My husband finally said

I'd even wait till October.

Maybe 3-4 days on the Amalfi coast?

Florence is easy to get to by train (1-1/2 hour ride). If you love art, especially sculpture, it is not to be missed. There are nice day trips from Florence: Sienna, San Gimignano, Lucca, Pisa.

Venice is another 3 hours by train from Florence, and not as tempting in summer. And you'd still have to get back to Rome, as I sense open jaw flights are not your first choice.

Back to Rome, there are lots of day trips: Orvieto, Hadrian's Villa and Tivoli, Ostia Antica, Pompeii.

The good news is that after he's been, he is sure to want to go back!

Go in September. Cities tend to shut down in August when the Italians all take the month off, and Rome is hot, humid, and crowded with tourists. Most people would suggest Rome & Florence, which would be fine. If you want a smaller city experience, consider Rome & Orvieto, 1 hour away by train.

Rome obviously has the big sites: Colosseum, Vatican, etc. as well as more off-beat things like Trastevere and the catacombs. Do a day trip to Ostia Antica, 45 minutes to the south.

Florence is the capital of Renaissance art, so if you are interested in David, etc. it's an obvious choice.

Orvieto has some interesting places like the striped Duomo and St. Patrick's Well. It's also a cute, small city that would give you a different feel than the bigger tourist areas.

Thanks for the advice. I don't think I can talk him into October. We usually travel in July and Dec. Open Jaw would be fine, but he prefers direct flights whenever possible- and right now I think Rome will be the only USAir destination from Charlotte. We love good art- though I prefer it in situ rather than in museums. We also enjoy great natural landscapes and history. Florence is a big possiblity, but I am open to lots of ideas as we are just in the exploring stages- what about Tuscany? Milan? also- I'd appreciate any ideas about day trips from any/all destinations.

Toni,

For a trip of 14-days, I'd suggest focusing on Rome and the north this trip. Using open jaw flights would be the best idea if possible. You could fly into Rome and return from Milan or Venice (or vice versa).

Plan to spend at least 4-5 days in Rome, as there's LOTS to see. Some of the other destinations to consider are Florence, Venice, Lago di Como (Varenna), Siena, Orvieto or the Cinque Terre. There are almost unlimited possibilities on places to visit, but you'll need to be somewhat selective given the short time frame, and the need to allow for travel times between cities.

Have a look at the Italy 2010 Guidebook or some of Rick's TV shows to get some ideas on places you might like to visit.

If you can convince your husband, I'd most definitely suggest waiting until September.

Good luck with your planning!

Almost every church in Italy has painting and sculpture, much of it by the masters. Much of the sculpture in Florence is "in situ" though of course many works are in museums too. If you aren't driving, it will be pretty hard to tour the countryside (e.g. Tuscany) unless you want to take guided tours or a private guide/driver. Florence, Siena, and San Gimignano are all in Tuscany. From a base in Florence you can take buses to Siena and San Gimi, but I think it would be unwise to try to see them both in one day using public transport.

Again, from Rome, you can easily spend 3-4 days on the Amalfi coast without a car.

I would also suggest flying into Rome & then traveling north & flying out of Milan. I would definitely stay 14 days (you lose 2 entire days traveling to/from the U.S. so stay as long as possible!). Based on 14 days, I would spend 5 days in Rome, including a day trip to either Ostia Antica, Tivoli or Orvieto.

Next, I would visit Florence & stay there 3-4 days. I think 2 days in Florence itself is good & then 1-2 day trips to Siena and San Gimignano would be nice. Since you prefer not to rent a car, you won't be able to visit many other Tuscan towns.

Next, the Cinque Terre for 3 days & finally Lake Como for 2 days. You can leave from Lake Como directly for the Milan Malpensa airport.

As for when to visit Italy, my vote is for September. We were there for the first 2.5 weeks in September this year & the weather was perfect. We did encounter some rain in the Cinque Terre but overall the weather was good. I would definitely avoid July & August for the reasons already stated.

You could also opt to do Rome - Florence - Venice instead & then fly out of Venice if possible. Your options are endless. I would suggest getting Rick Steve's DVD's & basing your itinerary on whichever places strike your fancy. Have a great trip. Be forewarned...Italy is habit forming & you will definitely want to return over & over again.

Of course, try to take as many days as possible I agree with more than one city. Which and where depends on your interests.

If you particularly like Renaissance art, then include Florence. I'm not sure that I would say most sculpture there is in situ (the Bargello is full of pieces that are not), but most (all?) of the more well-known churches do have significant pieces of art.

We always include time in the city and rural areas in the countryside. If you're interested in that kind of trip, then you could visit Rome, rural Tuscany, and Florence. From there, if you must, you could take the train back to Rome for your last night.

Re the timing, September is much better than July or August. We gone a number of times in the mid-September range. There are definitely fewer tourists, and the weather tends to be great. Warm enough to eat dinner outside, but cool enough that you don't get sweaty during the day.

I agree with Liz. Your airfare cost may be better in September. Italy can be hot and humid but not air conditioned and you'll be walking not driving in air conditioned cars to air conditioned places. Amalfi is gorgeous if you want beautiful water views. Orvieto is an wonderful charming replacement/addition for Tuscany and VERY easy with public transportation. Florence is the center of the Renaissance. Ostia Antica is a great day trip from Rome if you enjoy ruins and decide you can't make it to Pompeii which really is a hard day trip. Venice is a magical place but expensive and a bit too commercial. Open jaws flites are the best time/cost value Lucky you!

Is there some reason other than habit that you usually travel in July and December? Truly, you don't want to go to Italy in July. May or late September are much much better.

I justy retired from being an assistant principal in a middle school. July was the one month I could vacation without using my leave time (July was and unpaid month). In Nov/Dec I took a week of leave because we both felt we needed it then and because we fell in love with Christmas markets. Now, because he has been taking his vacation time at those time periods, he is rather stuck with that pattern at work. He will have to "negotiate" with others to swap vacation time- they "sign up" WELL in advance. Also- he is "used" to that time and it worked well for other places we traveled, family, etc. and he really doesnt' like change... so.... I am working on him and hope he can work it out at his job. How is Nov/Dec in Italy? We don't mind damp (but don't want steady heavy rain)and I would think that the crowds would be somewhat smaller. Are many attractions closed then? Are there Christmas markets like in Austria, Germany and the UK?

"How is Nov/Dec in Italy? We don't mind damp (but don't want steady heavy rain)and I would think that the crowds would be somewhat smaller. Are many attractions closed then? Are there Christmas markets like in Austria, Germany and the UK?"

I've been to Italy twice--first week of December, and last 2 weeks of November. And it was GREAT!!

Often you hear complaints of heat, humidity, crowds, high prices, etc. all of which seem to disappear in the winter (no lines at the Vatican Museum!). Italy is not quite as warm as you might expect--I found Rome to be in the mid 50s to low 60s. Florence was noticably colder. Obviously, going south will be warmer.

Both trips we had days of gorgeously blue skys and sun, and days of what I would call 'normal' rain. You probably won't get steady heavy rain unless you are unlucky. The forecast for this week is generally sunny with temps from 40-58, which is about normal in my experience.

In Rome, Piazza Navona hosts a nice Christmas market with lots of interesting things. I'm not certain when it starts, but it was running the first week of December when I went to Rome, but was NOT running the week before Thanksgiving on my second visit.

Most attractions will be operating, although very likely with shorter hours, unless they are in very small towns or in outdoorsy type places like the Cinque Terre, in which case they'd be closed. We found just about everything up and running in Orvieto.

I wouldn't want to give up those warm lovely evenings in Italy where you dine outside, people watch, take your evening strolls and look at the fountains and buildings with the soft lighting.