Flying in and out of Rome for various reasons. Our Rome hotel is booked at end of trip. So when we arrive on Wednesday a.m. 7/27/10 I need ideas for those first two days that would be somewhere not Rome, but heading toward Venice which is where we are staying starting the night of 7/29. Florence for two nights? (remember one night is day of arrival) Other location? More importantly - should we train or fly? Those short hops on Alitalia are pricing kind of high so I am leaning toward train. That being said, would an Italy train pass be worth it? Thanks Stevies!!
Posted by
Poulsbo, WA, US
223 posts
Skip the pass... it wont be worth it.
I like Orvieto a lot but it won't get you too far north. Florence makes sense as its not that much further than Orvieto but gets you closer to Venice.
Posted by
In the Mountains, USA
689 posts
Take the train.
That said, pull out a map and see what is between Rome and Venice, and on the rails. Orvieto? Florence? (short stay for Florence)
Or maybe a place that you won't find mentioned here a lot? Make a new find!!!
Safe travels.
Posted by
WPB, FL & Firenze
3112 posts
Your 2 best choices have already been mentioned - Florence and Orvieto. Florence is larger and has more to do. Orvieto is a small, charming and relaxing hill town. Travel times from the airport on the first day wouldn't be much different - 2 hours to Orvieto and 2 hours 45 minutes to Florence. However, travel time from Florence to Venice is now only 2 hours compared to 5 hours from Orvieto. I would suggest Florence unless you'd like the contrast of a smaller town. Also, I agree with Mike - skip the pass and buy train tickets as you go.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Personally, I would rather recover from jet lag in Orvieto than Florence, FWIW.
And buy point-to-point train tickets once you get there. They're almost always better than a pass.
Posted by
Carbondale, IL, USA
1201 posts
Another option would be Bologna. About equidistant travel time.
Bigger city, wonderful food , interesting sites.
Posted by
Hartford, CT, United States
92 posts
Skip Alitalia and go for EasyJet. Right now they're showing flights from Rome for 21 euro per person to Venice and from Naples for 26 euro per person. They tack on additional fees for baggage and paying by credit card, but I've found that even with the fees (which are relatively small), it's almost always less expensive than taking the train.
It's relatively easy to get from Rome to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast on a train, then you could fly from Naples on the 29th. I know it's not on the way to Venice, but if you're flying it probably doesn't matter.