My husband and I will be travelling to Italy for the first time. so I am using this forum to see if I am being realistic or not and to request some suggestions. so first of all. We are totally flexible in our timings since we are now retired. I am planning to fly from Toronto to Venice... stay there 3 days, then go by train to Florence for 3 days, day trips etc, then back on the train and on to Rome for 7-10 days. from Rome we would like to do an overnight trip to Pompeii. Is this realistic for us, or am I stretching things too much?
Next question, can anyone recommend a good place to stay in Florence and Pompeii. By looking at posts here I have figured most of the rest out, but these are still mysteries to me. thank you Mary
Posted by
Tampa, FL, USA
1054 posts
7-10 Days in Rome sounds like a lot to me. Even if you use 2 for Pompeii you still have a lot in Rome. You could take a day away from Rome and add it to Florence and use that day to day trip around to a Tuscan Hill Town. Or use 2 days to add a stay at Sorrento sicne you will be down in that part of the country already.
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Spending a night or two in Sorrento can give you a chance to see Pompeii as a daytrip, and the Amalfi Coast the next day. Are you planning to fly out of Rome? That would be more efficient than backtracking to Venice.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Depending on what time of the year you're planning on doing this, I also like the idea of two nights in Sorrento. I would also suggest staying adding one more stop to your itinerary - a smaller hilltop town for a couple of nights (shave those off Rome), to have a different kind of experience. You might consider Orvieto, since it lies between Florence and Rome.
Here are some photos I took in Orvieto in May 2011, in case you're interested in it. It also makes an easy daytrip from Rome, as an alternative.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32404 posts
tornado,
Your proposed Itinerary looks reasonably good, but I'd suggest a few changes. Some thoughts.....
- Venice: 3 nights is about right (IMO). Be sure to plan your touring carefully so that you don't waste any time, as there's a lot to see.
- Florence: as you plan on making day trips, I'd suggest adding at least one night to Florence. There's also a lot to see there. Some of the day trips you could take are Siena, Pisa, Lucca or even the Cinque Terre (although a night or two in the C.T. might be nice, depending on your interests).
- Rome: although I like Rome, 7-10 nights seems a bit long, even with day trips.
Rather than stay in Pompeii, I'd suggest using Sorrento as a home base for a few days. It's a very easy day trip from there to Pompeii using the Circumvesuviana train. You'll disembark at Pompeii Scavi station, and from there it's only about a 5 minute walk to the site. You might consider hiring a Guide as you'll learn far more about the history. There are often Guides hovering at the entrance, or you could use one listed in the Guidebook.
As this is your first trip to Italy, I'd highly recommend packing along a copy of the Italy 2014 Guidebook. It has an enormous amount of information on sightseeing, hotels, restaurants, transportation, etc. and will be a valuable resource. It will probably save you some money and may help you to avoid some problems.
There are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of when using public transit in Italy. If you need more information, send me a PM and I'll forward my usual "boilerplate" on the subject (they should also be covered in the Guidebook - I haven't checked recently).
Regarding your hotel question, there are lots of good suggestions in the Guidebook. One that I'd recommend in Florence is Katti House B&B but it would be HIGHLY advisable to book early! If you need suggestions for Sorrento, post another note and I'm sure the group will have lots of good suggestions.
Happy travels!
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11852 posts
Hi Mary. What time of year are you traveling? I'd recommend 6 nights Rome and make your trip south 3-4 nights, but that is somewhat dependent on the season. Since you have flexibility, "shoulder" season of April-May or late Sept-October are probably the best choices. Sorrento allows you to see more than just Pompeii and is a delightful little city on its own.
We like Venice so very much, I'd recommend 4 nights there. I've written about two recent trips in my blog which may give you some ideas beyond the usual sights. (We've now been to Venice 4 times and will go back in April.)
Let me go out on a limb and say since you have flexibility and time perhaps you can expand your trip to three weeks. Once you are here with the investment in airfare made, stay as long as you can and don't rush. That way you can add a few more days in Tuscany.
We generally travel for about €250 per day for lodging (goals is €100 max per night), food (€80 per day average), admissions, and transportation. We could trim the budget if we picnicked more or cooked in our apartments. If you need advice on trimming the budget so you can stay longer, please ask. Lots of ideas in the forum on that topic!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
7 posts
Hi Mary,
I agree with the others, 7-10 days in Rome is a lot (and hotels in Rome are much more expensive!). Have you thought of the Amalfi Coast/Sorrento area or from Florence you could add Cinque Terre or somewhere in Tuscany (or do day trips to those areas) . Sorrento to Pompeii is an easy day trip. Pompeii is literally just a train stop - so nowhere to stay around there. The shopping in Sorrento is amazing- Florence shopping does not compare!