First time in Italy and I'll be staying with a friend in Sorrento. For the last week 8-10 days we want to do Rome/Florence/Venice. Is that too ambitious? We want to relax and enjoy Italy and not really run around just to see the sights.
Likely going to take the train from Sorrento to Rome and that's as far as I've planned. Is there a recommended order/logic that I should follow for this itinerary. Any insight is appreciated!
Order/logic may depend on from what city you plan to fly out. Please tell us so the answers can be given with an eye to your endpoint.
8 nights: 2 places, max; With 10 nights I think you can do all three, but it will be fast-paced. Note that counting nights is preferable so you have a clear vision of how many full days you have for sight-seeing in each location. 3 nights = 2 full days.
We're flexible with our flight plan. I've booked one way into Naples and will fly out from which ever city I end up in at the end of the trip. Well, I'll book that flight once I have an itinerary set:)
You can do it. Especially if you just "want to relax and enjoy Italy" without all the normal trappings of sightseeing. Do exactly that.
In Rome go to the Tiber, Trastevere, Villa Borghese, Piazza Popolo and Piazza Novana and sit back and relax. Find a good place to sit and enjoy for a couple of days. Dinner after dark in Piazza Novana is worth it.
In Florence sit in the Piazza della Signoria and enjoy people watching over a coffee. The rear seats in the statue gallery in the piazza are also a good place to take things in. Take a walk up to Piazzale Michelangelo and kick back.
In Venice, coffee in San Marco and look at all those touristi running around. Have a drink at Harry's Bar or a pizza at De Mamo's. Giudecca is pretty laid back and if the weather is good go out to the lido and watch sunbathers. Visit the campanile on St. Giorgio Maggiore, great views of the city and the islands.
Relax and enjoy, that is what Italy is for!
Thanks for the info! So, since I'm heading north from Sorrento would it be wise to do Rome first, then Florence and Venice?
The logical order would be Sorrento-Roma-Firenze-Venezia. Note that some flights out of Venezia depart early, and getting to the airport might require a pricey water taxi.
If you plan on 4 nights Roma, 3 nights Firenze, 3 nights Venezia, you will have time to see a little of each of these four diverse locales. Travel between Sorrento and Roma is a total of about 3 hours (including transfer time); Roma to Firenze a couple of hours, and Firenze to Venezia a couple of hours. So travel and checking in and out of hotels/apartments will take about half a day from each city's total time.
That one-way, linear plan is the most efficient, avoiding backtracking, and giving you maximum time in each location. I've finished 2 trips with Venice at the very end, and that's a great place to wrap up a trip!
