We are traveling in late August, early September for 2 weeks. This is our current plan and open to suggestions/ changes.
Arrive in Rome @ 8 am ( stay 2 nights in Rome)
Travel to Sorrento ( stay 3 nights in Sorrento)
Travel to Siena ( stay 2 nights in Siena City Center)
The next 7 days we are staying in a villa about 8 miles outside of Siena
And plan to explore smaller towns.( renting car)
The 15th day we are taking train to Florence to stay overnight and fly back early AM.
Thoughts?
Your itinerary looks fine and very relaxing but I think you may want to add at least one more night in Rome; there is such a lot to see there. I notice that you have said "The 8th day ....:." I assume that is a typo and you are referring to the day before you fly home. If you are going from Siena to Florence it will be better to take the bus which leaves from city center and takes 1 hour 15 minutes to arrive in Florence. I hope you have a wonderful time exploring the Tuscan countryside.
I agree - your itinerary looks fine.
Per your other post, do check the operating hours of the rental car office if picking up and/or dropping off in Siena.
Also, know that there's cheap underground parking (2 Euro per day) in front of the train station about a block away from the Hertz office. Point being that you could collect your car the afternoon or evening before you plan to get on the road and then have it at the ready for an early departure the next morning if you want to get on the road in a timely fashion, and thus you wouldn't have to worry about the late opening time of the rental car office. The SR2 is then a straight shot out of town - either north into Chianti or south into the Val D'Orcia, and you're well clear of the ZTL's.
Rome needs at least one more day, two more would be better. Are you arriving in Rome from an international flight, thus jet lagged? If do, you are really cheating Rome.
Florence also needs more time.
We never traveled south of Rome for many years and then did several southern Italy itineraries.
I would definitely add one or two more days to Rome. This is your arrival city and most likely will want to have a more relaxing day upon arrival.
How will you be traveling from Sorrento to Siena? This might be a lengthy journey (about 6 hours). As previously mentioned, taking the bus into Siena will be the best option.
Is there a way to arrive in Naples, then Sorrento, Rome, Siena, countryside and Florence?
I believe the train station at Naples is outside the airport.
Touring the Tuscan countryside does sound wonderful! Hope you have a great time!
Questions:
1) Have you been to Italy before? If you haven't been to Rome before, TWO days there is ridiculous. You could spend a week there and not see everything.
2) What are you interested in seeing? If you like historical sites, art and culture, your itinerary is lacking. One day in Florence is silly. You plan to spend a week in a villa outside of Siena. Love Siena, been there and easily did the city in two days. What are you planning to do for a week? I am not a person that goes to Europe or anywhere to relax, I can do that at home or in the USA for a lot less $$$. If you want to explore Tuscany, then have a plan to do so. Renting a car in Italy can easily result in getting a ticket for a huge amount a year from now, so be sure you know were you can and can't drive and watch your speed.
3) Sorrento, love it, been there, stayed there. It is great for exploring the Naples area. Visit the Amalfi Coast, Capri, Pompeii, etc. Your travel time is not shown on your itinerary. Three nights in the Naples area is not enough.
Again, Rome and Florence, as well as Venice are to me the big three in Italy. Rome has the Vatican, many ancient Roman sites (Coliseum, the Forum, Capitoline Hill Museum, Pantheon, Trajan's Market, many ancient cathedrals and churches, St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum with the Sistine Chapel. That is just the high spots. By the way, the Sistine Chapel is amazing, nothing like it in the World. Also, climb the dome of St. Peter's. Florence has two amazing art museum with Michelangelo's David in Academia and more art in the Uffuzi. The Duomo (Cathedral) takes hours to explore and there is far more.
Regarding the well-meaning suggestions to spend more time in the cities versus in the countryside I'm afraid I have to respectfully disagree.
It's true that you could spend a week (or more) in Rome, Florence, Venice, etc. and never run out of things to do. We've done exactly that on more than one visit to Italy... intent on "seeing everything" and thereby getting our money's worth.
During an anniversary trip to Florence a few years ago, however, we decided to brave the open roads for part of the trip, rented a car, and struck out for the hilltop villages and countryside in Tuscany and Umbria for a couple of weeks. My wife and I later agreed that the most memorable and by far the most enjoyable part of any of our trips was the time spent simply meandering around the countryside in the car - and our only regret was in not budgeting more time doing just that.
Exploring the major cities is wonderful, but spending time exploring the Italian countryside is sublime ... in our humble opinion.
How are you getting from Sorrento to Siena?
If you are staying so close to Siena, why not see it as a day trip from your countryside villa? That way you could tack on an extra day to both Rome and Sorrento.
I really agree with Angela's suggestion! No need to stay in Siena itself to then move 8 miles away. Not sure if you need another night in Sorrento, but a 3rd night in Rome and a 2nd night in Florence could be nice. Or an 8th night in the villa, if it's not rented by the week.
