7.5 days in Italy... Bay of Naples vs. Rome

[shaz]

I'm having to make some changes to my plans thanks to a hotel problem, so I'm now rethinking my entire breakdown of my time in Italy. I will be there for approximately 7.5 days. I will be using a Rail pass.

The plan originally was to spend 3.5 days in Florence and then 4 days in Rome and a town just outside of Rome, where my hotel reservation was.

Now I'm thinking that I will break it down like this...

Florence 2.5 days
- half day visiting Siena

Sorrento 3.5 days
- day trips to Ischia, Naples, and Pompeii

Rome 1.5 days
- day trip to vatican city? or not.

I have a feeling that most people here would think I am crazy for not giving Rome enough time. But my reasoning is that I'm not a history buff. I'm going to Europe more to experience the culture, food, views, and charm. Knowing that, would you still say I should add an extra day to Rome and take it away from naples?


Also.... Capri or Ischia?

Thanks.

[Eagle]

shaz, with only 7.5 days in Italy, my preference would be to drop some of the locations you plan on visiting. IMO, you really don't have time to properly visit that many places. Keep in mind that you'll need to allow travel time also, and some of the journeys will be more than a few hours. Is there any possibility you could increase your time somewhat?

In order to really enjoy your visits to the various locations, you might consider something like this:

> Florence - 3 days (half a day in Siena on the way to Rome - use Bus rather than rail for the trip from Florence to Siena, as it drops you in the centre of town rather than at the bottom of the hill - it's not a long journey, only a few hours and quite pleasant. However, you'll probably want to use a Taxi or whatever to get from Siena to the rail station).

> Rome - 4.5 days (aside for the major historic sites, there's lots to see in Rome and lots of unique neighborhoods - I was there a few weeks ago and stayed in the Trastevere area, which was quite an interesting contrast from my previous visit when I stayed near Termini. If you haven't been to Rome, some sites are really worth seeing, but I suppose that's a matter of personal preference - at least the Colosseum and St. Peter's would be worthwhile IMO - if you decide to visit the Colosseum, the easiest way is to buy a combo ticket on Palatine Hill, which includes Palatine and now the Forum as well).

On one of your days in Rome, you could make a day trip to Pompeii and Napoli although it would be a long day? However you won't really be able to see much in Napoli with such a short time. What specific sights were you interested in? The Piazza Plebiscito, which is a nicer area, is quite a distance from Napoli Centrale, and although you could walk, a Taxi would be better. The Museo Archealogico is probably "walkable" from the station?).

Regarding the islands (Ischia, Capri and also Procida), I'd suggest leaving those for another visit. I was just in Naples and the Amalfi Coast a few weeks ago, and took a day trip to Capri from Positano. It's a beautiful island, but somewhat expensive (some of the stores on the island are Prada, Gucci, Giorgio Armani, etc. so that will provide some idea of the atmosphere). While it would be possible to travel there and spend a few hours looking around, would that be a wise use of travel time and funds, especially when your time is so limited?

One point regarding the Rail Pass - some trains have compulsory reservations, and these are not covered by the pass. You'll have to pay for these separately. If you're caught without the reservation, the Conductor will "nick" you with a €25 (or so) fine on the spot! I wasn't sure if you were aware of this, but thought I should mention it.

Hope this helps? Happy travels!

[shaz]

Thanks.

Bummer though. I was hoping you guys would agree with me.

I really can't spend any more time in Italy unless I were to scratch Belgium (Brussels, Bruges, Ghent) from my list, because I was planning to spend 3 days there after Rome.

I really don't have any specific reason to visit Naples. By that I mean there is nothing there I want to see. Some people have told me that it is a place that needs to be visited and it is very "alive". I did get excited about Sorrento though when I was reading Eagle's other post and some info in a guidebook. I like the idea of hanging out in an Italian town and enjoying a nice view, nice restaurants, and maybe visiting a limoncello distillery. But I can do that on another trip. It would be a shame for me to go to Italy for the first time and not see stuff that you can only see in Italy (like the stuff in Rome and Florence).

I suppose I will just find a hostel in Rome and stay there for four nights. And stay in Florence for four as well (3.5 days).

I was hoping to do something a bit more off the beaten path though. Rome and Florence seem so predictable and typical. I can probably find some atypical interesting things to do around those areas though. Are there any other daytrips from those two base cities I should consider? Maybe some cool stuff just barely outside of town? Anyone?

[madamtrashheap]

May 28, 2008 23:58:42 GMT -5 shaz said:

I was hoping to do something a bit more off the beaten path though. Rome and Florence seem so predictable and typical. I can probably find some atypical interesting things to do around those areas though. Are there any other daytrips from those two base cities I should consider? Maybe some cool stuff just barely outside of town? Anyone?

You can still do things in both Rome and Florence that are "off the beaten path", but if you've not been to Italy before then the points made by David and Eagle are valid. The reason Rome and Florence seem "so predictable and typical" is because there are things worth seeing and doing in each of the cities (and in the surrounds) that draw lots of visitors, hence their popularity. There are very few places left in Italy (or Europe for that matter) that are "undiscovered" in terms of tourism, so for your first visit perhaps enjoy the main attractions (with a few quirky bits thrown in) and know that sitting in Piazza Santo Spirito in Florence with a glass of wine in the evening or standing at the top of St Peter's Basilica in Rome taking in the view are just as fabulous and will be good substitutes for your Italian section this time around.

Having said all of that, if there aren't things in each of these cities that interest you as much as being out in the countryside, then alter your itinerary to suit. We're all pretty confident here, though, that you won't be disappointed by "the big two".

[pointofnoreturn]

A daytrip to Naples is definitely doable. I've done Vesuvius and Pompeii in one day as a sidetrip from Rome. Long day but 100% doable if planned accordingly.