Planning 5 weeks in Italy, need advice

[CaliforniaMan]

We just returned from a trip visiting Naples, Rome and Venice. I think it was my 9th trip to Italy and Venice specifically.

To spend 5 weeks in Rome isn't a good idea. If you're looking for information about everything in Rome, look at the best travel site there is: RonInRome.com. There's no subject he hasn't covered.

You might consider starting your trip with 3-4 days on the Amalfi Coast.
Then I'd move up to Rome for 4 to 7 days.
From there, I'd visit Florence for a long weekend before moving to an agriturismo 20-30 miles south in the Tuscan countryside for 4-5 days. (Every farm in the region has rooms and apartments for rent.)
While there, rent a car and don't forget to see Volterra. Turn the rental car back in at Florence and take the train to Venice.
Venice is a 3 day destination.
From there, you could go west to Verona and the Lake Garda area. Or, you could go north of Venice into the Dolomites.
If time allows, go on over to Milan and the Lake Como region 45 minutes north.

While it sounds like a lot of territory, your 5 weeks could be much more productive moving from town to town. Italy's a place with an overabundance of history, architecture, food, culture and art.

The roninrome website seems to be down right now. Thanks for the great ideas on how to visit Florence and Venice and surrounds, the agriturismo idea really appeals to me too. Thanks.

 

[clobber]

Judging from the comments so far, people will probably disagree with me. However, I lived in Italy for a few years and would say:

1) Avoid Naples. It is a pit. Everything thing around Naples is amazing, but Naples is not nice. The awesome things around Naples include the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Pozzuoli Amphitheater, Ercolano (Herculaneum), Mt. Vesuvius, and much more.

2) I am not a fan of Florence from a tourism perspective. I mean, it is fine from a city perspective. However, most of it is a large modern(ish) city with a big Church (Duomo) and a fair amount of museums. So - if you want to see *another* church or are a huge fan of museums then head there. But, don't expect to walk around the city thinking "wow, wow, wow" like you will in Rome.

3) Day trip from Rome: Hadrian's Villa is quite nice. I know you can ride a bus or book a tour to get there. I had my own car and it was a short trip.

4) Day trip from Rome: Ostia Antica is not too far from the Rome airport and you can get there on the metro for cheap. Kinda like Pompeii but close to rome. Really liked it.

5) In Rome: MUST visit the "Scavi" / Necropolis. These are the excavations under St. Peter's and just completely amazing. Check it out here. You *have* to make a reservation in advance. Make them as soon as you finalize your travel plans.

6) Colosseum: As someone else said, the lines can be very long. Buy you tickets in advance and you will skip right past the line!

7) Vatican Museum. Okay...now, I am not the biggest fan of museums. For example, I was sorely disappointed by the Louvre. However, I love the Vatican Museum. Again, lines can and often are extremely long so buy tickets in advance and skip the queue. Pro tip: the Sistine Chapel is part of the Vatican Museum. Go there last and there is a door on one end that is an exit and marked "tour groups only" or something like that. Just go through the door and it dumps you into St. Peters. If you wanted to go the "approved" method you would have to walk all the way out of the museum, back around, stand in another long line etc. It is at least a mile to do that. Just go through the door! (When in Rome!)

Hope that helps

 

[EastWest Gal]

You may want to stay outside the big cities.

I spent 2 weeks in Alba, Italy in May. One of our group got an apartment through Airbnb (the rest stayed in the hotel arranged by the music festival). Alba is a charming town in the Piedmont area, a fabulous wine region. It is also the white truffle capital. There are many apartments there through Airbnb. She had a one bedroom fully stocked with food and it had laundry facilities, and it was only $54/night. They have a truffle festival in the fall. Add a rental car and you can really explore. It's about 2 hours from Milan.

Food and wine are very inexpensive right now.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[newtoseattle]

naples

Have to say - I really like Naples. The subway system is finally workable and very nice. The plaza's and museums are great. I went on a wonderful food tour that we arranged at the last minute and it was the highlight of our trip (even better than Amalfi Coast!) We stayed at an airnb apt in ?Volterra (neighborhood just up hill)
So I'd actually really recommend a couple days in Naples. I only had 2 nights because we'd heard all the "avoid Naples" info...

Also if you like this sort of thing - consider one of the walking tours along the amalfi coast. They arrange hotels and transport bags from town to town and you walk between them. It was a really wonderful way to wind through the back alley's of some of the little towns, walk through olive groves and see the spectacular coastal views of the area...

 

[Lsbcal]

We were in Italy all of last September. Rome can be crowded and very touristy. Watch out for pick pockets and con artists. We were on a special tour of the Vatican but found it to be mobbed even though we skipped the long lines. Still it is probably worth it once.

I would check out Rick Steve's Italy book (in most libraries). And the RS Italy forum is very good for detailed questions.

Sienna is quite striking. We stayed in Florence and made Sienna a side trip. But remember that some of these side trips can eat up part of a day just traveling back and forth. So maybe renting a car makes sense.

We enjoyed staying in Assisi. A very walkable hilltop town. The RS book covers it in detail. If you go, take a walk up to the fortress on top. We sat there and sketched for some hours. Then took a stroll down and found a little garden setting for lunch. These little things are more memorable to me then the grand postcard sites.

 

[CaliforniaMan]

Judging from the comments so far, people will probably disagree with me. However, I lived in Italy for a few years and would say:

1) Avoid Naples. It is a pit. Everything thing around Naples is amazing, but Naples is not nice. The awesome things around Naples include the Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Pozzuoli Amphitheater, Ercolano (Herculaneum), Mt. Vesuvius, and much more.

2) I am not a fan of Florence from a tourism perspective. I mean, it is fine from a city perspective. However, most of it is a large modern(ish) city with a big Church (Duomo) and a fair amount of museums. So - if you want to see *another* church or are a huge fan of museums then head there. But, don't expect to walk around the city thinking "wow, wow, wow" like you will in Rome.

3) Day trip from Rome: Hadrian's Villa is quite nice. I know you can ride a bus or book a tour to get there. I had my own car and it was a short trip.

4) Day trip from Rome: Ostia Antica is not too far from the Rome airport and you can get there on the metro for cheap. Kinda like Pompeii but close to rome. Really liked it.

5) In Rome: MUST visit the "Scavi" / Necropolis. These are the excavations under St. Peter's and just completely amazing. Check it out here. You *have* to make a reservation in advance. Make them as soon as you finalize your travel plans.

6) Colosseum: As someone else said, the lines can be very long. Buy you tickets in advance and you will skip right past the line!

7) Vatican Museum. Okay...now, I am not the biggest fan of museums. For example, I was sorely disappointed by the Louvre. However, I love the Vatican Museum. Again, lines can and often are extremely long so buy tickets in advance and skip the queue. Pro tip: the Sistine Chapel is part of the Vatican Museum. Go there last and there is a door on one end that is an exit and marked "tour groups only" or something like that. Just go through the door and it dumps you into St. Peters. If you wanted to go the "approved" method you would have to walk all the way out of the museum, back around, stand in another long line etc. It is at least a mile to do that. Just go through the door! (When in Rome!)

Hope that helps

Thanks for your insider information, all very useful info 1-7, and especially like the magic door! I am thinking 5 weeks will not be enough!

 

[nwsteve]

If you are interested in Pompei and Herculeum, try to put the National Archaeological Museum of Naples on your list. Big musuem on attractive grounds. We were told most of the artifacts from the Vesuvius eruptions were actually here and not on the various sites. We actually found Herculeum a bit more enjoyable because the crowds were much less. The cruise ships crowds hit Pompeii late morning and you definitely want to be nearly done when they start to arrive. It seemed like almost instantly the place tripled in visitors. Pompeii was a working seaport city while Herculeum is were a lot of the merchant class lived so many of the ruins are more "upscale" than what you will see in Pompeii. Both are great.
Nwsteve

 

[NanoSour]

We vacationed in Italy last summer and will be leaving again in a few weeks for another round. My #1 recommendation is to pack light and then remove half of what you think you need. Go almost minimalist hippy. It's so much easier to travel when you don't have this big pack/unpack ordeal.

We used VRBO and have had great apartments. Last years apartment in Florence had a wonderful terrace overlooking the city and it was like you could almost reach out and touch the Duomo. A terrace was a must when looking for apartments this year.

https://www.vrbo.com/3846494ha?unitId=4220014

I have to agree with others that you would benefit from not having a 5 week home base in Rome. Maybe 2 weeks, then hit the road to Florence, Venice, the Lake Region or anywhere else you may be interested in. Pack light, use the trains and you'll find this adventure to be well worth the money spent.

Finally, youtube and tripadvisor.com are your best friends in this planning phase. Anything from the best gelato to how much a taxi is from point A to point B. Immerse yourself in it. The research was almost as fun as the trip itself. OK, not really. But still a great educational journey. Check out the Two Greedy Italians for some food inspiration.

Oh, last recommendation. When you arrive in Rome, hire a limo service to take you from the airport to your apartment. After a long overnight flight from the US it is definitely worth the money to not have to deal with the trains, buses, and taxi's. Well worth the $75 to just hop in a Benz and ride in style vs trying to navigate the other various transportation options.

Good Luck and have fun. Ciao!

 

[audreyh1]

I found Florence great as a tourist. There was a huge amount to do and see within walking distances. Museums, palaces, lovely Renaissance architecture, famous squares and bridges. In addition, it was a great base for visiting nearby areas using public transportation. We really enjoyed our time there.

 

[Drake3287]

My wife and I are yearly (independent) visitors to Italy. Our next trip in September is to Sorrento/Positano and then the Tuscany area. I haven't read all the responses but for me, I'd rather have a long tern rental in Florence then in Rome. Of course to each his own.

Between Tuscany being easy to drive around (except ZTL area's in Florence) and the ease of train travel, taking day trips from here is simple. Either way, your bound to have a great trip. Who knows, I may run into you in September!

 

[gerntz]

I found Florence great as a tourist. There was a huge amount to do and see within walking distances. Museums, palaces, lovely Renaissance architecture, famous squares and bridges. In addition, it was a great base for visiting nearby areas using public transportation. We really enjoyed our time there.

+1.

 

[audreyh1]

+1.

I also remember some great pizza in Florence. Pizza Quattro Stagione - the four seasons pizza. 1/4 mushrooms, 1/4 olives, 1/4 artichoke hearts, 1/4 prosciutto. One flavor for each season!

We recreated that pizza at home many times stateside.

 

[rodi]

If you haven't discovered it yet - there are a lot of Italy experts over on Slowtalk.com.... It's the message board for the slow travel website. They also have apartment reviews and restaurant reviews from members. (I've submitted both over there.)

 

[audreyh1]

If you haven't discovered it yet - there are a lot of Italy experts over on Slowtalk.com.... It's the message board for the slow travel website. They also have apartment reviews and restaurant reviews from members. (I've submitted both over there.)

Great tip!

 

[CaliforniaMan]

My wife and I are yearly (independent) visitors to Italy. Our next trip in September is to Sorrento/Positano and then the Tuscany area. I haven't read all the responses but for me, I'd rather have a long tern rental in Florence then in Rome. Of course to each his own.

Between Tuscany being easy to drive around (except ZTL area's in Florence) and the ease of train travel, taking day trips from here is simple. Either way, your bound to have a great trip. Who knows, I may run into you in September!

We did finally choose a long term rental in Rome through VRBO, not too far from the city center, a reasonable prince, with a landlady who seems nice, good English and very accessible by phone and email.

This way we can pack a little heavier taking what we want, and with room for the goodies we will want to bring back home, and have a home base for lighter pack trips to the north and south. I agree it might be better and certainly cheaper to rent two or three places in different areas, but since this is our first trip, we wanted to make it easy on ourselves and are willing to spend the extra.

We certainly want to see Tuscany and are planning to rent a car to drive there, hopefully staying at a farmhouse type place, maybe ending up in Florence. Or course when we get there all our plans are up for review, we just want to have a great time rather than rush around to check off every sight on a list. But we will try to make it to the obvious, and hopefully some of the not so obvious ones.

I see there are a number of posters who make Italy a regular trip, who knows, maybe we will end up being one of them

 

[CaliforniaMan]

I want to again thank everyone for all their ideas and comments. I have printed out this entire thread and will be taking it with us on the trip! Better than a guidebook! Thanks again everyone, we are really looking forward to our upcoming adventure! This is such a great forum!

 

[LiveBelowMeans]

Just got back from 3 plus weeks in Italy this spring. Would highly recommend renting a car and staying a few nights in San Gimignano as a tuscany base. We visited Florence, Siena, Chianti region from there. Also drive to Sorrento as base to see Pompei, Capri, and Amalfi Coast. The ferry to Capri leaves right from the Sorrento Harbor. Having the car gives you complete freedom to come and go when you want. Car rental was very reasonable. I would download the google map of the area we were heading to that day. You don't need phone service just phones GPS. Worked great. Get the car after you have seen Rome. JMHO

 

[kcowan]

You can also get a ferry to Capri from Positano and Naples. To get to Sicily, we took the ferry to Capri then on to Naples and the train to Rome to catch a Vueling flight to Catania.

 

[Teacher Terry]

The Tuscany region has so much to see and do. We spent 14 days there with our base being in Siena and a rental car. We spent 2 weeks in Rome and took a high speed train to Venice. YOu will really enjoy your trip.

 

[fosterscik]

We visited Italy this year and drove around Tuscany after leaving Rome. We picked up our car in Orvieto - Hertz has an office there. Orvieto is on the main train line north from Rome. By doing this you avoid having to drive in Rome traffic and get into the southern end of the Tuscany region, And Orvieto is well worth a visit before setting out with your car. We drove to Sienna and used that as a base for our road trips, but there are lots of other potential base towns in the region.

We dropped the car in the center of Florence - I wouldn't do that again City driving is much more challenging.

FYI: I didn't need an international driving licence at the Orvieto Hertz office, my US state licence was fine so I could have saved a few bucks.

 

[explanade]

Been to Italy many times, never more than two weeks though.

Sounds like a great trip, though I also would have recommended several bases. You can do base trips to Pompeii and As far north as Florence out of Rome but those are extremely long days.

I would add about driving that most Italian cities and towns have ZTLs where if you enter the central parts of these towns, your car is photographed and you are sent a big ticket months later. Oh and your car rental company will charge you an administrative fee of €50 for giving your name and address to the city authorities.

I would drive in Tuscany but not out of Rome, Venice and not in the Amalfi Coast.

There are organized and self-directed day trips out of most Italian cities. For instance, you can take coach tours which in many cases are easier than taking public transportation. In Rome I took a day tour on a coach to Hadrians Villa and Villa d'Este, which was a lot easier than taking the train or bus.

In Florence, I took a day trip which first went to Pisa (and it's not just the Tower but the Duomo and Battisero, which rival those in Florence for artistic value) then to San Gimignano and Siena. But Florence also offers a public bus tour on the SITA bus which includes a round trip and an audio commentary for a fraction of the cost of a coach tour or renting a car. But I've also rented a car in Florence and then driven to San Gmignano, Volterra and stayed near one of the ports in the medieval walls. Very difficult to find accommodations available inside. Especially near the Piazza deal Campo (if you're fit, definitely climb the Torre deal Mangia to see the clamshell shaped piazza below.)

From near Siena, you can drive around the Vald'Orcia, visit towns like Pienza, Montalcino and Montepulciano. Then firer east into Umbrian towns like Assisi and Perugia. Tricky thing is again, the ZTLs and finding parking. That is why coach tours can be useful, they drop you off and pick you up though you may have to hike a bit from parking to the center where the attractions are.

If you like hikes, Path of the Gods in the Amalfi Coast is really spectacular. Lake Como also has spectacular hikes, though I've only done the guided one in Bellagio.

 

[brett]

I would not spend five weeks in one place. Consider five one week stays. We love Italy. Our favourite things include a week at an agritourism outside Siena or perhaps Orvieto and touring using it as a base. South of Ancona on the east coast was also very enjoyable. Perhaps a week in the North-Venice/Milan, Como. Maybe four days in Cinque Terre followed by time in Lucca (where you can easily take a commuter train to Pisa in 30 minutes)

Perhaps a week in the Sorrento/Amalfi area. Also consider a week-10 days in Sicily. We spent three weeks there a few years ago and loved it. Very different from other parts of Italy. A car is a necessity in Sicily.

Rent cars when you are leaving a town. You do not need one in any of the cities. It is very easy to drive in Italy. We have a Europe GPS which helps enormously. Bought it here, it paid for itself first time out. It is 8 years old now, we have not bought any updates, but the roads do not change very much. We will be using it next month in Ireland.

 

[nwsteve]

With all the Italian experience on the board, what is the recommendation is terms of getting an Intl Driving Permit. Some sites say it is required in Italy others seem to say the requirement is largely ignored.
We are doing a week in Italy in Oct prior to joining a Viking Cruise in Prague. We plan 3 days in Pienze and Lucca for our home base. We start the trip in Bologna so will spend a couple of days there prior to renting a car for the rest of the trip.
Certainly looking forward to your trip report California Man

 

[tulak]

I always get an international driving permit. It only lasts a year, but it's not expensive.

However, I've never actually needed to use it. I use my US driver's license and it's never been an issue. But then again, I've never been pulled over or in an accident. I figure for the potential to ruin a day, for $20 it's cheap insurance. I'd hate to run across the official that wasn't happy with only my US license.

And officially, many of the places I visit require an international drivers permit. So it's my fault if I don't have it, even though nobody has asked for it (yet).

 

[Teacher Terry]

WE get the international and was asked to show it when we rented a car.