To Florence and Rome 9 Days

Hi christonlim-
First off, both Florence and Rome are "real". People live there. They work and raise families there. They go to work, to church, to school, to the market, clean house, run errands and do all the mundane things we all do where we live. "Italy people" are just people, and they will be doing things that you will probably NOT be doing as most will not be vacation.

Florence and Rome are just little pieces of a much, much larger picture. Italy is younger, as a unified country, than the United States, and various regions have long individual histories and cultures. Neither city are sleepy little places but modern urban centers built around some very old relics. Hidden? Not much of that in either - or not much of interest to most visitors anyway - but you can make your own memories by exploring without an Top-10 agenda. Still, it's' good to remember that the excavations and museums and churches and other interesting places were not originally built for tourists but are part and parcel of Roman and Florentine patrimony. The locals are very proud of their treasures!

You say you have 9 days; does that include the day you fly from home and the day you fly back again? You need to count the number of nights you have on the ground in Italy for an accurate count of what you have to work with.

Transport: train is the best way to get between these cities. Use www.trenitalia.com or www.italotreno.it/en to explore your options. Use Santa Maria Novella for the main train station in Florence, and Roma Termini for Rome.

There are other places between Florence and Rome which can be explored but Florence is a good base for some day trips which don't involve packing up and moving... which you don't want to waste time with if you have a limited number of days to work with. There's more than enough in Rome to fill whatever time you can give it.

Accommodations: this is really a secondary part of the enjoyment equation compared to what you want to see and do in each city. What's your per-night budget?

I would HIGHLY recommend getting a couple of guidebooks to help you determine what you want to see and do in Florence and Rome. This is a great place to start as other people's preferences may be very different than your own!

Thank you Kathy. I appreciate this. My feet are the ground. I will follow. Happy thoughts.

So let us help you with a little more info? Again, what is your per-night budget for accommodations? Are you looking for places to stay which might place you with other young people to socialize with during your down time? Hostels can be great places for that (many offer private rooms) as they host interesting budget travelers from all over the world. :O)

This is a particularly popular and highly rated one in Rome:
https://www.the-beehive.com

And what is it you two are interested in doing and seeing? I love both cities dearly - they are MARVELOUS - but very different! We can help you have a great time if you give us a little more to go on.

(Edited to add Beehive link)

I agree with Kathy. But I will add this. I read somewhere a person describing their planning around "moments" they wanted to have. At first I scoffed, but as I continued my own planning recently, it helped me a lot to think of what moments I was really seeking to have in the place I am visiting. For example, I really wanted - as it sounds like you do - a more off-the-beaten-track experience than to hit the popular places (which are popular because they are amazing, there is that), and this helped me choose to spend more time in a small rural mountain village in Greece - that has no sites within it but is a 40 minute drive to several - than to spend that time in a beach town that is very popular and recommended. I ended up with a super inexpensive airbnb in a village that is not written about. The airbnb had amazing reviews. That was one moment I realized I wanted to have on my trip (and why that post about moments helped me): time in a Greek village that is not part of the tourist pass-through. So, are there moments you want to have? How much do you know about Florence and Rome already and what did you imagine when you decided to go? I suspect that much of your time will be taken up with seeing the things that are famous because, lets face it, they are powerful and worth visiting even if overrun with other tourists. So what moments do you want?
Best,
Jessica

Wow.. Kathy and Jessica. I can be more specific when I rendezvous with my girlfriend in an hour. However for the moment our budget is in question because both of us have expressed different intents and/or “moments”. For example I’m familiar with Airbnb and hostels and she’d prefer nice hotels. Having walked the Camino de Santiago, I hope to have an opportunity to speak to people as Kathy mentioned; visit the major sites in the cities; listen to silence drinking wine and tasting the love in the art form of home cooked meal. Back at you in a few.

We booked a very nice apartment for May in Florence through Windows on Italy and the prices seem quite reasonable compared to decent hotels. April 2018 is getting closer, so you should make a schedule and use that to plan lodging and train travel between cities.

Bill in SoCal

I’m back. What’s our budget, Kathy? Both agree we can spend $100/night for accommodations preferably near the city to visit the most significant sites; and be near the train station in order to venture the shared favorites of Steve in Tuscany.

As for moments, my girlfriend appreciates fine clothing particularly from an artisan who creates from authentic leather. For me, how wonderful it would be to participate in an artichoke festival; eat in a family owned restaurant, taste wine, talk story; or tap my feet to song with men who have a finger pulse on local European history. Good cheer to you Bill!

A $100 a night is a tough find in Rome and Florence. Hostels and monasteries or convents should be on your radar. Also try Cross-Pollinate for some creative lodging ideas, the Beehive Hotel in Rome or one of their budget apartments in each city.

For $100/night, and I know this is bold for a first-timer, a VRBO or AirBnB apartment can be doable at that price point. I've done them both in Florence and Rome--in 2015 paid $105/night in Florence for a big apartment, and in 2017 paid $90 a night for a small but perfectly serviceable 2nd floor walkup in Rome.

Please search on this forum for pros & cons of renting apartments in both places. We've found it's a great way to assimilate in a touristy area.

The Beehive is just a couple of blocks from Termini (Rome's main train station); convenient for hoofing it from your train from Florence, and for public transit (train or bus) to Fiumicino for your flight home. I assume that's the airport you're flying from? You've left it a little late for booking accommodations for April so they may already be booked up but I'd give it a shot.

In Florence try Albergo Bencidormi, approximately 10 minute walk from the train station SMN. DH and I have stayed 3 times at this small hotel. $100 a night is easy to get per night. Rooms are basic but clean, there is a shared kitchen to further cut costs. Mr Roberto and Ms Paola, who are the owners, are very kind and speak excellent English. We would stay nowhere else in Florence. The hotel is quiet but close to the central sites.

95 Rooms in Rome, Hotel Arcadia in Florence. $100 total for two is very low, but these two are good value and nice location. I stayed in each on my solo trip to Italy in Oct-Nov 2016. Transportation: get the Rome transport pass, think it was $40 for four days. Also, it might be worth it pre-purchase train tickets between the cities.

Grazie a tutti!