Critique my Italy plans

Friday 9/8 -
arrive at noon
pick up personal wifi and take express train into Rome
Check into the hotel
Hedera for Gelato
Pick up travel card (buses, subways and hop on hop off bus) at ORT
Take hop on/hop off bus and see various churches, possibly stop at Coin for shopping

Dinner at Roscioli 7:00
Walk home past Spanish steps, etc.


Saturday 9/9
early morning arrival at the Vatican for a pre-general entry tour. finish 10:45
lunch - possibly Pizzarium? or ragno d’oro
3:15 2 hour 45 minute Rome Walking Tour, ends at Campo de Fiori
6:15 take taxi to Piazza Garibaldi (9 minutes fs 21 minutes for the bus), walk down to restaurant, see fountain if we have the time
7:30 Dinner at Antico Arco

Sunday 9/10

9am to 8pm
Il mercatino di Ponte Milvio (dalle ore 9.00 alle 20.00, in piazzale di Ponte Milvio, la prima e la seconda domenica del mese) si estende sulla riva destra del Tevere con ben oltre 150

espositori. Perfetto per chi sta cercando mobili e complementi di arredo, collezionismo, antiquariato, oggettistica.

On the right bank of the Tevere, with over 150 stalls. Seems to be a decent mix of antiques, bric a brac, and other stuff for the home.
MAXXI - Museo Nazionale Delle Arti del XXI Secolo?
Gelateria Neve di Latte?

Lunch at Testaccio?


Coliseum tour
1:30-4:45


Sunset at Piazza Navoni
Dinner at Casa Bleve?



Monday 9/11
leave for Florence
Segway Tour of Florence
7:30 dinner at Konnubio

Tuesday 9/12

8:15 tickets for the Accademia/David
The Cascine Market (closes at 2pm)
Lunch at Osteria Tipperia Il Magazzino ? Trying to have hotel make a reservation

Duomo

7:30 Dinner at Sesto (Westin Florence) for the sunset view



Wednesday 9/13
Walkabout Best of Florence Tour

Thursday 9/14
Walkabout Fiat 500 tour of the chianti Countryside
Dinner where?


Friday 9/15
8:15am Tour of Uffizi
Train to Lucca?
Back in time for 7:30 Dinner at Trattoria Camillo in Oltrarno



Saturday 9/16 leave for Rome in the morning

Campo de’ Fiori Market
Piazza Campo de’ Fiori
Monday – Saturday, 8am – 1:30pm

don’t have travel tickets yet
lunch at Trattoria Cadorna followed by gelato at Il Caruso



3-6pm Borghese Tour
dinner at Hostaria Da Vincenzo


Sunday 9/17

breakfast at hotel
leave hotel by 8:15
be at airport by 9:30
11:25 flight back to Newark

You need to add another week.

I loved Villa d’Este in Tivoli, along with lunch at a great restaurant called Sibilla. It was arguably my favorite excusion over multiple visits to Rome

Hi Jay
Comments in italics, below each section

Overall, not a schedule I would plan myself, and the brains of the operation would respond with [swearing.gif] if I ever tried to plan to that degree, and that busy (I get enough grief as it is for the planning I do). If that works best for you, then please don’t let me talk you away from it. Knowing your own preferences is vital. Do however consider those areas (typically around lunchtime & transfer days) where the schedule may be tight and have it clear in your mind how you’ll approach it if the room isn’t available on arrival

I see no enoteche in that schedule [shock.gif] I presume you’d want to sniff out the odd bottle or more to take home, plus enoteche are often a great antidote to big meals sitting heavy on the stomach, often serving tasty & fresh light dishes and of course a glass or three of interesting wine.

Have you booked the train tickets yet? If willing to book in advance (at least 24 hours IIRC) on a specific train (makes sense for most travelers) then there are savings to be had, often the equivalent of trading up from 2nd to 1st class and occasionally so cheap you feel guilty about it. I notice the Trenitalia site is now a lot clearer about showing these offers. The cheaper tickets are usually limited in number and offer less flexibility for changing date/time, but for most travelers this is no problem as our plans are often quite set.

If panicking, then make sure absolute essential info is easy to hand e.g. Hotel addresses & phone numbers; flight numbers, times; All pre-booked meals/museums/tours dates/times and start location for tours; train times & printed / downloaded tickets if pre-booking. Having a city map in advance (on phone?) can also really help.

Regards
Ian

Finally, don’t be surprised if the odd restaurant is closed / not answering booking requests, as August is traditionally a time when many businesses shut to have their own holidays. Maybe Rome is a bit better than many, but in some cities it can be significant.

Way too little time in Rome. The Colosseum and Forum are at least half a day alone. The Tuscan hill towns are another 1-2 days and that’s without spending time in Chianti. An afternoon in Lucca, please. You’ll be headed back soon once you see all the stuff you have to pass by.

We did Lucca and Pisa as a day trip from Florence. Pisa is kitchy, but it was still fun to see.

If you had a car, you could drive to the hill towns in Tuscany.

If you want a nice, truly local roman restaurant for lunch within walking distance of the Vatican, try ragno d’oro. Eat whatever they tell you to try! Warning - you won’t get close to finishing whatever they serve you and dinner will be unnecessary.

Duomo reservations are mandatory now if you wish to climb to the top.

Also reserve a time to climb the tower. Can’t hurt.

Too busy. Not enough time in Rome.
Just my opinion. But some people love traveling fast so if that describes you, it’s a pretty good itin actually :slight_smile:

If you are looking for a great, authentic meal in Florence, check out Osteria di Giovanni. Everyone who I have sent there says it was one of the good highlights of their trip. Nothing fancy. Just plates and plates of authentic dishes served by a caring staff and owner who likes to throw in complimentary apps, biscotti, limoncello, etc. to those who are enjoying themselves.

Itinerary looks ambitious but not impossible.

Pisa is part of the Walkabout Best of Florence tour, and their Fiat 500 involves giving everyone a Fiat 500 and a radio and driving around the Tuscan countryside with a guide. I should have linked to the tours but here they are:

https://www.walkaboutflorence.com/tours/best-tuscany-tour

Ramon had recommended the former and the latter looked fun.


Ian - As I’ve learned over the years my preferred mode of less structured planning meets with the mild observation of “I prefer to be doing more things while we’re on vacation. We won’t be here forever.” or words to that effect. Repeated multiple times a day. So a full schedule leads to a happy Arnold.

On our first trip to London I had everything booked to the minute on our first day and a more relaxed schedule the second day. His comment was “you did a great job of planning out that first day”.

We are constrained by vacation schedules and who knows if we’ll ever make it back to Italy? I’ve been intending to visit ever since an aborted trip back in 2001.

[cheers.gif] Just like knowing one’s own palate, it’s important to know one’s travel preferences. Cool.

The organised trips make very good sense in that context, being a fully scheduled and time-constrained tour, yet with you having no need to worry about the timings whilst on it. Oddly it should give you a rest from the stress of ensuring everything is on schedule. Clever.

I’ve posted before on Pisa: The field of miracles is what it is, and has genuine appeal. The area immediately around it is a grotesque shrine to all that is wrong with mass tourism. Pisa the city itself (5-10 minutes walk to the east) is a remarkably under the radar gem (unfairly described as trashy by those who actually never make it to the city, but judge the area around the field of miracles). I doubt the tour will allow you time to get to the city itself. If you do have time, then either head over there, or go to the botanical gardens which are charmingly unkempt and relaxing.

No comments on the itinerary. Just wishing you good weather. Supposed to be 7 straight days of 100+ degree days in Rome starting today. Hottest day predicted to hit 107.

Ouch! I did wish Arnold’s vacation came in a little later in the season but hopefully the worst will be over by then. And we have the benefit of arriving in Florence on his 50th birthday. Couldn’t ask for a better birthday present.

Shhh, you’re on to me but I’m trying not to draw attention to this. [cheers.gif]

Oh my, that looks wonderful. I don’t see how I can squeeze it into this trip but it’s definitely on the list for any return visits.

Edited: Maybe on our first day? Take the train to Tivoli after checking into our hotel and have dinner at Sibilla. On the other hand we have a very early morning the next day.

Book an underground tour of the Coliseum. It is a great tour and it will save you the wait in what can be massive lines. Same for the Vatican. Book a private tour. Like others have said you are missing so much in Rome. I could sit in Piazza Navona all day.

George

Both tours are already booked along with a walking tour of the main tourist attractions.

https://darkrome.com/rome-tours/colosseum-tour-with-underground
https://darkrome.com/rome-tours/best-of-rome-walking-tour
https://darkrome.com/vatican-tours/vatican-breakfast-tour