Itinerary Suggestions for 1st Trip with 19 year old son

Kathleen,

Your proposed Itinerary looks reasonably good, however you'll need to allow some travel times between destinations so some "adjustments" will probably be necessary.

I don't have a lot of information on cooking classes, but I'm not sure whether too many will be operating between November and January (the locals will probably be more concerned with Babbo Natale and La Befana at that time of year).

Happy travels!

When the adjustments start, Bologna, Assisi, or Perugia is golng to fall through the crack. Hold on to Perugia.

I recently found this great article on Fodor's.com..it is not specific to Italy but has some great tips - I bookmarked it for when mine are a little older :) http://www.fodors.com/news/story_3725.html

What fun! This will be a great trip for you and your son. I have taken numerous trips to Italy with teenagers of varying talents and abilities. Crowds should not be bad when you are going to be in Italy so that will be good. I would like to offer some other places to think about visiting. Have you thought about Siena instead of Assisi, etc. I have been to all of your small towns with teenagers and adults and all my travelers have always claimed Siena to be their very favorite place in Italy,(even over Rome, Florence, and Venice). Also, have you thought about visiting Venice at all. I know it can get a bad rap but there is so much "art" everywhere in Venice - inside, outside, all around. Venice is small and easy to walk around to the main sights and fun to wander around. Now, just thinking, the weather might not be the best in Venice during the time you plan to visit but.... it's still unbelievably beautiful and like no place you have ever seen!I must say I love Assisi but Siena is so much more unusual and interesting. You will both have a great time in Italy no matter where you go. Have a great trip!!

Kathleen, your itinerary looks good. If it's in the order of how you're travelling, it looks like you're flying into Rome and out of Bologna--an open-jaw flight schedule. Four nights in Rome is good considering jet lag on the first day. If your son gets tired of Rome, you could take a 1 hr. train trip to the hilltown of Orvieto. It's a small, quaint town with a beautiful church and no crowds. Since you're staying 4 nights in Florence, are you taking a cooking class while you are there? Others on this forum have taken buses to towns in Tuscany or have gone to Sienna for the day while staying in Florence. At least travelling in the off-season you won't have to deal with the heat. Depending on when you do go, you might be able to enjoy the Christmas Market at the Piazza Navona. There's not only decorations and food but it also features street performances, mimicry, a carousel and Santa Claus in his grotto. Have fun!

I had thought about Venice. My main concern was that I've heard that there can be a lot of standing water at that time of year. Is that not true?

I had definitely planned on a day trip to Siena from Florence. Would Siena be a better base than Florence for Tuscany?

In terms of a more authentic experience would Bologna or Perugia be better? I need to fit in at least the better part of a day in Assisi (that's the one piece that's mostly for me).

"My main concern was that I've heard that there can be a lot of standing water at that time of year [in Venice between November and January}. Is that not true?"

Rick's information is that, on average, there's some flooding in Venice about 100 times a year. Flooding is more frequent in November and March.

Flooding in Venice occurs when winds blowing from the south (Egypt) combine with high barometric pressure over the southern Adriatic Sea to push the sea water toward the sea's northern end (where Venice is).

This news article describes what happened during the Venice floods of December 2008.

Even if it does flood, it's usually not as disruptive as the December 2008 flood, and doesn't need to ruin your entire Venice trip.

But if it does happen when you're there, it can become a factor that both locals and visitors have to workaround and adapt to. The flooding causes the crowds in certain areas to be worse, because people cluster on benches put down for the flood or in other places where the water isn't so deep.

And the market price of Wellington style rubber boots will go through the ceiling!

Kathleen,

I wouldn't recommend Venice this trip, for two reasons:

a.) It's somewhat "distant" from your other sites, and therefore it will add somewhat to your travel times. With only 12 days "on the ground", you'll need to minimize travel times as much as possible.

b.) That's probably not the best time of year to visit Venice (with or without flooding).

Cheers!