Italy in August 2011 (pre-planning and post trip info)

That is a really short time. Rome can take many days and should be savored. As you wont be going to the big tourist towns, you neednt worry about budgeting too much time. We would recommend Assisi and suggest you spend time on the Adriatic coast, likely in a place like Pescara, in Abruzzo . The CT is very much over overrun. It often seems as tho half of Germany and a third of England have vacationed there.That doesnt take into account all those RS Americans who are now seeing something that was off the beaten track 20 yrs ago. If you are going to go to CT,Rome and Amalfi, you dont have time for much else unless you breeze by and spend next to no time in other places

That's true, 9-10 days isn't that long. That's one reason I don't have too much of a problem with not running around trying to see everything in this one trip. I have no problem with slowing down and experiencing rather than just seeing. I think it will be more fun to experience new things together. I didn't consider the Adriatic side... Thanks for helping open my eyes a bit!!! What else? Thanks so far!

As Paul n Sara said, you won't have time for more than CT, Rome and Naples/Amalfi Coast. Sorrento/AC is my favorite place in Italy. Been there 3 times, for a week each time. I could happily spend 9 days just there.

I agree I like to spend 3-4 days in each location so that makes three places. THere is always the lake region for one of the three

In August?! Big mistake...

The lake region sounds fantastic that time of year! We have some friends who live in Torino and Brescia, so maybe we'll meet up at one of the lakes. Any sweet spots anyone is willing to share? Possibly a place to stay close to some great swimming? I'm really looking forward to swimming the river Aare in Bern! Hmm... Lake region or Cinque Terre? Thanks for the responses Susan and David. Wish us luck that we don't burst into flames, Rik! :)

I'm guessing Rik was referring more to the coastal areas being packed in Aug. Most Italians use vacation time then and flock to the beaches. Not to mention all the other tourists. I wouldn't try to do anything else. 3 spots in 9 days with travel in between...

Ah, yes, good looking out. Three spots with travel in between. Sounds good. Thanks!

Not only does the entire country go to the beaches (or the mountains) but August is "ferie" - the holiday month. Entire cities practically shut down and even in places like Rome, many restaurants, hotels, etc will be closed. It's the absolute worst time to come to Italy on vacation. For me it's great though, there's no traffic...

How much time did she spend in Florence & Rome & how long ago? These are places where one could easily revisit and still have a LOT to see. Just sayin'.

Wanna go to the beach with us? :) Well, since the trip is already booked for the worst time of year, have any advice? Stay away from the coasts and spend more time in inland cities? I'm kind of thinking CT is a bad idea for this trip, but skipping that area just frees us up to do more. We were talking about finding a nice hilltown or two to chill out in, but if no one's going to be there... Regardless, thank you for bringing that stuff up, Rik.

You might be ok. I hesitate to mention it because I don't want to give false hope and get blamed for ruining someone's vacation but I have noticed in the past few years that more and more places are staying open during ferie or only closing for a week or two instead of the whole month. I'm guessing it might be because of the bad economy, I don't know. 10 years ago I recall driving to three different towns here just to find a pizzeria that was open but now there's usually at least one in my town open in August. So even though a lot of places will be closed, you should still be able to find some that are open. Since your vacation is already booked, just keep an open mind and be flexible and you'll enjoy yourself. I would definitely avoid the beaches as much as possible though, they will be mobbed. Beware of driving the A22 around Lake Garda or north as it's bumper to bumper traffic all the way up into Austria, thousands of Dutch and Germans towing their campers down to Lake Garda and the Adriatic coast.

It's really sad that you are missing Florence and Venice on your first visit. I would spend less time in Rome in favor of these citys. I would do Venice, Florence, Rome and Amalfi with two nights in each except add any extra days to relaxing in Positano, with a day trip to Ravallo.

Adam - first of all, wanted to reassure you that you are not crazy or not going to have a fantastic trip just because you booked it for August. While it may not be the most ideal time of all months to pick, you are still going to Italy and it will be fantastic! Our first two trips to Italy were both in August and we keep returning. If it makes you feel any better, our last trip was in June a few years ago and it was 100 in Rome! So bottom line - Italy is hot, but wonderful. So - onto your question. Would it be redundant (due to some not shabby mountains in Switzerland...) to go to the Dolomite region? We really enjoyed that, the whole German/alpine feel - very different from the rest of our trip. It would also be cooler. Otherwise, our most favorite part of Italy is Tuscany. I do agree with skipping CT (caveat, I've never been) as we did find driving along that part of the coast to be VERY crowded during one of our summer trips. I'd save that for a fall/spring trip. But back to Tuscany - we LOVE the little towns. Not sure how you are getting from Zurich, but if you are flying perhaps you could get a flight into Pisa, pick up a rental car and do 5-6 nights, staying in two different towns (Tuscany is HUGE and different areas are very different and worthwhile), then drive to Rome, drop the car and spend the last 3 nights in Rome, fly home. And one other place I've never been to, but seems like it would be a very interesting town is Bologna. Again, if you are flying inter-Europe you may have some good choices of smaller cities to fly into. So maybe you could fly to Pisa and do Lucca and one other Tuscan town (the Val d'Orcia is SO beautiful and lots of good wine!). Or fly to Bolonga ans see that city then one other Tuscan town, then Rome. You will have a FABulous time!

Just saw the post from John above - the one thing you'll find about Italy is that there are lots of different opinions on which major city is the best. John likes Florence, have to say that it has been our least favorite so far. Part of the problem was it was on one of our August trips and it was hot and crowded - not that Rome and Venice weren't as well, but for some reason it seemed that Rome just handled the crowds better and Venice feels pretty empty at night. I plan to go back to Florence some day to see what I missed. But I think it is great that you want to see some other parts of Italy besides the "big three". We took my goddaughter on one of our Italy trips but she was only able to do part of it with us and so all she saw was Milan and Sicily. She had the time of her life and will go back someday to see Florence & Rome. I am hesitant sometimes to tell people how much I like Rome and to be sure to go there because I have met people who really don't like the "craziness" of the city. But I love New York and Hong Kong too so I really liked the feeling of Rome, and since your SO doesn't seem to have hated it, I'm glad you'll see it on this trip!

Sorry - one more post (and then I'll stop!). Don't be mislead into thinking that the "Italy shuts down" thing means you are going off-season and therefore don't have to book hotels. Especially in Tuscany, the kind of places we have stayed are small B&B's and they DO book up. My "strategy" is to book all my hotels as soon as possible (NOW!) based on a rough preliminary itinerary. I fine tune it as I find out more about what would be the ideal trip and then make changes, if possible, at that time - but I've always got the fall back and really, I've never been unhappy with any of the places we've ended up going.

Adam, If one assumes that your "significant other" is akin to a wife, the obvious answer is.......................whatever & wherever she wants!! Don't worry about August. For whatever reason, this is YOUR time to have a great adventure. Your combination of CH and Italy will make great memories and momentum for your next trip to Europe.

I ditto Karen's post(s). I would fly into Pisa then grab a car and drive through Tuscany - maybe renting at a B&B/apt for 5 days (one with a pool) and then finish with 4 days in Rome. I'd rather sweat in sun in Italy than anywhere else!

New places I'm considering because of your posts: Pescara, Lucca, Val d'Orcia, Positano, Ravallo. Driving was mentioned, but we will be using the rails/buses. But no tours :) I'm so glad to see that many of you have your heart pulling to different parts of Italy and are willing to share the love, the itinerary is far from set, so thank you for the responses so far! Karen, the thoughtfulness you put into your responses opened another blinder that I had set up so that I wouldn't get overwhelmed. I am starting to see the trip more clearly. We aren't considering the Dolomites just because of that redundancy you mentioned :) Rik, thanks for the optimism, even if it isn't 100%! Your message of avoiding beaches was read loud and clear. Above all, your insight has lead me to consider that we need to embrace the ways in which Italy is different in August, not ignore them and hope to have the same experience we would in April or October. You're right, John, Florence won't be an easy city to pass up. It has been in my head for a long time. I won't rule it out just yet. My ladyfriend was extremely relieved when I let Venice drop from the itinerary though, so I'm pretty certain we won't go there this time. Bob is right as well and totally understands the conundrum. Since my ladyfriend has experienced the "first trip to Italy cities and sights you have to see", we're trying to put more effort into digging deeper (or finding that back door that is so hidden these days). This means allowing her the chance to make this trip a new experience without worrying much about me. Part of that means sacrificing places like Florence and Venice, and I'm okay with that. I won't give up Rome though... I am a huge fan of Steven Saylor's Roma Sub Rosa series and wouldn't dream of going to Italy without following in Gordianus the Finder's footsteps!

Try to visit Florence, it is a great city. Even if you just spend a little time there, and spend more in CT or Tuscany. But Adam, you are great for taking these suggestions and staying excited about the trip! Just remember that hopefully you will be back soonish (and can see the things you missed) and no matter where you go you will have an amazing time in CH and Italy! Two of the best countries in Europe, imo.

Well, I hope you get to see Venice someday, but I wouldn't go in August (it will be a zoo during the day then) but October/November would be great. But there are great things in Rome, and I see from another posting that the underground tour of the Colisseum is happening now. This should be fantastic. Rome is a pretty intense city though, and it's not near the water --it's river is not impressive -- so I hope you can find a way to relax and stay cool.

My travel partner went 2 years ago - spent 3 days in Rome and Florence and 2 days in Venice and 2 in Milan... I think it would be great to spend some time in Tuscany. Considering pushing for Florence more and more. Venice is still crossed off at this point. The underground Colisseum tour sounds fantastic - really, really hope we can do that. Thanks for the tip, BG!

I understand the plight of your significant other. I've been to Italy a number of times and on my most recent trip, it was my traveling partner's first time there. Florence is much too important to skip, so I knew we had to go there. I could visit Rome a million times so that wasn't a big deal. But, we did skip Venice and she was ok with that. Perhaps you could stay a few days in Siena (in between CT and Rome visits) and take a daytrip by yourself to Florence. She could book a wine tour or maybe even a cooking class for that day. That way, you both get new experiences. Nothing wrong with being apart for a day, but I would suggest a very nice dinner that night. I'd recommend Osteria Le Logge $$$

" My travel partner went 2 years ago - spent 3 days in Rome and Florence and 2 days in Venice and 2 in Milan.." Adam, she has not seen much of what Florence & Rome have to offer.

... and there's a chance that she had a bad experience in Venice that doing it a different way may avoid that unpleasant feeling. I love the place, completely unique in the world, and return just about every year. Wouldn't go in August, to Venice or any other part of Italy except perhaps Dolomites. I hope you get to go sometime so you can make your own mind up. Of course, if you're not there that leaves more room for me. ;-)

You could spend a few days in Sienna and surrounding hill towns. That would give you a feel for Tuscany without visiting Florence. Good luck.

Thanks again for all your suggestions. I've found that this is the absolute best way to get different perspectives on an itinerary. I'm still hitting some snags with planning since my travel partner is looking for new experiences. We're still compromising, but it's really fun. There is a lot of Italy to explore! If anyone has experience going to Switzerland and Italy in the same itinerary, please hit up my new thread to get some great perspective on Alps hiking and then training into Italy! Planning: Bern (1 nt) > Alps (2 nts) > Italy

Have you considered Lake Como? It should be more comfortable than most of Italy in August. Varenna and the other lake villages are beautiful and easily accessed by ferry. It's also very romantic. And it really is a shame she doesn't want to go back to Venice, although Venice in August might be pretty unpleasant. When you go back for your next visit, I hope you're able to pick a cooler time of the year. Buon viaggio.

Yep, it's gonna be hot (coming from someone who moved 2 time zones away from the humidity of home), but doable. First, don't think Rome will be a ghost town - I've been there in August, and in May - didn't notice any difference. EXCEPT the hotel rates are the cheapest in August! (because the Italians are at the beaches...and there's this rumor that Rome is shut down in August ;-) !) Yes, there's the occasional hotel/restaurant/grocery that will have a 'closed' sign on the door, but it's not like you'll have to wander for hours looking for your dinner. Secondly, tell her that it'll be just like the first time if she sees any of those 'repeat cities' through YOUR eyes ;-) I tried...And BTW, while I definitely understand wanting to see new places, if you're together for very long someday you'll want to see Florence, Venice...(although I would skip Venice (a) in August - been there TWICE - and (b) for less than 4-5 nights minimum...) I'd skip the CT - beaucoup d'Americains are there for one last fling before school starts. How about Siena? You also mentioned Lucca; I haven't been there - yet - but 'they' say that one night, if not a daytrip, is enough...How about Orvieto? That would be close to Rome... What are your interests? Wine, history buffs, watercolor painters, going-and-doing or sitting-sipping-and-snoozing? For me, going to a beach is WAY down on my list, but at the top of someone else's...

I was just reminded of how travel in Rome is different in August - the 'short jaunt to Ostia' took FOREVER! Our nearly-empty train stopped approximately every 14 feet to pick up 37 new passengers wearing swim trunks and bikinis...By the time we finally got there, we were packed so tightly that someone had to push us to get us off the train car 8-( THEY were going to the beach, while we went to the nearly-deserted Ostia Antica site. The trip back to Rome took MUCH less time...

If you are going to Tuscany (which I recommend like many others above), you will need a car to see the wonderful countryside and the many vllages. So different from the cities that your traveling companion and you will love it. If you are going to be in budget hotels, make sure that you have a room with good air conditioning given the high temperatures in August. AC is not a given in any European budget hotel.

So, after all of the replies we've gotten (yes, we've reviewed most of them together!), I'd like to give a little update :) We have definitely changed our itinerary and have researched a lot because of your replies. I just want to say Thank You! again. Considerations: Minimizing repeat cities is not a problem because there is so much to see 9 days = 3 parts of Rome (4 max) Weather will be hot (ensure AC availability) Coastal/beach regions will be crowded (incl. Cinque Terre) Inland cities less expensive but still busy (book hotels now) Hilltowns may be nearly closed, if not very quiet (but still worth visiting at this time) Venice in August is not a great idea Busy-ness of the trains probably unpredictable Resolutions: Skip CT, Venice, and Amalfi Coast/Naples Current Itinerary: Lake Garda (we have friends in Brescia) Tuscany (Lucca, Florence) Umbria (Orvieto)
Rome I would love to get your thoughts on the best way to truly see the above/current itinerary :)

I would normally steer you away from Lake Garda as Garda in August is an absolute nightmare with the Germans completely taking over. However, if you have friends in Brescia, they probably know the places to go that aren't too bad. Plus the Germans usually invade from the A22, on the other side of the lake from Brescia.

Basically due to the added expense, we don't plan to drive. Maybe if this wasn't my first trip to the boot I'd consider it, but all in all, I'd rather try getting lost on the trains and buses first ;)

Are you okay with driving? If so you've got a great direct route starting with Lake Garda. Quick directions with google maps or viamichelin.com say: 3.5 hours from Lake Garda to Lucca, 2.5 hours to Orvieto, 1.5 hours to Rome. So 2 nights in Lake Garda, 3 nights in Tuscany, 1 night in Orvieto, 2 nights in Rome. That means 1 night left over - either add it to Tuscany or Rome, depending on if you want only 1 full day in Rome or 2. Do Florence as a day trip from Lucca (or some other small town in Tuscany), parking outside the city. After Orvieto, drive to Rome and drop car. I believe this would also work pretty well for trains, but we usually drive. Sounds great!

Consider Lake Como. Buon viaggio.

It looks like we finalized our itinerary (although we're still open to change): Swiss Alps: 3 nights (Jungfrau/Schilthorn) Lake Garda: 3 nights (with friends from Brescia) Lucca: 2 nights (possible day trip to the coast) Florence: 1 night (one well-organized day!) Rome: 4 nights (with day trip to Pompeii) We're considering driving a rental from Lake Garda to Lucca to Florence and then dumping the rental in Rome, but we haven't figured out travel yet. We just barely finished booking hotels.

Adam, Especially in Italy, I wouldn't bother pre-purchase rail tickets. Buy them when you arrive in Italy. If you purchase a day or so in advance, you may be able to qualify for the new "Mini" fares (have a look at This Excellent Website for details. The rail trip from Florence to Lucca will likely be a Regionale, so there's really no need to buy those in advance. I didn't check the other routes. Note that if you're planning to drive, each driver will require the compulsory I.D.P. and you'll need to do some research on the issue of ZTL areas (especially in the Florence area - huge fines can result). Cheers!

Hi all, I'm wondering about buying train tickets for the following trips (different days): Domodossolo to Desenzano Desenzano to Florence Florence to Lucca
Lucca to Rome via Pisa Should we consider buying any of them in advance or just when we get to the train stations? Any reason to consider passes? Thanks! Adam

I just wanted to say thank you again to everyone who posted on this thread. I know it has been a long time, but I was just looking through my photos again and thought I should follow up and say it was a wonderful trip! We followed through with the itinerary I posted on 7/11. We stayed at the Eiger Guesthouse, Hotel Corte Regina, Hotel Davanzati, Anfiteatro B&B, and Hotel della Torre Argentina, and highly recommend each one. Switzerland had perfect weather. Italy was hot, but in hindsight, it didn't change anything we planned to do and was still incredibly enjoyable. It actually slowed us down in the middle of the day and made us enjoy relaxing in Italy just as much as sightseeing. Another positive to going in August was that the days were long, so we honestly didn't miss a single thing that we had on our lists. We did opt to do a day trip from the Lake Garda/Sirmione area to Verona, which was wonderfully empty. And we heard from many people that Venice was miserable, so I think skipping that was a good choice. The trains were easy for me to figure out with help from our hoteliers, but it truly helped to have my iPhone and iPod Touch to connect to WiFi at our hotels to research times. If I planned the trip with the knowledge I have now, I would skip Lake Garda and consider visiting Naples/Pompeii, a couple more nights in hilltowns, or more time in Switzerland. If anyone is doing crazy research the way I did before their trip and comes upon this thread, feel free to post questions. I see this as a legacy of the awesomeness that was our trip :)

Lake Iseo is nice and might not be as crowded. There is a lovely resort there with a pool, bicycles, hiking, etc. just about a mile from the village. There is a ferry to
several small islands and it is a slow paced destination.

Adam Thanks for the up-date. You said, we heard from many people that Venice was miserable In what way, miserable?

The travelers we met in Florence and Rome who had went to Venice said the canals smelled and the heat and crowds in such small spaces made it very un-enjoyable (remember, we went in the very middle of August). Everywhere we visited (except Lucca) was crowded, though, and everywhere we visited was super hot, and we STILL had amazing experiences. Thinking a little more about it, I probably would have preferred taking a chance on Venice rather than Garda... Oh, well... Next time! :)