My wife and I will be arriving in Venice on the 16th of June and doing a 7 night cruise. We will be arriving back in Venice about 7:00 in the morning on the 23rd of June. We have decided t
My wife and I will be arriving in Venice on the 16th of June and doing a 7 night cruise. We will be arriving back in Venice about 7:00 in the morning on the 23rd of June. We have decided that we are going to be staying an extra week in Italy, and then flying out of Rome (I guess) to head back to Missouri. We are leaving all options open as to driving, train, etc., and we were hoping to get a little help. What we have always wanted to do is to travel the backroads and do nothing but see small towns, drink wine, and eat some great food, but we realize that there are sites that we must see while we are there. Being as this might be the only time we do this trip, help is desperately hoped for. So please give us some ideas.
Here is the basics of our trip. I won a trip with the company I work for. We are flying into Venice and doing a cruise through the Grecian Islands (Corfu, Mykanos, Bari, Athens, and Dobrovnik Croatia. We end up back in Venice the following Saturday morning. We figured that we would spend all day in Venice, spend the night and probably leave sometime on Sunday or early Monday morning. Since the company is paying for our flight and cruise, we can fly back anytime that we want, and frrom basically anywhere, so we are not limited on days, other than we would like to keep it to 7 days if possible. Being a big historian, and being a Christian, there are certain things that seem to "big" to pass up while we are there. We would like to see some art (Florence and Rome), and the Vatican would be cool if possible. Other than that it is all optional. And even those 2 are not set in stone. We just want to have a vacation to remember. North, South, East, West would all be wonderful.
I also wanted to ask you if you will be carrying a lot of luggage on your cruise, and now that you bring it up, do you have a specific area of interest as an historian?
Well, we will ahve some luggage but probablyl just a couple of bags each. Not really specific on the wine, but would jsut love to try anything. My wife likes more of a sweet wine, but is open for experimenting.
Having "just a couple of bags apiece" on June 25 in Italy makes me want to suggest that you rent a car leaving Venice and head for one of the wine growing regions of Tuscany, either the Chianti region, just a bit east of Florence, or the area just about south and west of Siena (sometimes called le Crete Senese). Either way, it's about a 4 hour drive, so you will want to stop and have lunch along the way, and that is easily done.
You might want to stay on a farm or at a winery that has a small restaurant right on the premises that serves home-cooked food. Or stay in a bed&breakfast in a small town with restaurants. There is a woman who posts on this board name Suzy Kane, and she knows a lot about these wine growing areas in Tuscany, which are the sweetest spots to be in if you want to drive the back roads and try different wines. So if you begin to think you want to be in the wine growing regions of Tuscany and she has posted in this thread, then you can put up a new post with her name on it so she is sure to see it.
The wine growing areas of Tuscany, I think in particular just south of Siena if you stay in the hills near Buonconvento/Murlo/Asciano, are filled with myriad villages with castles, churches, convents, monasteries cheese producers, olive oil presses, sunflower growers, and of course vintners. You can spend all day driving and discovering. Nobody has discovered it all!
After 4 nights in Tuscany, I suggest that you drive south to a town called Orvieto, drop of the car, see the beautiful cathedral there, have lunch (sampling the famous local wine), take the train to Rome.
At the height of summer, Florence is extremely crowded and hot. There is so much beautiful Renaissance art in Rome, including more of Michaelangelo's work in Rome than in Florence, I think if you don't spend at least 3 days in Rome, it will frustrate you. The mere sight of the monuments of Roman antiquity will make you want to spend a whole day just getting to know them. And you need a whole day for the Vatican and St Peter's basilica.
You didn't say if you have a particular aspect of history that interests you, but even if it might seem as though it has nothing to do with Italy, don't be too sure. Venice and Rome have been world empires, and other places in between have surprising museums and stories, so it would be a pity if you drove past or walked past a place that might have been incredible to you if you'd only know it was there.
Needless to say, if you can add more days, more is possible.
Congratulations on winning the trip - what a fantastic prize!
It sounds like the general plan should be to travel from Venice through Florence and the countryside to Rome and depart from there.
IMO you have too much on your agenda for 7 days. For a person with a deep interest in history and religion, Rome seems an essential, but it takes a minimum of three full days: one for ancient Rome, one for St Peter's and the Vatican Museums, and one for as much of everything else as you can cram in - and there is lots to cram. For your countryside jaunt, I'd recommend three days or more with a car joyriding through Tuscany and/or Umbria. That would leave you with only a single day for Florence, which has more to offer than you can fit in that quickly. If you can stretch your time to 10 days, you could have a spectacular visit without feeling rushed - 4 days in Rome, 2-3 days in Florence, and 3-4 days in the countryside. Think about stretching your time if you don't know when/if you will make it back so you can take the maximum advantage of that free airfare and hit everywhere on your wish list with sufficient time to really sink in. Alternatively, I'd probably rent the car from Venice and skip Florence.
(Incidentally, from my point of view a couple pieces of baggage apiece is a lot - more than will be easy to handle getting on and off of trains, where there are no porters to help you.)
. What we have always wanted to do is to travel the backroads and do nothing but see small towns, drink wine, and eat some great food,Posted by John Buttram
Before I forget, if you like the idea of renting a car in Venice and heading to the scenic wine country of smal-town Tuscany, an easy restaurant to stop at mid-route is Tubino. It's not far off the main highway in a town that is not big and easy to find.
If you can stretch the days and want to include Florence, I still recommend that you go to the wine country first, right after Venice, and then after touring the back roads, drop off your car in Florence. Stay a few night in the city and take the train to Rome. I recommend that because I think you will enjoy the trip more if you head right into doing what you have always wanted to do in Italy.
But if you have extra days you can add, before you commit to Florence, think about whether you might prefer to see Assisi or Perugia, or some other place of specific interest to you and your wife that maybe you haven't heard of yet, like Etruscan towns. Or you might want to spend more time in Venice. Don't get me wrong: I happen to like Florence a great deal and go often, and if it at the top of your wish list, go. But I also know that sometimes people feel that going to Florence is essential to any "introduction" to Italy, but in my view, many people get a far better understanding of Italy going to one of the many truly spectacular areas of Italy.
Well, its nice to get some good advice. My wife and I are trying to figure out how long we can get away with being gone, and it looks like that is going to make a difference. Thinking Saturday and part of Sunday in Venice. Rent a car and head towards Florence. Maybe spend the night and spend all day Monday in Florence and then head to the countryside. That would give us Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday staying in some small locales and relaxing alittle, and then head to Rome. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Rome and then fly out either Sunday evening or Monday morning. Still lots of time to decide, but i definately am sending off for my international license.
You know, the more I think about it I think we could bypass Florence and get our fill of all things art in Rome. I would really like to spend the majority of the time in the small towns and countryside. Think we will try and plan around 1 1/2 days in Venice, the next 4-5 days driving through the Tuscan region, and then take a train into Rome and finish up with 2-3 days there. Were also discussing trying to get down to 1 large suitcase each.
You're making some smart plans, given your interests and the time available to you. Florence is wonderful, but there is spectacular Renaissance art (the big draw in Florence) in Rome, so it is the candidate to be cut when time is short.
I will wager money you won't be able to find a Sunday evening flight. Most (nearly all?) flights from Europe to the US fly completely during the day; you leave usually in the first half of the day and get home in the evening.
Please give yourselves three full days in Rome. With your interest in history, religion and art, even three days will be very rushed to get through the most famous sights.
You will be happiest if you limit your luggage. Porters are virtually non-existent in Europe (they are entirely non-existent at train stations), so whatever you take you will have to manage yourselves. I find that, even though I pack in a single carry-on suitcase, I still don't use everything I take. My fantasy is to have a trip in which every single thing in my suitcase sees use.
Just a few things to add to your ruminations, which all sound great.
a) The Tuscan countryside and its small towns is actually quite large, and there are 4 separate areas that are very popular with tourists, and you won't be able to see them all. You won't feel cheated, believe me, if you just pick one. To help you decide which one you might find most interesting, you can leaf through guide books published that are specifically "Scenic drives in Tuscany" or "Tuscan Byways and Highways" -- that sort of thing. You don't have to stick to the route when you get to Tuscany, but it helps focus the trip.
b) A great many small towns throughout scenic Tuscany have beautiful churches or nearby monasteries with great art treasures, or small museums, and they are sometimes more digestible than the huge famous churches and museums that guidebooks list as the Top Ten sights. Again, a good guidebook to "Small Towns of Tuscany" or "Churches of Tuscany" can help you plan a route.
c) If in the end you decide to do want to see some things in Florence after all, either take a train to Florence from Venice to see Florence and only AFTER Florence rent a car to tour the countryside. OR: Rent a car in Venice and drive directly to the countryside. At the end of touring the countryside, if you still want to see things in Florence, you can drop off the car (maybe at the Florence airport or Siena train station), head to Florence via public transportation.
d) Even with 3 full days in Rome, you will need to be super-efficient to see the main highlights of Rome. If hiring a guide or joining a walking tour with a historian is not your thing, then you might want to look at guidebooks that offer specific step-by-step routes, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3. The city is not spread out -- mercifully! -- but places like Vatican or the Forum are bigger than some Tuscan towns, and you don't want to lose precious time simply because you got lost on your way to the Forum.
e) You should check to see if you will be able to do a laundry on your cruise ship. If so, packing all the clothes you need into a carry-on should be a snap. If your wife has any doubts she can fit everything she needs into a carry-on and feel great about how she looks to other people, there are plenty of women here who can tell you how they learned not to pack the stuff they never used and only pack the pretty outfits they would really wear and they went everywhere in style. Plenty of men can advise you if you think you need to cart a lot of stuff. Even if you are both weight-lifters, taking only a carry-on bag to Europe means there is no chance you will arrive in Italy for your cruise only to discover your luggage didn't make it.
We've been several times to Italy and I agree 100% that you should take only one suitcase. Look into Assisi for a day as it's only 4 hours from Venice and it's a city that has everything you're looking for, and it's charming--try Bibenda restaurant. You could see the highlights of Rome in 2-3 days if you start early in the day! Very few people know of the Scavi tour--incredible sites underneath the bottom floor of the Vatican (your church may be able to get you tickets or try online too). Go on the Colliseum tour in the afternoon--fascinating! And you know of the art galleries... statues... that you can walk to. The piazzas around Rome close very late (try Navona Piazza) so you'll have long days to enjoy. There's a hotel across from the Sistine Chapel entrance called Alamandi and they were terrific for our family's needs. Perfect English too. Good luck! You don't have any bad choices... :)
The first is in Radda-in-Chianti and the second is in Greve. Both are on wine estates and very scenic. Radda and Greve are between Florence and Siena so they are well positioned for touring in the area. Il Poggerino offers B&B accommodations and dinner, by reservation, to its guests. The Castello di Verrazzano offers B&B accommodations and is about 2 miles from the center of Greve.
There are many wineries in the area and many enotecas in Greve and Panzano. I strongly recommend reserving a a tour and tasting at a winery for an indepth visit and the opportunity to learn how the wine is produced from people who are passionate about it. Many provide a tasting with bread, cheese, and Italian cured meats that is a light meal. Note that tours at some of the more popular wineries are booked weeks in advance.
Many wineries offer such tours at very reasonable prices, often starting at about 15 or 20 euros. Some winery tours also include a garden tour, such as the tours at Villa Vignamaggio http://www.vignamaggio.it/english/vignamaggio.html and Badia a Coltibuono and http://www.coltibuono.com/index.asp?lingua=_L2 Both of these properties offer accommodations, too. Both are exquisite estates. Badia a Coltibuono has an excellent, on-site restaurant and Villa Vignamaggio offers dinners to its guests.
We also liked the Palazzo Malaspina B&B in San Donato in Poggio: http://www.palazzomalaspina.it/ The Palazzo is a handsome building with comfortable rooms and bathrooms and wonderful views. They also serve an excellent continental breakfast with a homemade breakfast cake each morning. San Donato in Poggio is a charming small town with a few restaurants and a bar and wineries nearby. It, too, is situated between Florence and Siena.
While staying there, we took a tour of the Fattoria di Montecchio: http://www.fattoriamontecchio.it/ wine cellars, followed by lunch with each course paired with the appropriate wine from the estate. This Fattoria is on the outskirts of San Donatoin Poggio so it was very convenient. It was a wonderful tour and a delicious lunch. We bought a bottle of wine and a bottle of their olive oil. Many wineries produce olive oil and some also produce wine vinegars, honey, and preserves.
If you can't fit in a tour and tasting, you can stop at these estates because they all have cantines on the premises where you can taste and buy the wine. Note that the hours are often limited so check ahead of time before going there.
In terms of architecture and art and urban design (not to mention being just a very different and interesting place to explore), Venice is about as diverse at it gets, including a good deal of Renaissance art and architecture of its own and several sights of religious significance.
Venice is certainly worth at least 3 full days on its own and it has enough quality sights to justify more days than that, not to mention any of the nice day trips that are possible--it isn't just a city, it is a unique world treasure. But with only 7 days, I know you'll have to make some tough decisions.
Whatever you decide, Italy is great, and you are almost guaranteed to have a wonderful time.
