Looking for Advice on Anniv Trip-Italy Itinerary

Hi Summer!
Gosh, wanting to see it all is a problem newbies to The Boot run up against a lot!

As tempting as it is, though, I think just Venice and Rome are going to be enough for 6.5 days. Realistically you will have 2.5 days for Venice, and 3.5 days for Rome: arrival day is only a partial, and you'll lose another 1/2 day transferring between Venice and Rome. Morning of departure will be lost getting to the airport and whatnot.

I wouldn't cut a day out of Venice as your first partial day may be a jet-lagged fog of simply getting acclimated and you really need your 2 remaining full days to explore that one. I also wouldn't cut Rome down as there's SO much to see there that, IMHO, 4 nights/3.5 days is really the minimum it deserves. I've had a total of nearly two weeks there over 3 different trips and am STILL finding fascinating corners to poke at!

It may be years until you are able to make the trip again but it's not as if you may never go back? With so little time, I personally wouldn't use up another 1/2 day getting to an additional location or scrimp on two of Italy's most interesting cities. You definitely wouldn't want to do the Amalfi as it's much too far, would waste time backtracking to Rome, and needs at least 3-4 days to do properly.

You don't need to worry about the language: both Venice and Rome (and Florence and many other cities/towns) are well used to hosting tourists from all over the world, and most in the hospitality industry speak fluent or at least passable English. It's polite to learn the "manner" words/phrases (good day, thank you, please, etc.) as those are always appreciated and are FUN to say. :O)

Based on your travel time, you will have 6 full days on the ground. Bear in mind that with each change you lose 1/2 to 3/4 of a day between packing and checking out, getting to the plane or train, traveling to the new destination, finding your accommodation, etc., etc. - and that assumes everything runs on time, you don't get lost, etc., etc.
I think with your minimal time, the Cinque Terre is out - it will take you most of a day to get there from Venice and I think you would spend all of your time in transit. Now, could you squeeze in a night in Tuscany? Yes, but it that time has to be taken from either Rome or Venice so I'd take it from Venice. Thus, your plan might look something like this:

Fly into Venice Friday.
Saturday in Venice.
Sunday- morning in Venice, mid afternoon train to Siena.
Evening in Siena.
Monday morning in Siena. Mid afternoon train to Rome.
Monday night through Thursday in Rome.
Home on Friday.
Not sure where you're coming from in the U.S. so also bear in mind that you will, more than likely, be jet lagged on Saturday. So, this begs the question - is seeing some of Tuscany worth the trade offs? That's entirely up to you and how you want to spend your time. With such a short time on the ground however, I'd suggest keeping it to just Venice and Rome so you can actually maximize your time there - both cities have more than enough to keep you happily entertained and fed allowing you to maximize your actually time "doing" and not "traveling".

I agree, Venice and Rome could easily fill 6 days. You could always do a day trip from Rome to Ostia Antica for a more quiet day. Orvieto is also lovely, but would eat up most of a day (or more). October is a great time to go. Should be warm, but not hot. Congratulations!

Joining the parade here: Venezia and Roma will fill the time you have.

Another one in the ever-larger parade. You can tick more boxes, but you can't make more than 24 hours in a day. So, if you have more than 2 destinations in such a short trip, you'll merely have more time in transit and less time for sightseeing - ironically, defeating your goal of seeing more by having more destinations.

Sunday isn't a sightseeing problem; museums are open, usually normal hours. Some stores are closed, and some transit runs less frequently. The big issue is that while trains run on an almost-normal schedule, buses between cities can be sharply curtailed. Restaurants close one day a week, and many of them choose Sunday, but plenty of places are still open; as long as you don't have your heart set on a specific place, you'll be fine. Particularly if you stick to Venice and Rome, your days will work fine. This, by the way, is one more reason to just see two places on a short trip - it makes sightseeing logistics much easier. The Borghese Gallery only has tickets for one of the four days you're in Rome? No problem - unless you cut your Rome time to two days, and the available tickets aren't for either of those two days.

Agreeing with Kathy, Becky, Zoe, and Harold: two cities is enough. tell yourselves you WILL be back and enjoy what you can in the two cities. You'll want more of each of them as well.

Lol, thank you all! At least I'm not faced with too many varying opinions. :D

Honestly, I posted this on another site as well, and the majority said the same, with only a few suggesting a in-between in Perugia or Spello, so I have my answer.

I truly appreciate all the quick responses, and now I'm feeling more confident about going ahead and getting flights! So excited!!!

One final question, and I'll leave you alone (for now). I was thinking into Venice, out of Rome. Is there any reason I should reverse the route?

I was thinking into Venice, out of Rome. Is there any reason I should
reverse the route?

Nope. You're good. In fact, you're really good with that plan as a lot of international flights out of Venice leave early in the morning. Depending on where your hotel is, that can create some expensive issues getting to the airport.

You're going to have a great time!

No. Rome is more hectic, so it's probably better to end there when you'll be more adjusted to the time and Italian ways.

Definitely into Venice and out of Rome. Will save money and hassle. I agree with everyone else that Venice and Rome only is the best way to go (for this trip). I always plan to go back and have.

I understand Grandma's restriction ( I am a Grandma). She's going to be pooped, but how special for them!

I hope you all have a great time, and don't hesitate to come back with more questions. Late October is a great time to go!

Mimi

PS Check out Hosteria Da Nerone in Rome (closed on Sunday) Their veal saltimbocca is great and hubby has loved everything he has had. We eat there multiple times when we are in Rome and if you come back a 2nd time on your trip they recognize and welcome you.

My only suggestion would be that Rome really only needs 2-3 nights, yes you could spend a lifetime there, but if you want to see a third place, you can...
Fly into Venice and stay 2 nights
train to Florence 1 night
train to Rome rest of trip

or
Venice 3
train to Rome 3 1/2 day trip to Ostia Antica outside of Rome for your taste of the country side

Great time of year to go!

Definitely into Venice and back from Rome. Don't even think of reversing it as you will create many problems that you really don't want to handle. We've been to both a number of times so feel free to ask away.