Maxigray

Hi all,

I would like to take your opinion please about my honeymoon trip to Italy, I have already booked my tickets to go from mid Dec until first of Jan 2011 and I'm planning it to be like this

1- 5 Days in Rome
2- 5 Days in Florence
3- 2 Days in Venice
4- 3 Days in Milan

I'm hesitating about Milan because I believe it's the city of shopping and we don't intend to do shopping during our honey moon so do you please have suggestions of other cities?

As for the hotels, I'm looking for luxury hotels, after some research here in the forums I found people recommending a hotel called "il Palazzo" in Venice, it looks good but do you have any suggestions for Venice, Rome and Florence? i'm looking for something luxury and central and romantic.

I would be grateful for every help that you could offer and it's much appreciated.

Thanks
Maxi

sk3

A quick suggestion - if you haven't already, do check out our Starwood forum for extensive reviews on the many SPG Italian luxury properties.

Non-NonRev

Wirelessly posted (Nokia E71-2: Opera/9.80 (J2ME/MIDP; Opera Mini/5.1.21051/20.2489; U; en) Presto/2.5.25)

On the schedule, flip the number of days for Venice and Milan - Milan does have some nice attractions' but they are easily done within a two-day schedule.

La Scala is doing their new Die Walkure during your stay great cast, but maybe not be the best opera to see during a honeymoon .. However, you should still visit La Scala itself, and the Last Supper (call for a timed reservation before you go, also do this for the Uffizi and Academia in Florence).

In Milan I recommend the Park Hyatt or Four Seasons - book through a Virtuoso agent (or AmEx Fine Hotels if you have a Platinum or Centuriom AmEx card) for free add-ons). Despite their US/Canada ownership, these are small, beautiful properties with a very high level of service and comfort.

In Rome, I recommend the Rocco Forte Hotel de Russie.

Maxigray

Thank you both for the great great golden advice that you've offered.

I'm flying back to my country via Rome so I was wondering if there is any nice city to stay in for a night or two that is between Venice and Rome or Florence and Rome

Any recommendations?

Thanks once again

EWC-JMU

Maxigray, let me first offer you congratulations on your upcoming wedding.

On your question of a "nice city to stay in for a night or two" between Florence and Rome, I will assume that you are driving (which I highly recommend). If that is the case, you can pretty much take your pick of Tuscan hill towns like San Gimignano, Montalcino, or (my favorite) Montepulciano. Of those three, Montepulciano is closest to the Firenze-Roma A1 autostrada. But in my opinion the true joys of driving through southern Tuscany are far, far off of the autostrada.

If you are looking for more of a "city" between Florence and Rome, well, I guess you could overnight in either Siena or Arezzo. Although they are both "between" Florence and Rome, they are much closer to Florence, so if you were driving you would still have a long trip on to Rome. Both are very much worth seeing, but given the geography may be more appropriate for day trips from Florence.

As for hotels in Rome, my wife and I stayed at the Westin Excelsior and absolutely loved it. There is also the St. Regis, which is just a couple of blocks down the V. Veneto from the Westin. If money is no object, it may be a more appropriate choice for your honeymoon.

Congratulations again and I wish you many years of happiness.

JerryFF

One general comment - you list all of your days in cities. For me, much of the charm of Italy lies outside the big cities, especially in the areas of Tuscany and Umbria. An overnight in one or more of the hill towns would certainly be something I would include - others not yet mentioned include Assisi and Orvieto. For moderate sized cities, I agree about Sienna, but I think you might also consider Verona, between Milan and Venice. The crowds are much smaller in Verona than the other bigger cities and yet it has all the real flavor of Italian life and culture that are much more accessible than in the big cities.

When you get to Venice, be sure to take a ride to some of the outer islands, especially Burano, a unique and relaxing fishing village.

Allan38103

Your schedule hits the high spots Maybe not so much time in Milan

Think about maybe Naples

Or just go way off the beaten path to a no-name town and hotel in Umbria or Tuscany wher youy can relax and not have to be out touring every day

XLR26

I would second all of this. Get out of the cities for @ least a day or two!

CubsFanJohn

I'd do 3 in Venice and 2 in Milan.

slawecki

i'd just skip milan. reduce florence to 2 days unless you are a student of rennasance art and crowds. spend more time in rome and venice, or get a car and travel from town to town in the outback. skip naples unless you are a really experienced traveler. i would not spring for the big bucks for the super fancy hotels. i have stayed at most(not the Bauer-grunwald) and prefer the 3+ and4* small and B&B's.

well, you asked.

Alice11

Skip Milan and save time for other areas.
Spend more time in Veneto, Tuscany, Umbria & Lazio.
In terms of accomodations:
decrease Florence, and perhaps you may consider using another base in Tuscany for the accomodation, eg Siena; add something in Umbria; use a single base in Veneto for Venice, Verona, Padua and such, just to avoid the hassle of changing accomodation too much often.

So: Rome > Umbria > Tuscany > Veneto


If that sort of environment is unusual for you, you may consider to spend some time in the Alps. It's a short trip from the Verona/Venice area, in December should be really nice, plenty of snow.
In this case, you may give up or consolidate some plans for Umbria and/or Tuscany, since they are quite similar, and detour from Veneto to the Alps.

So: Rome> Central Italy > Veneto > Alps

no more than 4 different hotels & BBs

bdemaria

I agree, unless you are flying out of Milan back to the states. In that case, then I would stay in Milan the night before the int'l flight. If you are looking for luxury properties in Milan, check out the Park Hyatt.

As for hotels in Venice, it really depends on your budget; the Bauer "il Palazzo" is an excellent hotel although I'm not sure I would define it as Romantic. You will be paying a premium to be close to Saint Mark's - which isn't necessarily a good thing - and paying even more if you want a water view [which most people want in Venice]. Venice is very small so just about everything is "central" and even those locations that are considered "far" from St. Marks - are really only about 10 to 15 minutes away - and frankly, in far more interesting/authentic areas of the city.

ScatterX

I'm in the "skip Milan" crowd as well. IMO, you are much better off spending time in the Northern lakes than Milan. Venice is unique and staying there for two days seems good. Take the Milan days and find some little town along one of the lakes.

If you are just trying to hit the major cities, you are probably OK, but I think you are missing the main charm of Italy. I'd recommend you save time for Northern Italy, particularly the lakes (Garda, Como, Maggiore, others)/mountains and the hundreds of small towns all over Italy (north and south). As others have suggested, mix up the big touristy cities with some time away from the cities.

If you need specific info as you refine your trip, I'm sure many here can help. Congrats on the nuptials and welcome to FT.

TheAAdmiral

Another vote for skipping Milan. Congratulazioni e buona fortuna!
(Congratulations and good luck!)

aubreyfromwheaton

skip it all... go to Las Vegas, eat at Il Mulino, take a boat ride at the V and with the 10K you save... you could bet 5K at roulette and get 5 hi priced hookers