We're planning our first Italy visit in October 2012: 4-5 days in Rome, a week in Tuscany (agritourismo), 5 days in Florence, and 3 nights in Cinque Terre; in that order. Is this realistic/advisable? Best to fly in and out of Rome (from Seattle) for airline rates plus rental car pickup/return rates? Grazie mille. Ciao!
Posted by
Poulsbo, WA, US
223 posts
That would work out... Some may say 5 days in Florence is a bit on the high side but it is wonderful destination. Maybe take a day from it and add to Rome but suit yourself. I like to fly Lufthansa out of Seattle but its just a personal preference. I've also connected through Chicago and Atlanta with American airlines in the past. Maybe fly back out of Milan? You will have to play with the options when you have some dates and see how it plays out.
Posted by
Caruthers, CA, USA
244 posts
Sounds like a leisurly pace. We're going into/out of Milan, I managed to book $870 RT about 4 weeks ago, just before Egypt happened. I assume you're only getting the car for the agritourismo. You DON'T want a car in Florence or Rome or CT. Train more better. From CT you're looking at minimum 4.5 hours to Rome, 3.5 hours to Milan and 3 hours to Florence, according to a quick scan of the trenitalia site. Some people swear by flying into/out of Pisa. A quick search on Kayak.com yielded: $1451 RT rome sea $1478 Sea-Rome, then Pisa-Sea $1508 Sea-Pisa RT I would do this: $1478 Sea-Rome, then Pisa-Sea Pisa is a short hop from CT. Ever been to NYC? A car is a hassle, best left out of the city, if you have one. Otherwise, you're paying big bucks to park it. Same is true in Italy, except maybe that you're trying to park on the street and possibly getting a ZTL ticket 3 months later. A car is a liability in Rome and Florence. CT is best visited with trains. I would train from Rome to Siena or whatever is convenient to your Tuscany location, get a car there, then drop it in florence, when you get there. I like Kayak for rental cars, using Hertz. Others like autoeurope. Bon voyage!
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
When are you planning to go? That can influence how much time you might want to spend in each place. FWIW, there's a reason that the typical first trip to Italy includes Rome, Florence and Venice.