Background:6/16-7/9. Ive been reading this and other chat rms for a few months now but recent posts have me worried now. Im mainly using the RS and Pauline Frommers books. I have studied the travel times between locations. Travel by train unless otherwise noted. Will park outside of town to avoid tix. Ive been to Italy 2ce although my last trip was 13 years ago. This will be my nieces 1st trip. We dont need to see everything, as Ive been to some of these places, and we will both be back. We agree that we can skip sights so we can stop and enjoy just being in Italy. This is not the slow trip I would have planned with friends but an overview for my niece. I hope I havent crossed into the "Are you nuts?!" pace. Please let me know if I am in fact, CRAZY. :o) Do you see any big issues?
Ive only listed the hilites and reserved tours. THANK YOU!!!
D1 ARR Rome 8:45. Hotel by 1. Stay upright and see what we can
D2 Ancient Rome tour/B Museum
D3 Vatican
D4 to Sorrento via Naples(RS walk)
D5 Amalfi Coast
D6 free
D7 to Orvieto
D8 Orvieto/poss Civita
D9 p/u car & drive to Assisi/poss stop on way (1 nite in A cuz A at nite is a must)
D10 Assisi/stop on way to Siena (Cortona?)
D11 Siena
D12 Hot air balloon. Area south of Siena
D13 Area north of Siena. PM cooking class at Volpaia
D14 to Lorsica(fam from here) Drop car in Rapallo/train to Vernazza
D15 relax. Boat trip with Angelos Boat Tours
D16 Hike/train/boat CT
D17 to Flo via Pisa
D18 Uffizi
D19 Accad
D20 to Venice. Walk and get lost.
D21 Murano/Burano
D22 Venice. Secret Rooms Tour
D23 Leave
Posted by
Williamsburg, MI, USA
14 posts
Two years ago my 18 year old daughter and I did a similar trip to Italy in 17 days and it was great! If you plan well ( and it sounds like you have done alot of research) it will go smoothly. I found that although I was ready to keep on going after about 2 weeks, my daughter needed a day off. While she rested in our hotel room, I washed clothes in a laundromat I found in Rome. We enjoyed driving around Tuscany and it sounds like you have some flexibility there. Have a great time!
Posted by
Seattle, WA, U.S.A.
251 posts
Sounds good! Looks like you've done your homework; no need to be freaked out. For your free D6, might I suggest heading over to Capri? It's worth it. Also I would recommend stopping by Cortona on your way to Assisi. It's a unique town.
Have fun!
Posted by
Morrison, CO, USA
891 posts
Paula, Sounds to me like you have done a great job!
It looks like you have built in some down time & some slow time. Such as Florence, the Accadamia & Uffizi don't each take a whole day, but that's where your niece will want to shop & there's plenty more to see if she is not museumed out by then. No way to tell that until you get there. My husband gets churched out in Italy because I want to check out every one that we pass. At times he sits on the steps & people watches while I check it out. Your niece is a very lucky girl! The one piece of advice I have is to talk to your niece about packing! Lugging suitcases around for that long & that much moving can become a memory itself & sometimes not a pleasant one! In the hotels you mostly lug your own, & CT & Venice especially it can be a big hassle! I can't tell you how much difference it made when I learned to pack for a 3 weeker in a 22" carryon & a backpack! My friends now call me for packing advice when going on a trip. Have a great time, and please come back & let us all know how your trip went & what your niece had to say!
Posted by
dallas, tx, usa
1358 posts
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Paula
After 30 years of travel in over 50 countries, I can say that it sounds like you have it OK. Your plans will be different than other folks because your interests are different.
My advice is to be flexible and change your plans as you go when you choose. Don’t make this itinerary absolute. Make it fit your needs and always change it when you want to stay another day or skip a town.
The only fixed time should be your departure date to return home. Did I say be flexible?
Posted by
Chicago, Il, USA
126 posts
Paula remember this is a VACATION, so be somewhat flexible with the exception of reservations for museums. An itinerary is great, but as Rick says getting lost in the corridors is priceless!
Posted by
Vicenza, Italy
319 posts
That is actually a really do-able tour. I would skip pisa if you're getting worn out. You have enough time to enjoy Florence & Venice & the hill towns. I think you'll have a blast.