Last year I went on the RS Heart of Italy tour and it was great however too short a stay in all towns. In October I am going again with people who have never been. We have 15 nights. We fly into Venice and stay 2 nights. We leave from Rome and will stay there 6 nights. I loved Rome and think it deserves more than a couple of days. It's the in-between part that I'm not sure of. They only want to go to a total of 3 places and I am wondering if it is better to stay in Florence and take day trips from there or stay in a more rural area and take trains everywhere? Thoughts??
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
You may find it challenging to find train or even bus transportation in rural areas. Add a night to Venezia, keep Roma as is, and spend the rest of the time in Firenze. Easy to get to by bus and/or train: Lucca, Siena, Arezzo, Pisa, and other places. Your hotel or the TI office can help you with a vineyard tour if you want that.
Posted by
Ann Arbor, Mi
3696 posts
Lydie... listen to Zoe... I would probably even add 2 days to Venezia... that would give you to chance to go to Burano, which is a wonderful place and a nice boat trip. I love staying in small towns but I usually have the freedom of a car. There is so much to do in Florence as well as the opportunity for day trips to Pisa, Sienna, a ton of wineries, etc.... you will not be bored.
Posted by
US Pacific Northwest
10344 posts
It will be better for you too stay in Florence and take day trips from there.
With 15 nights, recommend at least 3 nights in Venice and maybe 4 nights. (3 nights in a place = only 2 full days to see the things you went there to see and do). Your current plan of only 2 nights in Venice only gives you 1 full day there. Since you have 15 nights, 3 full days in Venice (3 days = 4 nights) would be even better.
Then your 6 nights in Rome.
That leaves 5 nights sleeping in Florence, which is 4 full days, and 1 or 2 of those 4 days could be spent on 2 day trips (Siena and/or Tuscan hill towns, which you would reach by taking van tours from Florence).
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
The other way to do it is to stay in a rural area and have a car. If this interests you, Roberto has posted about the most convenient locations to stay with a car to see various Tuscan towns. (Tuscany is big enough that you should choose your home base depending on which towns you want to see). You would pick up the car at Piazzale Roma in Venice (being VERY careful of your speed on the causeway connecting it to the mainland) and drop off the car near or in Rome.
But if you don't want a car, and its attendant hassles of possible ZTL violations and speeding tickets, you should definitely stay in Florence, which has by far the best bus and train connections to other places in Tuscany. Trying to take trains or buses between smaller towns will quickly get frustrating, with long travel times to some places, need to connect to reach many places, few services per day on some routes (and fewer or no buses on Sundays), and inconvenient times (since the buses are often geared to those going into bigger nearby cities in the morning and coming back in the evening; there can be a big gap in the middle of the day).
Posted by
Atlanta
4833 posts
Agree with Kent et al. Consider at least 3 nights in Venice -- 4 would be better. If you plan to spend 6 nights in Rome, then 4 in Venice and 5 in Florence (or vice versa) would be my suggestion.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15168 posts
6 nights in Rome is quite a bit. I think you have time for a day trip to two from there (e.g. Orvieto, Tivoli, Ostia Antica, Colli Albani, even Naples or Pompeii).