Joe Marcus

Hello --

I am surprising my wife for her 50th Birthday this year with a trip to
Italy that we have talked about for years. She has been - 25 years ago,
I have not and our 13 yo son has not either. He is a great traveler and
loves museums, etc.

I have already booked using Frequent Flyer mileage into Venice on June
13th in the morning and leaving Rome on the 22nd in the morning.

I am looking at 6/13-16 in Venice, 6/16-6/19 in Florence, and 6/19-6/22
in Rome. So here are my questions:

1. Does this seem like a reasonable use of our time in each location?

2. How would I change this itinerary?

3. What is top 5 things not to miss in each city?

4. Suggestions for good, inexpensive places to stay in each city. Not
web sites, I can do that, but places you have stayed at that you would
recommend.

5. Any other helpful pieces of information to make this a great trip.

Thanks in advance.

--
Joe Marcus
Marcus Photography
1501 Spring Garden Street
Easton, PA 18042-3143
610-258-1407 - Phone
610-393-0792 - Cellular

http://www.marcusphotography.com

Creating outstanding images for Festivals & Events around the United
States. Location photography for advertising, promotion, fireworks
companies, theatre and concert.

Iceman

"1. Does this seem like a reasonable use of our time in each location?
2. How would I change this itinerary?"

I'd make it two days in Venice, three in Florence, and four in Rome.

"3. What is top 5 things not to miss in each city?"

Venice - after the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's there's not much in the
way of sights, just walk around this beautiful and unique city.

Florence - the Duomo, the Uffizi, and depending on your interests,
either more museums, more churches, or take a day trip to Siena.

Rome - devote one day to the ancient sites - the Colosseum, Pantheon,
and Forum. Then devote another day to St. Peter's and the Vatican
Museums (with the Sistine Chapel). Then explore the neighborhoods and
churches.

"5. Any other helpful pieces of information to make this a great trip."

Wear a money belt. Pickpocketing is unfortunately a problem in many of
the tourist parts of Italian cities.

Avoid any restaurant with menus in multiple languages or that is within
1 block of a major tourist attraction.

Don't change money in the US, or you'll usually pay high commissions
and get a lousy exchange rate. Wait until you get there, and use ATM
machines to get euros and you'll get the best exchange rate with little
or no commission.

Runge

I would add a day in Rome and deduct it from any of the other places
In Rome I stayed in hotel Marco Polo, lots of buses to Termini station and a
train connection just nearby for the airport .
Breakfast on the terrace, nice touch.
Keep in mind that hotel prices in Italy are very expensive, 80 euros a
double is cheap.
Venice is even worse.
Time seems reasonable, but it would be worth much more !
Not to miss, I won't rewrite all the good guides and there are certainly
more than 5 in each city !
What I will recommend is find a nice trattoria in the evening and for
dessert go to a gelateria artisanal and sample some of the umpteen icecream
and sorbet flavors which are simply the best in the world.
They are easy to finf as they are all over the place.
Careful with your belongings in touristy places, nothing dangerous but all
sort of petty thieves.
Specially in Rome metro (underground) when the trains are choke full.
Don't eat in touristy restaurants in Venice, they are generally not good,
find the smaller, local family oriented, they are succulent.
If you're not a great wine taster, just order the wine of the casa, it's
quite OK and cheaper.
In june you will sample what's left of the dolce vita and surely enjoy !
be aware that trip will make you miss 1000 great other places not so far
from each other, so get ready for the 51 th birthday.


"Joe Marcus" <[email protected]> a �crit dans le message de news:
[email protected]...
    > Hello --
    > I am surprising my wife for her 50th Birthday this year with a trip to
    > Italy that we have talked about for years. She has been - 25 years ago, I
    > have not and our 13 yo son has not either. He is a great traveler and
    > loves museums, etc.
    > I have already booked using Frequent Flyer mileage into Venice on June
    > 13th in the morning and leaving Rome on the 22nd in the morning.
    > I am looking at 6/13-16 in Venice, 6/16-6/19 in Florence, and 6/19-6/22 in
    > Rome. So here are my questions:
    > 1. Does this seem like a reasonable use of our time in each location?
    > 2. How would I change this itinerary?
    > 3. What is top 5 things not to miss in each city?
    > 4. Suggestions for good, inexpensive places to stay in each city. Not web
    > sites, I can do that, but places you have stayed at that you would
    > recommend.
    > 5. Any other helpful pieces of information to make this a great trip.
    > Thanks in advance.
    > --
    > Joe Marcus
    > Marcus Photography
    > 1501 Spring Garden Street
    > Easton, PA 18042-3143
    > 610-258-1407 - Phone
    > 610-393-0792 - Cellular
    > http://www.marcusphotography.com
    > Creating outstanding images for Festivals & Events around the United
    > States. Location photography for advertising, promotion, fireworks
    > companies, theatre and concert.
    >

Martin

On 31 Dec 2005 08:03:03 -0800, "Iceman" <[email protected]> wrote:

    >"1. Does this seem like a reasonable use of our time in each location?
    >2. How would I change this itinerary?"
    >I'd make it two days in Venice, three in Florence, and four in Rome.
    >"3. What is top 5 things not to miss in each city?"
    >Venice - after the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's there's not much in the
    >way of sights, just walk around this beautiful and unique city.
    >Florence - the Duomo, the Uffizi, and depending on your interests,
    >either more museums, more churches, or take a day trip to Siena.
    >Rome - devote one day to the ancient sites - the Colosseum, Pantheon,
    >and Forum. Then devote another day to St. Peter's and the Vatican
    >Museums (with the Sistine Chapel). Then explore the neighborhoods and
    >churches.

Visit Villa Adriana &Villa D'Este near to and in Tivoli respectively,
if you can.
http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/tivoli.html
--
Martin

Stu Cazzo

Iceman wrote:
[snip]
    > Rome - devote one day to the ancient sites - the Colosseum, Pantheon,
    > and Forum. Then devote another day to St. Peter's and the Vatican
    > Museums (with the Sistine Chapel). Then explore the neighborhoods and
    > churches.

One thing I would recommend is to make the Sistine Chapel your first
stop in the early morning. It gets crowded in the afternoom.

In Roma, make sure you see:
Spanish Steps
Villa Borghese - also nearby art museum


In Firenze:
Take a walk over the Ponte Vecchio

Timothy Kroesen

Don't miss the Basilica Santa Maria Maggore (sp)and the 'Pace Maria'
statue; IMO the equal counterpoint of the Pieta in San Pietro and *not*
beyond glass, crowds and veneration. I also very much enjoyed the
Fontana Trevi; perhaps the best in Rome and so unusual the way it
'morphs' out of the building wall behind it...

Tim K

"Stu Cazzo" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] ups.com...
    > Iceman wrote:
    > [snip]
    > > Rome - devote one day to the ancient sites - the Colosseum,
Pantheon,
    > > and Forum. Then devote another day to St. Peter's and the Vatican
    > > Museums (with the Sistine Chapel). Then explore the neighborhoods
and
    > > churches.
    > One thing I would recommend is to make the Sistine Chapel your first
    > stop in the early morning. It gets crowded in the afternoom.
    > In Roma, make sure you see:
    > Spanish Steps
    > Villa Borghese - also nearby art museum
    > In Firenze:
    > Take a walk over the Ponte Vecchio

Mimi

"Joe Marcus" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Hello --
    > I am surprising my wife for her 50th Birthday this year with a trip to
    > Italy that we have talked about for years. She has been - 25 years ago, I
    > have not and our 13 yo son has not either. He is a great traveler and
    > loves museums, etc.
    > I have already booked using Frequent Flyer mileage into Venice on June
    > 13th in the morning and leaving Rome on the 22nd in the morning.
    > I am looking at 6/13-16 in Venice, 6/16-6/19 in Florence, and 6/19-6/22 in
    > Rome. So here are my questions:
    > 1. Does this seem like a reasonable use of our time in each location?
    > 2. How would I change this itinerary?

This is an excellent itinerary. You're not trying to go to too many places
and you are taking advantage of open jaws tickets. The only change I'd make
is to subtract a day from Florence and add it to Rome. With travel you only
have 2 whole days there and there is so much to see in Rome. In fact, unless
you're huge fans of Renaissance art, I'd consider dropping Florence. You
need time in Venice to recover from jet lag and I think Venice the perfect
city to do that. And kids like Venice.

You do have to consider travel time. I assume you're taking trains between
cities. A car doesn't make sense for this itinerary. And trains in Italy are
inexpensive.

    > 3. What is top 5 things not to miss in each city?

Depends on your interests. Check guidebooks, especially the green Michelin
guide and Rick Steves, for recommendations.

    > 4. Suggestions for good, inexpensive places to stay in each city. Not web
    > sites, I can do that, but places you have stayed at that you would
    > recommend.

What is your idea of inexpensive? Venice is not cheap, but I think staying
in the city an important part of a visit to Venice.

    > 5. Any other helpful pieces of information to make this a great trip.

With little time, stay in the center of the city and walk everywhere. What
you see enroute is as interesting and informative as any museum. So bring
sturdy, broken-in walking shoes. Get cash from ATMs and use credit cards.
Check your bank's charges for use abroad.

Buon viaggio!
Marianne

Ken Blake

Joe Marcus wrote:

    > I am surprising my wife for her 50th Birthday this year with a trip to
    > Italy that we have talked about for years. She has been - 25 years
    > ago, I have not and our 13 yo son has not either. He is a great
    > traveler and loves museums, etc.
    > I have already booked using Frequent Flyer mileage into Venice on June
    > 13th in the morning and leaving Rome on the 22nd in the morning.
    > I am looking at 6/13-16 in Venice, 6/16-6/19 in Florence, and
    > 6/19-6/22 in Rome. So here are my questions:
    > 1. Does this seem like a reasonable use of our time in each location?


You have 8-1/2 days (more like 8 really, since that first day will be mostly
taken up with arriving, checking into the hotel, overcoming jet lag, etc.),
and you plan to spend them in three cities.Each of these cities is a major
tourist destination, and has many things to do and see. You could profitably
spend the entire time in any of the three.

I understand the desire to get to all three of these major cities, with many
things you want to see, but if it were me, I'd stick to two cities, and omit
Florence. The more places you visit, the greater the ratio of travel time to
being-there time. My philosophy is generally "less is more."

But, given that you will probably go to all three anyway, your plan gives
you 2-1/2 days in Venice, 2-1/2 to 3 in Florence, and 2-1/2 in Rome (your
flight out on the 22nd is probably in the morning, so that day doesn't
count). You will undoubtedly find those who will tell you to take a day from
Venice and add it to Florence, or vice versa, or some other change, but
recommendations like these reflect someone's personal likes and dislikes,
not necessarily yours, and should be ignored. I happen to greatly prefer
Venice to Florence; someone else here will undoubtedly have the opposite
opinion, so who should you believe?

Believe neither of us, because our tastes shouldn't matter to you. Get
yourself a good guidebook or two, find the things *you* want to see and do
in each place, and allot your time to fit.

Bear in mind, however, that you have allotted roughly an equal amount of
time to the three places, and Rome is much bigger and has *much* more to see
and do than the others. You can barely scratch the surface of Rome in 2-1/2
days. I've been to Rome about 15 times. The last time I was there I spent a
month there (and saw places I'd never seen before). I'm going again this
April for 11 days (and to Venice to seven).


    > 2. How would I change this itinerary?


As I said, *I* would leave out Florence. However, if one of the main things
you want to see is the Uffizi,that recommendation will be useless to you.


    > 3. What is top 5 things not to miss in each city?


"Top" comes in so many categories, and means completely different things to
different people. You've told us nothing about what you like.

For example, I have a friend who's been to Italy many times, and *never*
visits churches. He's Jewish, and churches somehow offend him. I, on the
other hand, although churches hold no religious attraction for me, love the
beauty of the art and architecture in churches, and hardly ever miss a
chance to visit an Italian church.

I might choose a particular restaurant as one of the top five places. You
might have no interest in fine restaurants. I might like art, you might hate
it. And so on.

So, much better than personal recommendations (unless you know the
recommender very well and know that his tastes are much like yours) is a
good guide book.


    > 4. Suggestions for good, inexpensive places to stay in each city. Not
    > web sites, I can do that, but places you have stayed at that you would
    > recommend.


We all have different ideas of what we consider inexpensive, and also what
amenities we require. If you'll tell us how much you are willing to spend,
whether you require an elevator, a private bathroom, a restaurant in the
hotel, etc. we can probably do a much better job of making recommendations.


    > 5. Any other helpful pieces of information to make this a great trip.


One thing comes to mind. I mentioned the Uffizi, above. If you're planning
on visiting it, be aware that the lines to get in are always extremely long.
You can expect at *least* a three-hour wait.It's possible to make a
reservation, in advance, on the internet, and avoid that line. The same is
true of other museums in Florence, but the Uffizi is the one that typically
has the very long line.

--
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

Dan Stephenson

In article <[email protected]>, Joe Marcus
<[email protected]> wrote:

    > Hello --
    >
    > I am surprising my wife for her 50th Birthday this year with a trip to
    > Italy that we have talked about for years. She has been - 25 years ago,
    > I have not and our 13 yo son has not either. He is a great traveler and
    > loves museums, etc.

I guess youre lucky with your son travelling well! Are you and your
wife OK with walking all day?

    > I have already booked using Frequent Flyer mileage into Venice on June
    > 13th in the morning and leaving Rome on the 22nd in the morning.
    >
    > I am looking at 6/13-16 in Venice, 6/16-6/19 in Florence, and 6/19-6/22
    > in Rome. So here are my questions:
    >
    > 1. Does this seem like a reasonable use of our time in each location?

As a traveller to all those places, I'd say that actually was
reasonable. I'm surprised - lots of people go crazy and stretch
themselves thin. The one thing I might suggest is tuning the duration
of your stays with toward whatever you think your wife would prefer.

    > 2. How would I change this itinerary?

See above. Note that the train from each city is about a half a day.

    > 3. What is top 5 things not to miss in each city?

I highly recommend getting a good guidebook. Those cities are popular
enough to have several publishers making books just for those cities.
Go to your Barnes & Noble and review them all at once. That's what I
do. You can find your own taste in guidebooks that way, although, I
must say that while I don't buy them anymore Rick Steves' books are
good for first-timers. He makes a book for all those cities.

Check out my home page, I have stuff from Rome and Florence from my '02
tour of all of Europe, and from two weeks in Venice last Fall.

To me, I would ensure seeing:
Venice: St. Mark's, Doge's Palace, Accademia art museum, island of
Torcello, and walking around at nigh with a gelato in hand.
Florence: Duomo (go to the top) and Baptistry (a must), Uffizi (long
lines), Accademia (lines, Michelangelos), and a side trip to Pisa is
quite nice for visiting leaning tower (great view), cathedral,
baptistry (wait for the singing).
Rome: St. Peters (again, to the top), Vatican Museums (best museum in
Europe IMO), Pantheon, Colosseum (get the archelogical pass at the
Palatine Hill)

All these places have so much to see this is only the cream off the top.

    > 4. Suggestions for good, inexpensive places to stay in each city. Not
    > web sites, I can do that, but places you have stayed at that you would
    > recommend.

If I were you I'd really spring for a 2-star at least, to get en-suite
(bathroom in the room). In my experience, 3-stars are mostly 2-stars
with a minibar and a TV. I would of course recommend someplace pretty
central, or in Rome one near a metro station.

    > 5. Any other helpful pieces of information to make this a great trip.

Do you know what a moneybelt is? Buy and use a moneybelt.
Bring well-worn comfortable shoes.
Bring sunscreen if during the summertime.
Watch for high tide in Venice
Buy and use a moneybelt without fail.
Without fail.
Learn the Italian words for Yes, No, Please, Thank You, and Where Is?
(Si (See), Non, Por Favore (Pur Fav Or ay), Grazie (Grat-zee-eh), Dove
(Doh vey).
Gelato, the Italian version of ice cream. Look for a gelato shop
advertising "artigianale", which means home-made.

    > Thanks in advance.

Have fun!

--
Dan Stephenson
Photos and movies from US Parks and all over Europe:
http://homepage.mac.com/stepheda

Owlman

On Sat, 31 Dec 2005 10:45:40 -0500, Joe Marcus
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >Hello --
    > I am surprising my wife for her 50th Birthday this year with a trip to
    >Italy that we have talked about for years. She has been - 25 years ago,
    >I have not and our 13 yo son has not either. He is a great traveler and
    >loves museums, etc.
    > I have already booked using Frequent Flyer mileage into Venice on June
    >13th in the morning and leaving Rome on the 22nd in the morning.
    > I am looking at 6/13-16 in Venice, 6/16-6/19 in Florence, and 6/19-6/22
    >in Rome. So here are my questions:
    > 1. Does this seem like a reasonable use of our time in each location?
    > 2. How would I change this itinerary?
    > 3. What is top 5 things not to miss in each city?
    > 4. Suggestions for good, inexpensive places to stay in each city. Not
    >web sites, I can do that, but places you have stayed at that you would
    >recommend.
    > 5. Any other helpful pieces of information to make this a great trip.
    >Thanks in advance.
7
I truly enjoyed all 3 cities, but as a couple of others have
suggested, if it were me, I would either divide my time between Venice
and Rome, or plan for a very minimal stay in Florence. If your wife
is a great lover of art, then perhaps Florence will have more allure.
I found Florence to be so crowded and noisy that I was greatly
relieved to leave. If I ever go again, it will be just to show my
wife the absolute highlights (maybe even a day trip).

One thing to remember in Florence is that you need to get the phone
numbers of the galleries you plan to visit and call in advance to get
a time reservation. Otherwise, you will be standing for hours waiting
to get into the galleries/museums.

Stan