My husband and I (early 60's) are planning a trip to northern Italy in May 2011 and would appreciate suggestions for an itinerary. We definitely want to see Venice and Florence, and are interested in Lucca, Sienna, the Cinque Terre, and perhaps a visit to one of the lakes. Comments on these or other towns of interest would be welcomed. We can't do a lot of long walking (for example, the whole of the Cinque Terre) but are pretty energetic and are at ease with fast-paced trips, as we like to see as much as we can without it all being just a blur. We do want to visit the major museums and cathedrals but are also interested in seeing some beautiful countryside. We can fly into one city and out of another (probably Milan and Venice). We did a wonderful trip through Switzerland this past September and loved traveling by train but have traveled in England and Scotland by car. Please feel free to offer comments as to pros and cons of trains vs car in Italy. If you can suggest good hotels and restaurants (hotels preferably under $150 night double but know it will probably be more in Venice and possibly Florence) that would be helpful, though I will post again about those once the itinerary is set. Thanks so much for sharing your expertise and experience! I look forward to your replies. For me, a large part of enjoying a trip is in the planning!
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Vernon, Canada
32212 posts
Chris, With a time frame of only two weeks, I suspect you'll need to drop a couple of the destinations that you listed. While it would be feasible to visit seven destinations in 14-days, by the time you factor in the travel times between places you'd only have a day or two in each place. That would certainly be a "fast-paced trip"! Especially as you're want to "visit the major museums and cathedrals", you'll need to structure your time accordingly. IMHO, train is absolutely the quickest and most efficient travel method. Travel by car will take longer and will be more of a "hassle" (especially in Florence). I'd suggest you have a look at a copy of the Italy 2011 Guidebook, and try to narrow down your list of destinations a bit. Good luck!