Basics: I'm flying in and out of Rome, for 14-15 days Must sees: 3 days in Rome (museums and churches) plus day trips to Ostia Antica and to Hadrian's Villa and/or Tivoli
Pompeii, Herculaneum, National Museum, Naples So . . . about 6 days in Rome (possibly split in 2 parts) and a few days based in Sorento (how many?). Can Paestrum be a day trip from Sorento? My inclination at this point is plan to spend 7 days in Sorento AND - in case the weather is gray/rainy - to book a couple of days in Florence (always happy to go back) or Orvieto (haven't been yet) as a back-up. Opinions? Advice?
Posted by
white bear lake, minnesota, USA
87 posts
Chani, you've been to Rome before, yes? We spent almost 6 days there on our fall trip and never ran out of things to do. I do think the churches we visited in the cities we stayed in were the best "bargains" of anything, with all the beautiful sculptures, paintings, architecture, and the cemeteries, which were very moving. We are not Christian, but I still found the churches great and they really had an impact on us. Wish we'd timed our visit to Trastevere better; the recommended churches had just closed for the afternoon when we got there, and we were too tired to wait around 4 hrs until they opened for visitors again. . Have you been to Siena? We liked the duomo there better than the one in Florence. It's amazing. What a beautiful town, too. We took the bus from Florence for a day trip and wish we'd booked some nights in Siena instead of Florence.
Hope you have a great trip.
Posted by
OP
Tel Aviv
15582 posts
Yep, been to Rome before. I will return to Siena - but in shoulder season. My problem is planning to be in very scenic and outdoor areas when the weather can be pretty discouraging (and the days are short).
Posted by
Toledo
653 posts
Chani, I'm happy to see you're interested in Paestum. I'm sure you know that most museums are closed on Mondays (and Paestum has a very good one for its size). Personally, I think an overnight stop in Paestum would be a good idea, since the roundtrip train service can be somewhat inconvenient. I would suggest the museum in the morning and the archaeological zone in the afternoon (there's a combined ticket). My favorite hotel is Poseidonia Mare, about 1 km from the ruins/museum, and the hotel will loan you a bike. Keep in mind that the Paestum trainstop (it's not a station any more) doesn't sell tickets, so you need to get a roundtrip ticket before you get there. Most hotels will pick you up at the trainstop. February in Sorrento (including the Amalfi Coast)? A couple of days should do it, especially if you spend one night in Paestum. Orvieto easily can be a daytrip from Rome.
Posted by
Atlanta
3250 posts
Hi Chiani! Since you haven't been to Orvieto, I'd consider adding it to your itinerary - rather than a day trip from Rome (which is easily doable), I'd spend a couple of nights! To me, 7 days in Sorrento is too many! I think that Italy in February sound like fun!
Posted by
OP
Tel Aviv
15582 posts
1 day Sorrento 1 day Naples (mainly the museum) 1 day Herculaneum 1 day Pompeii 1 day Positano 1 day Paestrum 1 day Amalfi
(or Ravello - if so, instead of which other town?) That's how I get to 7 days in Sorrento. If the weather is wet and dreary, I would skip 3 days in Positano/Amalfi/Sorrento and instead go to Orvieto (is there enough "indoor" sightseeing to make it worthwhile?) or Florence.