First time to Italy and we are flying into Venice and out of Rome. Spending 3 nights in Venice, 2 in Florence and the next 10 nights split between Tuscany and Rome. I am thinking a villa outside of Siena. My question is regarding time: do I do 5 nights in Tuscany and 5 in Rome or 4 and 6? We don't want to be rushed in Rome and want to make sure we can get a lot done, but we are really looking forward to relaxing in Tuscany and enjoying wine tastings, a cooking class and some lounging time by the pool. Thanks.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16626 posts
3 nights in Venice are about right. You won't need a car in Venice and Florence. So don't rent one. Go to Florence by train (2hrs).
2 nights only in Florence aren't enough. Florence, which is also in Tuscany (it's the Region's capital in fact) has definitely more in terms of sights than Venice. I would add a night (or two if you want to take day trips from there). From Florence you could visit Lucca and Pisa (on the same day trip) by train, since both are next to each other and are a different direction from Siena therefore are more conveniently visited from Florence than from the Siena area.
From Florence I would then go to the villa wherever it is near Siena. You will need a car for this portion of the trip, therefore you should rent one as you move out of Florence. When you go to the rental office take all your belonging with you because if your hotel is in the city center you won't be able to drive back to it.
How many nights in the countryside is up to you, however Rome deserves at least 3 nights, with 4 being ideal. Of course you could spend months on each of the 3 big ones (Venice, Florence, Rome) and not see everything. However you only have the limited time you have, therefore more than 4 nights in Rome you would be probably shortchanging your Tuscan countryside/small town stay, which I bet is going to be the highlight of your trip.
When you drive into Rome, return the car upon arrival, as a car in Rome (like for Venice and Florence) would be a hassle to have.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11984 posts
I find the best way to determine the number of nights I need in a place is to list out what I want to see and do and how those activities fit into a certain number of days or hours. I do not like to cram the days too full, and seldom do more than one museum in a day as it is too overwhelming.
So 2 nights in Florence might be fine if you only want to see a couple of sights, but if you are a Renaissance art buff, you could spend many days there. We've spent about 30 nights in Venice in the past 6 years because we love wandering around there. We've spent about 8 in Florence by contrast, and while we like the city, we have seen the museums and do not need to repeat them. We live in Rome and will never be "done" with it, but we won't go back to the Colosseo anymore, either. Three times is my limit! :-)
So list out those sites and experiences (including day trips), make a spreadsheet with dates and times they are open/closed, and see how you can put together a rough day plan to illustrate how many full days you need to see what you want to see.