I have 13 days to spend in Italy and am looking for the best itinerary. So far I have:?

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Math Princess

I'm going and mine is a little more rushed

2 venice
1 bolzano
2 florence
3 cinque terre
2 radda in chianti
1 tivoli
3 rome

I think the important thing is to go to the places that really intrest you. I'm sure many people would think to go to Bolzano, but I need to see the Alps. Also I love wine (chianti) and gardens (tivoli). We're doing an open leg trip flying in and out of different airports, I highly reccomend doing this.

Brumbah

when you go to sorrento you must visit the gulf of Naples and Naples city too!!
I'm Italian and I can surely guarantee you've chosen thew best tour!

p.s. in Naples keep an eye on your pocketbook and your bag

Luke

Good time to travel to Europe in May!

I have just finished a trip to Italy, I spent over 3 weeks travelling around.

I spent 11 days in Rome and still didn't see everything - a lot of walking and the metro helps too.

I spent 13 days on a bus trip which visited sorrento florence and venice.

Venice - beautiful, amazing more than I ever expected, 2 days will be more than enough though!

Sorrento was great even though it rained the whole time, I think 4 nights would be too much though, maybe 3 nights and add a extra night to Rome?

Florence- theres a lot to see in Florence and it is very crowded... compared to other places in Italy I didn't really enjoy it as much.

The best places I found in Italy were off the beaten track, small villages along the way to larger places which don't visited are the real Italy, I suggest you visit a few to appreciate the whole place.

Have a great trip!

tomjc43

I would imagine that the stop in Sorrento is the one in Campania, near Naples and there is a family reason for this stop and duration.
Definitely the other stops are worth it and the durations are excellent for the time allotted. You cannot see all of Rome in a month but you can get a feeling of its beauty, history and magnificence in 4 days. Three days in Firenze will ensure that you will want to return again and again. Two days in Venice will be just enough to wet your appetite for this unique city state.
To cut any of these visits shorter will not do the justice that is required to see the jewels they are.
The four days in Sorrento are a bit of a mystery to me but then I prefer the Aegean to the Mediterranean Coast. After seeing Pompeii I can't see a reason for staying longer in Campania when I could be in Milan or on the Ligurian or even in Tuscany.
But that's just me.

Just Tom

that depends on where you are flying into and out of.
If flying into/out of Venice, I would do this.
Arr Venezia (Days 1 & 2)
drive or take train to Firenze (Days 3.4.5)
then drive/take train to Roma(Day 6,7,8)
On the morning of Day 9, leave from for a two or three day trip covering Napoli, Isola di Capri, and into Sorrento (usually an overnight stay) then return to Roma via Pompeii to Napoli and back to Roma (days 9 and 10). On the morning of day 11, travel back to Venezia for days 12 and 13.

If you are flying into Roma, go to Firenze, Venezia, back to
Roma, down to Napoli, Capri, Sorrento, Pompeii and Roma

Mr Mugwump

You may want to stay in Rome a little longer. Last year I was in Rome for 5 days and just barely got to see everything I wanted. I didn't go to Sorrento or Florence but went to Venice. 2 days in Venice is plenty. Check out books by Rick Steves it has a lot of info on Italy.

Q&A Queen

No clue about an itinerary for go and have a BLAST. :)

Becky N

i would only spend maximum 2 days in venice. its hot, confusing, and just crazy humid. i would maybe find a way to spend another day in rome, there is a ton to see. and the colliseum takes a day itself usually.... and the vatican too. (get there early in the AM if you are going. im talking like 6:30 latest)
when are you going?
its a ton of fun. make sureyou hit up a gelato place everywhere you go!! i reccommend strachiatella flavor. mmmm.... thats what i miss most!

Albert G

4 days in Sorrento are too many. I'd limit it to two days (possibly three if you go to Capri for the day) and add the additional time to Rome.

Sergeant Superpants

If you want a sightseeing trip, then this is fine. Take it from me (I live in Europe), sightseeing trips can be stressful! If want to cut out some of the stress I would stick with just Rome and Venice.

Driving is out of the question in Rome and Venice, public transportation is tough with small kids (ie. strollers).

darby8251

I love all of your choices. Don't forget that you will need travel time between all of these cities. There are some exceptional places in each of these places. In Sorrento, be sure to go to Capri and see the Blue Grotto, hit Pompeii on the way back to Rome. You probably don't need 4 days in Sorrento, although it's beautiful. In Rome, you definitely need to see the colosseum, the Vatican, and the Pantheon. What I loved about Rome was walking down a street and seeing something over 1000 years old, next to a modern building. In Florence you need to see the Ufitzi museum, but be sure to get tickets in advance. Your hotel might be able to help. I also loved the duomo, and my absolutely favorite place in Florence was the Boboli Garden. You walk back behind the Pitti Palace and find a huge park, which has a lot of art work but isn't particularly outstanding - until you get to the back, climb up to the tea house and get the most stunning view of Tuscany! I disagree with the people who think you can do Venice in two days. Venice is my favorite place in Italy. If you do the special tours of the Doges Palace, that takes almost an entire day. Try to get into the campanille (bell tower) when the bells are going off! Wait until the cruise ships leave and travel the streets/alleys in the evenings and early mornings just to take pictures. There are tons of museums, churches, and walking tours to see. I really like doing Ghost tours of cities. Save money on a gondola by taking the traghetti across the canals. Venice is famous for its Murano glass and Burano lace. Murano is close enough to do in half a day, but if you go to Burano that takes a day. Burano is nice, but the boat ride to get there is nicer. You get a real sense of history from visiting the ghetto, which was the original ghetto and the place from which the word comes. You can't leave without shopping on the Rialto Bridge to buy all the little crappy souvenirs to take home, but it's even more fun to get up early and buy fruit by the fish market and look at some really bizarre sea creatures.

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