Italy - 8 days

I would say that if you have not been to Italy before you should look into spending time in Florence. Personally, if it were me I would do just like you say and go to Cinque Terre. I love Cinque Terre, however, if you have never been to Florence you should seriously consider it. Florence is such a important part of western culture that if you haven't been then you should seriously consider making it fit into your trip.

Be aware that going in April during school break (Easter Holiday?), you will find that you are going to run in to a string of holidays on Easter weekend, Good Friday (4/2), Easter Sunday (4/4), Easter Monday (4/5), and Liberation Day (4/25), all of which will mean various museum, historic site, and business closings, so plan accordingly.

If you are wanting to see another city, then you should see Florence. I agree that you should limit yourself to just a couple of locations. There is a lot to see and do in both Rome and Florence, and more than enough to keep your itinerary full without having to travel here and about. I would definitely suggest a day trip to Siena or San Gimignano (by train or tour bus) while in Florence. Lunch in the town of Fiesole, overlooking Florence, is nice too. Take the #7 bus.

The options are endless but since you are interested in the Cinque Terre, I would say spend Saturday through Tuesday nights in Rome. That gives you 3 full days in Rome & a nice introduction to Rome. (You will probably want to return another time to see more!) Wed morning, I would take the train to Orvieto & spend the day there (you will need to store your luggage somewhere). Orvieto is a great little town & it will be very relaxing after the hustle & bustle of Rome. In the late afternoon, take the train to the Cinque Terre & spend Wed-Friday nights there. I am assuming your flight out of Rome leaves early Sunday morning so Saturday afternoon you will need to take the train back to Rome and overnight there. If you can arrange to fly open jaw out of Milan instead of Rome, it would eliminate having to backtrack to Rome.

Rome - Orvieto - Cinque Terre will give you a varied itinerary (major historical city, hill town & Italian Riviera). The different pace of all these places might keep your 13-year old intrigued.

Alternatively, you could visit Rome, Orvieto & Florence. The CT is further than Florence so you will be spending several more hours in transit but I love the CT & can understand why you're interested in it. Florence is really great especially if anyone in your family is an art lover. If you visit Florence instead of the CT, you could take a day trip to Siena which is interesting too.

Either way, you will definitely leave Italy already planning your next trip back! Have a great trip.

Thanks Everyone for the quick replies.

I know we need to see Florence but this time around we figure Rome will be our urban stop -- we know we will have to return.

Fortunately the April school break comes after Easter and before April 25, so we are safe there!

Thanks Sheron, for the varied itinery -- I think we will look further into that!

One more question -- we have passable French skills but virtually no Italian -- will this make it difficult in the small towns?

You'll do fine both in Rome and the CT. English is pretty much in common use. Just remember your per favores and grazies and for the most part you'll have no problem. I found non-English speaking Italians generally good-natured or at least amused about my embarrassing ineptitude with other languages, Italian included, as long as I gave it the old college try. Others may have had different experiences.

BTW, be sure to get your 13-year old on the hiking trail through the 5 villages of the CT. It will be a highlight for her (and you), I assure you.

You also may want to take a day in Lucca. Biking the wall around the old town is wonderful and as I recall, it is not far afield from the train route you would take, Rome to the CT. Not on the line itself, but not far off.

Have fun!

Knowing French will be a definite asset in deciphering written Italian: signs, menus, etc.

Before choosing Cinque Terre, take into account that the train trip is from 3.5 to 4.5 hours to La Spezia, then you take the local train (short trip but maybe 1/2 wait) to one of the 5 towns. Double that and you have used almost a whole day just to get there and back. The trains between Rome and Florence run often and the "express" is just over 1.5 hours. Read the post at the top of the helpline page - How much time to get there......