Italy and London

If you are doing Pompeii as you first stop, why are you flying into Florence? Better to fly into Rome or even better Naples.

Thereafter, if you are visiting Rome, Florence Venice it makes no sense to use a car unless you are planning to stop of somewhere en route that is better reached by car.
Naples --> Rome --> Florence --> Venice are all high speed train routes and are quicker (and less stress) by train. And a car is a millstone around your neck in cities like Rome and Florence. You will have to park it somewhere outside the city centre, pay for the parking, then get into the city centre and you are paying for car you cannot use for those days.
But if your son is already in Italy he must already know the facts of Italian life.

In London plan for one day trip out of the centre, Perhaps Windsor, or Hampton Court, or Canterbury. Lots more.

Other than that it sounds a good plan. You are not rushing around too much. I hope you enjoy yourselves.

Sorry-- My Bad-- We are flying into Naples then going to Pompeii. OPPS!!! Then driving to Rome.

slisano, In which case I would say dump the car in Rome (if not earlier), and do Rome --> Florence and Florence --> Venice by train. Unless you have a real need of the car.

Re: Sicilia, there are Greek ruins in several places. Agrigento has the largest concentration of them, Segesta is closer to Palermo. Siracusa is on the other side of the island. Mount Etna and Taormina (Greek theatre) are north of Siracusa. Agrigento has a nice beach nearby.

I can't imagine doing all that you want to do in so little time. You should look at viamichelin.com or Rome2rio.com to see how much travel time is involved. If you really want to go to the west, south and east areas of the island, see Agrigento as a daytrip from Palermo, fly to Catania and visit Mount Etna from there, then fly from Catania to your next destination.

If you are doing Pompeii as you first stop, why are you flying into
Florence? Better to fly into Rome or even better Naples. Thereafter,
if you are visiting Rome, Florence Venice it makes no sense to use a
car unless you are planning to stop of somewhere en route that is
better reached by car. Naples --> Rome --> Florence --> Venice are all
high speed train routes and are quicker (and less stress) by train.
And a car is a millstone around your neck in cities like Rome and
Florence.

I'm with Chris that this trip will be far easier by train as your itinerary is heavy on cities. Parking is expensive, avoiding ZTLS is a pain, and you won't touch the car the entire time you're in Rome, Florence or Venice so it's a waste of $$$. Pompeii is also easily done by other methods of transit.

As your trip is very soon, you also need to think about making reservations/buying tickets in advance to the attractions with the longest lines. In Rome and Florence, that would be the Vatican Museums, Colosseum and Uffizi. We can help you with this!

Zoe it is about 2 1/2 hours from Catania to Agrigento and about the same from Agrigento to Palermo. Palermo to Cataina is 3 1/2 to 5 hours depending on if they have the road open or if we have to take a detour. We were planning on getting in to Catania at 2pm and seeing the local sites till 6 or 7 and then going to bed!! The next day our son will meet us and we'll drive to Agrigento to see the ruins, He's been there before since he's on Sicily. Then we'll head over to Palermo late afternoon/evening. The next day (Sunday) we'll hang our and see Palermo and the surrounding area. There is supposed to be a nice beach just east of Palermo. He suggested we spend the night in Cefalu then Monday morning we'll drive to Etna and back to Catania for our late flight back to Naples Monday night. It doesn't leave a lot of free time to just relax but we may never be able to go again and we'd like to see as much as we can in the limited time we have.

Sicily, you need at least one full week, then another week between Naples, Amalfi, Capri, Pompei and Ercolano (3-4 days) and Rome ( at least 3 days)
At least Another week for Florence and Tuscany (Florence, Siena, Volterra, Lucca)
Venice (3 days for Venice city centre and 3 days for Laguna).

francoisedegrelle- Sicily, you need at least one full week, then another week between Naples, Amalfi, Capri, Pompei and Ercolano (3-4 days) and Rome ( at least 3 days) At least Another week for Florence and Tuscany (Florence, Siena, Volterra, Lucca)
Venice (3 days for Venice city centre and 3 days for Laguna).

It would be great if we had a month or more but the 19 days that we are gone (2 of which are Major travel days) was the most time we could take away from our family and business. As I said in another post, this may be our only chance to travel to Italy and we want to make the most of it. If our circumstances change and we get to travel more then we may be able to add another trip but it has taken us 3 years to save up for this one and that was by watching every penny! I agree that Sicily done right is at least a week as is every other city on our list but at least this gives us a taste if not a full feast of Italy to enjoy. Is there a MUST SEE that we have missed?

Was there a reason to rent a car?

Driving in Italy isn't for the faint of heart, and I wouldn't do it unless you really need it. If you planned to drive into the countryside you could always rent a car for a day or two. Otherwise the cities in Italy are easy and affordable train rides from one another. I think if you are sticking with Rome, Florence and Venice the car will be a huge pain and increase your stress.

To answer your question-

We loved the Borghese Gallery in Rome- you must book your tickets ahead of time.

We loved Siena, a bus day trip from Florence

We loved Hampton court - short train or long boat ride from London-
also enjoyed a play at the Globe Theatre

Susan and Monte- We were renting the car so we had the flexibility to travel from one city to the other at our convince (Late afternoon evening) not at a specific time. Our son holds a valid Italian license and was going to be doing most of the driving but I see your point about the hassle of parking. I guess we just figured we could park at whatever hotel we were staying at and leave it there. Clearly a car in Europe is not like having a car in America.

Thank you for the suggestions of places to see. We are in the process of getting our tickets booked to various attractions now. Thus what prompted me to post.

Slisano-

That sounds great that your son is used to driving in Italy. He is experienced so I'm sure it will be just fine.

Our first trip to Italy was by done by train- Venice, Florence, CT, Rome. But, we love the flexibility a car brings and always rent one and have driven all through England, Slovenia, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and northern Italy.

We spent about 10 days driving in Italy away from all the cities and between continued near misses and a lot of stress I was thrilled as we drove into Switzerland! When we left I said I'd never drive in Italy again, and I was just a passenger!

Just a word of advice- hold on and close your eyes!!

Tom_MN- I'd consider that except that is where our son lives currently and we'd like to spend a few days seeing where he lives.

After my studies in Florence a while back, I traveled from Rome on a short flight to Catania in eastern Sicily.
Once there, I took an express bus to Syracusa.
Syracusa is a wonderful town along the coast. There is an amphitheater there. Lots of cool small towns with beautiful Baroque architecture nearby. I visited Noto & Modica on daytrips.
After that I traveled back north through Catania on my way to Taormina.
Honestly, Taormina was spectacular! The Roman amphitheater perched on the hillside with a sweeping view of the coastline.
I was fortunate because I was there for a saints day and one residential street I stumbled upon was decorated with flowers on the ground. It was beautiful. I was also there during a film festival -- really cool. Additionally. I took a min-van excursion to Agrigento from there. You can to this to Mt Edna as well.
The towns below Taormina are seaside resorts. Personally, I'd choose a base & not move my
self & my luggage around so much---that makes traveling feel like a chore.

If you only have 3 days in the Big 3 cities, I'd do the following:

Florence -
The Accademia (where Michelangelo's David statue is)
Santa Maria Novella church (this is the main church which is famous for it's architecture - an achievement to have this dome)
Pitti Palace & the Boboli Gardens (a palace built by the Pitti family with the most beautiful Italian garden in Florence)
Stroll through the Oltrarno (south of the Arno River, the artisan quarters which you can peek into)
San Lorenzo market --check out the 2nd floor for eateries; ground floor is a farmers market but there is one very authentic Tuscan restaurant stall where all the locals eat)
The Medici Chapel
Piazzale Michelangelo - a stunning view of the city on the south bank up in the hillside; you can walk up on the trail
Eat alot of gelato & Tuscan food -- Florence has some of the best gelato & food in Italy

If you do a daytrip outside of Florence, near to Pisa is the town of Lucca - it's a fabulous walled town with delicious food!
On the drive back from Pisa you'll be passing Montepulciano in the wine region which has a bunch of wineries; but make sure you have a reservation since some are appointment only.

Rome -
The Vatican (St. Peters & the Vatican Museums); this would be an entire day by itself; the Sistine Chapel is at the end of the long, long route through the museums; make sure you have eaten before because it's very tiring.
The Pantheon (open the whole day so you may be able to fit it anytime)
The Bernini fountains in the Piazza Navona - open plaza and also do-able anytime
Tons of walking since Rome is amazing & big
The Spanish steps area along with all the high-end fashion boutiques - great at night time hanging out
Trastevere - bohemian quarter
Not sure if the Trevi fountain restoration is done -- check on it
Eat gelato :)

Venice - personally, I'd skip this; it's really touristy and really, crowded. I'd put those freed up days into the two cities above. I've been to Venice a couple of times already.

London -
All the places you mentioned in your original message
Check out the British Museum and/or the Tate Museum - both have an abundance of ancient and modern artifacts & art, respectively
Boroughs Market in the South Bank is fantastic - loads of farmers stalls and noshing
Take a London Walks guide group walk --they're really fun; most famous is the Jack the Ripper walk at night time

If you have any questions, contact me.
Buon viaggio!

A car is a necessity on Sicily, but I really think you are incurring a huge expense and stress factor to rent again in Naples and beyond. You can easily get to Pompeii by train from Naples, and trains are your friends for the rest of your trip. It is usually faster to take a train than to drive, and you can buy your tickets in advance for a substantial discount. Try it! You might like it!

Be aware that renting a car here some with a huge insurance cost that is not optional, then there is the cost of parking, not cheap and never free in Rome and Florence. Most of us Americans think a car is necessary, but there is a wonderful infrastructure of high-speed trains in Europe that support efficient, reasonably priced, and comfortbale travel.