How does this itinerary look? I'm open to suggestions including where to stay, transportation within italy, things to do in these towns or perhaps day trip ideas....

Depart Minneapolis-->arrive Naples
stay in Sorrento or Amalfi for 3 nights (which would you suggest?)
day trip to Pompei, end in Rome
Rome for 3 nights
Florence for 3 nights
Siena for 3 nights
Venice for 2 nights
depart Venice, arrive Minneapolis

any suggestions or tips are very welcomed. Thanks!!!

I did a really similar trip a few years ago, though in reverse. I'd never been to Italy before so I loved that I got to see so much of the country. The downside was that I spent a lot of time in transit -- finding and checking in to my next accommodation, finding my way around a new place etc. I spent 4 nights in a small town in Tuscany and that was really one of the highlights. Overall, I don't regret cramming in so much, but will do it differently next time I go.

Is it possible to do a day trip to Pompeii from Rome? For some reason I remember them being fairly far apart on the map....

PC

We are travelling from Rome to Pompeii this June as part of our trip but staying over for 2 nights. If you try and do it in one day you'll spend 6-8 hrs travelling dependant on traffic, don't do it.
Jean

Yes, you can do a day-trip to Pompeii from Rome - though it's a longer day-trip than it would be from Naples. Here's more about visiting Pompeii & Herculaneum.

As for your itinerary, I think it's pretty good - nice that you don't have any 1-night stays anywhere, and you get big points for doing your trip open-jaw so as to eliminate transit time back to your starting airport. I would suggest that you switch Siena & Florence in your itinerary, as Siena is south of Florence so it sort of makes more sense to go to Siena from Rome, & then continue north to Florence from there.

Have a look around the BootsnAll Italy travel guide (link in my signature), I've covered lots of the areas you're visiting! I'm happy to answer any more questions you might have, too. Sounds like an excellent trip!

Re: Pompeii, I think your guys are misreading it. I think the OP meant that they would go to Pompeii before to Rome. Otherwise that would mean going back and forth twice.

That's how I read it, too, Craze... It'd still be a long day, Naples-Pompeii-Rome, because Pompeii is slightly south of Naples, but it's definitely do-able.

Sorrento or Amalfi, I stayed at neither but rather at Ravello, which I loved, but Amalfi seemed awfully nice and from either Amalfi and i think Sorrento, you could take a day trip on a ferry to Capri which would be a neat trip.

I would cut Venice down to 1 day...it's really boring. I'd even say to skip it and go to Lake Como or Genoa. I had to choose between the 3 and I'm hitting myself for going with Venice. There's just nothing to do there, it's expensive, and the thrill of the whole "water-town" thing wears off quickly. I imagine it would be great if you were there with a romantic partner and money to spare, but I really couldn't recommend it for a traveler.

If you like to walk, you should get to Carpi really early and walk, walk, walk. It is so beautiful. You can walk all the way around, but it takes a while. The scenery is spectacular.

Take the local bus to the skyway on Carpis, then take the skyway (cable car) up and back to/from the look out. Go there first to miss the tourists.

We took the ferry from Naples. There is also plenty to see in and around Naples - just walk up from the ferry. At the main train station the tourist information center in Naples is very helpful - they won't try to sell you a tour - they will give info on how to get around using the local transport.

Take the local bus from Sorrento to Amalfi - excellent.

Enjoy.

don't forget to do the side trip to the leaning tower of pisa from florence its only 45mins to an hour each way.

florence uffizi gallery big queues get there early

venice is a love it or hate it place.
I've been twice once on my own, once with my partner
i've hated and loved at the same time
on both occasions I only stoped for a 24 hour period plenty of time to get overcharged, hussled along in the crowds, see the bridge, do the boat trip, get lost numerous times, and do some shopping, and visit a gallery or too


food is overpriced, overcooked, and i've had better pasta / pizza in a takeaway down the road
hotels again are overpriced under decorated shabby hell holes

my advice, find a supermarket and stock up on bottled water, drinks, chrisps, fruit
as whens it hot and you need a drink its damn annoying to have to buy a 5 euro warm 150ml bottle

Hey aem, just to throw some more recommendations and make it difficult for you.

I have made two seperate trips to Italy, one as a typical european backpacker and one for my honeymoon. Not only because I had better company, but my honeymoon trip was by far the most memorable.

We stayed in Positano on the Amalfi coast for our honeymoon. It was amazing. We rented an apartment for cheap at the very top of the hill and we made the daily walk down to the waterfront. There were some truly remarkable restaurants there. Definately do not stay in Sorrento, it's overrun with tourists and from our experience, bad restaurants.

Pompei was nice enough, soooo hot when we wen though (but we were there in the middle of July).

I wouldn't do a day trip to Capri unless you have a LOT of money. It's really not that much more special than other places you can see in Italy. Personal opinion though.

We had a great time in rome, it's really. When I went with my friend backpacking we went on a pub crawl that started right outside the coloseum... pretty crazy fun time.

For our honeymoon we stayed in an Agriturismo in Siena, basically a farm house but it was really nice a peaceful. Pick up some cheap wine and great meats from a deli and head back to the house at night to relax. We rented a car, as everything in Tuscany is spread out. We made a day trip to Florence. Some people love it, but I would have spent 3 days elsewhere in Italy.

I agree with the comment about Venice, better in theory than in reality. Again, touristy, and i didn't get the true sense of Europe. Instead head over to Cinque Terra, the nicest and best place in Italy (obviously my opinion only). 5 towns only connected by a slow train and hiking trails. There's hardly any accomodation in the towns (stay in Riomaggiore), but the restaurants are amazing.

We found the best way to experience Italy was in the restaurants and cafes. The museums and ruins were impressive but only a distraction to the people and food. You will have a great time regardless of where you go. But make sure you stop in those small places that have absolutely no english on the menu and prepare to be amazed.

If you do go to Positano 'Chez Black' was especially memorable.

Have fun!

Venice is a must see, in my opinion, because it's NOT like the rest of Europe. Not for a week, certainly, but if you love cathedrals, and enjoy art and culture, St. Marks square and the Cathedral is a must-see, as is the church across from St. Marks. One can walk the canals and imagine oneself back in the 14th century again, at the height of the Venetian empire. There is the Doge palace, the venetian glass works, Lido, a whole host of things to see in a few days. Its unique, and shouldn't be missed. There is a reason that some places are touristed, and I like to go to those places as well.

Its a bit expensive to stay in the city itself, and requires planning. Hotels there always seem to be booked in advance. If I could afford it, I'd do it. Outside the city, there are campgrounds that rent out beds for 14 euros a night, and offer shuttle bus rides into the city.

Tortuga_traveller wrote:Venice is a must see, in my opinion, because it's NOT like the rest of Europe. Not for a week, certainly, but if you love cathedrals, and enjoy art and culture, St. Marks square and the Cathedral is a must-see, as is the church across from St. Marks. One can walk the canals and imagine oneself back in the 14th century again, at the height of the Venetian empire. There is the Doge palace, the venetian glass works, Lido, a whole host of things to see in a few days. Its unique, and shouldn't be missed. There is a reason that some places are touristed, and I like to go to those places as well.

Its a bit expensive to stay in the city itself, and requires planning. Hotels there always seem to be booked in advance. If I could afford it, I'd do it. Outside the city, there are campgrounds that rent out beds for 14 euros a night, and offer shuttle bus rides into the city.

I agree to some extent. I didn't like the city much, but I was glad that I saw it. I had planned on staying 2 days but decided to just stay 1 day and that was more than enough for me. So, to the topic-starter, I'd plan on staying 1 night and then just add a day if you reall like it.