Italy Road trip.. Suggestions on the Itinerary

Since all of these places, minus Siena, are connected by the cheap Italian rail network i fail to see the need for the car at all. Especially since you say you will only use it to drive from city to city, why rent a car for that when the train can do it cheaper and more convenient, saving you the hassle of driving into the cities in the crazy italian traffic, trying to find parking near your hotel, etc. My suggestion would be to use the train for the bulk of your travel and then rent a car for a few days in Tuscany to tour the countryside.
regarding you itenaray i would say that Venice deserves at least 3 days to see the sigths and get lost in the alleyways and escape the other tourists, that half one you have allocated for it would be a waste of time. I have never been to Naples, but i suspect one day is also too short for such a large city.

ankur,

I'll have to restrain my comments to some extent, but IMO the itinerary you've proposed is going to be difficult to achieve for a variety of reasons. A few thoughts.....

• If you're using internet estimates for driving time, you'll probably find that driving times will almost always be longer in reality.
• The number of of one night stops is going to be an issue. By the time you arrive in some of these places, it will be late afternoon and you'll have to leave first thing in the morning. That will only allow a few hours in those locations, which is hardly worth the effort to drive there.
• You'll need to be aware of the usual "caveats" for driving in Italy. To begin with, each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. You'll also need to be aware of the ZTL (limited traffic) areas which exist in many cities. Passing through these areas, even by mistake, will result in hefty fines which you may not know about until several months after you return home. You'll also need to contend with high fuel prices, parking, tolls on the motorways, compulsory CDW & theft insurance and speed traps, including those using the Traffic Tutor system.

IMHO, you're going to need to pare down your list of destinations. However, I'll defer to the collective wisdom of the group here on the forum.

Having lived in Florence and Rome, I would suggest buying a Eurail pass and forget the car. The train can get you there faster and free up precious time to see and do what you went there for. For a first trip, I would concentrate on Florence, Rome, Venice and Milan and drop the rest. Florence alone could take a week or more! Venice deserves more than a day and Bologna doesn't deserve two.

Having lived in Italy on and off for several years, I find a Eurailpass is not cost- or time-effective in Italy, where train tickets to most of your destinations include a reserved seat (the Pass requires separate reservations ant an additional cost). Ticket prices in Italy are relatively cheap, anyway.

I suggest you rework your itinerary so you are spending at least two nights in each city.

The Amalfi Coast and Napoli should have three nights, Firenze four nights with daytrips to Lucca and Siena, Bologna can be a stop on the way from Venezia (at least two nights) to Firenze, and you can spend two nights in Tuscany (find a castle that has a vineyard). Four nights in Roma is good. This still leaves a few nights for your other stops (I would skip Lago di Como or make it a daytrip from Milano).

Many thanks Morten, Ken, Terri, Zoe..
I will try and avoid car-travel basis all your feedback...
i am still confused about Naples+Amalfi coast vs Cinque Terre+Genoa. Which is a better bet?

Yes, you definitely need to pare down the number of destinations. CT vs. Amalfi coast should depend on your interests and the amount of time you have available to dedicate to the area in question. CT is several cute villages hugging the coastline, with pesto sauce and hiking being some of the main draws. Amalfi coast is also several cute villages hugging the coastline, where lemons and pizza are found everywhere, the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum are a big draw, there is a scary narrow curvy hundreds of year old road cantilevered over the Mediterranean Sea, and Capri beckons with its famous blue grotto. CT usually takes up about 2-3 nights on most peoples itinerary. Amalfi Coast will need a minimum of 3 nights (I stayed for 4 nights and that seemed just about right).

Most people don't include Genoa or Bologna on a first trip. Venice deserves at least 3 nights. Siena, Luca, and many other towns in Tuscany and Umbria can easily be seen as day trips. Find a central location within Tuscany for this, and only rent a car for this portion of your trip. Avoid all 1 night stays!

ankur,

I, too, agree with the others - No one night stays! You will spend all your time traveling to a destination and then being too tired to enjoy it. Then you turn around and leave again.

The usual plan for first timers is Rome, Florence ( with day trips), and Venice, with 3-4 nights each. Or, if you really want a winery, stay there and day trip into Siena. I love Bologna, Lucca, and Lake Como, but I saved them for other trips, because you will go back!

Then, either Amalfi or CT, you won't have time for both, and they are both gorgeous coastal towns. I saw Naples and Pompeii while in Sorrento. As far as Genoa, I have flown out of there, but IMO it didn't seem like a place to visit, I prefer staying in CT. (Sorry if I offend anyone!)

Again, it all depends on your preferences as to what you like and want to see and do.

Have fun!

I'm another who votes for no one night stays. Also, a rail pass is never a value when in Italy. You can buy point to point tickets for much less than the cost of a pass and take advantage of huge savings by buying in advance.

You might consider staying in Siena for 5 days and visiting it as well as the small towns around it. For this you'll need a car but not for the rest of the trip. Staying in one location for more than just a night gives you time to relax and really visit that area.

You might consider cutting out the Amalfi Coast and Naples and adding that time on to Venice. Venice deserves more than just a partial day.

Donna

Thank you all.. this is indeed super helpful.. basis all your feedback, below is the revised itinerary. let me know if this seems doable..

Rome (4 Days)
Florence (3 days)
Venice (3 days)
Rent a car for rest of the trip from Venice
Siena (3 days)
Cinque Terre (3 days)
Lake Como/ Dolomites (2 days)
Milan (3 days) - return the car at Milan

i have kept Venice before Siena coz i want to drive in Siena and also along the coast line in Cinque Terre. Also, would like to cover Dolomites for a couple of days.. any suggestions there?

Thanks again..

Rome (4 Days)
Florence (3 days)
Venice (3 days)
Rent a car for rest of the trip from Venice
Siena (3 days)
Cinque Terre (3 days)
Lake Como/ Dolomites (2 days)
Milan (3 days) - return the car at Milan
i have kept Venice before Siena coz i want to drive in Siena and also along the coast line in Cinque Terre. Also, would like to cover Dolomites for a couple of days.. any suggestions there?

I don't think you can drive along the coast line in the CT. You hike it or you take the local train from town to town. It's wasting time to go back and forth between Venice and Tuscany. That will use up lots of your precious time. I don't think the sights of Milan are worth more than 1.5 days, especially in comparison with your other destinations. If you want to have a car to explore Tuscany, stay in an agriturismo, not in Siena. It's probably easier to rent a car twice, once for Tuscany and once for the Dolomites (if you indeed need a car there).

To avoid backtracking.: Rome to CT by train. After CT pick up car for Tuscany, return in Florence. Train to Venice. Rent car (or take train) to Lake Como/Dolomites and return it in Milan.

ankur,

"Rent a car for rest of the trip from Venice / Siena (3 days) / Cinque Terre (3 days)"

A couple of points to mention regarding that.....

Siena can be somewhat "challenging" and expensive for car parking. It would help if you could choose a hotel there that offers free parking.

Having a car in the Cinque Terre is of little use, as you won't be able to drive into the towns. Your car will sit in a car park gathering dust, while attracting daily rental and parking charges. The easiest way to get about in the C.T. is to use the frequent local trains, or in some cases the Ferries (weather permitting). As far as driving along the coast, I'm sure Roberto will be able to offer some comments on that.