 2 Arrive in Venice; check into hotel and wander around the city. Day 3-4 Venice (Molino Stuckey Hilton) Day 5 Morning in Venice, noon train to Florence, afternoon/evening Florence Day 6-7 Florence (Hotel Accademia) Day 8 Morning in Florence, afternoon train to Rome, evening in Rome Day 9-11 Rome (Hotel Smeraldo) Day 12 Rome / Ostia Antica, spend night at airport hotel
Day 13 very early flight back to US I purchased the train tickets in advance and saved a lot of money. We traveled for 9 euros per person per leg. We considered a side trip to Orvieto but decided to stay in Florence instead. This allowed for a more leisurely pace. Our hotels in Florence and Rome were in the middle of everything. We walked everywhere. If the couple only has 10-11 days, you might consider only going to 2 major cities. The travel time between cities will eat at least a half day when you consider checking in and out of hotels plus train travel. Good luck!

Rather than flying into and out of Rome, I'd suggest flying into Florence (or Venice, if that's better suited to their interests) and flying out of Rome. Either Florence or Venice would be easier for recovering from jet lag and getting oriented (vs Rome). Two or maximum of 3 locations would be all I'd recommend, given available time. If Assisi interests them, it is a lovely stop between Florence and Rome. Direct trains; no transfers needed. It's one of my favorite places in Italy, but definitely stay overnight if at all possible; it's so peaceful and beautiful at night. You mention Orvieto as a possiblity, but it's not really on the way to the other places, and it's an easy 1 hour day trip by train from Rome. It also is a lovely town to explore

Thank you so much for your help as well, Stephen and Sherry!

Hi Jane. It looks like you've got it about right with the amount of time and ground you would like them to cover. It is always a good idea to be based in Florence or Rome and then do day trips out to the villages rather than the other way round- transport from places like Orvieto and Assisi is not so great and would limit their options.
I have found staying at hotels to be a bit tiresome over the years: had you thought of booking them into somewhere more cosy for a few nights, seeing as it will be their honeymoon? This place La Fiesolana in Florence is truly charming and near to the center of Florence. Trains: Make sure you book the fast one between Rome-Florence, as it should only take an hour and a half instead of the local ' regionale' train which takes 3hrs!