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Italy 2 weeks in July

Posted by on

Hello !

Booked tickets for Italy starting end June and continuing till July. Arriving late night and departing from Rome at night. Family of 3 ( 8 yr old child). Totally overwhelmed with the amount of options available as visiting for first time. Evaluating 2 I tinyoptions:

Option 1
Rome - 5 nights
Florence and Tuscany - 5 nights
Sorrento - Amalfi , Pompei, capri etc . 4 nights and then return directly to Rome airport

Option 2 ( reallly want to visit Como or Garda to get a different experience)

Rome - 4 nights
Varenna / Como - 3 nights
Florence / Tuscany - 3 nights , do 1 day trip to Pisa, Tuscany
Sorrento - 3 nights

My mind says option 1 is better but the heart says go for option 2 .
Considering the crowd, heat and first time visit. Which option is a better one ? I will be talking trains / bus , will not be driving.

Any suggestions are much appreciated.
Many thanks !!!

Posted by
9058 posts

You left out Venice, which is very special.

Between your two options, I would go with #1 for sure.

For first trips to Italy, I recommend the big three, Rome, Florence and Venice. Add on more, the Naples area.

Posted by
16756 posts

I can't really help you choose since this is your trip, so you have to do whatever makes you happy.

Below are just some considerations to help you decide.

  • It is always best to leave your departure city (Rome in your case) as your last destination to visit in your itinerary. Therefore you should leave your Rome nights (however many) as your last nights. Unfortunately if you arrive late at night, you might be forced to stay in Rome the very first night. For the first night there, I would find a hotel near the Termini station. Then the next morning I would take a train to your next destination (either Florence, or Naples/Sorrento, depending on where you want to head next).
  • Florence alone deserves about 3 nights. Pisa is a one pony show (Piazza dei Miracoli) about 1 hour away from Florence by train. What is worth visiting in Pisa can be visited in a few hours.
  • Tuscany is a large region (both Florence and Pisa are cities in Tuscany). If you intend to visit small villages a car is advisable, but an 8 y.o. requires a baby seat, and that adds to rental cost and hassle. Also you would need several days in Tuscany to visit it. If you stay only 3 nights in Florence, you barely have time for Pisa. With 4 nights you might visit Siena (by bus or train).
  • Varenna is at least 5 hours north of Florence by train. 3 nights are sufficient for the lake. Likewise lake Garda, which is also not well served by train, except for the south lake, which is not the most beautiful part, except for Sirmione. Anyplace on the lakes will be crowded like a zoo in July, especially Varenna.
  • Sorrento/Amalfi area deserve 4 nights, if you plan to visit the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, Capri, Pompeii. If you want to see Naples you might need more. To get to Sorrento you need a bullet train from Rome to Naples (70 min), then a commuter train (Circumvesuviana train) to Sorrento for another 80 min.

You have a lot of meat on your plate, and in option 2 you are covering a lot of real estate from north to south. If you want to do it all, 2 weeks are not really enough. Consider that July will be super-crowded everywhere

I'll be there more or less at the same time, but I'll stay away from all of the destinations you mention, I'm not that crazy.

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