Up In The Air

IMHO Perche offers impeccable advice and raises pertinent questions which you should consider very seriously.

Adding even more locations to your itinerary would be exhausting to say the least.

I've never heard Rome described as 'meh' before. (Are you sure your advisers were not referring to the town of Rome, GA?)

Have a wonderful honeymoon.

bigguyinpasadena

You are on your Honeymoon! Save the whirlwind tour for another time
I think Perche is right about not adding any other cities but rather subtracting and spending more days in less touristy spots.
Travel can be stressful. Do you really want to start your lives together stressing out on meeting train/bus/plane schedules? Pick a few cities and really explore them.
You won't be bored, rather you will have unhurried leisurely time with your spouse.

Perche

Humorous response! Yes, Rome is never going to be meh, just as someone cannot say they went to Venice and didn't like it. Rome is meh if you don't know where to stay or what to do when you get there. The OP is from NYC (where I lived for about 16 years). People in NYC think they live at the center of the world, but Romans scoff at that and truly believe they are "caput mundi," or the head of the world.

When I was in Rome two months ago they were installing air conditioning in an apartment building that was built over 2,000 years ago, right in the center of the city, across the street from the Forum. The things to do are out of this world, and the food is insane. And if you are a good walker, like most people in NYC are, although things are spread out you actually can really walk everywhere. Walking to the Vatican could be a stretch for some, although I can easily do it, and do it a lot when in Rome

I think the people who find Rome to be meh, just did Hop On Hop Off bus tours, and things like that, and took selfies with the guys in gladiator uniforms in front of the Colosseum, which is like going to NYC to take pictures with the people in Mickey Mouse costumes in Times Square. Looking at the Colosseum at night, it is impossible to not feel as if you are in another world of beauty and magic. Having a drink at Piazza Venezia while looking at the Vittorio Emanuele Monument is a pretty darn romantic thing to do, as is a walk along the Tiber in the afternoon, or strolling around the Piazza della Rotonda (Pantheon) in the lat morning, then having coffee at one of the famous places like Cafe Eustachio, or Cafe del'Oro.

In the same way, it is impossible not to find Venice to be romantic and magical, and stunningly beautiful. But someone who goes there dropped off for a day off of a cruise ship, or who stays at a hotel near San Marco Square or the Rialto Bridge, is almost certain to dislike it.

OP is doing a great job. The main imbalance that I saw was giving Montepulciano as much time as Rome. That is OK if someone is looking for a sort of rural vacation, but in July even Montepulciano is overrun. I had to spend three weeks this July in Italy, and chose Rome as my base. I did so because even though it's going to be full of tourists, it is so big that just as I do in Venice, there are whole swaths of neighborhoods that are completely undiscovered, and provide a relaxing, local experience, with no crowds at all.

Perche

Sorry, I don't know why they didn't upload. The first two pictures are Venice, the first around St. Marco Square. The second around the Rialto Bridge.

Perche

Pictures of Venice a 5-10 minute walk away from San Marco.

wrp96

I still remember my first trip to Europe. Paris was the first stop on a whirlwind 3 week trip. Paris suffered for being the first stop on the trip when I was trying to see everything, and when I got home I told people it was just meh. By the time we got to Venice, I had learned to wander, and to breathe in, and just experience rather than try and see every tourist site that everyone says you have to see. So even in the middle of July I loved Venice, partly because I wasn't trying to check off a list of things that everyone says you have to see.

Perche

There are a million pictures of Rome on the internet, and movies too. It's a very modern city. But look at the air conditioners on the upper right side. On the first floor, those are shops where they sell things. The vendors live on the second floor, above the shops. I saw those air conditioners being put in. Romans started vending and living in those shops around the year zero. This is downtown Rome. I bet millions of tourists have walked by this and never noticed it. They were probably too busy taking photos with their arms around a guy posing as a gladiator. This is not something super beautiful. Those things are all over the internet. The second photo is exiting from my apartment. That's the Colosseum in the background. It's right next to everything, but magically secluded that you hardly ever see a tourist there. A few blocks away, the area is packed in July. I took these two pictures this past July.

Perche

Exactly. Even Paris is just meh, if you don't do it right.

njfastlife

you have me convinced Rome needs more time

i think i have a revision:

July 10 - 13: Florence (3 nights)

July 13 - 14: Siena (1 night - i know...)

July 14 - 18: Montepulciano or Pienza (4 nights)

July 18 - 24: Praiano (6 nights, R&R)

July 24 - 29: Rome (5 nights)

i am concerned i may not be giving enough time to Florence, but oh well.

Perche

You can't have it all. Trying to have it all in one trip is the easiest way to ruin a vacation to Italy. This is excellent. Keep in mind that there is a local bus on the Amalfi Coast called SITA. It costs maybe one or two euros, and it goes up and down the whole AC. You can take it to Positano, the town of Amalfi, or any of the other towns you might want to see. This is excellent.

PWMTrav

Let's say that out of 19 days, you have 17 full days (first and last are travel). Of that, I think 3 places would be optimal, 4 if you'd like, but try not to go for 5.

I'd do:

Rome - 7
Florence - 5
Praiano - 5

If you get bored in any of them, there will be rail or bus to take you somewhere else nearby for the day. But centering in 3 places like that gives you options, including the option to relax and/or not relocate.

I haven't been to Praiano, but I've been to Rome and Florence a bunch, and a week in either one would still pass very quickly.

njfastlife

@Perche do you have any advice on great lodging (neighborhoods even) in Florence, Montepulciano and/or Rome?

we just booked this in Praiano: https://hotelmargherita.info/en/

right now looks like we might get Meuble il Riccio in Montepulciano

JMN57

If it were my honeymoon and I was going to Florence, I would get river - Ponte Vecchio view room at the Hotel Lungarno (https://www.lungarnocollection.com/hotel-lungarno).



Beautiful hotel, central (just cross the Ponte Vecchio and you're in the center of Florence) but in the Oltrarno neighborhood which isn't quite yet overrun with tourism.

By far my wife's favorite hotel in Firenze (and mine too).

njfastlife

looks absolutely gorgeous but a bit out of our price range. these properties appear to rank well and are a bit more affordable for us:

Grand Hotel Minerva

Hotel Il Guelfo Bianco

Hotel Davanzati

Palazzo Niccolini al Duomo

1865 Residenza d'epoca

PWMTrav

Based on location, I'd pick Hotel Davanzati. However, I would probably suggest you take another look at hotels just south of the river, as they remove you from the crowds a little more. There are some more affordable options around Hotel Lungarno, which has the right location (for me). If you don't need hotel services, I'd also suggest looking at Airbnb or similar for a short term apartment rental in Florence.

I usually recommend Granduomo on these forums, so I'll throw that option out for you to look at, but will caution that I don't think I'd want to be in Piazza del Duomo in July. The place is otherwise great, and really centrally located, but I prefer to be away from crowds.