Itinerary Questions (too rushed?)

I think that it is way too ambitious to visit 4 places in 6 days. If I were you, I would eliminate at least 1 of the stops, possibly even 2. Since you said that you're not planning to spend much time in museums/churches, I would eliminate Florence. Otherwise, I would eliminate Cinque Terre, since I think that both Rome and Venice are not to be missed. (Either are the others, but I think that for a first trip to Italy, Rome and Venice are better bets.)

I would spend a minimum of 2 nights in each location, ideally 3.

I hope that helps.

Anna, next year will be my fourth trip to Italy, and I am treating myself to a whole week just in Rome, instead of the usual few days booking ending my holiday. I firmly believe in, and advocate, slow travel. There is no point in wearing yourself out and overloading the senses in a whirlwind trip. I would reduce your plans to two places only. Yes, it is safe to snooze on the train, but enjoying the view is more interesting.

I agree, it's too rushed. Your first day in Rome you may be too jetlagged to do much. It takes a lot more time than you realize to travel from city to city and check in to a hotel. Cut out Florence as suggested and add an extra day to Rome since your first day in Rome is your arrival day.

You have six nights. I would suggest 3 nights Rome then train to Venice for three nights. Fly home. While it might be possible to do your proposed itinerary, it will be way to rushed and you will be exhausted and not enjoying things. It takes more time than you think to get from point a to point b. Packing, checking out, getting to the train and the getting to your new hotel and checking in ususally takes a big chunk of your day.

Yep, too rushed. I second the idea of three nights in Rome, three nights in Venice. If you need/want to see a beach while you're there, you can go either to Ostia Lido near Rome, or the Lido outside Venice.

Thanks everyone for all your suggestions! Had a feeling I was stretching it - guess I just got overly excited. :)

Nothing wrong with a little ( ok, more than a little ;=) ) enthusiasm Anna. You should be that excited before a trip like this. In fact I'm excited for you....lol.

I agree that you should slow down though. I admittedly am partial to Rome, and I think that you'll miss so much of what it has to offer by blowing quickly through it. Take the time to savor what you're experiencing, and seeing and I think you'll get so much more out of your trip. In my book anyway, it's quality over quantity when it comes to travel. Have yourself a great time over there!

Anna
You are trying to squeeze in too much. You'll be on the train. I would suggest splitting your time between Room and Florence. Florence is 1 1/2 hour Euro Star from Rome. You won't be rushed. One thing that slows you down when you are first visiting these places is finding your way around. Any help or recommendations let me know.
Fred

Thanks for all the help. The impression I got from the RS book is that 2 days in Rome would be ok, but from everyone's suggestions, I should spend more time there. I'll probably do 3 days Rome, 2 days Florence or CT, and 3 Venice.