We will be visiting Italy in mid-May to see friends in Milan then travel our way to Venice, Rome and Pompeii/Naples. We only have about 10 days and are mostly interested in historic sites (most time spent on Rome, possibly). We plan to use our Marriott points for hotels when we can and try Airbnb when we can't. We have never been to Italy so attempting to map out the trip has been a bit overwhelming. Any advice for what to book ahead of time, best means of transportation (train, preferably), good location to stay, etc. would be appreciated. To make matters more complicated, our group has food allergies (dairy, shellfish, tree nuts, tomatoes, gluten). We plan to carry a card for chef in Italian with this information but if anyone knows of ways to navigate the food scene in Italy with food allergies, that would be fantastic.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Italian chefs and waitstaff are generally well-versed in handling food allergies. Most menus list ingredients, so learn the Italian words for specific foods (pomodoro = tomato, senza glutine = gluten-free), etc.
Staysafecard.com has printable notes on allergies.
I have a gluten intolerance, and it is very easy to accommodate in Italy. Many restaurants have gluten-free menu items. Other restaurants may arrange a gluten-free menu if you reserve in advance. I usually buy a package of rice cakes at a supermarket in case the hotel doesn't have gluten-free bread for breakfast.
Posted by
Clifton Park, NY
95 posts
If you only have 10 nights, I think it will be extremely difficult to see 5 major places in that amount of time especially since you will be going from one end of Italy to practically the other end. Remember that 2 nights in one place means only one full day. In my opinion, that is not enough time for any of these places- except for Pompeii which can be visited in day.
You also need to factor in travel time which will probably take longer than you expect.
If train time is 3 hours, you need to factor in getting to the station ahead, getting to next hotel, checking in etc. A 3 hour train ride can easily mean 5+ hours of transit.
If you have only 10 nights I would pick at most 3 places that make logistical sense and skip the others.
Also, much depends on if you need to fly home from Milan as you will want to be in your city of departure the last night.
A sample.
Fly into Milan
Milan- 3 nights
Venice -3 nights
Rome- 4 nights.
Fly home from Rome.
My son has a peanut allergy and never a problem but I think peanuts are becoming more common in Italy so may need to be more alert in the future.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
You would be best served with 11 nights on the ground in Italy.
Fly in to Milan - 2 nights
Train to Venice - 2 or 3 nights
Train to Naples - 2 nights
Train to Rome - 3 or 4 nights
Depart from Rome
I think it would be quite difficult to navigate Italy if you had allergies to all 3 of dairy, gluten and tomatoes, but quite manageable if it's just one of them.
Posted by
east haven, ct
365 posts
J D
I agree with others your itinerary with 4 towns is a lot for 10 days, Is it 9 or 10 nights? If 10 nights do Milan 2 nights, Rome 4 nights, Naples/Sorrento 4 nights. If 9 nights cut short Naples. Having visited Rome 3 times with 6 and 7 nights each trip I still can go back to visit again without duplicating sites. I would eliminate one stop. As far as travel time Venice is a bit out of the way. Although, it is one of the best cities and should not be missed, it makes more sense to go from Milan to Rome then Naples. Naples being one of my least favorite. ....I would eliminate Naples and go to Sorrento then take a day trip to Pompeii.
You will be exhausted if you visit all 4 but I can't think of any other way I'd like to be exhausted.
Enjoy your trip
Lorieann
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you so much everyone who replied. It does sound like we were a bit ambitious. It might be more realistic if we cut Venice and just do Milan, Pompeii/Naples/Sorrento, then Rome and fly out of Rome. Your comments have been really, really, helpful. Any additional advice you can think of would be tremendously appreciated. By the way, the allergies to dairy, tomatoes, and gluten are not all on one person. Each person in our group has one of those.