Originally Posted by
Perche
I wouldn't think of flying to Milan and taking a train to Venice so you can avoid taking the 50 minute Alilaguna ride from VCE to Venice. It takes 50 minutes just to get from MXP to the Milano Centrale train station to take the 2.5 hour train to Venice. That's much longer and much more expensive. I've done it a bunch, when fares dictate, but it's a terrible compromise to have to take two trains when jet lagged. If you can get a cheap fare to VCE, go for it.
And, although the train does take you into the city of Venice proper, that's not saying much. The area around the train station is a true, tourist trap dump to be avoided at all costs. Hopefully, you're not considering staying anywhere near there. So, when you arrive to the train station you'll still have to get on a vaporetto to get to your neighborhood and hotel.
In contrast, the Alilaguna from the airport to the city has stops all over the city, and will be able to drop you off within walking difference of wherever your hotel is, pretty much.
Thanks for the information. I think we'll bite the bullet and fly into Venice and out of Rome even though the flights to Milan are significantly cheaper.
Originally Posted by
Perche
You mentioned that this is your only vacation so you want mix in the Tuscan countryside to relax. The best way to kill relaxation and make a trip to Italy stressful is to try to visit too many places. If you want to experience Tuscan countryside, choose a specific place, go there, and stay and relax. Forget about trying to squeeze in more and more.
I agree - if we go to Tuscany we'd drive out there and spend ~2 nights relaxing. Right now our plan is 2 nights Venice, 2 nights Florence, 2 nights Tuscany, 3 nights Amalfi, 3 nights Rome. It's definitely still a lot of travel and moving but like I said in my initial post we'd like to see a lot and are active people.
Originally Posted by
Perche
No cars, no how, except going to an agency on the periphery of Florence to use to get to where you are going in Tuscany and returning it there on the outskirts. The ticket problem is very real, especially in Florence. And they will hunt you down in the USA to make you pay.
Driving in Italy is not a problem for someone who learned to drive in Boston or NYC. For some people, driving in a foreign country is part of the high of the experience. If you can do Boston or NYC, you can do Palermo or Naples. It will require you to up your game considerably, but do it if you're up to the challenge. Trains, on the other hand, are quite nice.
Being from NYC, I'm not concerned about actually driving. More concerned with getting out of the city and then eventually returning the car. Where do you recommend going in the periphery of Florence to get a car? And what about returning it - if our next stop is Amalfi does it make sense to drive to Florence, return the car there, and take the train OR drive right to Rome (not sure how easy/difficult that drive is) and then take the train to Naples from there?