My wife and I plan to spend our first anniversary in Italy this summer (July 4th week). I've been looking online and reading various books and have put together two possible itineraries:

Itinerary #1:

July 2nd (Sunday): Land in Milan
July 2nd: In Milan

July 3rd: Milan - Pisa by train (Take the 6:10 am IC train that arrives in Pisa at 10:12 am)
July 3rd: Leaning Tower of Pisa
July 3rd: Pisa - Florence by train (Take an evening train that arrives in Florence by 11:00 pm)

July 4th: In Florence

July 5th: Florence - Venice by train (Take the 8:30 am Eurostar that arrives in Venice at 11:28 am)
July 5th - July 6th: In Venice
July 6th: Venice - Rome by train (Take the 6:32 pm ESI train that arrives in Rome at 11:05 pm)

July 7th - July 8th: In Rome & The Vatican

July 9th: Return to the US


Itinerary #2:

July 2nd (Sunday): Land in Rome
July 2nd - 4th: In Rome & The Vatican

July 5th: Rome - Pisa by train (Take the 7:30 am IC train that arrives in Pisa at 10:57 am)
July 5th: Leaning Tower of Pisa
July 5th: Pisa - Florence by train (Take an evening train that arrives in Florence by 11:00 pm)

July 6th: In Florence

July 7th: Florence - Venice by train (Take the 8:30 am Eurostar that arrives in Venice at 11:28 am)
July 7th - July 8th: In Venice

July 8th: Venice - Rome by train (Take the 6:32 pm ESI train that arrives in Rome at 11:05 pm)

July 9th: Return to the US


As you can see, the "days are just packed" (with apologies to Bill Watterson). My wife and I don't mind dropping one of Pisa, Milan and Florence, but can't decide...In all likelihood, Pisa gets the axe if she thinks we need to slow down a bit...

Once the itinerary is set, I'll bug you folks with questions on accommodation and transportation - either the train tickets cannot be purchased this far in advance or I'm doing something wrong - I never get the "Buy" basket - always get a "NO" when the results are displayed.

Please comment in the itineraries and suggest any changes...Ticket prices seem to be near crazy, borderline extortion, for that time of the year, so I want to purchase my US-Italy air tickets as soon as possible.

If you plan never to go back to Italy, you can do itinerary 1. Otherwise you could easily spend all that time just in Rome or Florence (if you like art).

ABSOLUTELY do NOT waste time on such a short trip just to return to your point of entry to fly home! You should be able to open jaw this trip, with little or no extra expense. Even if it costs a little more this way, consider the savings on not taking that train trip back (not to mention your valuable time). Fly into Rome and depart from Venice, or vice-versa.

DEFINITELY skip Pisa. It's just not worth it on such a short trip! If you MUST add another city, it should be Siena (easy half-day trip from Florence). Although the country is compact, you are moving around far too much with your planned itineraries...

My advice, if you only have a week:

July 2: Land in Rome (adjust -- you won't be able to see much)
July 3: Rome
July 4: Rome
July 5: early morning train to Florence
July 6: Florence
July 7: early morning train to Venice
July 8: Venice
July 9: depart for U.S.

You do not rack up FF miles for train.

sfo traveler makes a lot more sense.

Florence may be so crowded as to not be worth the trouble.

as sfo suggested, but did not mention, the US-FCO, VCE-US open jaw will probably cost the same as a US-mxp or us-fco rt.

most of the lines will be so long that you will only be able to get on one ride each day. i.e. uffizi, st. petes(or is it paul?), doge palace.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll definitely look into getting two one way tickets.

Any reasons Florence is more crowded than Rome? Whats the big draw at Florence at that time of the year?

not two one way, one open jaw. Ps you might want to try and rent a car for one day, maybe drive from firenze to pisa and back on a day trip. its close and youll get to experience a bit of the countryside.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll definitely look into getting two one way tickets.

Any reasons Florence is more crowded than Rome? Whats the big draw at Florence at that time of the year?

1. everybody onetiming italy goes in june, july,august, and usually takes the kids.

2. everybody needs to get it checked off their been there done that list.

3. all of centro storcio Florence would probably fit in the Roman forum, or the grand canal for that matter.

made the mistake of being there in an october a few years back. Florence is so crowded, it is difficult to walk around. they pretty much eliminated autos in the central area, but it is still packed. The museums are not really that large.

don't bother with pisa on a trip that short. hour walk from train sta to tower, 15 min shopping for souveneers at the tower, hour walk back. The drive is no thrill. expressway, and flat. if drive, go south to chiantishire., but don't bother, you do not have enought time.

forget MIL also. There is a lot to do in rome. It was a city of 1 million in the year oh. Florence was gaul(lower), and venice a swamp at that time.

for airfare and tickets. go to orbitz, and go to flights and go to not round trip, then the multi city button. PIT-FCO & VCE-PIT should be close to the same as PIT-FCO rt.

Since the board is offering itinerary help for first-time visitors to Italy, I'll throw mine out there too:

Mon Aug 7 -- late afternoon arrival @ FCO
Thur Aug 17 -- morning departure VCE

We're on AA award tix. We need to be in Rome for dinner on Aug 11, and on Sat. Aug 12. Other than that, we're flexible.

We were planning to use Aug 13-16 to see Florence & Venice, but I'm concerned that I'm packing too much into 4 days - and leaving us too much time in Rome.

So, (a) how stupid is it to take the train from Rome to Florence immediately on our arrival on the 7th (I'm flying in to LHR, so I can't get a BA flight to Florence w/o going to LGW), spend 3 full days in Florence, double back to Rome on Friday morning the 11th, and then go to Venice on the evening of the 14th? (b) is Naples worth a day or two? (c) if not, where else should we try to go?

My wife's idea of a vacation is to sightsee until I drop from exhaustion (and then sit around and read while I recuperate). No beach time or anything like that...

Hotels will be SPG awards (currently booked at Excelsior in Rome & FLorence, and Europe e Regina in Venice - but dates may change...).

TIA!

Everyone seems to be very keen on northern Italy. But a suggestion to consider for itineraries: southern Italy is *gorgeous.*
The Amalfi Coast is one of the most beautiful scenes I've ever been able to drink in. Capri is fun, as is even Naples.
Things do feel much more hectic in the south, compared to the north. But I found that fun and rejuvenating.

(But a one-week trip would likely have to be either southern or northern Italy. That's too much to cover in one.)

Since the board is offering itinerary help for first-time visitors to Italy, I'll throw mine out there too:

So, (a) how stupid is it to take the train from Rome to Florence immediately on our arrival on the 7th (I'm flying in to LHR, so I can't get a BA flight to Florence w/o going to LGW), spend 3 full days in Florence, double back to Rome on Friday morning the 11th, and then go to Venice on the evening of the 14th? (b) is Naples worth a day or two? (c) if not, where else should we try to go?



Not stupid, and it can be done. You can take the Leonardo express train right to Termini from the airport, then grab a train to Florence.

Another option is to take Air One from FCO on your arrival, or later and fly to Venice. We paid around $100, but well in advance. This is much more cumbersome, but doable. Only a 1 hr flight, and much faster than the train.

I would skip Naples and the south, and make it an independent trip. That would be way too much in my opinion. (We're doing Sorrento/Capri this August, in conjunction with Florence and Venice, but we know our way around now)

I think you have enough for the first time there. If not, and you need to find more, day trips from Florence are very reasonable and comfortable by bus or train. You can get to Pisa, Lucca, Siena, San Gimignano, etc.

For any other Italy flyers that may have missed this on the Budget board, a new airline started up serving Rome, Milan, MUC, Nice, Vienna, Lyon etc, called Blu-Express. Nice fares! http://tinyurl.com/f3fhe

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll definitely look into getting two one way tickets.

Any reasons Florence is more crowded than Rome? Whats the big draw at Florence at that time of the year?

Do NOT book two one-way tickets...you can do a roundtrip that arrives in one city and departs another. This is very common.

Florence is somewhat crowded at all times of the year, in my experiences. Nothing special happening in May, but the wealth of museums and being in the heart of Tuscany attract a disproportionate number of visitors (including students from all over Italy and the rest of Europe) for how large this city is...

Please limit yourself to only three cities. You will be much happier. Two is even better so that you can take in sights and get to know a couple of places really well, yet feel somewhat relaxed in the evenings for dinner and afterwards, and not be thinking about packing and leaving at the crack of dawn. TRUST ME! ;)

My wife and I plan to spend our first anniversary in Italy this summer (July 4th week). I've been looking online and reading various books and have put together two possible itineraries:
...
Please comment in the itineraries and suggest any changes...Ticket prices seem to be near crazy, borderline extortion, for that time of the year, so I want to purchase my US-Italy air tickets as soon as possible.

Pit_Flyer -- I like SFO's itinerary for you. You are trying to pack in too much, spending too much time on trains. "Take your shoes off and set a spell" in these places, as they say.

We were just there a couple of years ago (Florence, Rome, Amalfi) for 11 days, and are heading back to Venice, Lake Como and Verona in June for our 25th anniversary.

Pisa is easily to delete. It's an interesting couple of hours, but that's about it.

Siena is a nicer side trip from Florence, if you have time. But Florence, Rome and Venice can easily fill your time (and then some).

As to those who recommend deleting Florence because of the crowds, don't listen to them. Florence is the heart of the Renaissance, and is incomparable. Read Brunelleschi's Dome before you go, and you will marvel at the Duomo in Florence with a new understanding.

You'll be there during the warm summer, so we enjoyed the rooftop pool at the Kraft Hotel when we were there in August. A few blocks away from the centre, but we didn't mind the walk. (First anniversary, so you are still young?)

I'll recommend a restaurant -- Il Profeta. Ask for the owner, Claudio. Make sure you have his "pici" a regional tuscan pasta dish. I would die to have some right now.

Enjoy your trip.

Since the board is offering itinerary help for first-time visitors to Italy, I'll throw mine out there too:

Mon Aug 7 -- late afternoon arrival @ FCO
Thur Aug 17 -- morning departure VCE

So, (a) how stupid is it to take the train from Rome to Florence immediately on our arrival on the 7th (I'm flying in to LHR, so I can't get a BA flight to Florence w/o going to LGW), spend 3 full days in Florence, double back to Rome on Friday morning the 11th, and then go to Venice on the evening of the 14th? (b) is Naples worth a day or two? (c) if not, where else should we try to go?

Hotels will be SPG awards (currently booked at Excelsior in Rome & FLorence, and Europe e Regina in Venice - but dates may change...).

TIA!

If you don't want to backtrack (wasting a bunch of time on trains) You might want to think about heading south first. Head down to see Pompeii, Amalfi, and Paestum (in the foreign film Bread and Tulips--worth renting). Then back to Rome for your days there, then up to Florence and then Venice.

You'll have less time in each of your places though. Overall, though, even with the back-tracking, I like the itinerary limiting to Rome, Florence and Venice. I am a big proponent of several days in each city at least.

I strongly concur with the advice to limit the number of cities. In the time allotted, I'd skip Venice on this trip (a city that doesn't have a number of "must-hit-once" attractions, but that must be savored and absorbed in order to really get the most out of it) and I'd skip Pisa altogether (a huge bore, frankly) and give Rome and Florence 2-3 days each, with one day in Milan to hit its highlights (especially the Cenacolo / Last Supper).

This will give you a flavorful introduction to Italy and it will whet your appetite for your next visit :) . Most importantly, this will give you and your wife unhurried time to enjoy each other's company in this fabulous country.

In all instances, be sure to make advance reervations (easily done either on the internet or over the phone) for the prime attractions, such as the Uffizi and the Academia in Florence an the Cenacolo in Milan. This will let you and your wife skip the lines and enter the attractions at your appointed time.

I just wanted to chime back in on this thread for a minute and make another recommendation or two in Florence.

In addition to the obligatory Accademia (statue of David) and Uffizi Gallery, I have gone back a few times to take friends through the Palatine Galleries of the Pitti Palace.

The Palace is a 10-15 minute walk into the Oltrarno district on the "other" side of the Ponte Vecchio. It is the royal apartments and art collections of the Medici Family, and the rooms are just jaw-dropping. Rather than a traditional museum collection of paintings, you can really get a feel for how the wealthiest family of the Renaissance lived. A visit to the Palace can be combined with a picnic in the Boboli Gardens, or a walk up to Piazza Michelangelo for stunning views overlooking all of Florence (best photo op. in the city, IMHO).

Secondly, one of my fondest experiences in Florence (which I love, but not as much as Venice and Rome!), is stumbling upon the "Officina Profuma Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella," the oldest pharmacy in the world. Dominican friars began mixing curatives in 1221, and opened this pharmacy in 1612 with permission to sell stuff to laypeople: http://www.smnovella.com/english.html

It is very centrally located near the Santa Maria Novella church, but can be easily missed on the street...so ask anyone and they will know it. They sell all sorts of perfumes, soaps, lotions, etc. The potpourri is very affordable and makes great souvenirs, and if you keep it in your luggage during the rest of your trip, all your clothes will smell AWESOME. ^
Honestly, it is worth a short walk out of the way to see this place...very evocative of a time gone by, and walking into it (it is quite large) is one of the most incredible smells you will ever experience (like a Medieval Aveda store!).

My wife and I just booked a trip to Italy, any comments on our itinerary would be great.

Sep 30 Land in Venice (3 nights at the Hotel Europa and Regina)
Oct 3 Florence (2 nights at the Westin Excelsior)
Oct 5 Rome (3 nights at the Westin Excelsior)

Are we taking on too much in a short period. It is our first time to Italy, and would like a relaxing/sightseeing trip.

We were able to use the SPG European Elite Award, which gives you 7 nights at Category 5 hotels, for between 67k - 91k points.

Thanks
Mike

My wife and I just booked a trip to Italy, any comments on our itinerary would be great.

Sep 30 Land in Venice (3 nights at the Hotel Europa and Regina)
Oct 3 Florence (2 nights at the Westin Excelsior)
Oct 5 Rome (3 nights at the Westin Excelsior)

Are we taking on too much in a short period. It is our first time to Italy, and would like a relaxing/sightseeing trip.

We were able to use the SPG European Elite Award, which gives you 7 nights at Category 5 hotels, for between 67k - 91k points.

Thanks
Mike

I think your trip makes a lot of sense for first trip. I presume you fly into VCE & out of FCO. use trains in between cities. You can move a day around here and there as your interests be.

You can use the Starwood boat from VCE to your hotel. to get rate and hours, call the E&R.

Does this package include breakfast? If not contact me, unless you are big on €100+ breakfasts(for 2).

How does one get to be SPG Diamond?

You've got PM

Mike

I think your trip makes a lot of sense for first trip. I presume you fly into VCE & out of FCO. use trains in between cities. You can move a day around here and there as your interests be.

You can use the Starwood boat from VCE to your hotel. to get rate and hours, call the E&R.

Does this package include breakfast? If not contact me, unless you are big on €100+ breakfasts(for 2).

How does one get to be SPG Diamond?

...double back to Rome on Friday morning the 11th, and then go to Venice on the evening of the 14th?Here's something to consider:

Rather than going from Rome to Venice in the evening, consider a sleeper. The "Marco Polo" leaves Rome Tiburtina just before 11 PM and arrives in Venice before 6AM. It's defintely a treat for your first glimpse of Venice to be in the early morning.

Positives:
The sleeper supplement is less than the cost of a Venice hotel room.
The sleeper compartment has a special bracket on the wall to hold your open wine bottle.

Downsides:
- Your Venice hotel room may not be available until noon or later unless you're lucky or have made arrangements in advance.
- I had trouble really getting sleep on the train (you sleep crossways in the 2-person sleeper compartment). YMMV.

Here's something to consider:

Rather than going from Rome to Venice in the evening, consider a sleeper. - I had trouble really getting sleep on the train (you sleep crossways in the 2-person sleeper compartment). YMMV.


I slept on the train axis once somewhere. was horrible with acceleration and braking. I vote for sideways every time, and a small sink in the room.

It's defintely a treat for your first glimpse of Venice to be in the early morning.

Venice is amazing the first time you step off that train at any hour :).

My wife and I plan to spend our first anniversary in Italy this summer (July 4th week). … Please comment in the itineraries and suggest any changes...Ticket prices seem to be near crazy, borderline extortion, for that time of the year, so I want to purchase my US-Italy air tickets as soon as possible.

Hi PIT_Flyer,

I feel honoured that your wife and you intend to spend your first anniversary in Italy. You spend a lot of time and did an excellent job in preparing your journey. Your wife can be very proud of you!

I want not comment if it is preferable to travel al lot than staying in one or two places. IMO it’s a matter of personnel taste and if you like to be ob the move, hey, why not?

I know, Roma, Venice, Florence, Milan this are all fantastic cities for spending an anniversary. But during July? If you are doing this itinerary in shoulder season, your will have a much better time than in peak season.

You also mentioned that fares are near crazy. Yes, they are. But please have a look at DL’s fares from JFK to NCE. I would feel much better if you choose NCE as your starting and finishing point of your journey. You can visit Cannes, Nice, Monaco, San Remo, Savona, Genova, Torino, Sacra di San Michele and back to the Côte d’ Azur. Relax on Cannes Croisette and stay at least one night at Hotel IC Carlton.

I hope your are not too disappointed that I stepped in and come out with a complete different scenario. However, I feel totally comfortable that these suggestions fitting perfect for celebrating your first anniversary.

Good luck!

My wife and I just booked a trip to Italy, any comments on our itinerary would be great.

Sep 30 Land in Venice (3 nights at the Hotel Europa and Regina)
Oct 3 Florence (2 nights at the Westin Excelsior)
Oct 5 Rome (3 nights at the Westin Excelsior)

Are we taking on too much in a short period. It is our first time to Italy, and would like a relaxing/sightseeing trip.
Excellent itinerary, terrific hotels and a perfect timing! Congrats mcohen!

Hi PIT_Flyer,

I feel honoured that your wife and you intend to spend your first anniversary in Italy. You spend a lot of time and did an excellent job in preparing your journey. Your wife can be very proud of you!

I want not comment if it is preferable to travel al lot than staying in one or two places. IMO it’s a matter of personnel taste and if you like to be ob the move, hey, why not?

I know, Roma, Venice, Florence, Milan this are all fantastic cities for spending an anniversary. But during July? If you are doing this itinerary in shoulder season, your will have a much better time than in peak season.

You also mentioned that fares are near crazy. Yes, they are. But please have a look at DL’s fares from JFK to NCE. I would feel much better if you choose NCE as your starting and finishing point of your journey. You can visit Cannes, Nice, Monaco, San Remo, Savona, Genova, Torino, Sacra di San Michele and back to the Côte d’ Azur. Relax on Cannes Croisette and stay at least one night at Hotel IC Carlton.

I hope your are not too disappointed that I stepped in and come out with a complete different scenario. However, I feel totally comfortable that these suggestions fitting perfect for celebrating your first anniversary.

Good luck!

Thanks for your kind words, Ventimiglia

We were able to book two reward tickets on CO. This led to a slight change of plans. The dates remain the same, but the itinerary now has to revolve around MXP for obvious reasons.

Here's a revamped itinerary. PLEASE comment...

July 9th: Land in MXP, sightseeing in Milan
July 10th: Milan to Rome by train
July 10th - July 12th: Sightseeing in Rome
July 13th: Rome - Florence by train, sightseeing in Florence
July 14th: Florence - Venice by train
July 14th - July 16th: In Venice
July 16th: Venice - Milan by train (take the LAST train out of Venice to Milan)
July 17th: Return home

As you can tell, we dropped Pisa and are spending more time in Rome and Venice. We're not sure if one day in Florence is a travesty...

Please comment. I'm open to suggestions and would like to book hotels ASAP.

Thanks.

Please comment. I'm open to suggestions and would like to book hotels ASAP.Resist the urge to stay in Mestre and find a hotel in Venice. It's very hard to find a Venice hotel under 200 Euros, and it will be more difficult in July. Early booking is a good idea. Also, no need to be close to St. Marks.

I've had trouble locating a hotel close to MXP (they exist but aren't really convenient if you don't have a car), so on our June trip we'll be staying at the Hilton in Milan and taking the bus to MXP the morning of our flight. How early is your flight home?

Resist the urge to stay in Mestre and find a hotel in Venice. It's very hard to find a Venice hotel under 200 Euros, and it will be more difficult in July. Early booking is a good idea. Also, no need to be close to St. Marks.

I've had trouble locating a hotel close to MXP (they exist but aren't really convenient if you don't have a car), so on our June trip we'll be staying at the Hilton in Milan and taking the bus to MXP the morning of our flight. How early is your flight home?

I believe my wife found a "cute little place" near St. Marks in Venice; so I'll go with that. Will post a link to that place when I find it.

As for Milan, we're flying into MXP and out of LIN. I Pricelined the Meridien for $100 (July 9th) and am looking for hotels near LIN - our light is at 6:30am or so...Any suggestions?

TWe're not sure if one day in Florence is a travesty...




It is a travesty :D , but it's better (in my opinion) to at least see Florence a little bit, so that you know that you must come back someday.

Bumping this up as we are looking forward to our first trip to Italy in 2008. This will be with our 2- or 3-year old son, depending on what time of year we travel. From everything I've read so far, either April/May or October/November is best for avoiding crowds and undesirable heat and humidity, am I correct? We are probably looking at a 7-10 day trip. Would it be worth splitting time between Rome and Venice, or just concentrating on one of those cities with such a youngster? Thanks in advance!