Town choices?

For a nice day trip in Rome check out Ostia Antica. Rome's ancient seaport. It's a easy metro and train ride from Termini station. My only regret is we got there late in the day at 4 and left at 6:30. Would have loved to stay longer and explore more. Unlike the Roman Forum you can walk all in the ruins of the town. Most buildings are in tact and it's nice to be inside a house where the roman's lived and you get a feel for city life in the town of 60,000.

Fly into Venice (VCE) 3 nights in Venice instead of Lake Como, go to Lake Garda instead. It's much closer to Venice and in my opinion, even better. Any town on the North Lake (the best area) will do. Limone and Malcesine are both good choices. They are connected by boat, so you can visit both easily. I recommend at least 3 nights on the lake. It's close to Verona, therefore you could visit Verona as well (beautiful town). Next go to Florence. That will be your base in Tuscany. You can stay 3 nights in Florence and a few more in a nearby town (preferably rent a car for a few days after Florence). If you don't rent a car, visit the small towns from Florence, where you have transportation options. After Florence go down to Gulf of Naples area. Sorrento is good, Amalfi Coast is good. Naples is a beautiful, albeit chaotic, big city. Try to stay near the Chiaia area (next to Piazza Plebiscito) if you want to stay in Naples.
Naples area deserves at least 4 nights (visit Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento, Positano and Amalfi on the Amalfi coast, Capri island, Procida island) After Naples area return back up to Rome. Spend at least 3, or better 4, nights in Rome. Return home from Rome. Add any remaining nights you might have to where you like most among the above locations.

In Sorrento I have stayed multiple times at the 'il nido'. It's very affordable, comfortable, and friendly. It's up on the hill so if you don't have a car use their free shuttle to tow (maybe 15 minutes). I really recommend it without any misgivings. Happy honeymoon and even happier marriage.

Coming from Milan on the train, consider Varenna. No need for a ferry, just get off the train and walk to your lodgings. I forgot, are you training or do you have a car? There are lots of ferries. Bellagio is directly across from you. Or you could just ride around the lake on one.

Thank you for the replies. My itinerary is set at the moment (we have booked accommodation in the main three cities) and answers to the questions I asked will be far more useful to me than alternate suggestions! Venice 4 nights, 2 nights Lake Como, 5 nights Florence, 2 nights undecided, 3 nights Naples, 4 nights Rome. Flying in to Venice, out of Rome. I am set on Lake Como - I would really like to see the lake where they filmed Star Wars and Casino Royale. I've been to Verona - it was nice, but didn't appeal to me enough to want to visit again and take my fiance. We will be taking the train. It seems like a better budget option and less chaotic.

Hey, neighbor. Just wanted to make sure you were aware of how blindingly hot it can get in Italy in August, esp. the farther south you go. We're spoiled with mild summers here in the Pacific Northwest, and I for one have a pretty low tolerance for hot weather because of that. Make sure that every place you're considering has air conditioning and find out if there are restrictions on what time of day it can be run. Also, are you aware that most of Italy shuts down the week of August 15 for a national holiday (Ferragosto)? As for the Lake Garda versus Lake Como issue, I think of Lake Como as being more romantic than Lake Garda. If you are going there from Milan, then Varenna is definitely the easy and pretty choice. There's a train that takes you there from Milano Centrale train station. (Garda in high summer could be wall-to-wall Germans, fwiw.)

Hi Michael, yes, I know how hot it gets. Unfortunately we don't have flexibility with our dates. My fiance is a teacher and can only do vacations in July and August. We have to be in Prague for an event from August 6 - 11 so we won't be in Italy during that festival - but thank you for the warning. I hang out in Vegas for a week during 100 degree plus weather at a burlesque convention every June, and my fiance and I often summer in the interior of BC which is a desert. I'm not too worried about melting, but yes - every place I've booked so far has air conditioning.

Sam - I was thinking of train to Como and then ferry to whichever town we stay in as a way to see more of the lake.

Understood. May I suggest Orvieto as a possibility for your hilltop town? It was one of our favorite destinations among the four times we've been to Italy. Here are some photos and video clips I took, in case you're interested: Orvieto in May 2011 I believe they get cool breezes in the summer, so that's a plus. I wouldn't do the train to the town of Como to ferry to your destination. Train right to Varenna and then the next day take a ferry ride from there without luggage. Go to Bellagio for a daytrip. (The train to Varenna is a pretty cool ride - you go through tunnels with peek-a-boo views of the lake as you approach the town.)

Hi Andra. Congrats on your upcoming wedding! I agree with Michael in that Orvieto is a great town in Umbria and it deserves a visit. You can either stay there for 2 nights since you have 2 nights to dedicate to a hill town or you can day trip to Orvieto from Rome. It's an easy day trip from Rome and it's a nice change of pace from chaotic Roma! Have a wonderful trip.

I suggest Varenna in Lake Como. It is easy to reach by train from Milan and you can take ferries from there without having to deal with your luggage.
We stayed at the Orange House, which is very reasonably priced. We were very happy with our accommodations there. Since you will have 5 nights in Tuscany (Florence) I agree with the others that Orvieto in Umbria would be a good choice for your extra nights.

Andra, For a much more affordable option over Sorrento, consider Salerno. It is a lovely, far less touristy, historic town on the coast south of Sorrento/Positano. You can get a train directly from Rome to Salerno with no train changes. There are ferries that can take you to all the coastal towns/islands and the train is very convenient to Pompeii/Paestum/Napoli/Sorrento. We stayed in a wonderful B&B, "Seaview" high on a hill which had a terrace overlooking Salerno and the sea for just 70 euros per night. Enjoy!

On tripdavisor, I found a wonderful Bed and Breakfast in Sorrento called the Villa Monica. It is high the hill overlooking Sorrento, Bay of Naples. It was fantastic and reasonable. Pasquale the owner picks you up and s you off in town and will give you wonderful suggestions of what to do in your budget. Great views from your own balcony or from the terrace downstairs. Room was like a 3 star hotel. You can take a ferry to Capri for day, take a local train to Pompeii if you wish.

For your hill town in Tuscany I suggest Chiusi which is very small, with very few tourists (2 when we were there) wonderful restaurants, and a fantastic B&B in an old palace which I don't remember the name of right now. Chiusi is on the main train line between Florence and Rome, and from there you can day trip to Orvieto, Assisi, etc. We spent three nights there a couple of years ago and it was very nice. There is an archeological museum there full of Etruscan finds which was more interesting than it sounds.

Andra, To begin with, congratulations on your upcoming wedding! The town of Varenna on Lago di Como is a perfect location for Luna di Miele and a good home-base location for exploring other parts of the lake. Your trip from Venice to Varenna is quite straight forward. Depending on which train you use, the trip will be about 4H:33M with one change at Milano Centrale. The train from Milan to Varenna will be a Regionale, so DON'T forget to validate! Use the Trenitalia website to plan your rail trips. Note that your departure station will be Venezia S. Lucia and your arrival station Varenna-Esino. Is there any way you could add one night to Varenna? Two nights will only provide about 1.5 days for touring, which is not a lot of time. The elegant lakeside Villa where Casino Royale and Star Wars Episode II is Villa Del Balbienello, near the town of Lenno. Be sure to check their website for opening hours and times. The boat trip from Varenna to Lenno will be as short as 46 minutes, depending on which boat you use. The Ferry dock in Varenna is right in front of Albergo Olivedo (big yellow building, you can't miss it). For your three nights in Naples, you might consider Hotel Chiaia. It's in a nice part of town, with lots of shops and restaurants. I'd recommend booking VERY early for travel in July & August. Be sure to stop for some Limoncello or other decadent treats at the posh Gran Caffé Gambrinus. I'd recommend wearing Money Belts in Naples and that area, especially on public transit and the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii. There WILL be highly proficient pickpockets at work! Happy travels!

When I read your post I immediately thought of Orvieto for your hill town, but Michael beat me to it. So I will endorse the suggestion. We were just there for the first time last weekend and loved it-lots of history ( including Etruscan caves and tunnels under the town), a stunningly beautiful cathedral, nice people, great food, nice views over the countryside, and low crowd factor. Plus very budget -friendly prices for lodging and food. Our lovely room in a B and B was € 75.

Thank you all for your suggestions! We ended up deciding to go with a stay in the Cinque Terre rather than one of the hill towns (My fiance opted for nice hikes and beaches over more churches in between Florence and Rome) Still figuring out our nights in the south, and am looking at your recommendations, plus places my colleagues have suggested too!

Andra, For "nice hikes and beaches" in the Cinque Terre, I'd suggest staying in Monterosso. It's the largest of the five towns, has the largest number of hotels, restaurants, shops, etc. and also the nicest sandy beaches (this is the beach in the new town area). Staying in Monterosso will also facilitate hiking the No. 2 (Sentiero Azzurro) trails (providing they're all open). I find it easier to start at one end rather than starting in the middle. It's also better (IMO) to get the most challenging section out of the way first. At that time of year, the C.T. will be BUSY so pre-booking accommodations will be essential. Many tourist related businesses in that area close in the winter, but I'd suggest starting to book about mid-January. Check the Guidebook for hotels or post another note here, and you'll get lots of good suggestions.

I was not particularly looking forward to the Naples stop on Rick's Southern Italy tour - much to my surprise, I loved it there. The archaeological museum is a must - all the real artifacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum are there. At one point during the day I left the group and made my own way down the main street back to the hotel and felt perfectly safe but we were told there we certain areas we should avoid, especially at night. We stayed at the hotel Ken recommends. It was lovely and the staff were great. Its a very Italian hotel as its actually on the first floor of the building and as there are shops on the ground floor, the big main gates to the complex are closed from 1.00 pm to around 4.00 pm (Italy closes down between 1 and 4!). Instructions are given as to how to get in when the gates are closed. If you go to Naples, go to the Galleria and window shop the fancy stores. As you enter the Galleria there is a pastry shop that sells the Naples pastry speciality Sfogliatelle. Fabulous - leaves croissants in the dust! Having said that, I also loved Sorrento! No beach but a neat arrangement of boardwalks and lovely clear water. Nice easy town to walk around. Go to Davide Gelato near the station for great made in house gelato. Worth taking a taxi to the Marina Grande for a seafood meal at Delfino's (they also have a bathing deck).