where to go from rome??

I doubt the time spent on trains will differ all that much, since it is the same areas covered either way... But I agree CT is much closer to Florence. Probably the best route to take would be To fly into Venice first, then Florence, CT, and finish in Rome.

Thank you Angela, my thought was alot of sight seeing first (Rome to Venice)then relaxing at the end of the trip

Well, yeah. That is a good point. Although having a break in the middle might be nice, also.

And there is something to be said for finishing up your trip in the place you are going to fly home from. There is no major airport in CT, so you'd have to go to Pisa or Florence (closest), or Milan or Rome (cheapest and best connections) to fly home. Plus the route I suggested will have you spending less time on the train overall, so theres more time to enjoy being in Italy.

Well, it's your trip, and I'm sure you'll enjoy regardless of which order you visit everything! It's Italy, after all :-)

It is one of those "six of one, half dozen of another" things. To get to Venice you will go through Florence, so you could just go that far, spend your time and move on. After Venice, there are two basic ways to the CT, go bck through Florence, or take a Northerly route through Milan.

Probably the advantage of doing Rome:Florence:Venice:CT is that you could do a quick stop for a couple hours in either Verona or Milan. Of course going the other way you could do the same in Pisa if that appeals to you.

The itinerary I would choose is:

• Fly from JFK/EWR to VCE (Delta has a non stop from JFK, otherwise there are more options via the major EU getaways)
• Visit Venice and Murano + Burano islands (I would stay 3 nights, more if you want to visit Padua or Verona or Vicenza)
• Train from Venice to Florence (2 hr trip)
• Visit Florence (if visiting only Florence stay min. 2 or better 3 nights. If you want also to take day trips to Tuscan hilltowns and countryside, then add as many nights as you need for your day trips from Florence)
• Train from Florence to Cinque Terre (~ 2.5+ hours with train change in Pisa and La Spezia. This could be a good time to visit the Pisa's leaning tower for an hour or so in between changing trains)
• Visit Cinque Terre (I would stay 2 nights, more if you enjoy hiking and the beach, although in April the weather is sometimes unpredictable and rarely hot enough for hanging at the beach)
• Train from Cinque Terre to Rome (about 4.5 hours, with options without train changes)
• Visit Rome (3 nights minimum)
• Fly from Rome to NY (many options to both JFK and EWR, including non stops)

The above is an open jaw flight (arrive Venice and come back from Rome). You will save money and train fare by not having to go back to your arrival airport to return home. It is also best to return to the US from Rome rather than either Venice (or even Milan), because the Rome airport is a short ride from Rome city center (not so Venice or Milan) and flights back to North America depart in the morning (and who wants to get up at 3.30 am to make it to the Venice airport on time). Also Rome has lots of options being the largest airport in Italy and one of the major EU hubs.

FWIW, "open jaw" is usually called "Multi-City" or "Multiple Destinations" on airline websites. Don't make the mistake of thinking that you have to buy individual one-way tickets.

Roberto's itinerary is the one I would choose. Venice is the best place to start. It's easy to enjoy just being in Venice for a day or two without stressing about sightseeing, while you adjust to the time change and "get over" the long-haul flight. Ride the vaporetto up and down the Grand Canal, once during the day and once after dark. If you wake up before dawn, go out and ride the vaporetto then and end up at St Mark's Square to watch the sun rise over the lagoon. It's a lovely time of day before the hustle and bustle begins. Then back to your hotel for breakfast.

Florence and Rome are the most intense for visiting sights. You'll have time in the CT between them for a change of pace, before tackling Rome. Also, you can get a train from the CT to Rome that takes just over 3 hours and doesn't backtrack through Florence, saving a train change and a little travel time.

You have all made me rethink which is why this site is invaluable! Thank you.. Also any advice for which days to start the trip, weekday? weekend? Thinking hard to avoid but weekends will be more crowded does it matter??

Plan your sight seeing carefully in Florence on Sundays and Mondays, because many big museums Like the Accademia and Uffizi in Florence are closed on Monday and the Duomo is closed on Sunday. Take advantage of time and money saving by getting the Florence card which will help you skip long lines.

Its the same in Rome, several things are closed on Sunday or Monday, and the Vatican is crazy busy on Mondays. Try to plan the Vatican for an afternoon mid-week to beat the crowds.

As long as you have some flexibility, it doesn't much matter. Since you are planning 4-5 days in Florence, you can easily manage to work around Sunday and Monday closures, if you are there then. The same goes for Rome. I don't think it matters in Venice or the CT. More important, since you are going in April, is whether you will be in Italy during Easter week.

As to which day of the week to start your trip, you should look at airfare. That can often vary by hundreds of dollars, depending on the day of the week you're flying.

I just looked at air fare to get idea, yikes! about $1100 leave 4/22 nyc to venice about $920 nyc to rome
.(We would fly home thru Milan if we keep original plan.) Just when I liked the idea to switch to venice first and fly home from rome. ugh! Seems the next week was less expensive which seemed weird to me. Anyway, any advice on how much in advance to buy flights?? Didn't think they would be that much, thought more about 800.00

Elaine, the days of the $800 airfares are long gone. Now that I've said that, I'll also mention that ground transportation is also expensive, and it's not unusual to spend $75 on a train ticket, depending on when you buy it (much cheaper in advance, if you're willing to commit to an absolute time) and even though an open jaw may cost more, you can many times come out even (or even ahead) because of ground transportation costs. Not to mention lost days of vacation because of needing to backtrack.

This is one of those times when you may find out that a travel agent could get you a better fare on an open jaw ticket, flying into one city and out of another.

I'm sure another poster here will offer a website with discounted airline tickets (I hope)