Revised Italy Itinerary 2017

You should get a second job designing tour itineraries. Obviously you've worked hard to plan your trip, and you've done a very good job. No changes are warranted.

I hope you will take it as a compliment when I "borrow" some of your itinerary ideas as I make our plans for next summer. Very nice.

Thank you David and MP,
That's very kind of you. Yes, MP please use any of my itinerary to help with your plans. I know how hard and time consuming it can be to get as much as you can in and not be overwhelmed. I think we'll have to make another trip for Southern Italy. I have some ideas Hee-Hee.

TwinMom--did you get an apartment on the Campo piazza through AirBnB? In February we're staying at an apartment owned by the close-by Hotel Campo de' Fiori. Looking forward to taking advantage of the market every day!

Hi Jay,
Yes, we got a 2br/2ba just off Campo dei Fiori and are looking forward to the daily market and Antico Forno (bakery). Also, will be trying Roscioli's for dinner one night.

If you would like a dinner recommendation for Florence, the wife and I really enjoy Ristorante Sasso di Dante on Piazza delle Pallottole (just off Piazza del Duomo on the southeast end of the Piazza). Their bistecca tagliata alla arugula and their gnocci are really good.

Save dessert because Gelateria Edoardo, the most amazing gelato in the world, is right around the corner.

And if you need a quiet place to decompress from the crushing crowds in Rome (assuming the weather is nice), head to Villa Borghese gardens for some shaded peace and quiet.

In Florence, the Boboli Garden behind the Pitti Palace (a worthy visit in its self) also offers quiet respite but admission is charged (unlike the Borghese gardens).

Your revised Itinerary looks "busy", but doable. You may find that especially for the first few days when you're getting over jet lag, you may not be able to do as much as planned. Give it a try anyway.

On 6/2 it's good that Piazza Navona is the last stop, as there are lots of good restaurants in that area. One thing you might consider is to try restaurants in the back streets near the Piazza, rather than right in the Piazza. You'll probably find that as you walk near the sidewalk restaurant seats in the Piazza, you're constantly badgered by waiters trying to entice you to sit down. While I can understand why they're doing that, I find it annoying and will generally patronize less "pushy" establishments.

While in Venice, don't sit down for a coffee at any of the restaurants that have sidewalk patios on Piazza San Marco with high brow musicians playing, unless you have LOTS of money. HERE'S an example of that. When I was there last year, some of them were charging €19 for a cup of coffee and cocktails were considerably higher. If you sit inside those same restaurants it will be much cheaper (my last coffee inside Caffe Florian at the Bar was €5).

And if you need a quiet place to decompress from the crushing crowds
in Rome (assuming the weather is nice), head to Villa Borghese...

See Tuesday 6/6 on the itinerary

TwinMom great job! BUT I am not seeing any food tours?? Suggestion: add an evening Walking Food Tour in Rome (that could be one of your TBD dinners?). The Twilight Trastavere by Eating Italy is fabulous! Another fun night activity in Rome is the Forum Of Augustus light show (just walk up and by tickets, the whole show is outdoors).

I am very interested in the Vespa Tour in Florence, can I ask your age and the age of people in your party? I am 51 and don't want to do anything too risky that could cause injury and possibly ruin the rest of my trip.

<<Fellow Twin mom

Looks like a great plan! You obviously did plenty of research and have designed a sensible plan that sees most everything in your stops. I think the plan is overall not very rushed and you should have ample time to explore Rome, Florence and Venice in this plan.

From the crowds I saw 2 weeks ago in Venice and how annoying a tour group would be there, even if only 12 people you would have to pay me to take a walking tour of Venice in a group. Florence too but the crowds there although bad feel a little more manageable in the busy areas.

Both places are easily done self touring and walking around on your own.
I am more of a self explorer though and came away from this past trip with more of a dislike for tour groups than I have had in the past.

Doing what you envision before checkout on 6/8 could be tough, but having never been to Orvieto I really cannot say.

So glad to see you will visit The Bargello in Florence. We were there in May and there was NO ONE there, which was just so odd since it's fabulous. Five minutes away the Academia was mobbed, which really caused me to reflect on how much more incredible the experience is when you have a place to yourself.

Also, wanted to recommend you check out one or more of the rooftop hotel bars in Florence. We went to Hotel Cavour, which was incredible. After a day of sightseeing in the press of tourists, it was so wonderful to be up above the whole city with view of the Duomo and bell towers having a lovely drink in the fresh air in such a scenic spot. (I might even rate it higher than our Tuscany vespa tour, which I did enjoy though.)

So glad to see you will visit The Bargello in Florence. We were there
in May and there was NO ONE there, which was just so odd since it's
fabulous.

Same here, ckroman555! The building itself is fascinating, and the lack of crowds made it that much more wonderful. T-Mom, don't miss the chapel with the Giotto fresco and oldest-known likeness of Dante in it, Donatello's David, and oooh so much more. That's not my favorite David - you'll see that one at Borghese (Bernini) - but by the time you leave Florence, you'll have seen probably the three most famous sculptures of the Goliath slayer. You'll have to let me know which was your fave when you get back? :O)

Wait...is the Accademia included in your tour? If not you'll miss David #3 but can catch the replica in front of Palazzo Vecchio.

Darn it, now you got me all excited. Sure wish I was going too!

Letizia,
I just did the Fun in Tuscany Vespa tour. They pick you up in Florence and transport you out to Tuscany where you get the Vespa's. After about 1/2 hour of practice in the parking lot they take you through the back roads to San Gimignano for a tour of the town and gelato. Then back to the winery for wine tasting and lunch. The ages in our group was mostly mid-50's down to 2 college students. There were 7 of us total - 5 had never ridden a Vespa. They were very careful with us and I didn't feel at all like I was putting my life/trip in danger. The roads did not have much traffic and there was a guide in front and in back. If we crossed a large intersection the back rider always came and stopped traffic so we could get through the intersection in a group. I think there were maybe 2 intersections like that.

Couple things, Twin Mom--

Be advised that the Mercato Centrale is more or less buttoned-up--at least downstairs at the authentic market--by mid-afternoon. The more touristy Eataly stuff upstairs might be open later, so you might want to check. If you want dinner on your first night in Florence and don't want to wait until 8:00 (when most of the restaurants open for dinner), I believe Ciro & Sons on via Giglio--not fancy but my favorite restaurant in town--opens for dinner at 6:00. Enzo and his brothers host.

We visited the Santa Maria Novella perfumery and it was wonderful. No tour, and it's easy to miss. Wander around and enjoy.

Yes, we will probably dine at Roscioli's around the corner from our apartment at Campo de' Fiori in Rome when we're there in March. Saw Zimmern's show and how much care they put into a bowl of spaghetti alla Carbonara.

Letizia,

Eating Italy sounds great. Thank you for posting that. I am adding that to my list of things to do. Their web site also says they are forming a tour for Venice, no dates yet.