Hi,

I am currently planning a trip to Italy for this October. I fly into FCO and out of MXP. Does anyone have any thoughts on this itinerary:

Rome (2 nights)
--Train
Siena (2 nights)
--train
Florence (1 night)
--train
Bologna (1 night)
--train
Parma (1 night)
--train from Parma to Milan to catch 6:00 flight on BA to LHR.

The reason why Rome and Florence are not getting longer stays is that I've been to each of them before (2x for Florence). I've checked on RailEurope and each of these cities have direct train service to the next one, except for Rome to Siena, which requires a change.

The cities were chosen for both their historical significance and their food.

What is the weather liew in this part of Italy in late October?

Thanks for any input!

Looks like a fun itinerary, though I would skip Florence and spend some more time in Siena.

The weather can be rainy, so pack a raincoat or a small umbrella. I was in Vicenza a couple of years ago and it was snowing.

I would love to know what restaurants you are planning on trying on this trip.

lala

Sounds jolly! Although, I couldn't be in Italy and not spend a couple nights in the Cinque Terre. I love the Riviera!

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Have a great day!!
~~Missy~~

The reason I'm going to Florence is entirely food related. There is a restaurant there which serves the best tuscan vegetable and bread soup (I forget its Italian name). The place is called Il Latini and, although it is always packed and can be chaotic, it serves a mean soup.

Thanks all for the positive feedback. There will, of course, be a full trip report.

PresRDC
We're doing a similar Italy itinerary for end of August/September.

Currently fly in MXP, out FCO
1 day Milan
3 days Florence
3 days Vienna/Salzberg Austria
1 day Venice
4 days Rome

We'll be traveling by train. I've heard different comments on how I should revise the itinerary to include Lake Como (reported very lovely & Serene & where the real Bellagio is at), There are comments to go to the Republic of San Marino, etc. So there maybe revisions on my own itinerary.

I've also heard conflicting comments on Naples/Pompeii/Mt. Vesuvius. I've heard that there are day trips/tours from Rome.

Lulu,

I can vouch for the desireability of spending time at Lake Como. It is truly beautiful and serene. If you can, try to stay at the Villa D-Este, which is on the lake, near the town of Como and is considered to be among the best hotels in the world. I stayed there for two nights in 1997 and it was an amazing place.

My intial plan was to go from Rome south and visit Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento and Capri, but I decided that this might be too "resorty" for me (I'm going solo) and not feature enough history to suit my interests (Pompeii exlcuded, of course).

PresRDC:

Perhaps you are thinking of ribbolitta? Its awfully good in Siena too. Gotta do something with that awful tuscan bread.

I would not skip the Amalfi coast as a solo. The weather is delightful and its way less
crowded than other times of the year. Its also the beginning of clementine season http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif.

I would skip Pompeii and go to Herculanum. Much better and less touristy.

Good gardens outside of Amalfi. Villa Rufolo and Cimbrone are not to be missed.

lala

Lulu-

I have to ditto the Lake Como comments. It was beautiful. Bellagio and Varenna are definitely worth a day. And the town of Como had my favorite church. It was very small compared to St. Marks & St Peters, but it was very very beautiful inside. My next trip to Italy will be split between Lake Como and the Cinque Terre.

------------------
Have a great day!!
~~Missy~~

[This message has been edited by missydarlin (edited 06-27-2001).]

lalala,

Yep, I think you're right about the name of the soup. I have no doubt that the parts of italy you described are wonderful. My only problem is that I have but one week . . .

Actually, in and out of Siena, you're better off taking the bus, rather than the train, for a few reasons.

1. there is direct bus service Rome->Siena (I can't remember the bus company exactly, but I could find out, if you're interested -- we did Roma as a 2-day trip from Siena (early morning bus from Siena, stay in Roma overnight, then return on the late bus in the evening), so it's a fairly short bus trip.)

2. Assuming you're staying inside the walls, the bus stop is much more convenient -- right near the old city.

The bus connections between Siena and Florence are also good. They run more or less hourly, are cheaper than the train, and if I recall correctly, were also faster, because of the change of trains that is necessary.

Siena is wonderful. It's especially wonderful to stay there and be there at night and in the early morning...

While in Siena, a friend took us to an amazing restaurant -- the kind where there is no menu per se, the owner just tells you what he's got that day from his family's farm... I recommend it highly (of course, now I need to e-mail my friend and find out what the name of the restaurant is!)

LuLu, I would definitely suggest at least a day trip to Siena or another of the Tuscan towns, rather than spending 3 days in Florence. I've always found Florence to be a little too urban for my tastes. The hill towns are what I dream of when I dream of another Italian vacation...

Dan

I second Il Latini in Firenze, what a great restaurant. We are not big meat eaters but they had an excellent mixed grill there, which as I recall was recommmended in the Michelin quide. And nothing beats being handed a small glass of wine to sip while you wait for your table,(on the house). Although there were quite a few out of towners there the day we ate lunch, clearly it is very popular with the Florentines too. Another city quite close to Firenze that we enjoyed was Arezzo, which if you enjoy renaissance art, has a wonderful Piero della Francesca fresco in the Church of San Francesco. It also has a huge antiques market that covers much of the old city on the first Saturday of each month.

If you are going to do either the Uffizi or Accademia in Firenze...make reservations!

Also a lot of fun if you want to stay in Florence for the shopping and museums but see a bit of the countryside is a day tour. I took a cooking class with www.accidentaltourist.com (http://www.accidentaltourist.com)
It was a blast!

And for Naples/Pompeii you might try www.tourome.com (http://www.tourome.com)

------------------
Have a great day!!
~~Missy~~

Bologna is one of the great unsung cities of Europe, as far as I'm concerned -- the architecture and the food are great, and there are blessedly few tourists. If I were you, I would plan for two nights in Bologna. You'll definitely find things to do (and you can always take a day trip to Parma. When we were there last year we did both Parma and Modena on the same day trip from Bologna.)

If you weren't wedded to Florence, I would also suggest Lucca as a beautiful alternative in the same neighborhood.

October is a great time to be in Italy. It's mushroom season, and there's also some sort of wild arugula in season in Rome.

I vote for Lucca in addition to Firenze and Siena. Also, an interesting alternative to Parma, from Bologna, could be Ravenna, where you can find some of the most beautiful early Christian/Bizantine architecture in Europe. If you like mosaics, this town near the seaside is your place, and it's not overrun w/tourists at that time of the year. I also agree that Bologna is a fantastic city, and I love everything about it (especially the food and the architecture), save for the traffic and the high prices. Lindsy, are you a mushroom hunter/lover? I don't think there are too many of us on this board, but welcome!

Topic near and dear to my heart - I just restored an old barn outside of Siena... I would suggest the following....Your timing is excellent, it's wine harvest season in early October. From FCO you'll take the shuttle train into Rome Central station, and take the express train to Florence. If your comfortable with driving, I would rent a car in Florence, and drive to Siena - If you don't like driving, I would take the bus to Siena - the train from Florence to Siena is double the time of a bus (or as was suggested, you could take the bus from Rome, however the train allows you to walk and strech while watching the country side) There is so much to explore in and around the Chaniti region that if you don't mind driving, it's fantastic. Wonderful B&B's, great eating. If you like, E mail me and I will be more specific on cities to visit. Have a most excellent time.

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Askworldtraveler, EXP,4 million AA miles+++

We love Italy, I don't know how old you are, but the Amalfi coast is several hours south of Rome, and Milan is north. I wouldn't (my wife is very strong on this) want so many 1 night stays, and heading south first will keep you traveling rather than sightseeing or shopping. I can't see 2 nights in Siena, Florence I think has so much more to do. If you want beach, you can do that betweeen Rome and Florence. Como is great, as is Lake Maggiore, and Verona (Romeo and Juliet) is north of Florence and perhaps doable (although we had a car).

Enjoy.

[This message has been edited by married 2 miles (edited 07-01-2001).]

Thanks for all the great replies everyone. I am very happy to hear that October will be a great time to visit.

I have settled on the following itinerary:

Oct. 19: SBN-ORD-LHR (UA/AA)
Oct. 20: LHR-FCO (BA)
-night in Rome
Oct. 21: night in Rome
Oct. 22: travel to Siena
-night in Siena
Oct. 23: travel to Florence
-night in Florence
Oct. 24: travel to Bologna
-night in Bologna
Oct. 25: night in Bologna
Oct. 26: night in Bologna
Oct. 27: MXP-LHR (BA)
-night in London
Oct. 28: LHR-ORD-SBN (AA/UA)

I haven't yet made any decesions as to how to travle b/w the cities, but I know I won't rent a car as I am only 24.

I got a very good hotel rate for the new Sheraton at the Bologna airport. Not the best location, but it is ony $80 a night and I figure I can get into town, see Bologna and do day trips to Ravenna and Parma.

The Sheraton Bologna is a bit far from the center of town, but there is a bus (~$7 R/T) between the airport and the train station, and it also stops in the old city (very close to the train station). I seem to recall that it runs every 15 min. from 7am to 8pm, and a bit less frequently earlier and later until 11pm or so? The bus ride between the airport and the train station takes about 30 min., longer during rush hour time. Enjoy your trip!

I figured that it was far from town, but the rate I'm getting makes it worth it for me. Its fully cancelable, so I might look into some other options, but franjkly, everything else of a decent nature seems rather pricy. We'll see, though.

for me, florence worth 2 night everytime i go. siena is just as nice.

venice is only good after the summer vacation, otherwise it is like going to a crowded airport

have you also think of going to verona?

I like Verona, very interesting old town.
I would stay 1 night at Hotel Victoria.

I actually have been to Verona, but only for an afternoon while driving between Venice and Lake Como. It was beautiful, but I was coming down with a cold and had a nasty sore throat that day, so my enjoyment was somewhat limited.

PresRDC:

As the president of the Venice Fan Club, I expect that your elimination of that wonderful city from your tour stems from the fact that you realized that your original allocation of one night was woefully inadequate.

askworldtraveler:

I am contemplating, with an Italian friend, the remodeling of rural property in Umbria for personal use, perhaps full time in a few years. Would appreciate any hints, etc. that you may have. Grazie e ciao.

Me and Mrs. are planning a trip to Italy next February March. We have a one month window from the 2nd half of Feb to the first half of March. We have never been to Italy and would like to spend 10 days total on this trip. We would like some recommendations on what to do when you are going for the first time to Italy in Feb-March.

We would like to stick to big-cities and the major venues since this is our first time and we do not know Italian. I will be flying AA so am restricted to flying to Milan and then transferring; Alternate is to fly to CDG/LHR and change. I would definitely like to see Rome, and Venice. Florence also seems to be high on the list because of its glorious past.

Are trains the best way through Italy?

What are the best ways of booking hotel accomodations (clean, airy and bright rooms are a must), do not care too much about the luxury factor.

Since we are going in winter, which cities should be avoided because of weather related issues?

In 10 days, you can probably see a lot of Rome, Venice, & maybe Florence. I recommend that you try to fly direct to VCE, and out of Rome, or reverse. Not only will you spend a day transfering in and out of Milan, there are major fog problems there in Feb, and lots of cancellations, and planes redirected to Genoa or Pisa. Fog can also be a problem in Venice, but not as bad as Milan.

Weather is about 32F in Venice at its worst, and may get up to 55-60 if it is a good spell. Tends to be very humid when 32.

Rome is much warmer, Florence somewhat warmer.

Use trains. They are fast, efficient, on time, and cheap. Cars are expensive. Gas is high, tolls are high, rentals are high, there's no place to park, and city parking rates are calculated by the square centimeter.

Hotels are not cheap in Venice or Rome. The Hotel Giorgione is supposed to be quite nice, and does offer a great Feb. rate. We stay at the Danieli, but that is a different rate class.

Don't know much current about Rome hotels. Haven't been there in 7-8 years.

Do not stay in the boondocks like Meistre or Lido. It's not worth the time.

I think Feb/March is a great time to go, as tourist crowd is at its smallest.

If you are from Chicago, you will not mind the weather.

There is a lot of info at rec.travel.europe. Search the archives.

[This message has been edited by slawecki (edited 09-10-2001).]