Newbies Itinerary

Thanks everyone for your comments. I am now thinking of reversing the route and doing Venice first and Rome last. Ken - LOL Yeah it's a bus to Civita. Roberto- but my itinerary calls for more time in each of the big cities than you recommend. 3 1/2 days in Rome, 2 complete days and 4 nights in Florence, Venice 1 1/2 days. Maybe we'll take out the Amalfi Coast. Or stay in Naples and skip the Paestum. I'll keep working and refining our itinerary. Thanks again.

JoAnn, I'm not sure you're realizing how much time you're going to waste each time you change locations. Figure at leaat a half day, and most of the day when you're covering signficant distance. You need to pack, check out, find the train or bus station, allow time to find the right track, travel to the new city, and then repeat the process upon arrival... allowing some extra time for getting lost, missing local transport, etc. I'd suggest you go to the Deutsche Bahn website and figure out how much time each train trip will take. Then add time for all the other activities. I'm not sure how May 1 is possible, unless you are very lucky and sprint to and through the sites. Plus, May 1 is labor day in Italy. When I was in Rome a few years ago on May 1, all city transportation (except taxis) shut down by mid-afternoon, and there was a surprise strike that closed all the sites of imperial Rome; not surprisingly, finding a taxi was nearly impossible; I ended up walking a couple of miles to a major hotel and having them call a taxi to get me across town to my hotel. With 13 days, I'd recommend no more than Rome/Naples/Sorrento/Amalfi, OR Rome/Florence/Venice (and actually, I'd do fewer locales than that in 13 days). My only other suggestion would be to visit Orvieto from Rome; it's well worth the trip, but it's about a 1 h train trip from Rome; takes longer from Florence.

JoAnn, I may as well be the first one to say this - your proposed Itinerary is FAR to busy for a two-week time frame! I'm not sure if some parts will even be possible? Of special mention are your plans for May 6th. If I read correctly, you're planning to take the train from Florence to Orvieto (about 2 hours), WALK to Civita di Bagnoregio (which is about a one hour trip by Bus each way), return to Orvieto and tour St. Patrick's Well and then return to Florence (another 2 hours). I don't know if that's possible, but I seriously doubt it. I'll have another look at this in the morning when I've had some time to think about it. Good luck with your planning!

i have never been south of rome so i can only add so much. i have been to italy 4 times in total maybe 12 weeks. it seems too long in rome, and maybe too little in florence and venice. siena should not be missed and pisa is really just a quick hit. florence, siena and venice should be savored slowly as well as the surrounding hill towns. i would never miss the vatican and st.peters. florence is my favorite city in europe and the uffizi could take half a day if you wanted it to, not to mention seeing michael, the bridge and the viewpoint. have fun, be safe.

May 1-3: too busy. I suggest you go Naples and Pompeii, Rome, Florence, Venice (working north) with side trips WHEN THERE IS TIME. Why Salerno? Sorrento makes sense, but you have only two weeks for this trip. I suggest you save Sorrento and the other southern part of this trip for another time.

Agree with the others, too busy. Not enough time in Florence. Skip Pisa. BIG disappointment, unless you've got so much time that scratching an itch and being disappointed won't cost valuable vacation days. Seriously, minimum two full days in Florence a MUST! After that a day-trip to Siena is O.K., but not at the expense of a one day trip to Florence.

Hi JoAnn, in 12 days I covered between Rome and Amalfi only and it was a jam-packed itinerary that had me walking 12+ hours a day, bleeding feet, staying up late, getting up early, etc (and I was under 30 at the time and had plenty of energy) - I spent only 3 days in Rome, day and half in Naples, couple of days in Capri, a day in Sorrento, a day in Pompeii, and a day trip on the Amalfi coastline and that took up all my time. My advice would be to give at least 3-4 days in any large city (Rome, Naples, Florence) - there will be plenty of folks here who are fearful/disliking of Naples, but I'm here to offer a contrary view - it deserves more than RS walk, it's a huge city and very interesting. Is there any chance you could cut out Paestum? That would save you going all the way to Salerno and backtracking. Step back and make a list of how many places you are going to in 12 days - 3 large cities alone would take you that much time, never mind the smaller towns and villages. It's great to have a mix of urban and village but it seems that you are really trying to do too much in one trip - trying to cover Rome, Florence, Naples, Venice, Pisa as well as the other stuff is wayyyy too much. Skip Pisa for sure, as others have said. Look at Rick's tours to Italy and see what an organized trip can accomplish in 12 days - you'll be less efficient than an organized trip so use that as your guideline.

I agree you are trying to do too much. Logistically it is possible but I feel like it would be hard to really enjoy yourself at some points in the vacation. I would stick with take the basic skeleton (Rome, Florence, Venice) and you could easily spend two weeks there. You will not be bored. And you can easily do a lot of day trips from those cities (Pompeii from Rome, Assisi/Siena/Pisa from Florence, Verona or Bologna from Venice). If you really wanted to add another city for a home base, I would just pick one. I think 4 nights in Rome is appropriate, especially since that is the first leg of the trip and you will be tired. It is also the week after Easter so the city will still be crowded. I agree that Pisa is a disappointment and can be skipped. IF you end up doing it, it can be very quick.

JoAnn, I agree with the feedback you've received so far that your itinerary is really busy. Your strongest memory of your trip to Italy will be of endless trains, ferries, and buses. It's tempting on a first trip to try to squeeze in all the terrific places you've dreamed of visiting, but it reduces your experience to a very rushed, tiring checklist of "We saw this, and this, and this, and this. I'd suggest starting in Venice because it's a slower paced city that is easier to enjoy after a long overseas flight. There is also no traffic to dodge and duck, which is also a good feature for jet-lagged tourists. Plus, the boat ride from the airport to the city is a great way to arrive in Italy. Give Venice 2 or 3 nights, and then use the train to reach Florence. This is another pedestrian-friendly city. You can pick and choose from among all the various churches, galleries, palaces, and so forth, but I'd suggest spending some time just strolling so you can admire the beauty of the city as a whole. One smaller town such as Orvieto would be great for a night or two. End in Rome. This is a big city with traffic, public transit systems, and an extraordinary ion of sites and restaurants to visit. In place of the archaeology museum in Naples and Pompeii and Herculaneum, you'll find plenty of Roman ruins and related museums in and around Rome. A day trip to Ostia Antica or Hadrian's Villa would be inexpensive and far less crowded than the ruins at Pompeii. Travel home from Rome is easy because public transit to the airport is available at all hours. Let us know how your itinerary develops.

As everybody already said, too much in too little time. Rework the itinerary, and when you do, consider these recommendations: 1. I generally recommend to fly into Venice, work your way south on the ground and depart from an airport in the south (Rome or Naples) to return to the US. The Venice airport is a pain to get to from the city, especially in the early morn hours (when your return flight is likely to depart). Rome airport or Naples airport are just 30 min from the city center. Venice is also ideal to get acquainted with the time zone difference after you land. You will be jet lagged. 2. Count nights on the ground not days. List each night and where you will sleep that night. 2 nights equal one full day at that location. 3. Wherever you stay, consider sleeping in the same place at least 2 nights. Changing hotels too often is a time waster. It's better to base yourself at one hotel and take day trips from that base. 4. As a rule of thumb, you should spend an absolute minimum of: 2 nights in Venice (one full day in Venice) 3 nights in Florence (2 days in Florence or one in Florence plus a possible day trip to Siena or Pisa/Lucca or wherever in Tuscany)
3 nights in Rome (2 full days in Rome)

JoAnn, How exciting for you to be going to Italy. You don't say how old you and your sister are, but your itinerary looks great and ambitious. I would have only one suggestion - allow some time to just...walk. Look around! Your itinerary seems very museum and travel heavy. Yes, Italy has a lot of treasures and they are worth a look, but perhaps balance some "inside time" with some more "outside time" - especially in April and May. Doesn't Rick say to "live like a temporary local?" Enjoy!

I agree with other posts - very busy itinerary. You will waste a lot of time getting too and from airports/train/bus stations. I think you should factor in more time just to sit or walk around and savour being in Italy - watch to local streetscape while enjoying a gelato/coffee. Sit on a bench and breathe the atmosphere. The museams and art galleries will be there for a few more centuries I think.. Enjoy - magnificent country.

JoAnn, I'm a museum nerd so I don't think I would suggest cutting the major museums you want to see, but unless there's a particular piece of art you are interested in, you might drop the Domus Romane. I do suggest reversing your itinerary (you're already thinking about that) and reshuffling some of your daytrips (Orvieto is easier from Rome than from Florence, for example). Also, stay in Sorrento rather than Salerno. I would skip Pisa unless you have to see the Leaning Tower, spend that time in Florence or on a daytrip to Siena. You've got some afternoon and evening walking-around time, which is good.

JoAnn, Just to clarify my previous post (it was "late" when I wrote it), the usual method for reaching Civita di Bagnoregio is to take the Cotral Bus from Orvieto to Bagnoregio and then the small Shuttle Bus from there to the base of the bridge at Civita. I've found that the Shuttle sometimes operates on a "variable" schedule, so getting back to Bagnoregio may involve walking! In any case, walking from Orvieto to Civita is not a reasonable option. Cheers!

Thanks everyone. Yes I am thinking of reversing the whole schedule but I'm waiting for my sis to get back to my with her preferences before I go any further. She had a grandchild over for a week so she didn't have time to look at the schedule. For the person that asked our ages, we'll both be in our early 50's when we take the trip next year.

Oh, that's reversing it but taking our everything south of Rome. Maybe adding Siena. Venice - 3 nights Florence - 3 nights Siena - 2 nights Orvieto - 1 night
Rome - 4 nights.

Not sure if you need to spend a night in Orvieto. You don't need that long to visit it and it's an easy day trip from Rome (70 min each way). Unless you want to couple Orvieto with a visit to Civita. Siena can be visited in a day. It can be done also as a day trip from Florence (75 min each way). But of course spending the night in Siena is also nice.

I agree with Roberto that you CAN see Orvieto or Siena as day trips, but staying overnight in one or two smaller, quieter towns is a nice change of pace. Plus, these towns feel very different when the day-trippers have all gone home.

Anita that is exactly what I was thinking. We're not city girls anyway so I thought it might be a restful time for us. I figure riding the train back to Florence from Siena would take as long as checking in to a new hotel in Siena. Gotta wait to talk things over with the sis though. Thanks,
JoAnn

I would add the Orvieto night to Siena. With 3 nights in Siena, You now have at least 2 full days in Siena and you could use one for Siena itself and the other for a day trip to smaller town(s) in the Siena province, such as San Gimignano, Montepulciano, Pienza or any of your liking. For such day trip the most efficient way would be to rent a car in Siena for the day, that way you can hit more than one on the same trip. Or, if you don't feel up to it, you can visit at least one by bus. There is regular bus service from Siena to those villages, albeit not extremely frequent.