Itinerary help for November

Hi Angela. How many nights will you be in Italy? If only a week or ten days, I think going all the way to Naples just for Pompeii and the Archeological Museum is a long way to go. If you want to see more in the area -- Sorrento, Ravello, Amalfi, etc. -- I'd spend at least 4 nights there, and I would stay in Sorrento. Naples is not so much dangerous as intense. The pizza in the area i overrated, IMHO. (I like Roman pizza better.) However the seafood in Sorrento is fabulous.

As to travel in November, we do not let season dictate our travels too much. We spent the month of December traveling north to south before we moved here and have visited Venice twice in December as a result. It can be chilly, but not bitterly cold. You will also get 60 degree sunny days that are delightful for touring. Structure your itinerary so you have indoor options should you wake up to rain. Venice is good in both rain and sun. So are Rome, Florence, Assisi and many more.

EDIT: We were from Portland, OR. The weather is better in Italy overall than in Portland in November. :-)

I travel solo and visit Naples every year, Laurel is right about the intensity but I disagree about the pizza, I think it's great.

I love Padova, Ravenna, and the other places you mention. Ferrara is also a great place for a day or two, or as a daytrip from Ravenna. The little town of Spello is very close to Assisi and has some mosaic pavements recently discovered in the public parking lot.

I love the Amalfi Coast, but if you have two weeks or less I would suggest saving it for another trip.

Complicated itineraries on frequent-fly points may be better worked out by telephoning your airline's loyalty program to talk to a real live agent rather than wrestling with the robot computers on-line.

Thanks so much for the replies! I haven't bought the tickets yet and am still working on the details... But I'm thinking probably 2 to 2 1/2 weeks. It's a shame I cant go earlier, because I'd really like to visit Cinque Terre. I can't imagine hiking those trails to be all that fun in November.

Hi Angela, I feel your pain with booking with frequent flyer miles! Try some of the smaller cities like Verona and Pisa. Sometimes it is easier to get flights going in to those cities. And if something is "almost" working, try just calling the airline and be very nice to the agent. Sometimes they are able to see open segments we can't.

If you end up flying into/out of Milan, consider just booking a flight to Naples. They usually are usually well priced.

My preference is to end the trip in the city I am flying out of (so in your case, starting south and working back towards Milan). But I think with 2 1/2 week, you will have time to get to Naples/Pompeii/Amalfi coast.

Latest update, I discovered that if I go one week earlier then I can fly into Rome, and out of Milan! And looks like the trip will be about 14-15 nights, not including travel. Should I spend a night or 2 in Rome before I head south to Naples or Sorrento? Ive been to Rome before, and I'm trying to avoid spendy big cities... But I don't know how I'll be feeling after 17+ hours of travel. Anyone know of a quaint little place near Rome that I can use to get over jet lag?

At this early stage of planning my itinerary is looking like this: 4-5 nights in Sorrento. 2-3 nights in Orvieto. 2 nights in Assisi. 2 nights in Ravenna. 1-2 nights in Padua OR Bologna, 1-2 nights in Milan. If I remove any of these places from my itinerary, which one(s), and which places deserve more time? And if there was some way to reasonably add in Volterra, that would be lovely... Only it seems to be a bit out of the way unless I gave up Ravenna and Padua.

Hi Angela, I am flying into Rome and heading to Sorrento in June and asked myself that question exactly-do I just head to Sorrento when I know I will be tired or stay in Rome that first night. I decided I am going to head to Sorrento since I get in the morning. I figure the first day is going to be a wash and you can't ever check into your hotel right away anyway. I am very familiar with Rome and the trip to Sorrento seems pretty straight forward. I guess only you know how you feel after a transatlantic flight. But if you think your energy level will be good and you arrive in the morning, I say go for it and head to Sorrento.

There is a Hilton off one of the terminals at Fiumicino. Not exactly the Rick Steve way to travel but if you get in at night and are worried you will be tired, that may be a good option for you. Then you can just head to Termini well rested in the morning.

It's a long trip from Rome to Sorrento. First, train from FCO to Rome, then train to Naples, then the local Circumvesuviani to Sorrento. Each is about an hour ride, plus wait time. I can't imagine trying to do that after a long-haul flight. Bite the bullet and stay overnight in Rome, get a fresh start the next morning.