It is our desire to stay in one place more than one night in that we enjoy meeting the locals and getting to know the country from that perspective. What would your recommend as an itinerary?
Posted by
Vignola, MO, IT
711 posts
Way to difficult to answer this. I would recommend getting a travel book and thinking about what kind of things you enjoy seeing.
Posted by
Coraopolis, Pa, USA
1018 posts
Your question is like asking how high is up. The above poster presented a cogent strategy concerning the purchase of a travel book concerning Italy. Buy a travel guide, do some research, develop an itinerary, and then post back here.
A few suggestions: 1.) Plan flying open jaws or multi-city. example = fly into Venice and home from Roma. This strategy allows you to maximize your time in-country eliminating time consuming backtracking, 2. outline how many days you have and subtract 2-3 days for travel. This will provide you with data indicating how many days you have on the ground. The first and maybe the second day are devoted to travel and possibly recovering from jet lag. Also, the last day will be totally devoted to travel returning home. The only sightseeing you will experience will be from some transit vehicle on the way to the airport.
Buon viaggio,
Posted by
Toledo, Ohio, US
11613 posts
Another tip would be to count nights instead of days, which may be partial. Travel, checking in and out, may take more time than you think.
Generally, Venice-Florence-Rome is a good itinerary. In three weeks, you could add Cinque Terre, somewhere in Tuscany or Umbria to get a smaller-city experience. Do you want to spend some time in/near the Lakes? Dolomites?
Please post again with your interests and you will receive lots of recommendations.
Posted by
Chicago
2124 posts
Yes, probably grab RS 'Through The Back Door' for starters. But to my way of thinking, there are pros & cons to 'meeting the locals'. The ultimate answer down that road would be to find an unspoiled small Italian town (if that exists) and park yourself for a week or so. You would absorb Italy through your pores, but the downside is that there is so much else to see in the country. And you're going to meet locals almost everywhere. The key is to find the ones that aren't putting on a show for tourists!
Your trip looks to be about 3 weeks, plenty of time to do a little of both. And northern Italy should be warming up, while the south will be into full spring fever. Also, you will be just ahead of the tourist hordes, but it will still be fairly busy. I would look geographically within Italy, and from the RS book find areas that interest you. Then decide on mode of transportation. If you can handle driving, then the possibilities open up. We are visiting Florence & Salerno as home bases in March, and from a stress standpoint are deferring to trains or buses--just a personal preference. Private transport is very pricey. Speaking of price, you will get more value the farther you travel south, except in Rome or the Amalfi Coast.
Give us your ideas, and we can help you fine-tune your itinerary if you like. Enjoy the planning, it's half the fun!