Hi, Thanks for all the info! I'm thinking I may need a new strategy and change hotel resv for where to go in what order - ALL by train. ORIGINALLY, we fly into Rome (3 days), train to Florence (3 days) rental car to Lucca (hotel resv 2 PM)(for 1 day Pisa/Lucca and 1 day Cinque Terra)rental car to Cortona(hotel resv 2 PM)(middle of, for 1 day Siena and 1 day Assisi) and then back to Florence to return rental car and then train to Sorrento (3 days) then back to Rome to fly out. Now, I'm convinced NO RENTAL CAR and wonder what makes the most sence for those destinations, in what order. I did check train stations and there is a station at each destination (not necessarily where we have hotel resv) we want to visit. With your experience, what would you suggest for order of cities to visit to make it less time consuming for travel/backtracking, etc. and makes sense with what we are doing. We're not leaving until Oct 12th and would have time to reschedule hotels, etc. THANK YOU SO MUCH for your input. Judy
Posted by
Denver
787 posts
IMHO, that's a lot of moving around for an itinerary that includes several 2-night stays, and even more of a hassle when you're traveling by train. We had a rental car when visiting Umbria/Tuscany, so I don't have any actual information, are there convenient trains or buses between Cortona, Siena and Assisi? Personally, I'd skip Lucca and Pisa and spend two nights in the Cinque Terre (even though I do really like Lucca; it's an interesting non-touristy city). Even that is only one full day, and you'll have a long day to go from the Cinque Terre to Cortona. Consider skipping the Lucca/Pisa/Cinque Terra piece or the Cortona piece, and split that time between your other destinations.
Posted by
Carbondale, IL, USA
1201 posts
put the rome portion of your trip at the end to avoid having that last lonely night before the flight. So land and then immediatley train to somewhere else. Either Florence or Sorrento, then work your way back to end up in Rome.
Posted by
Pa and Italy
4152 posts
You itinerary is a little confusing to me. I think you're trying to do way too much in too short a time. Some of the cities you wish to see are very far apart. I would spend 4 nights in Florence with a day trip to Pisa, 2 nights in Siena, 3 nights in Sorrento and 3 nights in Rome. I would take the train to Florence first and end in Rome. donna
Posted by
Los Angeles
425 posts
Here's a sample itinerary: Arrive Pisa Airport. Train to Cinque Terre (1 or 2 nights). Cinque Terre to Pisa by train (brief stop, leave luggage at train station). Pisa to Florence by train (4 or 5 nights). Day trips from Florence to Siena, Arezzo or Cortona, and Assisi by train. Florence to Naples by AV train, connect to Sorrento (3 nights). Sorrento to Naples to Rome by train (3 nights). Depart from Roma FCO. ALTERNATE: Florence to Assisi by train (1 night) Assisi to Rome by train, connect to Naples, connect to Sorrento (all by train). www.ferroviedellostato.it (Trenitalia trains) www.vesuviana.it (Circumvesuviana train Naples/Sorrento)
Posted by
Texan in CA
4407 posts
Judy, the way I read your ORIGINAL 'rental car plan' is to stay in Lucca for 2 nights (?) in order to make 2 day trips to Pisa and CT, and Cortona for 2 nights (?) for 2 day trips to Siena and Assisi...Correct? That's definitely not an efficient use of time.........It's a little hard to make suggestions without knowing exactly what you want to see and do...Are all of these places non-negotiable? If so, then we can help you with the order of the cities. If, for instance, you only wanted to go to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower [and it was a MUST for me on my first trip - a guilty pleasure ;-0 ], then you could make a quick stop in Pisa on your way from Rome to Florence, for example. No need to waste an entire day getting there and back, and/or staying in some town for the night just because it's close by...Everybody has given you some good advice to think over...