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Trip to Italy

BostonDeac said:
I am looking at a trip Venice(2 nts)-->Florence (4 nts)--> Rome (3 nights) for the wife and kid in March. The wife may be 6 months pregnant at the time if all goes according to plan, and the kid will be turning 3 in July. Is this a bad idea? Pregnant wife I think would be okay but doing Italy with a toddler does not seem like the most ideal way to go to Italy but know it will only get tougher with more kids. Flights now are pretty cheap round trip out of NY.
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I took a 4 year old - but we didnt move around that much, we did 2 nights in Capri and 7 nights in Positano. We still explored during the day, and it was great. But, the problem is losing the nightlife - you will end up in your room early and miss a lot of it. I would say, if you can leave the kid, do, or if you can bring someone along to watch. It won't be a miserable trip with a 3 year old, just maybe not as fun as it could?
 
DeacDiggler said:
Visiting the smaller towns you absolutely need a car, whether you're driving it or someone else is. We stayed in Trequanda a few weeks ago and visited tons of places in the countryside, but you're screwed without a car.

If you happen to be passing near it, there's an amazing place in Panzano where we ate about 10 different styles of beef. Google the butcher of Panzano for details. It's about halfway between Siena and Florence on a straight line, but there is no quick/easy way to get there so be warned.

There's a great little farm outside Pienza that we went to and made our own pizzas; if you like pasta there's a place in Montefollonico that I recommend highly - 13 Gobbi.

Also - use the "download areas" option on google maps to save all of the area you're going to. It will save your mobile phone battery as well as your sanity, as reception is sketchy and even when you have a signal, it's slower than we're used to. I saved everything in a rectangle from Montepulciano to Florence and it was so helpful.
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Agree, with everything here. I think the place is called Solociccio or something like that.

Defs rent a car. Its not as bad as you think.
 
Pienza and Montelpuciano are both awesome little towns and either would be good for 2 nights out in southern Tuscany. We also really Greve in Chianti. I liked the vineyards we went to in Montelcino ( Banfi & Capanna) but didn't really care for the town itself.

Like the others, 3 nights in Florence is perfect. Go over the bridge into Oltrarno where the Pitti Palace is. That's a cool ass neighborhood.
 
DaDeacs said:
Agree, with everything here. I think the place is called Solociccio or something like that.

Defs rent a car. Its not as bad as you think.
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that's it. our favorite course was something called "rosemary in the ass." some kind of flank steak tartare rolled into a ball and served with a sprig of rosemary sticking out of it. we also ate muzzle - which was surprisingly delicious.

montalcino has the best wine in Tuscany.
 
DeacDiggler said:
that's it. our favorite course was something called "rosemary in the ass." some kind of flank steak tartare rolled into a ball and served with a sprig of rosemary sticking out of it. we also ate muzzle - which was surprisingly delicious.

montalcino has the best wine in Tuscany.
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The Brunellos are incredible and even with the freight, cheaper to buy there than here.
 
Flying into Venice on May 11th and out of Rome on May 20th, whats the must see/do/eat in between? I'll probably get a car after Venice and just eat the one way fee to drop off when we get to Rome. Thanks for any recommendations (this is our delayed honeymoon)
 
Screamindemon3 said:
Flying into Venice on May 11th and out of Rome on May 20th, whats the must see/do/eat in between? I'll probably get a car after Venice and just eat the one way fee to drop off when we get to Rome. Thanks for any recommendations (this is our delayed honeymoon)
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How many days in Venice and how many in Rome? You could train from Venice to Florence - stay there a couple of days and then rent a car to drive through Tuscany on your way to Rome. Maybe stop off for a night in Montepulciano or Pienza. You do not want a car in Florence, if you stay down in the city center. I think your plan totally depends on if you want to hit Florence on the way from Venice to Rome.
 
well, that's quite a swath of Italy to cover. what do you like to do and are you planning on stopping for a day or two in between?
 
do like the Italians: take life as it comes; no matter which way you go it will be great, no matter where you stop it will be great; avoid restaurants with foreign patrons and with a view; keep it simple and have fun

I have been to Italy many times and just spent ten days in Florence and the Tuscan countryside last October, its even better than in the movies
 
sailordeac said:
do like the Italians: take life as it comes; no matter which way you go it will be great, no matter where you stop it will be great; avoid restaurants with foreign patrons and with a view; keep it simple and have fun

I have been to Italy many times and just spent ten days in Florence and the Tuscan countryside last October, its even better than in the movies
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yeah, i'd spend lots of time in Tuscany visiting different hill towns and just eating. Also, Umbria [region] is adjacent to Tuscany and is just as nice with fewer tourists.
 
How long are you staying in Venice and where are you planning to go in between there and Rome ? Renting a car is not a slam-dunk A-1 great decision. The driving and parking are not that bad outside of the cities, but taking a train from Venice to Florence is faster and cheaper than driving.
 
We went to Italy for a while last summer. I feel the same about Rome as Barca and would not return on purpose. Stood in super crowded and hot places while looking at old buildings all I needed to. And I'm a history buff, BTW. I will say the food in Rome was fantastic, and it helped to be with friends whose parents live there and they could show us the local flavors.

We most enjoyed Val Di Sole staying at Hotel Palace Ravelli and enjoying that part of the Trento region and the Dolomites. We also had a fun time in Cinque Terre although we didn't really do the beach thing much there but instead chose to hike between towns, go out on a boat tour, etc. The food was amaze in both places. Although, one funny story about food: my wife ordered a potato pizza (right off of the menu) and what came out was a ordinary cheese pizza with french fries dumped on top of it. We laughed, then we ate it.
 
Bubble Boy said:
How many days in Venice and how many in Rome? You could train from Venice to Florence - stay there a couple of days and then rent a car to drive through Tuscany on your way to Rome. Maybe stop off for a night in Montepulciano or Pienza. You do not want a car in Florence, if you stay down in the city center. I think your plan totally depends on if you want to hit Florence on the way from Venice to Rome.
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Probably 2 in Venice and 2/3 in Rome. Cirque Terre/Amalfi Coast in between? If we do 2 nights in Venice and 2 in Rome, that leave 5 nights elsewhere. Is Florence a must do?
 
it's a wonderful little city. you can spend 1.5 days in Florence and get a good sense of it. Extremely walkable.

Most people seem to enjoy it as one of the best in Italy, certainly more than Rome (once you've seen the historical stuff).

I think you may regret the forced march from Venice to the coast and then to Rome. That might be a lot of bouncing around/time spent on traveling.
 
I wouldn't do Cinque Terre and Amalfi Coast in the same 10-day trip. If you want to do Pompeii, couple that with Amalfi Coast before heading to Rome.

Florence is a must do. It's also easy to explore the Tuscany countryside, Siena, San Gimignano, and wineries from there as well as Pisa and Lucca.
 
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BiffTannen said:
I wouldn't do Cinque Terre and Amalfi Coast in the same 10-day trip. If you want to do Pompeii, couple that with Amalfi Coast before heading to Rome.
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You're correct, I didnt realize Amalfi was that far south. Im not planning to go south of Rome
 
if you go to Florence, and you certainly should, don't miss the Mercato Centrale, which is close to the duomo and the Medici Palace, right in the center of town

it's basically a giant supermarket with an astonishing choice of great Italian food; when you go be sure to take the escalator upstairs and enjoy Italian fast food at its finest, you wont regret it
 
Screamindemon3 said:
Probably 2 in Venice and 2/3 in Rome. Cirque Terre/Amalfi Coast in between? If we do 2 nights in Venice and 2 in Rome, that leave 5 nights elsewhere. Is Florence a must do?
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No chance on Amalfi. Though technically it is probably doable, I think trying to get to Cinque Terre would really be stretching it. I think I would train from Venice to Florence and stay there a couple of days/nights. Then grab a rental car on your way out of town and spend a couple of days in the Tuscan countryside on your way down to Rome, and then dump the rental car as you get there. Research the towns and areas in between Florence and Rome and pick a route that sounds cool. There are so many cool places/beautiful views, it's hard to go wrong. You could probably talk to 10 different people and they would suggest 10 different towns/cities in Tuscany, and none of them would be wrong.
 
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