So my girlfriend and I are thinking of doing a 12 day/13 night swing thru the places above September 5-18. Does this seem like a wise plan? Are we missing anything huge? Neither of us have been to Italy before, and these spots are high on our list. Each of us want to take time to enjoy places, rather than rush too much...and we're looking for advice on places in Tuscany in particular for the driving portion: Fly into Rome (Monday night we'll be flying from Geneva, since we're spending a few days in Montreux with her family) Day 1, Tuesday - Rome Day 2, Wednesday - Rome Day 3, Thursday - morning Rome, train to Cinque Terre, night in Cinque Terre Day 4, Friday - Cinque Terre Day 5, Saturday - Cinque Terre Day 6, Sunday - Cinque Terre morning, train to Florence, afternoon/evening/night in Florence Day 7, Monday - Florence Day 8, Tuesday - Florence Day 9, Wednesday - Rent car in morning in Florence, drive down thru Tuscany Day 10, Thursday - Tuscany by car Day 11, Friday - Tuscany by car Day 12, Saturday - Tuscany by car (hopefully heading pretty far south near Rome) Day 13, Sunday - return car to Rome airport, fly to Geneva Day 14, Monday - return to the US from Geneva Thoughts? (And yes, I know we're skipping Venice...just seems hard to work it into the itinerary without cutting back on other places/adding more time on trains/travelling rather than just being someplace and seeing it/experiencing it.)
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Is there a particular reason you're doing Rome for both arrival and departure? It's generally more efficient to start at one end of the boot and leave out of the other end. Better would be to start in the CT (flying into Pisa, perhaps), then Florence, then car thru Tuscany, then depart from Rome. Added bonus is that the CT are laid back enough to help you get over jet lag.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32219 posts
Chad, One point to note is that for driving in Italy, each driver will require the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are valid for one year and easily obtained at any AAA office. Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot! As you're renting the car in Florence, you may also want to do some research on the dreaded Zona Traffico Limitato areas, which are especially prevalent there. Each pass through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket, which you'll receive in the mail several months after you return home. A GPS along with a good map would also be highly advisable. Cheers!
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32885 posts
Just to be sure I have this straight, You're spending the same amount of time in 5 tiny villages and having a walk as you are in one of the top cities in the world with 2500 years of history to explore? Michael, they may be over jet lag by then after the stay with the rellies in Geneva.
Posted by
OP
Chicago, IL, USA
2 posts
@Nigel -- we love the history, don't get me wrong, but: 1. We both live in a big city (granted, not one with the history of Rome) 2. This is our one big trip this year (basically no other vacation time) 3. We're on a budget (so countryside is cheaper than the city) 4. We've both travelled before, and tended to like smaller towns/villages for a more "authentic" experience (I, for example, had much more fun in the Welsh countryside/Irish countryside than in London); and 5. We'll probably go back, and have more chances to do Rome later, but right now we're young and hiking around Cinque Terre sounds nice. But if you think it's a huge mistake, I'd love to hear arguments to the contrary....
Posted by
sauk rapids, mn
267 posts
just a thought,
we flew into milan took the train to cinque terre 2 nights, train to pisa to see tower, continued on to florence 3 nights, bus to siena 3 nights, rented car and drove to 6 different hilltowns. train to sorrento 3 nights, and then train to rome 4 nights flew out of rome. i know sorrento was not in your plans but my point is it worked better for us to fly open jaw instead of back tracking. hope this helps good luck :):)
Posted by
Columbia, MO, USA
249 posts
I'll throw my hat in the ring for one way if you can make it happen. I do agree on the village vs. big city (but, I didn't like Chicago until our daughter moved there). Train from Geneva-Milan-CT. I'd probably stay 2 nights in Vernazza, then on to Florence (3 nights good), then add a night for Tuscany (Siena, Montalcino, Montepulciano lead the list) or Rome. I'd bypass Lucca for Chianti or San Gimignano. Civita di Bagnoregio is amazing! We loved Rome, despite our aversion to big cities; it didn't hurt they won the World Cup while we were there.