12 Days in Italy

I’m jealous as frick.

Few questions for you.
Are you flying in and out of Rome?
When is your trip?
Have you ever been to Italy?
Would you rather enjoy 2-3 places or see 5+?

Where are you flying out of? Rome?

Some of my favorite days in italy are away from the touristy cities and touristy things. Enjoy

Rome, Venice, Florence, Amalfi Coast

rome. amalfi coast. florence. venice,lake como. sicily is great too but need more time. 3 days minimum rome. can do venice in one night and one full day.

This is a great suggested itinerary for a first visit to Italy. Rome, Orvieto, Florence, maybe a couple of smaller towns along the way....do it by train. Orvieto has a funicular up to the town on the hilltop. Tuscany is most people’s dream vision of Italian countryside.

Or, do Rome and south....Naples and Amalfi, taking in Vesuvius, Pompeii or Herculaneum, Positano. Be warned that many Americans loathe Naples, calling it dirty, criminal, graffitied, etc. I felt right at home there, go figure.

But I’d not pack Rome, Florence, and Amalfi coast into one trip, unless you’re crazy restless. Slow down and enjoy Italy, where lunch can take two,hours.

Also, stay longer in Rome. It is ridiculously full of art and history.....the Vatican museum takes the better part of a day, St Peters and the Square is worth a few hours....Capitoline Museum, the Forum, Trajans column and market, the Colosseum, la Bocca Verita, the Villla Borghese, countless churches full of spectacular art, the ancient Mithraeum temple under San Clemente church......and that’s not counting all of the coffee and gelato you’ll want to eat, plus strolling every evening to,see the monuments lit up at night.

Flying into Rome. (Probably out as well, easier for point redemption)

Mid November is the time. (Have to due to wife’s schedule)

First time to Italy

As far as # of places, it depends. If they feel like a different place then I’m down. For ex, went to Thailand and spend 4 days in Chaing Mai, Bangkok and Phi Phi area. All 3 felt like totally different experiences.

Sell me on Venice.

I’m envisioning dirty canals and pickpockets. (Legitimately had one friend get robbed and another caught a guy trying lol)

quote:

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However, we stayed in the middle of the city and that made it great. Walking around at night after the day tourists left was very enjoyable.

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This. It gets VERY crowded during the day. Definitely worth 1-2 days but you probably won’t ever go back.

We did see a guy get pickpocketed (keep your distance from the street vendors selling toys). Victim chased the guy down and brought him to police, but I saw the same guy back on the street later the same day. Keep your wallet in your front pocket and you’ll be fine.

Skip the gondola ride.

I'd skip Venice in favor of Rome/Florence. Are you a checklist tourist, or more of a traveler interested in how people live?
--renting a car or public transit?
--deeply interested in food/production/artisan stuff, high end dining, or just happy to get quality at a decent price?

In Rome, consider staying in Trastevere, in an Air BnB. It is still a real neighborhood full of people, rather than solely dominated by tourists like so much of the city center. Check out Katie Parla's blog and city guides for true recs on Roman food (so much incredible mediocre food there due to massive tourism). Walk as much as possible, as the cityscape itself is an attraction.

In Florence, consider the Oltr'Arno neighborhood as your base, on the opposite side of the river from the center of town. Close enough to walk, but home to artisans' workshops, smaller restaurants catering to locals, etc.

Do you want rural countryside experiences as well? An agriturismo stay is one of the best parts of Italy, to me. Agriturismi are working farms that take in paying guests. Simple accomodations, but often you can observe olive/grape harvest, or oil pressing, or whatever farming/animal husbandry is happening during your stay. Here's one site that lists many: LINK

Perhaps instead of Orvieto, you might consider Siena. It is set in the hills of the Val di Chiana.....not as big as Florence, so slower pace, more relaxing.

Tuscan towns.

Pienza, Montalcino for Brunello) and Montepulciano are all great towns. An easy way to sample some wine is to go to an enoteca. The enoteca in Greve is fantastic.