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Re: Most of our Time

Posted by (Rockton, USA) on

Sorry, but I need more advice. I had asked for advice back in July and I appreciated the responses. We found a great flight that will arrive in Venice and leave from Florence. We will arrive in Venice on a Saturday and will need to be in Rome, for a conference, the following Wednesday. The conference ends on Sunday and then we are free until the following Friday, when we fly home from Florence.

  1. I have read many people talk about mosquitoes; will we need to worry about that in mid September? And, which travel option would be best from Venice to Rome – train, rental car or one of those airlines, like Ryan air?

  2. When the conference is over, we thought about heading towards Sienna, Pisa, Chianti Road, Tuscany, Florence and/or Cinque Terre. (We fly out of Florence.) Should we rent a car? I read about the man who received a ticket and renting a car does not sound like fun. On the other hand, I have read responses that say to get the real feel of any of the above-mentioned places - it is best to spend the night, so a car offers flexibility.

  3. When my husband researched hotels in Pisa, most of the reviews said that they were "PITS". Are the hotels in Pisa really “PITS”?

  4. Should we leave off the Cinque Terre because we would be rushing too much to enjoy anything or do the opposite, see Cinque Terre and miss everything else? I wonder because right now I am moderately handicapped, but it is progressive. As time goes on, I will become more handicapped - at this point, on most days I can walk but I do not know when that will get worse and everyday is different. So I am not sure how much more travel is in my future.

I would appreciate any ideas. Thank you so much. This trip means a lot to us, we have saved hard for it and really appreciate the help.

Cindy

Posted by
2092 posts

Hi Cindy, I'm so glad you're going!

Re: #1. I've never had problems with mosquitoes but I take a small bottle of mosquito repellent just in case (Sawyer is a sunblock with insect repellent, deet-free).

2: I'm too nervous to drive so when I go w/o my husband, just my girlfriends, we just take trains or busses.

3 & #4: Cinque Terre is a favorite of mine; I would go back every year if I could! Pisa, hmmm, I've been twice and probably will never go again. I wouldn't even consider a hotel there. You, of course, may love it. The Cinque Terre? I'd stay there every second that I could! Just realize that there are quite a few stairs.

Posted by
14 posts

Hi Cindy!

Wow - sounds like a great trip!

I just got back from a whirlwind tour of northern Italy and have been to many of the places you hope to visit (except for Rome). I agree with Darcy: CT is fabulous! And I wouldn't recommend staying in Pisa.

We went to Pisa for a couple of hours, and that was plenty of time to see what we wanted to see. We stopped there on our way from Tuscany to CT. So if you decide to go to CT, you could do it in reverse - stop in Pisa for a couple of hours on your way back to Florence. If you don't go to CT and stay in Florence, you could see Pisa on a day trip. The Field of Miracles was very beautiful and I think it's definitely worth seeing, but not worth spending more than a few hours there (although that's all we saw of Pisa - there may be some other lovely things to see).

We loved Florence, and then we went to Siena and loved it even more (and then went to CT and loved it even more!). I don't know if you'd have time to include CT and still enjoy Florence, Siena, and Tuscany (and feel relaxed and not rushed) -- just because of the travel time up to CT. I think you'd have to choose between CT and Tuscany.

If you choose Tuscany and want to visit the wine country, it would probably be easier to have a car. If you'll be returning your rental car in Florence, you'll have to find out how and where to return it so you don't get ticketed. Once in Florence, I'd drop off the car immediately and then walk or use public transportation for the remainder of your trip. Everything in Florence (city center) is very compact and easy to walk to.

CT was extremely relaxing and absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous. We stayed in a private room in Riomaggiore and had almost no stair-climbing. I've heard Monterosso is more flat than the other towns, but it had more of a beach-resort feeling and we liked Riomaggiore much better.

If you'd like the contact info for the room where we stayed, send a note my way.

Posted by
2207 posts

Cindy - looks like you've already got some great advice! I'll add my thoughts and experiences!

1 - Yes, we just started getting mosquitoes in Rome this last week so do bring some repellent. Easy to find here but a little expensive!

1B- Take the train from Venice to Rome, it's under 4.5 hours on the Euostar. It's a very comfortable ride and you can leave from downtown Venice and arrive in downtown Rome!

2 - I would rent a car (but I drive here often) and hit the hill country. You can go by Deruta, Orvieto, the Prada Outlet, SS22, small hill towns, wineries, olive oil farms, etc on your travels north. Although CT IS BEAUTIFUL, I think you'd be stretching your time to try and do both areas justice, especially with the limited time you have.

3 - Just would not stay in Pisa... it's a one hour trip by car or train from Florence so I would just journey over and back - maybe working Lucca in instead of CT. But IF YOU ARE GOING to CT, I agree with Chrissie and would just stop on the way!

4 - Again, I'd come back NEXT YEAR and see the CT with only 6 days. Finishing in Florence gives you time to see the town and make your airport connection without running from place to place.

Good luck and wherever you go, you'll have a great time!

Ciao,
Ron

Posted by
800 posts

Ron gives you great advice especially on:

1-VERY easy train travel from Venice to Rome. I wouldn't do it any other way.

2-We love driving in Tuscany - so many wonderful small towns that are easy to drive. In many of them you will park outside the walls and walk into the city. So the driving is not really bad. Its not for everyone but we've driven 3 times now and really don't mind. I would suggest you end up in Florence so that you can drop the car before you enter the city.

3-Pisa is nice for a few hours. Friends of ours stayed in Lucca (a MUCH more picturesque city) last year and just did it as a day trip.

4-I have not been to the CT and I realize that everyone raves about it. But I can't imagine that you would not be just as happy spending your 5 days wandering Tuscany/Chianti. Maybe someone who has been to both can give you a better idea of the mobility issues but having a car in Tuscany enables you to have lots of flexibility. Even for us - pretty active 50-year olds - we find that traveling takes its toll so we love the slow easy pace that we find ourselves in when we've been in Tuscany. Up in the morning, drive to the 1st picture perfect town, wander around, eat a marvelous lunch, back to the B&B for a nap, swim, wine & cheese that we bought earlier, drive to the 2nd picture perfect town for a walk & dinner, drive back savoring a wonderful day!

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