AboutLisa Expertise Can recommend day trips from Lucca, can give car directions from most places in Italy, and can help you plan an itinerary. But cannot recommend hotels and restaurants! For a train time table and info on Eurail passes, check out:
http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/fares_schedules/index.htm
For general information, hotels and restaurants, visit frommers.com and tripadvisor.com
Experience I've been to Italy many times, and have traveled to Egypt, India, Nepal, Israel, Turkey, Fiji, Malaysia, and other places in Europe and the Caribbean.
Question Hi Lisa, my husband and I would like to see central and southern Italy (returning to Florence after our honeymoon 20 years ago), to include Florence, Rome, various destinations in Tuscany and some spots in the south. We plan to buy a eurail pass and prefer not to rent a car. What would you recommend as an itinerary and do we need to reserve accomodations (bed and breakfast type) in advance? Thanks so much for your help!
Answer Hi Joan. You can do lots of day trips from Florence, including Pisa (a half day trip), Lucca (can include with Pisa or do a separate day), Cinque Terra (can be done as a day trip), and Siena. You can take the train and a bus to San Gimignano, sign up for a guided tour of the Chianti Country/Wine Tasting, and there are other nice day trips from Florence you could scope out using your guide book or do some online searching at Google.com ("day trips from Florence").
Not sure if you actually need a eurail pass. Check out train info at:
Not sure what you'd like to see in the South. From Rome, you can do a day trip to Capri, Pompeii and Vesuvius. You might enjoy signing up for a guided tour. They make it easy to cram a lot of things into a day. It might be nice to also stay overnight on Capri. Accommodations are pricey, but it's an enchanting place with lots to do and see.
There's also the Amalfi Coast. You might like to actually leave Rome, and stay in Capri for a night or two and then take the ferry or hydrafoil to Sorrento. From Sorrento, you can take a bus down the Amalfi Coast and visit places like Positano. Check out this website for more information on planning a trip to the Amalfi Coast: http://goitaly.about.com/library/bl_amalfi_coast_maps.htm
You should plan on making reservations for your overnight stays. June is very high season.
With all that in mind, here are but two suggested itineraries:
Fly into Florence:
Day 1 Florence
Day 2 Florence
Day 3 Florence
Day 4 Florence (Day trip to Siena or San Gimignano)
Day 5 Florence (Day trip to Pisa and/or Lucca)
Day 6 Florence (Day trip to Viareggio (seaside or hike Cinque Terra)
Day 7 Rome
Day 8 Rome
Day 9 Rome
Day 10 Capri (with a stop at Pompeii)
Day 11 Sorrento
Day 12 Positano (Amalfi Coast)
Day 13 Travel back to city of departure
Day 14 Leave for home
Fly into Rome:
Day1 Rome
Day 2 Rome
Day 3 Rome
Day 4 Rome (Day trip to Pompeii/Naples area)
Day 5 Rome
Day 6 Rome (Day trip to Bari)
Day 7 Florence
Day 8 Florence
Day 9 Florence (Day trip to Pisa and/or Lucca)
Day 11 Florence (Day trip: Chianti Tour)
Day 12 Florence
Day 13 Travel back to Rome
Day 14 Leave for home
There are lots of variations. Get a new Frommers or Lonely Planet and read about places. I would suggest using Florence and Rome as your bases. If you want to seriously do places in the south, you'll have to pick another base such as Sorrento. If you decide to have a southern base, you should probably fly into Florence and out of Naples if it's not exorbitant and reduce Florence and Rome by a day each.
