My girlfriend and I are excited to plan a two week trip to Italy - want to see Rome and for sure the Amalfi Coast! Suggestions on planning and 'must see's' appreciated! Thinking a day trip by train to Florence would be work! Would fly from Toronto to Rome and then the fun begins! Would it be smart to get a small room in Rome as a home base? Calling on all you seasoned Italian travellers for your expert advice!
Summer 2013 in Italy - First Time!
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You will need to spend a few nights on or near the Amalfi Coast. The travel time from Rome makes it too far for a day trip.
And before you decide that you want to visit Florence as a day trip from Rome, figure out what sights you want to see. A single day in Florence may not be enough time for you.
You might consider heading to Florence or the Amalfi Coast immediately after landing in Rome and then spending all of your Rome days at the end before flying home.
Jean's advice - perfect.
I would not make a day trip to Florence unless the bullet train schedules work out. (Look at Frecciarossa for the fast train.) There's so much to see and it all takes longer than you expect. Also, if you go at all, be advised that you need to make reservations for a certain time to get into some of the museums.
You asked about a small room for a base. Look for an apartment, either a studio or 1-bedroom place. Try sleepinitaly.com for starters. If you want to stay 3 or more days in one place, an apartment is a great way to go.
I would follow Jean's advice and go straight to Florence by train when you arrive in Italy. Spend 4 nights, then train to the Amalfi Coast for 4 nights, then back to Rome for the rest of your trip.
For some people there is a lot to see and do in Florence because they want to do a lot of shopping, or spend a lot of time inside museums of art, or spend a lot of time inside churches. For others, there are a handful of buildings they want to go inside. If you are not going inside a lot of buildings, it does not take a long time to walk around historic Florence, and in summertime, the sun doesn't set until nearly 9pm. Museums and shops are open until 7.30pm. Any reservations you need to make you should make online.
You should definitely look at several Florence guides online and borrowed from libraries and make a list of a things you very much want to see in Florence. If it is more than a 8 hours worth-- and it might be -- then obviously a day trip is not going to be enough time! But it might not be more than 8 hours worth, depending on what interests you.
My view is that you should only go to Florence for as much time as it takes YOU to see what YOU want to see at the pace YOU want to go. It is fine to take the train directly to Florence and spend the night there if you are going to spend days there, but I see little point in arriving there totally jet lagged and having your only experience of Florence be staggering through the town until you collapse and then heading to Rome the next day.
If you have the energy to travel onward after landing in Rome, it makes more sense to me to head directly the Amalfi, which is not intellectually demanding.