Italian Itinerary Question

Bravo! I think your itinerary is splendid. The fact that you're taking more time, rather than less, in each location is, in my opinion, a sign of travelers seeking some depth (as opposed to just breadth). Your trip sounds magical. Next time you visit Italy, you can comfortably include other locales, too, knowing you've spent a decent amount of time in the BIG 3 (Venice, Florence e Rome). Scheduling some 'boredom time' allows for surprise experiences and rest, too.

Kristin, I think your itinerary is much better than most! You'll have the time not only to see the major sites, but to just wander casually and explore; poke into a shop and browse, a leisurely lunch or coffee, etc. Some people are on a limited schedule and have to hurry to get everything in, but IMHO if it is possible to spend more time than for most people that works out better.

Also keep in mind that you'll be spending less time in each place than it looks like from the schedule. By the time you eat breakfast, pack up, get to your next destination, find the hotel, get checked in and your stuff put away -- 1/2 a day or more has easily gone by.

Since these are places well served by trains (except for Siena) I'd suggest riding Trenitalia. That also will keep you from getting expensive tickets in places like Florence that have traffic restricted zones enforced by camera.

If you're traveling light (one bag apiece) and your departing flight leaves later in the day, I'd suggest staying in Sorrento the night before you depart. The trip from Rome to Pompeii makes for a long day, anyway. Rather than doubling back, leave Rome in the morning for Pompeii, check your bags either at the station or the site, then in the afternoon take the short ride (about 30 minutes) on the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento and enjoy a delightful town with marvelous views over the ocean. In the morning train back to the airport, giving yourself 3 hours at FCO. Or if your flight schedule isn't fixed consider flying out of Naples. You'll probably have to connect somewhere in Europe for your flight back to the US, but it would be easier than going out of Rome.

Hey, most of the time we are telling people to reduce -- and we don't weight. I cannot judge what is "right" for you but that is schedule I would enjoy. We have spent over two weeks in Rome and will return in Oct for another four days. Haven't been bored yet. And this still a handful of things we wish/need to see.

I love your itinerary! You did say that you like just wandering around which is a lot of the fun.
My husband and I have always done it this way and had some of our best experiences and meals this way.
It doesn't sound like you will be bored, I think you will have a great trip!

We just returned from eight days in Italy - Rome, 3, Florence 2 and Siena / Tuscany 3 days. Our favorite, by a large margin was Siena / Tuscany. We would have liked to have spent less time in Rome and more in Tuscany. The vistas and scenery available to you driving around this beautiful part of the Italy are stunning, not to mention the hill towns of Cortona, Pienza, Montelcino and Volterra, which are absolutely incredible.

Enjoy your journey.

I like that you are spending more time in each place, but I would reduce to three night in Venice, three night in Florence and add two nights in either Volterra or Pienza.

Your schedule is quite good as is. You will not be bored or rushed. As others have said you could spend more time in Tuscany maybe one day xtra using Siena as a base is vg. However you must return to Italy anyway in the future since you must see Capri, Sorrento and the amalfi coast.

That is a great itinerary. In Italy of all places in Europe, you must take that time to sit in cafes and explore. Go at a leisurely pace and don't rush it. You can always return!

Everyone has their favorite cities, regions and or sites, so you're getting our opinions. We just returned from our 3rd trip to Italy. This was our first trip to CT and we returned to Siena before ending our trip with 2 nites in Rome. I personally think 6 nites in Rome is too many. I know there are those who would disagree, but after coming from Tuscany you hit Rome and it's like sensory overload - noisy, dirty, crowded etc. Our first trip to Italy we spent 3 days in Rome (one of which was the trip to Pompeii) then headed to Florence and returned to Rome where we spent our last day visiting the Vatican. Last year we spent 3 nites in Siena and 3 nites in Orvieto. You don't say whether or not you'll have a car. Will you be spending any time seeing any of the other towns of Tuscany or will you be staying put in Siena? I would consider giving Orvieto a second nite. We loved Orvieto. And if you're wanting to hang out in cafes it's a lot more pleasant doing that in Tuscany than in Rome. Again - just my opinion. Either way I know you'll have a lovely trip.

Thanks for your advice! We have now decided to spend one more night in Orvieto and one less in Rome and we are counting the days until our trip. I greatly appreciate the helpfulness of people on this forum.

Gold Star for Kristin. A very nice itinerary. Plenty of time for relaxing and really enjoying the local culture of each place. You've even carefully planned to fly into one city and out of another. Great stuff.

I was going to say that I really recommend two nights in Orvieto and lo and behold, your revised itinerary beat me to it! Now it looks perfect.

One additional suggestion: unless your heart is set on Pompeii, perhaps consider visiting Ostia Antica instead. It's much closer to Rome and since it got buried in mud, rather than ash, it's a lot more intact. It's also not as well-known, and therefore less crowded.