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Itinerary help, please....will this trip 'wow' my husband and sister?

Posted by on

Hello, fellow travelers!

Next May, my husband, sister, and I will travel to Italy. My sister will stay 12-14 nights and my husband and I will stay longer. My husband and I have been to Rome, Florence, and Venice a couple of times. My sister doesn't have the travel bug in her DNA like I seemed to have inherited at birth so I jumped at the chance to take her to Italy when she expressed interest in going to Tuscany, particularly. I've been thinking about, and researching, this trip for a while now and I believe I have it down to something I'm happy with, but with lingering questions. So I reach out to you. Keep in mind that my husband, sister, and I mostly want to relax, eat good food, drink good wine, see beautiful scenery, stroll through several hill towns, and simply enjoy our time together. This trip will be more about soaking in our environment than going to palaces and museums. I'm eager to put together a beautiful trip for us. With that in mind, may I show you my skeletal itinerary, toss in my lingering questions, and ask you guidance? I value your input from personal travel experience. Thanks so much!

Italy May 2018
Travel Day - Delta from Atlanta to JFK to Venice. How can we not take my sister to Venice, right?
Night 1 - Venice
Night 2 - Venice
Night 3 - Venice
Travel Day - Venice to Cinque Terre (Vernazza). Take the train through Milan to CT or through Florence to CT?
Night 4 - Vernazza
Night 5 - Vernazza
Night 6 - Vernazza
Travel Day - CT to La Spezia to pick up rental car. Make our way to the next lodging location stopping in Lucca and Pisa along the way.
Night 7 - Tuscany - agriturismo base one
Night 8 - Tuscany
Night 9 - Tuscany
Night 10 - Tuscany - agriturismo base two
Night 11 - Tuscany
Night 12 - Tuscany
Night 13 - Rome
Night 14 - Rome
Sister flies home.

Lingering questions
1. Does early May tend to be on the cool and/or rainy side?

2.With time at a premium for my sister, I thought of cutting one night from Venice however I'm a tad concerned about jet lag. She would drive a couple of hours to Atlanta, then we fly to JFK, then on to Venice. We would arrive mid-morning, check in, etc. I feel like we'll be zombies day 1 in Venice. We want to visit Murano and Burano as well.

  1. CT is the one debatable item on the list. My husband and I want to go but, more importantly, we know that my sister will love it. It's a bit of a haul from Venice and that's why I listed 3 nights there. It will be late afternoon, or early evening before we arrive. It would make matters simpler to go from Venice to our agriturismo in Tuscany, but wouldn't it be cool to show her CT on the Med?
  2. Big lingering question - If we keep CT on the itinerary we would pick up a rental car in La Spezia and head to our next lodging location in Tuscany. We would make stops in Lucca and Pisa along the way. If we do that, an agriturismo outside of San Gimignano or Siena might be a good stopping point for 3 nights. If we omit CT from this trip, then an agriturismo in Chianti (or outside Siena) might be nice for 3 nights. Without a doubt, we will stay in an agriturismo outside Pienza for 3 nights. My husband and I thought having two bases in Tuscany - one outside Pienza for sure - sounded better than one, but we could be wrong about that. We know we want to visit Volterra, San Gimignano, Siena, Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino. A day trip to Florence and a nice drive thru the Chianti region would be nice as well. With those places in mind, that's why two bases sounded good to us. (Admittedly, a week at Agriturismo Cretaiole sounds amazing as well.)

Well, there you have it... It's a start. I sincerely welcome your input!!

Posted by
28462 posts

The trip sounds lovely to me. I definitely would not cut a night from Venice.

The one thing I am a bit concerned about is the sightseeing stops in Lucca and Pisa with your luggage left in the car. I gather that you've driven in Italy before; I have not. Are you confident that your possessions will be safe? Your trip has such a relaxed pace; would it cost you too much time to drop your belongs at your next stop, then double back to Lucca and Pisa? Just a thought.

Posted by
907 posts

Looks pretty good. You are right a long haul from Venice. And to get to 5 Terre you go right through Lucca if you go that way. So, find a place to stay around Lucca, do a day trip to 5 Terre, you can see many of the towns if not all of them on a day trip by train. Also do a day trip to Pisa from there. And even Florence.

Then head up to San Gimignano area. It is easy by car to do Volterra, Siena, Monteriggioni, Certaldo, and even Florence by train from that area.

Pienza is a great place too. Don't forget some Umbria locations, like Orvieto, Assisi, or even Perugia and Spoleto.

I like May as a travel month in Italy. Don't worry about the weather, it is part of the experience. Take it as it comes but also take a rain jacket.

Posted by
1175 posts

We took friends to Italy for their first trip into the country, and did that same day trip, leaving Vernazza.

We got a car in La Spezia, did the requisite photos at Pisa, walked the wall in Lucca and ate lunch, and drove into our agriturismo, Borgo Argenina, outside of Castellina in Chianti for a late afternoon walk through their vineyards. And without GPS.

We had a delightful day !

We have been to Italy in May 4 times and September 3 times. Our weather in May has usually been nice - hiking the CT in shorts and short sleeves - but it has been a "spring cool" where we needed a sweater/zip up for evenings.

Can you stay for 3 nights at Cretaiole ? Or do they want a week ?

Posted by
87 posts

Hi, Carla. Cretailole wants a week. I really appreciate the feedback I'm receiving. Thanks!

Posted by
87 posts

Hi, Gordon. I really want to visit Umbria too, specifically the places you mentioned, but I thought it might be a bit much. Perhaps, not.

Posted by
1175 posts

Our travel with our friends started in Rome, train up to Vernazza, and then the car and travel through Tuscany before dropping the car in Florence and enjoying Florence.

Posted by
87 posts

Thanks, Carla. We almost did that but my husband and I couldn't get away from the thought that my sister needed to see Venice. I know a much simpler trip would be Atlanta to Venice > Venice to Chianti or Siena agriturismo > Chianti or Siena agriturismo to Pienza agriturismo > Pienza to Orivieto (drop off car) > Orvieto to Rome. That would leave off CT, Lucca, and Pisa. But oh the pain of leaving them off!

Posted by
11851 posts

I like your plan! If anything I would add a night to Venice, not subtract one. But you don;t have sufficient days to do that so keep the three nights. Three nights in Vernazza is perfect. We did the Venice to Vernazza train trip in our first Italian voyage years ago. I liked that day. Several train changes, lots of great scenery, some napping and visiting. What's not to like about a train day?

In your place, I might consider one base in Tuscany for five nights and add a night to Rome. Saves one move and Rome can always use more time.

Buon viaggio!

Posted by
87 posts

That's encouraging, Laurel. Thank you. We were only toying with the idea of two bases in Tuscany because we knew we wanted to stay near Pienza, but thought it would be a long day leaving Vernazza, visiting Lucca and Pisa, then moving on to Pienza. That's when a second base/agriturismo near San Gimignano/Chianti/Siena sounded reasonable to us. The trek may not be as bad as it sounds. Many people on this site have made a week at the Agriturismo Cretaiole near Pienza sound amazing and I must admit I'm impressed with what I've seen or read about that whole experience. That's when my real struggle began when thinking of my sister's trip -- leave out CT and have a amazing 'experiene' at Cretaiole or keep CT in the picture and not stay in that part of Tuscany as long so my sister can have variety. My husband and I are flexible because we'll stay longer. We're closer to retirement that my sister is. :-)

Thanks for your other suggestions as well, Laurel. That's helpful. Oh....did you take the train from Venice through Florence to CT rather than go through Milan?

Posted by
4105 posts

Is there a reason why you couldn't visit the Ct from Tuscany?

Try this.

Arrive Venice.
3 nights.
Pick up car, drive to this Agriturismo which is very centrally located. 2H45 min.

http://www.borgorapale.it

Apt Pietro. 2 bed 2 bath.

Stay 5 nites. Everything, is less than an hour from here, other than Assisi. 1H30 min. and Volterra 1H10 min.

Drive to La Spezia 2H45m, on the way visit Pisa and Lucca, drop car, train to Vernazza 15min. Spend 3 nights.

Train to Rome. 3 nights.

You're still spending the same amount of time traveling, but it's broken down into 3 almost equal segments.

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