For a two week trip what order would you do this in and how much time would you allocate in each location for a first time visitor who likes villages and local culture with a little art too?
Also how would you travel between locations?
Posted by
Seattle, WA
1317 posts
Hi Dianna,
May I first recommend that you check out Rick Steves' Italy 2009 book from your local library? That will give you a great overview.
Next, Rome and Venice are cities, while Tuscany is a region. You'll need to narrow down your interests in Tuscany or you'll spend the entire two weeks there! One of the major cities in Tuscany that "everyone" visits is Florence. With two weeks, you'd have enough time to fit in a smaller town or two.
The order of your visits will likely depend on what you get for flights. We often recommend people consider open jaws (also called multiple legs) flights, where you would fly into one city and out of another (into Rome, out of Venice, for example). Another factor to consider is the time of year you will be traveling. Venice in November might experience flooding, while August in Rome is hot and humid.
If you have 14 days, you will lose a day on either end for travel, which leaves you 12 actual days. I would probably spend 4 nights in Rome, 2 nights in Florence, and 2 nights in Venice. That leaves you four more nights to visit other areas of Tuscany such as Siena, Lucca, Chianti, and so on. I like to stay at least two nights in a particular location, so I get a truer sense of the place.
As for getting around, it depends on how much time and money you want to spend, as well as your tolerance level for crazy driving. Generally people use the trains in Italy. They are fast, plentiful, and fairly cheap. Cars, especially in big cities like Rome and Florence, are nothing but trouble (and they aren't allowed in Venice). Unless you have nerves of steel and intend to go somewhere far off the beaten path, I'd stick to the train.
Hope this gives you some ideas!
Posted by
Norfolk, USA
255 posts
Dianna....
I would also recommend the open jaw route. That way you are not back tracking and losing sight seeing time. I would also recommend flying into Venice and out of Rome due to difficulties in trying to make an early flight out of Venice (vaporetti often are not running early enough to match flight times). You might want to consider making Florence a home base for touring the Tuscany region. You can make day trips to Siena, San Gimignano, Lucca, and Pisa easily through bus/train routes or on tours. I do not recommend renting a car unless you are staying on the outskirts of Florence. Driving in and out of Florence (and parking) can be difficult due to the Limited Traffic Zones.
I recommend 2 nights in Venice and 5 in Rome with the rest spent in Florence/Tuscany. Train travel between Venice/Florence and Florence/Rome is easy and relatively inexpensive.
Do get Rick's book on this subject and a second one to also use to figure out exactly what interests you.
Have a great trip!
Posted by
Chicago, Illinois, USA
586 posts
Hey, Dianna! Liz's advice is excellent, IMO. In terms of itinerary, one must see Roma, of course, but it's by no means my favorite stop on your tour (big, chaotic, expensive, without great public transport that reaches all corners of the city). That being said, the Ancient sites and the Vatican, they're one-of-a-kind, right? Thus, with two weeks, if it was me (I also like "local culture with a little art, too"), I would consider something like this:
-Fly to Roma
-Roma, 3 or 4 nights
-Roma to Siena via bus (3 hrs)
-3 or 4 nights Siena, using Siena as a base to explore other Tuscan towns via public bus, private guide, or car rental
-Bus to Firenze (1 hour)
-3 or 4 nights Firenze (as cities go, my favorite! and the art and river and architecture and culture--wow!)
-Train to Venezia (2.5 hours or so)
-3 or 4 nights Venezia, the most unique city in the world!
-Fly out of Venezia, home
This would give you the locales you've identified, and enough time to get beyond the obvious tourist stops in some of the places, too. Just one last note: two weeks really would be enough to start in the south, flying into Naples, and see Sorrento, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast, too, before heading north to Roma, Tuscany, and Venezia. But you'd have to have some 2-night stops, as well. A compromise--all depends on the type of trip you're seeking, a survey trip, or a little more time at each place.
Feel free to checkout my blog for restaurants, hotels, detailed itineraries, etc. for the cities you're planning to visit: http://moltogentileitalia.blogspot.com.
Buon viaggo!