Suggestions for Italy in April and some questions

Since you're flying in and out of Rome, I would save Rome for the end. How about this itinerary?

-Fly into Rome
-Bus Rome to Siena (3 hours)
-2 nights Siena
-Bus Siena to Florence (1 hour)
-2 nights Florence
-Train Florence to Venice (2.5 hours)
-Venice 2 nights
-Train Venice to Rome (4.5 hours?)
-Rome 3 nights (one day Forum/Coliseum; one day Vatican; one day explore)
-Fly home from Rome

Or you can skip Siena, take the train Rome to Florence (1.5 to 3.5 hours depending on the train), and add 1 more night to Florence and Venice, or one of those cities, and a 4th night in Rome. 9 nights isn't much, and flying in and out of the same city means you'll have to backtrack, but if you've never been to Italy before, seems to me these are the cities with which to start.

To check train/travel times, visit www.trenitalia.it/en/index.html. And as for language, the Rick Steves Italian book will have you covered, but I do advise a few hours of study in the book beforehand. The key is to not be afraid to try.

Buon viaggio!

PS: Afraid the multi-country idea, with just 9 nights and a flight in and out of Rome, is almost certainly NOT workable.

Attempting France, Austria & Switzerland, in addition to Italy, in your 9 total days--this is not even close to being feasible. Enjoy Italy.

1) Maybe 2 days Venice, 3 days in Florence, 1 day in Pisa, and 3 days in Rome. This will also depend on the actual times you arrive and depart at the airport. Use the train system as much as possible, it's very efficient (as long as there's no strike!) 2) With only 9 days, traveling outside Italy will really limit what you can see and experience. Italy is not a place you want to rush. 3) As long as you study enough, two English speakers should get along just fine. Try the tour if you feel more comfortable, but you may feel less free to do your own itinerary. 4) The trenitalia site can give you better times, but it also depends on what type of train you use. 5)Take tons of pics and enjoy the cuisine!

Ciao - some good suggestions, but do know and plan that if you are leaving on April 14, your last two days will be Easter Sunday AND Easter Monday (April 12 & 13)... which are days when many businesses and restaurants are closed. Most of the tourist venues are open but Rome will be very crowded (and a little "inactive") on those two days!

Thanks for the replies so far - very helpful. Very good to know that some places in Rome may be shut down on Easter & the following day.

Hi Jeff!

My husband and I will also be in Rome on Easter weekend. This is my first time as well. I don't know if I did the best thing, but I was VERY concerned with the crowds over Easter weekend. A well traveled family member said we were absolutely crazy for trying to see Rome during that weekend. Anyway, I went on www.tickitaly.com and booked tours at the Vatican and the Colosseum for that weekend. I was very concerned about the closing and thought that Saturday would be a crazy day to try to see something if I was not with a tour. I don't know that this was the best thing to do...but it is a suggestion. Have a great trip!

Karen

I was with a tour group that was in Rome leading up to Easter. We actually left Rome Easter afternoon.
We were scheduled with the tour to visit the Vatican on Sat morning. Good thing that my sister & I did that on Thursday on our free time or we would not have seen the inside at all! It was closed to the public for preparations for Easter Mass. I would suggest doing Rome when you first arrive, then head out to whichever cities, Florence, Venice , Orvieto,
that you want to see. Have a Great Time!

Thanks Karen - we will probably see Rome that first weekend and a day or two, and then be elsewhere for Easter weekend.

Jeff - for train schedules (the best way to travel within Italy), www.raileurope.com is a great reference. You can type in departure/arrival and they will give you an accurate schedule. I wouldn't buy tickets ahead of time through this website, but just use as a reference to plan your trips. Trenitalist (Italy's national rail) has an English website, but I find raileurope to be easier to use and has the same information.

Sounds like Gio has the best plan.

Greg

Doesn't it depend on what experience you want? Some version of Rome - Florence - Italy will probably be best if you want to experience the most condensed and significant art, architecture, history bang for your buck. If you want to have a more relaxed experience, maybe you would go to southern Italy/Sicily and just hang out, see local sights (probably still amazing) and soak up the atmosphere, wine, food, and (hopefully) sun. (As you can probably tell, I am trying to decide which type of trip I want). Good luck!