Planning our 25th anniversary trip-first time in Italy-need help with itinerary and other misc.

I think you are trying to see too much in too short of time. I would strongly recommend a tour as 2016 is a Holy Year for the Catholic Church and Italy will be very crowded, especially Rome. I have always traveled on my own in Europe, but this last year I took a Rick Steves tour in Italy and it was by far my best vacation. All transportation was arranged and I didn't have to wait at the train station for a train that was not leaving on my schedule. Almost all the major attractions in Italy now require a reservation unless you want to spend hours in line. We spent 2 1/2 hours in Pisa and that was more than enough time. It will take you a lot of time just to get there and you still have to get back from Pisa so I don't think it makes sense for the time you have. I think the RS Venice, Florence, and Rome tour would be perfect for you and any extra time you have you could try and go to the Amalfi Coast.

I also feel your plan is too ambitious for such a short time frame. Does the 10-11 days include your two flight days? I don't believe you'll have time for the three main cities you mentioned as well as the Amalfi Coast. IMO, something will have to be dropped. You'll have to decide which one is the least important. One possibility would be to start in Rome, move to Sorrento to use as a base for the Amalfi Coast and then fly home from Naples. There are many other possibilities.

Well, it's your 25th anniversary (kudos for that!), you're traveling to Italy for the first time, in the wonderful fall season, and you have identified all these fantastic places you want to visit. The best answer is so clear: you need to find another 4 days or so, and make all this work! Enjoy!

our goal is just to see some highlights of Italy and have a relaxation time esp in the Amalfi coast area

Unfortunately with 10-11 days -- especially if that includes travel days to and from Italy -- you cannot see the highlights and relax with this itinerary. Assuming you have 10 nights (better to plan by # of nights in locations), if you must go to the Amalfi Coast, plan at least 3 nights. Rome deserves at least 4 nights, so that leave 3. Where to spend them? Pick one, Venice or Florence. Skip Pisa. It is not worth the time on such a short trip.

We have been to Spain so we do not have to see more churches or museums

Yes, but you haven't seen the Italian ones: Borghese Gallery, San Luigi dei Francesi, The Accademia, The Guggenheim, Frari Church, Scuola San Rocco....

FWIW, traveling on your own -- which we always do -- takes a lot of time for orienting yourselves to new locations, figuring out local transportation, dealing with language, etc. If you do decide to do a tour, you will see more in a short time than you can on your own, and perhaps that relaxation wish can be fulfilled as the tour guide does the planning and organizing and you don't have to decide anything except what to have for dinner. But pick a good one. The guy who runs this website has a good rep. :-)

Laurel and your husband make an excellent point: If you really want this many places in such a short time, a package tour would be your best bet. That way, you can spend your time/energy sightseeing, and maybe catch some rest on the bus. The tour company will get you from place to place far more quickly than you could on your own--which means you can see more things and cover more territory than you would on your own.

Pick carefully because tours vary widely. I've not take an RS tour, but friends/family speak highly of them. Universities, museums, and alumni groups are also good sources of quality tours. And if you want some flexibility, pick a tour with a fair amount of free time. On a fast-paced tour, be careful of statements about "seeing" something... you may only see it as you drive by; if something is essential, make sure you actually are going to have time to explore it.

Oh wow--thank you so much for all the quick responses! I agree with everyone that I have to pick only 2 or 3 places.
However, knowing how my hubby is-he won't spend half a day in one church/museum or site (maybe 2 hours top) so I think
that I can maybe plan:

2 nites in Venice
3 nites in Florence
3 nites in Rome
2 nites in Amalfi--which place is easier to get to? Positano?

Or maybe I should ask which place can we go where we can just relax, go lay by the beach and/or enjoy the scenery--it doesn't have to be Amalfi coast but something comparable...

I also agree that a tour will be helpful!
Thanks again!!!

lm,

Positano is not easy to get to as there's no rail line. Keep in mind that each change of location will require at least half a day, and in some cases more. That means a two-night stop will actually only allow one full day in that location. Not much time for you to "just relax, go lay by the beach and/or enjoy the scenery". IMO, it's hardly worth the effort it will take to get there.

I also agree with Laurel that skipping Pisa would be best. If you want to make a day trip from Florence, Siena would be a more worthwhile destination. It only takes about an hour each way by Bus. There's also Lucca if that appeals to you.

I'm not sure a packaged tour will be a good "fit" for the occasion. For one thing, it may be difficult to find a tour that covers the specific places you want to see. Also, rather than enjoying the occasion, you'll be at the mercy of the tour schedule. If you do decide that a tour might work, the 10-day RS Venice / Florence / Rome tour would be a good choice, as they allow a good amount of "free time", so you could have a bit of time on your own as well. However, if you sign up for that tour, the Amalfi Coast won't be possible unless you add more time to your trip and go there at the conclusion of the tour.

Bottom line - some compromises will have to be made.....

Well, if you're truly limited to 10 nights in Italy, here's another idea that might work for you:

3 nights in Venice;

3 or 4 nights at an agriturismo or other rural lodging, a little outside of Florence, with a pool and beautiful Tuscan scenery. Here you could relax, but also go into Florence for a day, and/or to other Tuscan towns, even Pisa. You would need to find the right place that allows easy access by public transit, unless you are willing to drive a rental car, which many do in Tuscany. (Maybe someone on this forum can suggest such a place, sorry but I cannot).

3 or 4 nights in Rome.

This combines the features you are looking for, without so much moving around and the many hours traveling down to the Amalfi Ciast area and back.

Remember that two nights in a place only really gives you one full day of getting to know that city and its diverse sights, and also that every time you move from one lodging to another you give up from half a day to almost a full day in moving, when you include packing up, checking out and in, getting to and from to the stations, waiting for the trains, and then the travel itself.

I believe there are organized day tours that go from Rome to the Amalfi Coast for a day, but that would be a long drive each way, and more of a glimpse than a relaxing visit, I would think.

An organized tour would be great, but I expect many tours of this length, like the basic RS tour, would include Venice-Florence-Rome, although maybe someone here can suggest something that would also include the AC within your time frame.

FYI, I have friends who took one of the very long day tours from Rome to Pompeii and the Amalfi coast; it may have also included Vesuvius. It was more than a 12 hour day from Rome and back, but they really enjoyed it. I don't know what tour operator they used, but they booked it through Viator (an agency that sells tours for many companies). So if you did a Rome, Venice, Florence trip, that would be a way to get the Amalfi coast in.

I think leave Venice out of the equation if you only have a couple of nights to spend there. Or otherwise rearrange things so that you have three nights.

It takes a little while to get a handle on Venice, to learn how transport works there (water bus), to figure out how not to get lost.

Avoid taking any tours in Venice. I have seen them, a mob of fifteen or thirty people limping along after a guide, the pace being determined by the slowest person in the group.

It is not hard to plan this trip for yourself. The Italian train system is excellent, fast (like 150 miles per hour for intercity routes), comfortable and easy to navigate.

A tour means endless hours on a bus, getting your bags outside your door early, certainly not resembling la dolce vita.

Considering your limited amount of time, think about this: Skip the Amalfi Coast. Fly into Venice and back from Rome. Spend 3 nights in Venice, 3 nights in Florence, and 3 nights in Rome. That will still give you another night to play with. You don't want to spend time traveling from place to place (which always takes longer than one would think) when you can just settle into a place for 3 or 4 nights and enjoy.

Or maybe I should ask which place can we go where we can just relax, go lay by the beach and/or enjoy the scenery--it doesn't have to be Amalfi coast but something comparable...

The Amalfi coast has stunning views. It has stunning views because of the dramatic cliffs. Consequently the beaches tend to be small if they exist at all (use a search engine and look at images people have posted, see if they are what you have in mind for your vacation). Below the cliffs of Sorrento, for example, the "beach" area is floating docks. Beaches are also small up in the Cinque Terre. But at least CT is in the general Florence area so you could go there and stay in Monterosso.

A flat beach area with lots of sand and room to stroll along the water is the Adriatic side of Italy, not as easy to reach for the most part, and less visited by english-speaking tourists. Have you thought about starting your vacation in Nice for a few days to get some beach time, then fly to Rome? Although with only 10-11 days total this would be too rushed.

I don't think the Amalfi Coast is a worthwhile consideration unless you can find a minimum of 3 nights.
With 11 days (10 nights?) I would look at something like this...
Venice - 3 nights
Florence - 4 nights (with day trips to Pisa+Lucca and Siena)
Rome - 3 nights

Like other posters, I'd cut down on the number of stops. Assume you're going back! (Lots of people figure it's a one-and-done, but once you're hooked ...) On a short trip, I'd skip the Amalfi coast. I really like having some "down time" away from the big cities, but would prefer to do it in a small town instead of at the beach. Yes, beaches are great (and in Italy, very picturesque), but for a soak-in-the-sun experience, why not the sand of Florida or Hilton Head or Mexico -- on another trip. I'd also skip Pisa unless you just have to have that picture at the Leaning Tower.

Two smaller, though not tiny, cities that we think are great are Siena and Orvieto. Oriveto is a quick, easy, day trip from Rome, and in some parts of town you feel like you've stepped into the Middle Ages. Food is excellent, too -- try the boar.

You also mentioned ruins. Not only does Rome itself have incredible ruins, a quick day trip to Ostia Antica provides a lot more.

Have a great trip!

Yes, you'll see plenty of ruins in Rome near the Colosseum (sp?) so no worries there.

Why not really enjoy your trip and pay for the professional services of a travel agent? CN Traveler has a list every year of agents they recommend. They know much more about Italy than you do, because that's their job.

I absolutely encourage you to invesigate taking a rick steve's tour as a solution to your needs.
Happy Anniversary!