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Message
Two weeks in Italy. Tell me pros/cons of what I am thinking already...
Posted on 12/21/16 at 3:12 pm
Posted on 12/21/16 at 3:12 pm
For some this will be way TL; DR. If you do take the time and have suggestions, I greatly appreciate it.
3/31: MSY to FCO Rome
4/1: Arrive FCO at 17:50. Check in, eat dinner,eat ambien.
4/2-4/4: Tour Rome. Stole this from Rick Steve:
Rome in a DaySome people actually "do" Rome in a day. Crazy as that sounds, if all you have is a day, it's one of the most exciting days Europe has to offer. Start at 8:30 at the Colosseum. Then explore the Forum, hike over Capitoline Hill, and cap your "Caesar Shuffle" with a visit to the Pantheon. After a quick lunch, taxi to the Vatican Museums (the lines usually die down mid-afternoon, or you can reserve a visit online in advance). See the Vatican Museums, then St. Peter's Basilica (open until 19:00 April–Sept). Taxi back to Campo de' Fiori for dinner. Finish your day lacing together all the famous floodlit spots. Note: This busy plan is possible only if you ace the line-avoidance tricks outlined in my guidebooks.
Rome in Two to Three Days
On the first day, do the "Caesar Shuffle" from the Colosseum to the Forum, then over Capitoline Hill to the Pantheon. After a siesta, join the locals strolling from Piazza del Popolo to the Spanish Steps. On the second day, see Vatican City (St. Peter's, climb the dome, tour the Vatican Museums). Have dinner near the atmospheric Campo de' Fiori, then walk to the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. With a third day, add the Borghese Gallery (reservations required) and the Capitoline Museums.
4/5: Early train to Florence. 1/2 day free day or cram some stuff in.
4/6: Full day of touring/experiencing Florence.
4/7: Day trip to Siena (???)
4/8: Another day of touring/experiencing Florence.
Stole this from Steves too:
Florence in Three (or More) Days
Day 1
8:30 Accademia (David) — with a reservation.
10:00 Museum of San Marco (Fra Angelico).
12:00 Explore San Lorenzo Market area, shop, and have lunch in or near Mercato Centrale.
14:00 Medici Chapels (Michelangelo) and Basilica of San Lorenzo.
16:00 Baptistery, Duomo interior, or climb the dome or Campanile.
17:00 Follow my Renaissance Walk through heart of old town.
19:00 Explore and shop the Piazza della Signoria/Ponte Vecchio area.
20:00 Dinner in the old center.
Day 2
9:00 Bargello (top statues).
11:00 Duomo Museum or Galileo Science Museum (if you prefer science to art).
13:00 Lunch, then wander and shop.
15:30 Uffizi Gallery (unforgettable paintings) — with a reservation.
18:00 Cross Ponte Vecchio, take the Oltrarno Walk, and have dinner in Oltrarno.
Day 3
9:00 Whatever you didn't get to yesterday morning (Duomo Museum or Galileo).
13:00 Lunch and time to shop, relax, or get to any sights you haven't seen yet (you could circle back to the daytime Oltrarno sights — Brancacci Chapel and Pitti Palace — or tour the Church of Santa Maria Novella, near the train station).
16:00 San Miniato Church (Gregorian chants generally at 17:30), Piazzale Michelangelo (city views), walk back into town.
Day 4
Side-trip to Siena (sights open daily; 1. 5 hours away by bus), or consider an overnight stay to enjoy the town at twilight.
4/9: Fly to Naples. Car service to Positano.
4/10-4/13: I literally have nothing planned for Positano yet. I kind of just want to relax, eat, get wined up, and see the city. Maybe a hike or something at The Trail of the Gods. Maybe a day boat excursion.
4/14: EARLY car from Positano to Naples. Train from Naples to FCO. Flight from FCO to MSY. God help us!
What say you, friends?
3/31: MSY to FCO Rome
4/1: Arrive FCO at 17:50. Check in, eat dinner,eat ambien.
4/2-4/4: Tour Rome. Stole this from Rick Steve:
Rome in a DaySome people actually "do" Rome in a day. Crazy as that sounds, if all you have is a day, it's one of the most exciting days Europe has to offer. Start at 8:30 at the Colosseum. Then explore the Forum, hike over Capitoline Hill, and cap your "Caesar Shuffle" with a visit to the Pantheon. After a quick lunch, taxi to the Vatican Museums (the lines usually die down mid-afternoon, or you can reserve a visit online in advance). See the Vatican Museums, then St. Peter's Basilica (open until 19:00 April–Sept). Taxi back to Campo de' Fiori for dinner. Finish your day lacing together all the famous floodlit spots. Note: This busy plan is possible only if you ace the line-avoidance tricks outlined in my guidebooks.
Rome in Two to Three Days
On the first day, do the "Caesar Shuffle" from the Colosseum to the Forum, then over Capitoline Hill to the Pantheon. After a siesta, join the locals strolling from Piazza del Popolo to the Spanish Steps. On the second day, see Vatican City (St. Peter's, climb the dome, tour the Vatican Museums). Have dinner near the atmospheric Campo de' Fiori, then walk to the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps. With a third day, add the Borghese Gallery (reservations required) and the Capitoline Museums.
4/5: Early train to Florence. 1/2 day free day or cram some stuff in.
4/6: Full day of touring/experiencing Florence.
4/7: Day trip to Siena (???)
4/8: Another day of touring/experiencing Florence.
Stole this from Steves too:
Florence in Three (or More) Days
Day 1
8:30 Accademia (David) — with a reservation.
10:00 Museum of San Marco (Fra Angelico).
12:00 Explore San Lorenzo Market area, shop, and have lunch in or near Mercato Centrale.
14:00 Medici Chapels (Michelangelo) and Basilica of San Lorenzo.
16:00 Baptistery, Duomo interior, or climb the dome or Campanile.
17:00 Follow my Renaissance Walk through heart of old town.
19:00 Explore and shop the Piazza della Signoria/Ponte Vecchio area.
20:00 Dinner in the old center.
Day 2
9:00 Bargello (top statues).
11:00 Duomo Museum or Galileo Science Museum (if you prefer science to art).
13:00 Lunch, then wander and shop.
15:30 Uffizi Gallery (unforgettable paintings) — with a reservation.
18:00 Cross Ponte Vecchio, take the Oltrarno Walk, and have dinner in Oltrarno.
Day 3
9:00 Whatever you didn't get to yesterday morning (Duomo Museum or Galileo).
13:00 Lunch and time to shop, relax, or get to any sights you haven't seen yet (you could circle back to the daytime Oltrarno sights — Brancacci Chapel and Pitti Palace — or tour the Church of Santa Maria Novella, near the train station).
16:00 San Miniato Church (Gregorian chants generally at 17:30), Piazzale Michelangelo (city views), walk back into town.
Day 4
Side-trip to Siena (sights open daily; 1. 5 hours away by bus), or consider an overnight stay to enjoy the town at twilight.
4/9: Fly to Naples. Car service to Positano.
4/10-4/13: I literally have nothing planned for Positano yet. I kind of just want to relax, eat, get wined up, and see the city. Maybe a hike or something at The Trail of the Gods. Maybe a day boat excursion.
4/14: EARLY car from Positano to Naples. Train from Naples to FCO. Flight from FCO to MSY. God help us!
What say you, friends?
12
Posted on 12/21/16 at 3:14 pm to TheWiz
Just to preface this, we bought tickets on a whim when everyone was having those sales. Got RT tickets MSY---> FCO ---> MSY for $444/person. We figured we could map out the destinations afterwards.
Posted on 12/21/16 at 3:43 pm to TheWiz
I highly recommend a tour for Rome one DAY 1 where you can easily hit all the big spots and get into a few Vatican Museums (there are 29 I think), the Basilica, and the Chapel without the lines. Expedia usually has good options. They aren't the cheapest route, but they're the most convenient by far and allow you to add in the most IMO. And you can go small or big (adding in the colosseum, the steps, and a few others.)
Once you've done the tour, you're more familiar with the city and can do any other places you've missed on your other two days.
There's a double decker bus tour in Florence that, while cheesy, actually takes you to the places you'd want to go. We loved the little town above the city called Fiesole. Great place to just walk around with some fantastic views.
Have you considered the train to Naples? It's likely faster than flying and just as easy. The car ride to Positano is smart. Those buses scare the shite out of me around those small roads on the mountain side. As for Positano, where are you staying? We were on the west slope which has a smaller, quieter beach. The steps up and down were... challenging! The food there is better than any place we've been. I highly, HIGHLY recomment La Tagliata. Live music, the view, the meal, the wine... THE BEST!
FWIW, you are following pretty close to my honeymoon. We did 3 days in London (where I proposed), flew to Florence - 3 days there, train to naples with car to Positano - 4 days, then train to rome - 3 days. We were exhausted by the time Rome came around. And nothing could surpass Positano...
Once you've done the tour, you're more familiar with the city and can do any other places you've missed on your other two days.
There's a double decker bus tour in Florence that, while cheesy, actually takes you to the places you'd want to go. We loved the little town above the city called Fiesole. Great place to just walk around with some fantastic views.
Have you considered the train to Naples? It's likely faster than flying and just as easy. The car ride to Positano is smart. Those buses scare the shite out of me around those small roads on the mountain side. As for Positano, where are you staying? We were on the west slope which has a smaller, quieter beach. The steps up and down were... challenging! The food there is better than any place we've been. I highly, HIGHLY recomment La Tagliata. Live music, the view, the meal, the wine... THE BEST!
FWIW, you are following pretty close to my honeymoon. We did 3 days in London (where I proposed), flew to Florence - 3 days there, train to naples with car to Positano - 4 days, then train to rome - 3 days. We were exhausted by the time Rome came around. And nothing could surpass Positano...
This post was edited on 12/21/16 at 3:45 pm
Posted on 12/21/16 at 4:42 pm to ell_13
quote:
Have you considered the train to Naples? It's likely faster than flying and just as easy.
shite. Now that you mention it, I believe that was the case. 2hrs 45mins,$35-$45 tickets, and it got there mid-day / early afternoon. All flights were $130'ish and got into Naples at like 18:00 or so.
If I do any tours, I will definitely make sure they have "skip the lines" if that's an option. We did that for all of our tours in Barcelona/Paris two summers ago. Worth every penny.
This post was edited on 12/21/16 at 4:43 pm
Posted on 12/21/16 at 5:23 pm to TheWiz
quote:
4/9: Fly to Naples. Car service to Positano.
4/10-4/13: I literally have nothing planned for Positano yet. I kind of just want to relax, eat, get wined up, and see the city. Maybe a hike or something at The Trail of the Gods. Maybe a day boat excursion.
Maybe take some sleeping pills before you get in the car for the ride to Positano, that drive is absolutely terrifying between Sorrento and Positano.
No need to plan anything, except for maybe a boat excursion. It's an awesome place to just relax and walk around and explore. Tons of restaurants for its size. It's a really small city, but I doubt you'll get bored. I think 3 days is the right amount of time. If I went back I would probably take a grotto tour for one day.
Posted on 12/21/16 at 7:51 pm to TheWiz
From Positano see Sorento and book a private tour of Pompei....
Posted on 12/21/16 at 8:14 pm to rilesrick
I get that Pompeii is cool. But there has to be a little time to relax. And positano is perfect for that. They'll see plenty of history in Rome. 2 weeks isn't very long.
Posted on 12/21/16 at 9:54 pm to ell_13
That was my goal for Positano. Hit the other two wide open and slown it down at the end. I figured blitzing through Rome and Florence would give me good exposure to both.
Is it not? What length vacations do most early 30's people with careers take?
quote:
2 weeks isn't very long.
Is it not? What length vacations do most early 30's people with careers take?
Posted on 12/21/16 at 11:59 pm to TheWiz
I would highly suggest trying to see Santa Croce.
Look into the Firenze card. It seems expensive at first but skipping the lines is priceless.
Look into the Firenze card. It seems expensive at first but skipping the lines is priceless.
Posted on 12/22/16 at 6:24 am to TheWiz
Maybe consider swapping Positano for Cinque Terre? Just a suggestion based on logistics. Florence to Naples will be a hike. Or, pull a day from Positano and do something wine related while you're in Tuscany.
Highly recommend following the Rick Steves book. His walks are pretty easy to follow especially if you're staying in a central location. We stayed near the Jewish Ghetto and everything was walking distance (Xenia Guesthouse if you're curious, it was a wonderful hotel). Also, the Jewish Ghetto is one of the better food scenes...there is a little street right off Via Arenula with a burger joint and then 4 or 5 restaurants (Giggetto is one that is supposed to be excellent). I also highly recommend another restaurant off of Via Arenula going toward the Campo di Fiori, it's called La Regola and is in a very small and quiet church square. Food is excellent as is the service - very friendly and excellent English.
I also agree on the Firenze card. It's around €70/person but I think if you plan to visit 4 museums/churches it pays for itself or comes close and you can skip the lines which is a huge added bonus.
Highly recommend following the Rick Steves book. His walks are pretty easy to follow especially if you're staying in a central location. We stayed near the Jewish Ghetto and everything was walking distance (Xenia Guesthouse if you're curious, it was a wonderful hotel). Also, the Jewish Ghetto is one of the better food scenes...there is a little street right off Via Arenula with a burger joint and then 4 or 5 restaurants (Giggetto is one that is supposed to be excellent). I also highly recommend another restaurant off of Via Arenula going toward the Campo di Fiori, it's called La Regola and is in a very small and quiet church square. Food is excellent as is the service - very friendly and excellent English.
I also agree on the Firenze card. It's around €70/person but I think if you plan to visit 4 museums/churches it pays for itself or comes close and you can skip the lines which is a huge added bonus.
This post was edited on 12/22/16 at 6:32 am
Posted on 12/22/16 at 8:31 am to jordan21210
quote:
Maybe consider swapping Positano for Cinque Terre?
I considered it. It sounds like it is just a bit more work/trouble to see all of the small towns there. It sounded like you were either hiking to each town; which is fine since we're in great shape, or you were waiting around for a commuter train. We want our last stop to be where we pump the brakes and really relax.
quote:
Florence to Naples will be a hike.
It's a 2hr 45min train ride at $25-$100/ticket.
We haven't narrowed down exactly where we will stay. We looked at Air BnB apartments in Rome and Florence. The ones we looked at were very nice, pretty well centralized, and were in the $100-$150 range. We figured we might go cheaper in those two cities and then plan on a $450-$600/night place in Positano.
I appreciate all of the food recommendations too.
Posted on 12/22/16 at 8:34 am to TheWiz
quote:
Is it not? What length vacations do most early 30's people with careers take?
I was in Italy recently and was there for 2 weeks and 3 weekends. 26 with a career so I guess we are in the same boat. Basically left home Friday after work and got back Sunday night two weekends later. Gave us 16 days including travel days. We only did Italy so really didn't waste that much time travelling. Had a rental car to enjoy the country. But I agree with the poster above. In our 16 days, we were still not able to go South of Rome. Landed in Milan>Venice>Cinque Terre>Florence>Tuscany>Rome.
We were in Rome for 4 days. I wouldn't call myself a history or mythology buff in particular but I still enjoyed seeing everything in Rome. Doing it in 1 day is impossible unless you just want to put a check mark by it in your journal and tell people you've "been" to Rome :)
Also - consider renting a car. In a lot of cases it turns out to be cheaper than train rides when there are multiple people. We rented an SUV and did a one way rental from Milan to Rome over two weeks and paid around $450. You probably dont need an SUV so it will be cheaper for you and you will be on your own schedule. Just use it to go from city to city. Within cities, public transport is extremely cheap. Like 1-2$ per ride.
This post was edited on 12/22/16 at 8:39 am
Posted on 12/22/16 at 8:35 am to Sisyphus
Posted on 12/22/16 at 8:39 am to AmeriKop45
quote:
Doing it in 1 day is impossible unless you just want to put a check mark by it in your journal and tell people you've "been" to Rome :)
We'll be there for three. I figured we will get most of the majors checked off.
Posted on 12/22/16 at 8:39 am to TheWiz
Three is good.
Posted on 12/22/16 at 8:44 am to TheWiz
Just curious why you'd want to eat an ambien at 5 or 6 pm the day you arrive? Why not go out and explore Rome by night and fall asleep at midnight or 1 am?
Think you'd do better jumping off from Florence to go explore Venice, Cinque Terra, or other parts of Northern Italy than heading south.
Think you'd do better jumping off from Florence to go explore Venice, Cinque Terra, or other parts of Northern Italy than heading south.
Posted on 12/22/16 at 8:47 am to BlackenedOut
quote:
Just curious why you'd want to eat an ambien at 5 or 6 pm the day you arrive?
I meant it to read as arrive at FCO at 6:00pm, check-in Air BnB/Hotel (probably 7:00pm), go to dinner at 8:00-9:00pm, and then rip an Ambien at 10:00-11:00pm to sleep soundly.
quote:
Think you'd do better jumping off from Florence to go explore Venice, Cinque Terra, or other parts of Northern Italy than heading south.
We'll look at it more. Seems like a big chunk of my in-laws have been to Italy. They all said that Positano/Amalfi was a must do. Especially if you want to finish out with an incredibly relaxing portion.
This post was edited on 12/22/16 at 8:49 am
Posted on 12/22/16 at 8:50 am to TheWiz
Ahh...I will throw my suggestion in that Venice can be an incredibly relaxing city to catch your breath. Yes it is tremendously touristy and can be very overpriced, but that description is limited to about a quarter mile square area (approx.). And for good reason as St. Mark's, the Grand Canal, Rialto, etc... are gorgeous. But the rest of the city and surrounding region is varied and peaceful. Great city to get lost in.
Posted on 12/22/16 at 9:13 am to TheWiz
Sounds like a great plan. We took a similar trip in April 2014. We flew to Naples, had a transferelax.com driver take us to the Villa Gabrisa Hotel in Positano where we stayed for a week, then we took the train to Rome for Eastter where we had tickets to the mass at the Vatican. When you go to dinner at Campo di Fiore, try Hostiria Costanza. The food is great and it is in an old historic building. The building was part of the old Theatre of Pompey which is where the Roman Senate was meeting when Julius Caesar was assassinated there.
Posted on 12/22/16 at 10:01 am to TheWiz
quote:
I considered it. It sounds like it is just a bit more work/trouble to see all of the small towns there. It sounded like you were either hiking to each town; which is fine since we're in great shape, or you were waiting around for a commuter train. We want our last stop to be where we pump the brakes and really relax.
I went to Sorrento, Capri, Positano, and Amalfi in 2014, this year my fiancé and I did Cinque Terre and hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza and then took the train to Manarola. While I thought Positano was beautiful, I don't know if I could spend 3 full days there, and if you want to leave to explore nearby it has to be via car (possibly boat too) which is expensive unless you're renting - I wouldn't want to drive those roads though. The beaches are nice but, like most Amalfi beaches, they are rocky. Personally, I think if I had to spend any extended amount of time in a coastal town, I'd go Cinque Terre. Maybe get a hotel in Riomaggiore or Monterosso, spend a day at the beach and leave yourself the option of having 4 easy to reach towns to explore. The train honestly isn't as much a headache as it seems...plus if the weather is nice you have the option of water taxis too.
Another idea to unwind, Lake Como is breathtakingly beautiful and also offers a relatively unknown wine region in the nearby Valtellina valley. I can recommend an excellent tour guide for a full day. I actually proposed in Varenna last May and part of me wishes I'd have arranged a nights stay in one of the nearby hotels/villas. Proposal aside, that day was one of the major highlights of our trip.
ETA: just checked that tour...$140ish per person and that includes tour of Varenna, lunch + bottle of wine at a local Agriturismo, tour of the agriturismo's cheese making facility and grounds, tour of Nera cellars + wine tasting, and basically anything you want to do - just tell him.
This post was edited on 12/22/16 at 10:09 am
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