Itinerary for Italy

[boiler717]

I would probably skip Venice. I think we were there 12 days and did Venice, Sorrento and Rome. I felt like we had the perfect amount of time in Sorrento and Rome, so I wouldn't want to cut those to go to Venice. I'd also probably do Tuscany over Venice if I had to do it again.

Sorrento was great for the Almalfi coast. Day trip to Pompeii and we spent a half day on Capri. Positano is also a good spot.

[neonpink]

If you are in Rome you should at see St. Peter's Basilica it is amazing.
We took a day trip to Ostia Antica while in Rome and it used to be Rome's nearest port. It is very cool to walk around the streets of an ancient city. Like Pompeii with out the death by volcano.

Driving in Rome proper is a bit chaotic but do-able it would be great to have a car in the countryside. The roads from my experience were well marked and easy to navigate.

I have not yet been to Milan (going for work in April) or Venice but I would probably use your time in the south and central Italy. You'd get the most out of your vacation and not be traveling from the toe to tip of the country.

[chicago]

We did a 16 night itinerar with 2 nights Venice, 3 nights Florence, 4 nights Tuscany, 4 nights Positano, and 3 nights Rome.

With 10 nights, I'd recommend 4 nights in Florence (with a day trip out to the Tuscan hill towns), 3 nights somewhere on the Amalfi Coast (we loved Positano), and 3 nights Rome.

[trigal]

We just spent 12 days in Italy. We were in Rome where we did tours of the Vatican/St. Peter's and the Colosseum/Roman Forum. Both were excellent tours and well worth it. The rest of the time, we wandered the city on our own, visiting the Jewish Ghetto and the Pantheon. We stayed right by Trevi Fountain.

Then we rented a car and drove to Sorrento, which is right on the water, just south of Naples. From there, we drove the Amalfi coast, spent a day in Pompeii, and took the ferry to Capri. It was December, but I would definitely go back in warmer weather to get some beach time. This area is a summer resort.

As an aside, the food is the big star in Italy. We found some amazing restaurants in both Rome and Sorrento that I would go back to on a future visit!

[wanderlustfoodie]

I love Venice and it's on our must-visit list for our trip this December but if you only have 10 days and you want to see a beach area, I agree with chicago that you could do Florence (with day trips to smaller Tuscany villages), Rome (my second favorite city on the planet), and 3 nights on the Amalfi coast (if the weather is nice) or Cinque Terre (which you could do as a day trip or overnight from Rome, too).

[sunshinedaydreams]

With 10 days, IMO, it's not worth it to go up north. I find in reading reviews people either love or hate Venice. We really liked it, but it's far enough out of the way and sort of a crapshoot on whether you'd like it or not, so I'd probably skip it this trip.

We did 14 days in Italy, 2 in Venice, 4 in Florence, Rome and Positano. We're not museum people either and really didn't like Florence. With that said, if it were me, I'd do 4 days in Positano (or somewhere else on the AC), 3-4 days in Rome, and 2-3 days in Florence.

We did a stop over at Pompeii on the way from Rome to Positano. We took the train from Rome to Naples and then hired a car to drive us to Positano with a stop over in Pompeii. It wasn't all that expensive (I think $80) and it was nice for us to be able to relax and enjoy the scenery without worrying about driving. And with this option, we didn't have to join a tour group out of Rome.

I'm not sure how comfortable you are with driving in other places, but Italian cities had some of the craziest drivers I've ever seen - lots of roundabouts, areas where traffic is restricted or can be fined (especially in Florence) with no signs or indication you're crossing into those areas, lots of gridlock in the cities, etc. The Amalfi coast is very, very narrow, very windy roads right at the edge of the cliffs. We saw some shady stuff with buses barely squeaking by cars, etc. I wouldn't feel comfortable driving in that. Maybe something you want to take into consideration when you decide whether or not to rent a car.

[moreace01]

agreeing with chicago and wanderlustfoodie to concentrate on florence, rome and the coast. Save Venice for another time when you do the northern part of the country.

I did 2 nights in Venice (not enough), 4 nights in Florence (right amount as i took one day to head out to the countryside) and 2 nights in Rome (not enough), 1 night on Bologna (one night too many). I would have loved to have that extra night for either Venice or Rome. As it was, I felt like I was running around crazy the whole time I was there trying to cram everything in. Didn't get a chance to sit back and enjoy the people and the culture as much as I would have liked.

I'm also one of those people who loved Venice and Rome (many people seem to not like these cities as much). I liked Florence, but not as much as the other two. Maybe because I didn't have enough time in Venice and Rome. Also, I did not drive - took the train between cities.

I mean really, you could do the whole trip with just two cities. There is so much to see and experience. Just an amazing country.

Enjoy your trip!

[chicago]

I'd definitely recommend Positano or Sorrento over Naples. I was happy to get out of there after 10 minutes - just too hectic. The Amalfi Coast is too gorgeous to pass up! If you hire a driver to take you from the Naples train station to the AC you can even schedule a stop IIRC.

[sunshinedaydreams]

I totally agree about Positano or Sorrento over Naples. Naples was crazy. And yes, if you hire a driver from Naples you can stop over. That's how we did Pompeii. We used Sorrento Cars and had a really good experience.

Also, if you can reverse the order of Naples/Sorrento and Rome, I'd do that.  Then you break up some of your travel a bit more.  Traveling from Florence to Naples/Sorrento in one day is quite a bit of time.  If you do Rome in between, you can get back to Naples fairly easily and fly back from the Naples airport.  And it's less crazy than the airport in Rome.

[wanderlustfoodie]

Agree that Naples is not as charming as the other cities you're visiting. I think you'd enjoy swapping that out for the Amalfi Coast.

[sporky]

I love, love, love Naples, but based on what type of vacation you've said you want, I'd probably recommend doing one of the towns on the Amalfi coast.

[clseale]

Jan 28, 2014 15:41:09 GMT -5 Mrs.flang said:

I'm not having much luck convincing DH to skip Venice. 

What we've decided on for now is a 12 night trip - arrive in Venice (around 11am), and spend 2 nights there, 3 nights Florence, 3 nights Naples or Sorrento, and 4 nights Rome.  I hope we have time to do all the side trips like to Pompeii, Tuscany...

Thanks again for all the info.  Sorry for posting another update I'm just really excited!

If you want to obsess with someone, page me on H&F anytime. We're planning a very similar itinerary for late Aug to early Sept, except we're planning on Positano for the coast. We can share planning notes! 

[travelblogger78]

www.italyfoodtour.com/tailor-made-travels

We took a delicious food tour and cooking classes in Venice with them, but a friend ask them to plan all her 12-days trip in Italy : she was amazed!

[lightbulbsun]

I agree with PPs that staying in Sorrento might make more sense than staying in Naples.

Also, I personally thought Florence was way overrated, so I would do an extra day in Sorrento instead, so you can see Capri, Amalfi, and Pompeii. Actually, when we went to Italy last summer we completely skipped Florence and just stayed in Tuscany instead, and checked out some of the smaller towns.

[Cioccolato]

Eat Pizza in Naples and then Leave, go to the Amalfi Coast. Positano is nice, so is Salerno. Sorrento is nice but its the Start of the Costiera Sorrentine, not the Amalfi Coast.
Hire a driver, do Not Drive in the South, unless you are really confident in your driving. There's no rules for driving in the South.

[neonpink]

Feb 10, 2014 11:18:41 GMT -5 Cioccolato said:

Eat Pizza in Naples and then Leave, go to the Amalfi Coast. Positano is nice, so is Salerno. Sorrento is nice but its the Start of the Costiera Sorrentine, not the Amalfi Coast.
Hire a driver, do Not Drive in the South, unless you are really confident in your driving. There's no rules for driving in the South.

I feel like there aren't many rules anywhere.

While I was in Rome I rented a Scooter. A car hit my mirror while moving and it was no big deal. Your still upright, my car is ok. Ciao lets go.