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Italy Itinerary Advice

Posted by (Grand Rapids, MI, USA) on

Planning a 5 week trip to Italy in September/October. Arrival from USA to Frankfurt with a few days in Heidelberg and Lucerne preceding this portion of the trip (hoping to follow the general route of the Gothard Express via boat & train). in Italy, this is our tentative plan but can be tweaked if it makes sense:

Day 1, 2, 3, 4 --Bellagio/Lake Como
Day 5, 6--Santa Margherita Liguere
Day 7, 8--Monterosso al Mare/Cinque Terre
Day 9, 10--Lucca
Day 11, 12, 13-Grotta Giusti Thermal Spa Resort Tuscany/near Monsummano Terme--rent a car to explore?
Day 14, 15, 16, 17, 18--Florence--day trip to Bologna
Day 19--Orvietto
Day 20, 21, 22--Rome--revisit favorite spots from previous trips and book a Scavi Necropolis tour
Day 23, 24, 25, 26, 27--Sorrento
Day 28--Naples (before flight back to USA the next day)

Notes:
--spouse is mobile but does have issues with intermittent foot pain and chronic back pain
--have seen many churches and museums on previous trips to Europe so that is not the intended focus of this trip
--interests are experiencing the culture, scenery, food of Italy (plus a little shopping!)
--prefer travel by train or bus but willing to rent a car to see areas of Tuscany that we would otherwise miss

Questions:
--How much time in Monsummano Terme area to see the surroundings areas? Is renting a car the best option?

--Renting a car in Monsummano Terme vs. adding time in Siena and renting a car there? (best base for driving in Tuscany)
--Additional day trips from Florence? Siena, Orvieto--or stay there if possible?

Overall, we are happy with this general itinerary so we are not looking to reconfigure the entire trip. Obviously some people would spend an entire month in one location but that is not what we want to do. Basically we are looking for suggestions for minor improvement to our plan. We have cancelled 5 similar trips to Italy due to Covid and other personal issues so by now, we have a pretty good idea of what we would like to do but looking for our best options.

Thank you if you are able to share your expertise!

Posted by
847 posts

I think your itinerary looks pretty good. Amount of time in each place looks about right. You might consider staying in Santa Margherita the four days instead of moving to Monterosso. The train down there is not that long and it would save one hotel change. But I can also see the benefits of being down in the CT itself. Also, if you haven't booked hotels yet look at Rapallo as well as S. Margherita. I couldn't find a hotel I wanted in S. Margherita (my first choice for the area) so stayed in Rapallo instead and then after visiting both was very glad I chose Rapallo. I just liked it better - less touristy and prettier.

Also for Lake Como, many people, myself included (after two trips) like Varenna better than Bellagio. Again, prettier and less touristy. They are both very close together.

I'm not familiar with the place you are staying in Tuscany so can't comment on it. But I absolutely love Siena and would advise spending time there. Siena itself is IN Tuscany and if you walk around the edge of town it has great views out to the surrounding Tuscan countryside. It has pretty good transport connections but I do think to really experience small town Tuscany a car would be best. There were a number of parking areas just outside the historic center of Siena so I would think you could use it as a base. I didn't have a car when I stayed there (also did another trip where I day tripped from Florence) so don't have first hand info but I was paying attention to parking for a future trip (which hasn't happened yet) and it looked doable.

Here's my photos of Italy including all the places you are going - https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/f739967755

Posted by
178 posts

This is great, thank you!

I will do more checking about Rapallo as I did not know anything about it before reading your response. There are certainly pros and cons regarding visiting CT from either SML or your suggestion of Rapallo. I chose Monterosso over other villages in the CT because reportedly it is less hilly than the others. As I mentioned, my husband is active and mobile but I still have some concerns about being overly ambitious in planning this trip.

In previous "versions" of this trip which we cancelled, I did book in Varenna rather than Bellagio. I am aware that Rick Steves highly recommends Varenna but since they are so close (and both very nice, I think), it comes down to availability and pricing. When I booked accommodations in Bellagio this time, it worked out better but I do continue to check as things change frequently.

I am hoping that someone will be able to provide some insight into the area around Monsummano Terme. Grotto Giusi looks unique and very interesting but I am just want to be sure that it isn't too isolated and that the best places to explore in Tuscany are easily accessible. I believe that Siena is driveable from there. If we could base in one town/area in Tuscany rather than renting a car in two, that would be easier.

I will spend more time looking at (and dreaming about) your photos. They are absolutely stunning! Are you a professional photographer?

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions. ❤

Mary

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