Itinerary

First of all since you are going from the far north (Milan, Venice, Dolomites) to the South (Naples/Amalfi), you should consider an open jaw flight (arrive in the North (Milan or Venice), fly back from the South (Rome? Naples?). You are near Portland OR, therefore you could take the Delta non stop to Amsterdam (that's the only non stop from PDX to Europe) and from AMS then take KLM or Alitalia and go to either Milan (MXP or LIN) or Venice (VCE) in the north (Delta, AirFrance/KLM, Alitalia are SkyTeam partners). Then on the way back to the US you could fly out of Rome back to AMS and from there to PDX. Unfortunately from NAP you can't go to AMS (at least not directly). On your choice of cities and times, depends on your own tastes. Just make sure you have, at a minimum, the following days: ROME = 3 full days FLORENCE = 2 full days
VENICE + MURANO/BURANO= 2 full days Also you'll likely need a rental car in the Dolomites as well. Relying on buses in the Dolomites is not optimal. I suggest you rent a car from Venice or Mestre or Verona and return it in Milan at the end of your Dolomites trip. I would also cut down a little bit of Tuscany/Cinque Terre and increase the Dolomites/Lake Garda a few days. But that's my opinion. Acqua Alta in September is very rare. You are more likely to see Big Foot on Mt. Hood (by the way I like skiing there).

Have you been to Italy before? That I think makes a difference to how long you will stay in some places - for instance if you haven't been to Rome before you will barely scratch the surface with a 3 night stay (it could well be lunchtime by the time you get from the Airport to Rome) so that is 2.5 days to "do" Rome. The same with Venice - are you flying or going by train? Again you end up with 2.5 days at the most to see Venice (I figure you need at least 3 depending on what you want to see). Three nights in Cinque Terre is a lot. The villages are very small and close together and, if you are fit you can do the walk in one day. I'd cut a night there and add it to Florence. Lots of time in Tuscany. Are you planning on moving around or finding a central base from which to explore? Where are you staying on the Amalfi Coast? Sorrento is a good base as you can easily take the train to Pompeii and Herculaneum (well worth the visit - I prefer it to Pompeii)and the boat over to Capri as well as public transport to Positano, Revello and Amalfi itself. I agree with Roberto, you would do better with an open jaw return from Naples. Sounds like a great trip whatever you decide to do!

This is our first trip to Italy. We do plan to move around in tuscany. We may wonder into Umbria ( we have a friend of friend who has a b&b) but that's our fly by the seat of our pants time in italy (hopefully thats a good idea). Regarding the Amalfi coast, I was thinking of staying in a couple different places - Sorrento and Positano. I like the idea of flying into milan and flying out of rome - thnks roberto....and if we see bigfoot at timberline this weekend i'll let you know...that gave me a chuckle.

Positano is very pretty and you can take a boat from there to Ravello, Amalfi or Capri. It has a good beach (Sorrento has no beach in the town) so would be a good stop for R & R!

Char, Your proposed Itinerary is fairly "busy" but it seems reasonable. It's great that you're planning to use open-jaw flights and have allowed adequate travel time between locations. As this is your first trip to Italy, I'd suggest starting in Venice and working south. Venice is a bit less "intense" than Rome, so it would be a good place to get over jet lag. Whether you visit Venice at the beginning of your trip or later shouldn't matter in terms of the "Acqua alta". A few comments and questions on some of the locations on your list..... > Dolomites - where are you planning to visit in that area? It is possible without a Car (I was there in September and didn't really miss having a car). > Cinque Terre - which town are you planning to stay in? Depending on which Hotel or B&B you choose, it would be a good idea to book accommodations early. I usually start booking in February or March for travel in September, and even that early I sometimes have problems. > As you're planning to rent a car in Florence, BE SURE to do some research on the Zona Traffico Limitato areas so that you don't inadvertently drive through them on your way out of the city. Expensive tickets will result! Also note that each driver must have the compulsory I.D.P. for driving in Italy. These are used in conjunction with your home D.L. and failure to produce an I.D.P. if requested can result in fines on the spot! > Amalfi Coast - where are you planning to stay there? Sorrento is a great "home base" as the transportation options are good. Positano is also beautiful, but only has Bus access. Sorrento is more convenient for getting to Pompeii or Herculaneum. Both towns offer good access to Capri. Good luck with your planning!

If you are flying out of Naples (NAP), on the way back, you won't be able to fly directly to AMS (unless things change next year). Unfortunately Lufthansa discontinued the non stop from FRA to PDX, therefore Lufthansa from NAP to FRA will require that you fly from FRA to some other US gateway (basically most major US airports where United has a hub). On the West Coast LH flies only to SEA, SFO and LAX (and also LAS, which is not exactly on the coast).

You are right Roberto - one of the best options was Naples - Munich - LA - PDX. But coming from Portland, we are used to multi-leg flights getting to Italy (or anywhere else!).

Char, sounds very good. With the amount of time you're spending in the Amalfi Coast area and you have a daytrip spot to fill, you could do a daytrip or even an overnight to Paestum, south of Salerno. Great Greek temple ruins, a good museum (closed Mondays), buffalo mozzarella farms, and a beach. I would choose either Sorrento or Positano (or even Ravello) rather than splitting time between two towns so close to each other. If you go to Umbria, you can visit Assisi and some other hill towns (Gubbio, Todi). If you had more time in Rome, I'd suggest a daytrip to Orvieto. I see that you plan to be in Florence on two Mondays: be sure the museums you may want to see are open, if they are part of your plan for those days. The train from Rome to Venice is about 4 hours. If you add a day to Venice you could also visit Padova and include the island of Torcello in the Murano-Burano mix.

Hi Char up in Rhododendron, from Engred in downtown Portland! I agree that you should get open-jaw (or "multi-city") tickets, flying into Venice and leaving from Rome (or Naples). Venice is a great place to start a trip to Italy, not just because it is beautiful and unique, but because it is easier to get over jetlag there because you have to walk everywhere and there are no cars or scooters. Although it takes 2 days to get to Italy (leave PDX day 1 and arrive in Italy day 2), it usually only takes 1 day to get home (leave Italy Sept. 29 and get to PDX late on Sept. 29). So that gives you an extra day, which I would add to the Amalfi Coast. I would take one day from Venice and add it to Rome. I would also take one day from Tuscany or CT and add it to Florence. The Amalfi Coast is such a magical and relaxing place that I would end your trip there and fly out of Naples. Lufthansa has several flights out of Naples (I will be going back to Positano in June so have been researching PDX/NAP options) that would have you leaving and arriving home on the 29th. You can reach many places from Positano by ferry (my preferred way to travel on the AC) or by bus. You can take the ferry to Amalfi and see Amalfi and Ravello one day. You can take the ferry to Capri for the day. You can take the bus to Sorrento and the train from Sorrento to Pompeii. You can take the small Da Adolfo boat to Laurito beach for an amazing lunch at Da Adolfo and relaxing on the beach. You could take the ferry to Salerno and then the train down to Paestum if you want to see some amazing Greek temples. So many things to do and see!

So here is my version of your itinerary: Aug 31 Sat) Fly out Sept 1, Sun - Arrive in Venice Sept 2, Mon - Venice Sept 3, Tues - Venice Sept 4, Wed - Arrive in the Dolomites Sept 5, Thur - Dolomites Sept 6, Fri - Dolomites Sept 7, Sat - Arrive in Milan Sept 8, Sun - Last Supper (reserve way in advance) - Arrive CT Sept 9, Mon - CT Sept 10, Tues - CT Sept 11, Wed - Florence Sept 12, Thurs - Florence Sept 13, Fri - pick up car in Florence, drive to Tuscany Sept 14, Sat - Tuscany Sept 15, Sun - Tuscany Sept 16, Mon - Tuscany Sept 17, Tues - Tuscany Sept 18, Wed - Tuscany Sept 19, Thurs - Drop off car in Orvieto, train to Rome Sept 20, Fri - Rome Sept 21, Sat - Rome Sept 22, Sun - Rome Sept 23, Mon - train to Salerno, ferry to Positano, check into apartment Sept 24, Tues - Amalfi Coast Sept 25, Wed - Amalfi Coast Sept 26, Thurs - Amalfi Coast Sept 27, Fri - Amalfi Coast Sept 28, Sat - Amalfi Coast
Sept 29, Sun - Fly out of Naples at noon, Arrive PDX at 11:30 pm.

This is very helpful, I'm even more excited. Good to know I can get away with out a car in the dolomites, hoping for just Tuscany. Should I expect to pay more for an open-jaw flight?

"Should I expect to pay more for an open-jaw flight?" 1. It depends. Sometimes they are more expensive, sometimes not.
2. Even if is more money, consider that you save time and money by not backtracking. On a long trip such as yours, the time saving isn't as crucial as it is for a shorter trip, but it still costs something to get back to your starting point.

I almost always fly open-jaw now, and Harold is right, you will save time and money by not having to backtrack to your original destination.

You might consider adding more time to Rome. In Italy, they have a saying: Roma, non basta una vita - for Rome, one lifetime is not enough.

Char: Comments: 1. Start at Venice and work your way southin essentially a straight line. 2. Flying open jawed is generally no more expensive. You don't have to backtrack where you started. 3. Flying into/out of Italy from the U.S. is easiest when going thru Rome or Milan. Many also fly thru Pisa. Naples, Florence and Venice are secondary airports. Fly into Venice and out of Rome. 4. Don't consider going to the Dolomites unless it's by rental car. See Mapquest.com. 5. We use AutoEurope.com and their cars are usually Hertz. As long as you pickup the car in Italy, dropping the car in another Italy region often is without charge. 6. Gasoline is over $9.00 per U.S. gallon. Get no more car than you need. 7. Train travel is very inexpensive in Italy between cities. 8. There are as many great tourist sights in suburban Rome as within the city center. We prefer to stay outside the city and take commuter trains into town. 9. Milan has great opera and high fashion shopping, but otherwise is just another modern city. I would prefer to spend that time @ Lake Como45 min. north. 10. September is a preferred month to travel. 11. Start with room reservations for your first few days, and then make travel arrangements as you go (by internet.) Don't lock yourself into a itinerary that you might find somewhat boring. Be completely flexible. You can always find a room in any city on short notice in September. 12. The airfare prices quoted for Spring and Summer, 2013 are the highest of all times. Purchasing flights 60 days prior to the trip is the least expensive.
13. Begin trip planning 60 days out. Planning 10 months out can run you crazy. Believe me when I say "it'll all work out."

Thank you. I really wanted to go without a lot of hotel reservations and having to be in each place on a certain day.

But Char, be sure to have a good list of hotel options before you leave. September is still busy tourist season and many places will likely be full. Personally, I wouldn't want to spend my precious vacation time trying to find a place to stay, or having to stay at a less-than-desireable hotel because I waited until the last minute to book a room. But that's just me. ;-) I agree that you would want to wait until at least after the first of the year to book tickets (unless you are flying on miles), but IMO waiting until 60 days before you leave to book your tickets is absurd - especially with the rather limited options we have flying from PDX.

Char, As someone else mentioned, the "fall shoulder season" in September can be VERY BUSY with tourists! I'd highly recommend getting at least some Hotel reservations. One place I'd definitely pre-book is the Cinque Terre. I often start booking in February or March for travel in September, and even that early I sometimes have problems. Depending on where you plan to stay in Tuscany, that could also be an issue there. The reality of using the "spontaneous" approach is that you may find yourself spending time at each location wandering around and trying to find a place to sleep, while hauling your luggage. You may also have to stay in a "less-than-desirable" part of town or use a hotel that's way above your budget. I've seen people spending one or two hours trying to find a place to stay, which (IMO) is a waste of valuable holiday time. Those are reasons why I prefer to pre-book. When arriving in a new town, I either walk or take a Taxi to my Hotel, check-in and drop my bags and then start touring straight away. Cheers!

More time in Rome. Maybe skip the Dolimtes and shorten Almalfi so you could have more time in Rome.

I would encourage you to add more time to Rome. You have a few slower pace places like Amalfi coast and CT that I think you could steal a day from. We did 4 nights in Rome and we were able to see many great sights, but I felt short changed. For me 5 nights would have been better. We did the Vatican museum and scavi tour - day one, palatine hill, colosseum, pantheon, Spanish steps, Trevi fountain - day two, Ostena Antica, Borghese gallery, markets, etc. - day 3. So, with four nights we only had 3 full days with so much to see. I would have loved a day to wander the streets and eat gelato, but there is so much you don't want to miss if you get a chance to be there. Just a thought?

Pre-book a reservation in your arrival and departure cities, at least. I hate looking for a hotel after a 10-hour flight. If you have internet access (some hotels have a computer available for guests, or use your ipad or smartphone), you can find a room for your next segment the night before you leave (check booking.com or some other booking service - sometimes there are last-minute deals as well). Your choices might be more limited, but you'll most likely find something nice without using time to do a search on foot, or staying near the train station because it's, well, near the train station.

Thanks! I already see adjustments. fly into venice, out of rome - book hotels for arrival cities and internet inquiries day or two before venturing on to not so touristy places. MORE time in Rome!

Your comment: "Sept 24, Tues - Amalfi Coast- day trips here to pompeii and ?? My Suggestion: SORRENTO!!