Suggestions to see areas when flying in and out of Rome

You should travel in a line (roughly), and fly open jaws ("multi-city"), into Rome and out of Milan, or vice versa. To do this, use the "multi-city" option on any flight search (Kayak, Orbitz, the airline's own websites, etc). Do not buy two one-way tickets - that's much more expensive. Your order (Rome, Tuscany, Cinque Terre, Lake Como) is very logical, but you may prefer the reverse order. Rome is more intense; it depends if you want to start with that and then relax, or start with relaxing and build up to the big city. You do have to allow time for transit between your bases; they will take much of a day, since you'll have to change trains (or allow time for picking up/ returning the rental car). You can look up train routes and times (but not prices) on http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en. Take comfort in the fact that there's no right or wrong answer to your question about how much time to spend in each area. Rome has more official "sights" than the other three areas put together (assuming that by "Tuscany" you mean small towns and not Florence). But that doesn't mean you have to spend more time there - it depends on your interests, and on what you want out of this trip.

If you tell us when you're going, you'll get better suggestions.

We will be in Italy mid-May through early June,2013.

Have you already purchased your airline tickets?

The negative is we already have our round trip tickets from the states to Rome. The positive is we were able to use our airline miles!
Since we fly into Rome and cannot fly out of another city, we will have to figure out the best and least time consuming route to see the areas mentioned.

Since you already have your tickets, in your situation I'd do one of two things: 1. Break up the time in Rome, spending 2 days at each end. So, that's Rome - Tuscany - Cinque Terre - Lake Como - Rome. 2. Start in Rome, work my way north, then the day before my flight home, get back to Rome and spend my last night in town. I would not spend it at an airport hotel, for the reasons outlined here: http://www.roninrome.com/hotels-spas/hotels-and-bbs-near-the-fco-airport Either way, you'd take the train from Lake Como via Milan to Rome. The trains between Rome and Milan take 3 and 1/2 hours; coming from Lake Como to Milan will add more time, so allow for this (amount of time depends on exactly where on the lake you are staying). With high speed trains on this route (and they run every hour), the plane would actually take more time, once you account for getting to and from the airports, check-in and security, etc.

Thank you so much for your suggestions. I bet flying would take longer and certainly cost more. The idea of busy time in Rome, then more low-key traveling to the other destinations sounds inviting. Do you know anything about renting a car in the Tuscany area? Looks like a train ride from Rome to Florence is simple and fast. We would spend a day on foot in Florence and then want to get a car and get out into the country. Also looking for villages in Tuscany to base out of. Just starting to research staying in the Cinque Terre area and hope to figure out the best area to stay. Sounds like it can be extremely crowded and that doesn't sound appealing but I feel it is so unique and beautiful, I would hate to skip it. Looks like Varenna is a nice town to stay in at Lake Como. Sounds easy and enjoyable to get around by boat.
Appreciate all suggestions.

Sharon, Since your flights are "set in stone", your best bet is to make a "loop" from Rome. You could (for example) travel in this order: > Rome (2 nights?) > Cinque Terre (3 nights?) > Lago di Como (3 nights?) > Tuscany (3 nights?) > Rome (3 nights?) Tuscany is somewhat of a large area. Do you have any idea which parts you want to see? You could perhaps use Siena as a base and make a few day trips. You likely only have a few days to spend there unless you reduce your time in other areas. Varenna is a great location to stay on Lago di Como. It's easily reached from Milano Centrale (travel time 1H:03M). Do you have a preference for any of the five towns in the Cinque Terre? Many of Rick's readers prefer Vernazza, but my current favourite is Monterosso. In planning your time, keep in mind that each change of location will require at least half a day. If you rent a car in Tuscany, be sure you're aware of the usual potentially expensive "caveats" regarding driving in Italy. If you need further information, post another note. Good luck with your planning!

May 2013 sounds like a long time from now and I know I can do plenty of research and reading about different areas, but feel like it might be important to get the hotel rooms locked up once we know where we want to go. Will figure on spending beginning time in Rome and winding down as we head North. Certainly seems like Varenna is the place for us to stay on Lake Como. One down! Does anyone have anything to say about the Albergo Milano Hotel besides what reviews are on Tripadvisor? Siena seems to be a good base to see San Gimignano, Pienza, and Montepulciano. The "Palazzo Ravizza" sounds beautiful (especially a garden room) but knowing we will not be sitting around the hotel room and basically just sleeping there, makes me wonder about other options. Any off the beaten path smaller village recommendations? Enjoying the freedom of driving through the area without having to rush sounds so appealing and makes me think we need at least 4 days there....thoughts? In June of 2006, I took a train from Rapallo to Cinque Terre for a day trip. The villages were extremely jammed with people strolling the streets. It is so incredibly beautiful, but I have real concerns about the mass crowds taking the charm right out of a visit. This will be my husband's first visit to Italy and I am just not sure if Cinque Terre should be on the list or missed. If so, I would add more time to Rome, Tuscany and Lake Como.
This is wonderful having all of this advice!

Sharon, For your stay in Siena, you might also have a look at Albergo Bernini. It's "changed hands" since the last time I stayed there, but I've had a visit with the new owners and I believe they have retained the same high standards. The Albergo is in a very convenient location, and located in an 800 year old building. Having breakfast on the patio in the morning sunshine was great! Regarding Hotels in Varenna, I haven't stayed at Albergo Milano but many others here have been very pleased with the accommodations there. It tends to be a bit on the "high end" of the price range. IMO, the Cinque Terre is well worth a visit, but it's better to spend a night or two rather than visit on a day trip. As you noted the streets are often packed with tourists in the day time, which was especially the case when I was in Vernazza last year. The towns have a somewhat different and quieter character at night. I find there can still be lots of tourists around, but not to the point where the crowds are overwhelming. Cheers!

When you are in Tuscany with a car you should be very careful about where you are staying. Siena has ZTL's that can end up costing you big time for driving in them. We stayed at an Agriturismo just outside of Siena to avoid that. We stayed there 4 nights and I wish we had more time there. I loved going to the hill towns. Have you been to Rome before? Although very interesting, it was my least favorite part of our 3 weeks in Italy. Why? It was noisy and chaotic. We started our trip there and in retrospect I think I would have liked it more if it was later in the trip. If you went to CT (or somewhere else) immediately upon landing and saved Rome for the end of your trip you might not experience what we did. If you decide not to go to CT you could take the train upon arrival to Orvieto, which is about an hour away. It is a very cool hill town on the edge of Umbria and Tuscany. Spend one night, then pick up your car there for your time in Tuscany. In Varenna we stayed at the Orange House. It was comfortable and very reasonably priced. They only have 2 rooms at this B&B and the owners live off site. The owners were wonderful. It isn't far from the train station and very close to the ferry. We spent 3 nights in Varenna. If you are interested in doing a cooking class there is an excellent one there at Il Caminetto. They will pick you up and drop you off. It was one of my favorite things we did in Italy.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I feel like I really need to do my homework about the areas. I will concentrate on doing in the next week. I will be back with questions and will look forward to anymore suggestions about Cinque Terre and the Tuscany area.

Hi Sharon: I have flown into Rome a few times and have spent time in the areas you have mentioned. I want to make one immediate comment. I took the train to Lake Como from Milan and a boat to the town of Bellagio. It was such a beautiful town to use as a base on lake. I also have been to Rome a few times, to Cinque Terre and to Toscana (Tuscany) I can give more information but did want to tell you that Bellagio was very much recommended to me. Rather that the train coming back ...you could try to get a flight on Jet blue or the other cheap flights back to Rome. Cinque Terre is wonderful even if it is a busy place. It is no more busy that Rome or other favored cities. Not worth stoping on the way to see Piza. I have traveled each year at the same time as you are traveling. Love that time
of year. Florence is my favorite city as it is so easy to get around and there is so much to see. I love Italy!!!

Thanks for the info about Italy. It is nice to hear it directly from those who have travelled there before. I know it is all based upon personal preferences, but I love hearing what people have to say and take it all into consideration. Virginia, sounds like Belagio is your favorite at Lake Como. Thoughts about staying in Verenna? Sounds like it is easy to ferry back and forth between the two. Belagio looks beautiful, as does the whole area. We like dining out and enjoying the evening but are not looking for late nightlife. Very helpful to hear everyone's favorites and why. I just got some books on Tuscany, Lake Como and Cinque Terre area. I really need to study each area and think Tuscany is going to take a lot of decision making regarding which places to go and which to skip with time constraints. Figuring maybe 3 to 4 nights in the area. We are renting a car and the thought of adventuring out on country roads sounds exciting. Does anyone know if you can get a car rental in Siena? San Gimignano and Montepulciano sounds nice! Not sure of distances yet and really how much one can cover in a day. Suggestions for Tuscany villages/towns to avoid? Ones not to miss? Seeing the local sights, enjoying the local people are most interesting to us...shopping is not high on the list. Skipping Pisa works for me since there are so many choices of places to go. Favorite place to stay in Cinque Terre? Between reading and all of your suggestions, I hope to put together a fantastic and memorable trip.
I will look into flying from Milan to Rome (to catch our Rome flight back to the US),but timing may be difficult along with terminals, so we may end up back in Rome (and not at the airport...thank you for that advice Harold) and enjoy a final afternoon and evening there before flying home.

Just to show that there will always be different experiences, I loved Rome, loved Varenna, but didn't like Bellagio. I didn't visit Rome until my second trip to Italy, and feel that had a lot to do with why I loved it. Varenna does make a good base for Lake Como, with frequent ferry service to other mid-lake towns, as well as the train from Milan. I haven't been to Orvieto, but based on what I've read about it, the idea of going there immediately upon arrival is a good one. Then you would loop back, ending up in Rome. As I was saying above, I wouldn't fly from Milan to Rome. The train will be faster. And however you do it, you want to be near Rome on the day of your flight. Don't plan a flight back to Rome on the same day as you flight from Rome to the US, unless it's on one ticket (which yours would not be). If there's a problem and you're on separate tickets, you are responsible (both financially and logistically) for fixing it. Do watch out for ZTL's wherever you are planning to have a car. Florence's seem to be the worst, but many other towns, including Siena, have them.

Sharon, sounds like a great trip. I do a lot of planning in advance as well. For Tuscany, if you want to stay in a city and have a car, Siena has a good hotel, Hotel Minerva, with on-premises garage parking; some rooms have views of the skyline of Siena. The hotel is just a few steps away from one of the city gates, so walking or driving is simple. I stayed there with friends last year, and we had a great time doing day trips with the car and seeing Siena on foot (one day we took the bus into the center of town, very simple to do) in the late afternoons once the day crowds had gone. Other towns in Tuscany to consider (besides Florence, to which I would just take the train or bus from Siena, it takes an hour and you don't have to worry about ZTLs) are Arezzo, Montepulciano, Montalcino - you'll get lots of suggestions about Tuscany! I agree that a couple of days in Rome would be a good start, when you get back at the end of your trip you'll be a little more familiar with the city. What to see in Rome depends on what you want to do. I used a Roma Pass (3 consecutive days including public transportation except to the airport) thought it was a good value (I like museums). There are mini-buses (numbers 116 and 117) that get into the narrower streets in Rome, and closer to some sites - try one on your first day or two to get an orientation for the city. You might not be able to get hotel rates/reservations this far ahead for every city. I would suggest 4 nights in Rome.