DaniB

Dear Fodorites,
I have been lurking on this board for months and have found it immensely helpful in planning my trip to Italy in March 2004. I am hoping that you can help me make some decisions about my itinerary. First, here is some background: I am planning this trip for my husband and me. It is our first trip to Europe. We are 27 and 31. We both like art, history, and food. We will be there from March 7 through March 19, for a total of 12 nights. I am the one in charge of planning this whole thing. Here is our itinerary as it is now:
3 nights Rome at the Albergo del Senato. (We plan to walk around the historic center the first day, Vatican tour the second day, and I have a Scala Reale Roma Antica tour booked for the third day.)
3 nights Tuscany at the Locanda dell Amorosa in Sinalunga. (We plan to rent a car in Rome, picking it up at Termini station. For our first day we will drive to Orvieto, explore for a few hours, then head to the Locanda and relax. For Day 2, we plan to spend the day in Siena and San G. On Day 3, we will do Montalcino/Montepulciano/Pienza.)
2 nights Florence at the Westin Excelsior. Check out major sights at the Accademia, Uffizi, Santa Croce, etc..
4 nights Venice at the Hotel Antico Doge. I dont really have my Venice itinerary planned yet.

My main questions are these:
I really want to explore the Tuscan hill towns, but part of me thinks I am shortchanging Rome and Florence because there is so much there that I probably won't have time to see. Also, I am nervous about driving out of Rome and around Tuscany (though I have read all the 'driving in Italy' threads). Should we just forget the Locanda dell Amorosa and do 4 nights Rome, 4 nights Florence, 4 nights Venice? Can I get my hill town experience by taking day trips from Florence? Or will I really regret not staying in the Tuscan countryside?

Feel free to offer any advice or suggestions on my itinerary. Thank you!

KathrynT

I think you are trying to do a lot but it is possible. I think Siena and San G. in one day is quite a bit. I haven't been to the other 3 hill towns so can't say how long you need for each of them. One suggestion: cut down Venice to 2 nights and add those elsewhere. Venice is lovely and a great way to end a busy trip but you can see the highlights well in 2 days.

JonJon

Many folks seem to have this problem as to how much time to spend in the "hilltowns." Do you want to actually STAY in them or just visit them..probably something you have already wrestled with. You'll get plenty of "art" fixes if you go to the right places in all three of the major cities and although many will undoubtedly disagree with KathrynT's suggestion of spending only two days in Venice, I would have to agree that the "major" sites (and that depends on what YOU and not anyone here considers "major" so take what I'm saying for what it is worth: they can be done in two full days depending on how fast you want to move around.
Some will say you are shortchanging Rome, others Florence, others Venice but please bear in mind that you cannot do it all on the first trip even with the number of days you've alloted so save yourself some heartache and don't try to.

I think the key to driving in Italy, especially getting OUT of Rome is to at least pretend that you are 1) fearless, 2)immortal, and 3) be willling to look the other drivers straight in the eye.

Whatever you decide I know you'll have a wonderful time especially if you keep bearing in mind that it is YOUR trip, noone else's, and you can do whatever you please and whenever it pleases you.

JonJon

By the way, what are you planning to do with the car post-Tuscany/Florence? I'd advise ditching it and taking the train to Venice and using an open jaws itinerary to fly home from there.

ira

Hi Dani,

>Can I get my hill town experience by taking day trips from Florence? Or will I really regret not staying in the Tuscan countryside?<

Yes and Yes.

For a first trip I suggest arrive Venice for 3 nights, train to Florence for 5-6 nights with a bus trip to Siena and/or one other town, train to Rome for 4-3 nights and fly home.

Make your next trip a tour of the Tuscan countryside by car. There is a whole lot of Italy to see and you will have to do it in multiple trips.

laurie_ann

I would have to say "get out of Florence and stay in the hilltowns". My husband and I love cities, art, food and travel but we did not care for Florence (maybe because it was the big "May Day" holiday weekend when we were there and just too crowded). After two days of the five we were supposed to be in Florence, on the spur of the moment we decided to get a rental car and leave. It was one of the best travel decisions we ever made. We saw Siena, Montepulciano and Pienza and a wide range of countryside between Florence and Rome (where we left the car, but that adventure is another story!) We loved it all. If you want to see Florence, consider staying outside (one town nearby I think is called Fiesole, twenty minutes to Florence) or further, even Siena, and taking the train for the day into the city for a museum or two. Have a great trip!

Tess_Durberville

As much as I've enjoyed the big cities, especially Rome, there's a charm and atmosphere in the hilltowns that you just don't get elsewhere. Another thread discussing Tuscany hilltowns >>>
Which Tuscan hill towns to visit?
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34460354

Dayle

Dani,

I think your trip sounds great and well-balanced. Don't give up staying in the hill towns. Night time is when you get the true, local feel. Re the car, don't rent in Roma. Take the train to Orvieto, see the town, then pick up car there. Drop it in Florence or Siena. We picked up in Siena and dropped in Orvieto. Very easy and no pressure of driving in the major cities.

Personally, I wouldn't spend more than 2 days in Florence. Even through I enjoy art, Florence was my least favorite of the major cities due to crowds, traffic, noise. We were there in March.

PS - Be sure to take the underground (cave) tour in Orvieto!

Buon viaggio!

ira

Hi dayle,

Florence is more crowded, has more traffic and is noisier than Rome or Naples?

bobthenavigator

I concur--do not sacrifice the hill towns or, Locanda Amorosa for that matter--it may be the most memorable segment. However, I would train to Chiusi for your car--you are only :40 to Amorosa from there. I would spend 3 nites there and then drop the car in Florence as you arrive. Two nites in Florence is adequate for me--too crowded for my tastes--Ira too.
Hmmm ! I just planned this same itinerary for another couple--even 2 of the same hotels. Good luck !

DaniB

Thank you so much for your suggestions! It's great to get feedback from experienced travelers. Bob, it doesn't surprise me that my itinerary is similar to the ones you've planned since I've based a lot of my decisions on your informative posts.

I admit I'm glad that most of you have told me to stay in the Locanda. I really didn't want to miss that, and I'm happy to hear I can do Florence in 2 full days.

About the car, I do plan to leave it in Florence at train to Venice. I have decided to train from Rome to Orvieto and pick up the car there just to save the hassle of driving in Rome. My original plan of driving out of Rome is due to the fact that I found a very cheap rate on an automatic thru Thrifty, which doesn't have an office in Orvieto. But now my husband says he's willing to learn how to drive a manual, so I'll go thru AutoEurope which does allow pickup in Orvieto and has decent prices on manual trans cars.

The suggestion to cut one day from Venice makes sense to me, so I will do that. If it were up to you, would you add the extra day to Rome or Tuscany? If Tuscany, what would you do with the extra day?

Thank you!

uhoh_busted

I could swear I responded to this question yesterday, but perhaps in the re-construction work it got lost in space. I think this is a great trip you've planned. The only thing I would change would be to spend one more night in Rome and one less night in Venice. But you are young and you will go back to Italy!

MFNYC

Overall I think it sounds like a pretty nice trip. I agree you can take a day off of Venice and maybe add it to Rome or Florence. As far as driving goes, as long as you're not driving in Rome, you're OK. Leaving Rome from Termini is pretty straight forward. The highway system is very easy to deal with. Any city you plan to drive into, try to get a good map in advance. Driving into the small towns could be tricky, also finding parking. Some, like San G., have a parking lot right outside the wall of the town which makes like a bit easier. If you are going to have the car in Florence, you may want to ask the hotel if they can park it for you. They usually charge an extra $15 or so, in addition to the parking fee. It's worth it. You don't need the car to tour Florence.

March is a nice time to travel, generally not overly crowded and weather should be pleasant (although be prepared for rain, and bring layers).

maitaitom

Sounds like a great first trip to me. I do agree, though, to dump the car in Florence and take the train to Venice instead.

I love the Pienza, Montalcino and Monepulciano area (easily done in a day; we did it a couple of years ago).

If you get the opportunity, the drive from San Gimignano to Volterra is terrific, and Volterra is a great town to visit. But as someone said, you will have many chances to revisit Italy.

bugswife1

I agree with a lot of the above. 2 nights in Venice is plenty. In Tuscany, I prefer Lucca & Volterra to Siena & San G. When in Rome, ask the concierge to set you up for a timed visit to Villa Borghese Museum. You won't be disappointed. You are only allowed to be in there for 2 hours, so you could squeeze it in at 5 pm and then have dinner on Via Veneto somewhere. Just don't do it on the day you see the Vatican--you will be on art overload. I also recommend Otello for fabulous veal in a romantic setting.

Grandma

I second the Borghese recommendation. Also, I love Lucca and my husband is a big Volterra fan.... but I can't imagine not visiting Siena. (But then... here's hoping you'll return to Italy many, many times!!)

uhoh_busted

We drove from ...oh wait, we drove from Chiusi to Verona then Venice, but we stopped in Mantua in route and it was delightful, so there may be something to driving from Florence to Venice. We drove from Venice to Florence and it was an easy drive (until we got into Florence! ei yi yi, that was an adventure...but by the time we left we negotiated that pretty easily.) Hey, you could take that 4th night in Venice and stop someplace else between F & V then drop the car for good in V.

progol

Your trip sounds wonderful! My only tweaking would be to take 1 day off Venice and add it to Florence. I think you'll have enough time in each of the other places to get the flavor. 2 nights in Florence, IMO, is too little, but 3 nights will give you a good feeling of the place.

RufusTFirefly

2 nights in Venice would be plenty if you haven't done your homework and think Venice is nothing except the Grand Canal and the sights immediately surrounding P. San Marco.

Using that criteria, you can see the highlights or Rome and Florence in 2 days each as well and cut a lot of time and expense off of your trip.

milan

I just did a very similar trip in Oct. for our honeymoon. I took the train from Rome to Chiusi. Picked up a car from the Avis office, which is directly across the street from the Chiusi train station. This was very easy and low stress, except for the fact that Italian trains are always running late... Stayed in Locanda dell'Amorosa - don't skip it! This was my favorite hotel out of the 5 very expensive hotels we stayed at (stayed at Florence Excelsior too). Dropped off the car at the Avis office on Via Borgo Ognassanti, which is about 1 block from the Westin Excelsior. If you have a Streetwise Florence map, the Avis office is located inside the parking garage on Via Borgo Ognassanti. It was pretty easy for us to drive into Florence and drop off the car. Would highly recommend 3 nights in the hill towns and at least 2 nights in Florence. Don't change this portion of your schedule... I would recommend adding a night to Rome because there is so much to do there. We spent 5 nights in Rome. I didn't fall in love with it, but it's a fascinating city and I would go back again soon.