Italy Trip - Tour recommendations?

Hi and a warm welcome to the forum!
Your first trip to Europe! How exciting! You have a great line-up of places to go, and will have a wonderful time!

So tours.... Everyone is is different, and some prefer less of those than more. I'll just throw out a couple of ideas for starters, and I know you'll get more from the gang here.

The Vatican Museums:
They are vast, routes can be confusing, and they can also be VERY busy so tours can be welcome for navigation + avoiding some of the worst of the mob. I'll suggest this one?

https://theromanguy.com/tours/italy/vatican/sistine-chapel-vatican-tour

Reason being is that it is advertising a valuable bonus that has not been available for a few years: direct access into the basilica from the Sistine Chapel. It's via a back passage that was reserved for tours but has been closed for some time. That this tour is offering that bonus - and I'm not seeing it on a brief check of a couple other companies - saves an outdoor walkaround to the basilica entrance, and standing in a potentially long security check queue for that one. It's also an early-entrance tour, and reviews of this company have been consistently good.

Colosseum, Forum and Palatine:
The Colosseum is pretty easy to figure out on one's own - do some reading up in advance - but the Forum and Palatine are more complex and benefit from a knowledgable guide. One caution: Nailing tours which include the underground of the Colosseum has become a real hairball; tours which include the underground are the hottest tickets in Rome and VERY hard to get. Even independent companies like the one I linked above may advertise tours which include it only to cancel them mere days in advance as even THEY can't get tickets. Let's just say that you'll have a much easier time booking a tour which does NOT include it, and personally think you wouldn't be missing that much. Coopculture is the official ticket seller for these 3 sites but they don't have a tour which includes them all so I'd look at the Roman Guy or some of the other suggestions the folks here will put forward for a comprehensive tour. Also look for one which includes the arena of the Colosseum, as I'm told you can see down into parts of the underground from there.

Galleria Borghese:
A terrific art museum in Rome. Doesn't need a tour but it does require advance, timed entry reservations.
https://galleriaborghese.beniculturali.it/en/visita/

You've evidently already booked a Pompeii tour, right? If so, good going. 👍

Uffizi Gallery, Florence:
Again, no need for a tour but do order advance, timed-entry tickets. Also take a look at the PassePartout ticket for the Uffizi, Pitti, Boboli Gardens and a couple other museums that's good for 5 days. Again, you'll need to make a timed-entry reservation for the Uffizi but not for the others.
https://www.uffizi.it/en/the-uffizi

Florence Cathedral:
3 different passes are available, and the only piece of the complex requiring advance, timed-entry reservations is to climb the dome, if desired.
https://operaduomofirenze.skiperformance.com/en/store#/en/buy

Just a start! :O)

Welcome to the forum!

Agree with everything Kathy has said

Other suggestions

Consider a food tour in Rome
Eating Europe tours are wonderful and always get high marks here
Use EATWELL10 for a discount

https://www.eatingeurope.com/rome/

One of our favorite tours was the Secret Itineraries tour of Doges Palace in Venice
We found it well worth the not too expensive cost and enjoyed every minute of it

https://palazzoducale.visitmuve.it/en/pianifica-la-tua-visita/special-itineraries/secret-itineraries-tour/

Ah, I'll add another resource for Vatican Museums +St Peter's tours with the same sort of direct access into the church as I'd mentioned above.

https://www.througheternity.com/en/vatican-tours/sistine-chapel-tour.html#t-overview

They've removed this former statement....
"Important: since the passageway between the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica is still closed due to COVID, we will enter the Basilica via St. Peter's Square after our visit to the museums so the Basilica remains part of the itinerary. This means we must pass security again and the tour length could be extended by 45 minutes on average."

....and replaced it with the promise of "direct" access so I'll assume that means use of the nifty passageway. This company has also seen some positive reviews on the forum. :O)

Your trip sounds wonderful. I would not do Florence, Venice and Rome in the same trip, too many big cities for me. Rome, Sorrento, Orvieto, Venice would be my preference. Five nights in Rome is perfect for me, three in Sorrento with a visit to Pompeii is also perfect, two to three in Orvieto and at least four in Venice. Getting around Venice takes time and there is much to see but most of it will be on foot, that is why I say at least four nights. Anyhowa mix of types of towns and things to see, ocean, hill, city, and floating city rather than more and more of the same. I love Italy...but I cannot say MONEYBELT enough. I wear a whistle around my neck too and have blown it twice on 10 trips to Italy, works great. J

OK, backing up, landro65, what do you want to do and see in Italy? For instance, I'm and art and architecture geek so Florence was a MUST for me, and did not disappoint. The historic center also didn't feel at ALL like "big city" (No skyscrapers!) so I wouldn't discard it if what it has to offer appeals to YOU.

LOL, neither my husband nor myself wear money belts. That is not to say that we don't take precautions with our valuables but we use other methods, and have also never used a whistle for safety. Doesn't mean that what works for the poster is 'wrong' at ALL, only that there's more than one way to skin that cat!! :O)

We are very much appreciating the suggestions so far. We are definitely museum people! We love history, art & architecture. So many choices! We have already made our selections of cities, hotels and travel based on our interests with the help of a great travel agent. We are definitely "city people", love to walk and explore, eat & enjoy a glass or 2 of wine. We enjoy learning both on our own or from tour guides, but don't want to be locked in with a full bus load of people for 10 hours. Small groups are fine. We are not interested in doing much shopping and are pretty low maintenance.
As far as personal security, we both plan to wear our Scottevests and won't be carrying any bags. My husband wears his everywhere he goes and they worked great for us both walking all over NYC & DC. We plan on being a bit more relaxed in Sorrento, which we planned between our time in Rome and Florence. Any suggestions for that area besides an Amalfi Coast tour we already booked?

Nice to know more about you! :O)

So Sorrento....
You have 4 nights and 3 days + some hours on arrival day. One issue with late March is that the ferries along the coast (Sorrento> Positano>Amalfi, etc.) may not be running yet. They WILL be running from Sorrento to Capri, unless the weather is foul/seas are rough, and I'd recommend a day trip to that one IF the weather is fair. Not all may be open yet on the island but no matter; you go for the scenery. The day-tripping crowds should be lighter than during high season. You do not need a tour. They have a very good website with all sorts of ideas:

https://www.capri.net

I'd pass on the Blue Grotto - IMHO, if there's a tourist trap on Capri, that's the one - and opt for some of the suggested walks. We enjoyed Villa Jovis/Villas of Tiberius, the Pizzolungo Coastal Path, plus a look about both villages of Capri and Anacapri. Plus, take the chairlift from Anacapri to the top of Mt. Solaro. Again, ignore the ads for tours and just go with the provided directions. Buy a map when you get there.

https://www.capri.com/en/e/monte-solaro-high-drama
https://www.capri.com/en/l/hiking-and-walking-trails-capri

These Mondo shared tours have seen some good reviews from RS posters so you might consider the "Amalfi Coast Full Day From Sorrento" small-group tour for your coastal exploration day?

https://www.sharedtours.com

So, if you spend your partial arrival day just getting situated in Sorrento, another day doing Pompeii (which is VAST; how long is your tour?), one doing the coast, and one doing Capri, you've pretty much filled your time. Use any "down" hours for R&R. If the weather doesn't cooperate, I'd take the Circumvesuviana commuter into Naples for the day and do the National Archeological Museum - a great tie-in if also visiting Pompeii - and some of the churches.

https://mann-napoli.it/en/home-english/

Thanks for all your suggestions, Kathy!! We know the weather might be a little iffy & we're OK with the trade off of fewer crowds along with comfortable walking temps. That was part of the decision to use Sorrento as our base. We have a private guide picking us up in Rome with a 2 hour tour of Pompeii on the way to Sorrento. Our travel agent also booked us on a private 8 hr tour of the Amalfi Coast wirh Ravello & Positano highlights for the day after we arrive. Your recommendations for Capri look perfect for us and after reading the description of the Blue Grotto, I totally agree we can skip that!! 😆 Hopefully the weather will allow us to get to the island on one of the remaining days. We can arrange to have a little time in Naples before our train departs for Florence on the day we leave. That will give us a day to relax, take in some views and sights in Sorrento. We have a sea view room booked at Hotel Imperial Tramontano and it looks amazing. Thanks so much for your time, Kathy!!
If you were taking one day trip from Florence, where would you go? We are leaning more towards Siena or perhaps one of the Tuscan hill towns either on our own or part of a tour?? My husband is dead set against a 10 hour bus tour to Cinque Terre, so that's out! You have really helped to sift through some of the confusion. I don't want to plan out every single second, but also don't want to waste a lot of time doing nothing. 🙃

hey hey landro65
couple places/activities to interest you. my friends are on a long adventure throughout italy and are in sorrento now then up to naples for a week. they lived in vicenza few years back, working as private contractors with the army until they retired. they love adventures and small groups
SORRENTO
agriturismoturuziello.com
they loved this tour of lemons, olive oil, cheese & pizza making, meeting with the many animals on this holiday farm, riding in the APE mobile. he says was a crazy ride thru the small village and narrow alley ways.
quantobastasorrento.com
they took this fun cooking class if interested in a class. they enjoyed it and said the cacciatore was so good
chefcarmensorrento.com
couple of cooking classes or have a meal in her restaurant: la locanda del gusto
sorrentofoodtours.com
civitatis.com/ lemon grove tour sorrento guided tour three tenors concert
eatwith.com
type your city in, places to have home cooked meals (lunch/dinner) in residents homes. tasting, food tours
ROME
withlocals.com
beautiful countryside day trip: castelli romani
the pope's summer palace, lake nemi, village of frascati known for white wine and ceralli.it (bakery/pizza oven) know for "best" porchetta sandwich. take the train about 30 minutes outside of rome to frascati and guide will meet you. get out of the hustle and bustle of rome
eatwith.com
type in rome, see what is offered for home cooked meals in residents home, cooking class, food tour
italymagazine.com/ lake nemi and it's wild berry
known for strawberries and it's annual festival, small village of nemi and it's lake, goddess diana of hunting, nemi boat museum
lacucinaitaliana.com
the buxom cookie from frascati, famous honey cookie made by 94 year old nonna rosanna and other goodies in the family owned bakery
likealocalguide.com
some tours to check out
marketsofrome.com
heard that friends really liked testaccio market. so interesting and intriguing with all it offers
FLORENCE
educated-traveller.com
wine windows of florence
tasteatlas.com/ bomboloni
VENICE
camacana.com
make a mask out of papier mache
destination360.com/ cicchetti tour
schezzini.it email [email protected] and schedule a tour with about wine, cicchetti, and the history of venice
streaty.com
street food or wine tours plus interesting facts around venice.
you guys will have a great and fun time, may have crowds since everyone loves italy and wants to travel. want to all see the same people places & things, pack patience and just roam & people watch while you sit and have an appetizer and drink, don't forget the gelato and my favorite tiramisu.
just a "novel" to give you different ideas and things to do, some off the beaten path, just enjoy it. i sure did and been back to same & other cities 9 times. you may be planning that next trip on your flight home!! HA HA
aloha

Landro65, the most commonly recommended day trips from Florence are probably Siena or Lucca. I am delighted that you've chosen NOT to day trip the Cinque Terre, as that one really needs at least one overnight stay to enjoy the later/early hours the day-trippers aren't around, plus the weather could be pretty sketchy in March, the ferries not running, and the villages not fully open for the season yet.

Pisa often has interest amongst 1st-time travelers/forum posters but personally, unless interested in more than that cockeyed tower (and there IS more in Pisa than that thing), I'd skip it. Escorted tours that include wineries also see interest but I don't know about doing those in March, and I'm not the winery type; more into museums, very old churches, piazzas, architecture, history.... You can enjoy fruits of the vine pretty much anywhere...and we have! 🍷

My vote for March? Probably Siena, and I'd do it without a tour so you can sightsee at will and at personal pace. Use a good guidebook or two - Gee, I think there's this dude named Rick who publishes one of those! - and the gang here can fill you in on taking the bus from Florence. There's a train too but the bus gets you closer to the city center.

Can anyone else chime in on this?

One more comment?

We have a private guide picking us up in Rome with a 2 hour tour of
Pompeii on the way to Sorrento.

As I'd mentioned before, Pompeii scavi is VAST; you'll barely scratch the surface in 2 hours so if there is an opportunity to spend more time there.... Not sure your driver will be willing to wait longer? Your driver is also your guide or are you meeting a guide there?

Thanks again, Kathy! Our interests sound very similar......we had already agreed that the crooked building doesn't do much for us. Lol. And Siena looks better to us to do on our own as well. Good point about allowing more time for Pompeii. I'll have to see if there's any flexibility with the driver/guide, but we can always go back on the day that was pretty much open. And, YES......I do have a pretty good guidebook and app by that Rick guy. 😉😊