italy honeymoon through the back door

Julie, I usually don't answer this kind of question because it is so subjective. I made an exception because of your location. I think about 80% of the romance is seated next to you on the plane. Location and activities are a small part. That said, consider in Rome a walk in the Borghese gardens. The Trevi at night, actually almost any fountain at night. Walk around Trestevere and find a nice restaurant for dinner. Also in Rome don't plan Ostia for the last day, go when it is a nice day. It is not as much fun in the rain. Note that April 25 is a holiday. In Orvieto a night time stroll can be very romantic. It is very quiet at night.
You can private message me with a phone number if you want to talk. I have been to Rome over a dozen times and Orvieto a half dozen, and three or four times to the cinque terre and Venice.

Looks reasonable. We tend only to eat two meals a day. The hotel breakfast and then a could of light snacks during the day with a late evening meal. Rarely have a formal lunch other than some cheese, bread, fruit picked up for a local market during the day. You need to watch your Mondays as many sites are closed if open over the weekend. 50 Euro would be more reasonable for nice evening meals.

Julie Great itinerary! The slower pace will give you a much better experience in each destination! And you won't be traveling more than you are in each place. I know you will hear howls from travelers who think you should see Florence. One of the important tips about planning an itinerary is the type of expereinces you want to have. If you are not someone who wants to see many museums and art, then Florence is not for you. In this Helpline or one of the others, there is a recent thread on reducing expenses for meals. Picnic ideas and what to pack, like study plastic wear and Swiss Army Knife type with corkscrew (in checked luggage). And other good tips. Bobbie

Frank and Bobbie, Thanks for the picnic ideas. I really like the notion of grabbing fresh foods from the markets and having a yummy quick lunch on the go. I'm sure that would definitely save us some money to have an even nicer meal in the evenings. Thanks for the tip on Mondays--I was not aware of that. I'm hoping no one will give us grief on Florence. We definitely spent hours deciding our itinerary and we eliminated it based on our own personal priorities. I have been to Florence myself and enjoyed it but don't want to go back on this trip (we are already hoping this won't be our last trip). We purposely narrowed down our itinerary (our original was too ambitious) so we could have a slower pace and enjoy our honeymoon.

I agree that lunch is where you can definitely save some money that you could then spend on dinner. As for picnics, be aware that there are a lot more restrictions than you might expect on just where you can plop down in public to eat. Venice is particular is very restricted. As for activities, I would steer you away from the La Rupe trail in Orvieto. It's the trail that circles the town at the bottom of the cliff. Parts of it are pretty enough, but overall it was sort of a "meh" experience for us. That said, if you guys are runners or hikers you might enjoy it. Fun things in Orvieto include the amazing duomo, the kind of spooky well of St. Patrick, enjoying the views from the walls of the town and having really good food. More photos of our trip to Orvieto in May 2011 here.

Julie, I think you should start to think in euros,, 50 dollars about 35 euros, so you are looking at spending less then 15-16 euros each per head per dinner, doable, but not always easy. They also tack on the bread charge( not really optional as I recall) I think they call it coperto... We found Venice very expensive to eat out, even our moderate meal was was a rip as far as we were concerned, but it was Venice,, so be careful about it there. Personally , I wouldn't go out of my way to return to Florence,, it only rated as an ok for me,, but everyone is different .. so don't sweat it omission, you have lots of other great things to see anyways.

I most definitely appreciate everyone's thoughts on thinking in terms of euros not dollars. We will have to rethink our budget for food... To steer this in the direction that I'd intended it to go--I'd still really like ideas on romantic things to do for the places we will be visiting.

Since you mention wanting to save money on food..........I would agree that grabbing fruit, cheese, bread, or a slice of pizza on SOME days will keep your costs in check, but don't do that every day. Part of what is so very wonderful about Italy IS THE FOOD. Some of our favorite vacation photos are of the wonderful plates of food we enjoyed.......my husband smiles every time he sees the photo of the wonderful plate of steamed fresh seafood enjoyed in the Cinque Terre. Some of our best (but not too outrageously priced meals) were at lunchtime at some wonderful family-owned restaurants. The long-stemmed artichoke hearts are out of this world. Check out the specials for the day, and order a carafe or 1/2 of house wine to save $s. Ask your hotel for recommendations for great lunch places. But, do allow yourself some reasonable splurges, otherwise you will miss out on one entire dimension of going to Italy.......the truly wonderful culinary dimension :) It's a long way to go to miss out. So, maybe shift your dinner budget to lunch some days and then split a pizza for dinner. Or skimp for two days to splurge on a truly special meal one day. Since you will be staying in Manarola, a couple of years ago we dined at a family owned place (from my photos) that has Tattoria La Scogliera (or it could be LaScoghera), Cucina Tipicaon the main sign, then a sign in the window says just Trattoria Cucina Tipica.....so not sure which is the name or both, etc. It was incredible.....husband enjoyed the seafood, I enjoyed a pasta lunch. Family owned; waiter would call to mama, papa. Looking at town from the water...it's on the right not very far up.....nice looking place, but not stuffy...had lunch in shorts. Avoid restaurants where waiters are outside hounding you to come in. Really good places have crowds during peak times. What a fabulous honeymoon :) Enjoy!

Re: things to do. If you are both in good physical condition, climb the dome at St. Peters in Rome. Do it early, though, before it gets too crowded. Rick gives a great description in his book. Views of inside and outside are incredible. Even if not Catholic, it was a neat experience to attend a mass there. Good lunch places a block or two, up side streets, as you depart St. Peters (on the side where security screening is done).....lots of outside cafe type places, reasonably priced. Definitely take the boat from one end of the Cinque Terre to the other....the views and photo ops are incredible. Take a lock, so you can add yours with initials/wedding date to the Via Amore (sp?)....the easiest of the trails between villages. Get a really good guide to take you thru the Roman Forum.....the right guide can make the relics come alive, and then walk you thru close-by residential area to show you how the people would grab parts of the Colosseum in building their homes....sort of like the Home Depot of ancient Rome. They will point out how the buildings were built upon each other, as the soil rose over the years from flood aftermaths. Without a guide, I might have lost interest too early. If you take the Metro over to the Colosseum...trust me....be prepared with the camera focused on your new hubby when he gets the first glimpse of the Colosseum as he exits the Metro station......be ready to capture the expression on his face!! Take a night bus tour of the monuments/buildings in Rome.....different at night. Sign up for a cooking class somewhere, and take a tour into wine country. Throw a coin in the Trevi Fountain, so you WILL return someday....it worked for us :) Haven't made it to Venice, but I hear it is wonderful.....some good day trips from there, too, I understand. Have plenty of extra photo cards and camera batteries.

Margaret, Thank you so much for such an insightful reply. We do plan to enjoy the food and your tips sound like they will help us do that. :) I love your suggestions for things to do...I have contacted a few guides for the Forum. It sounds like it will be money well spent! Can't wait to go! Julie