Italy

I want to take DH to Italy this summer for his 40th birthday. I have a huge fear of flying (haven't been on a plane in years) so I am trying to do with the least amount of flying time.

We should be able to leave around August 15th.

Am I better off going with a tour? I am a cruiser. Is that a better way?
How many days is good? Is 10 enough?
What are places to visit?
DH went to school for art history so I want this to be something really special for him.

Thanks for the advice.

Italy

I don't have any recommendations since it's been 20 years since I last went to Italy, but I wanted to say that you're amazing for thinking about flying when you're afraid. I stopped flying in 2008 and missed out on a few European trips b/c I couldn't bring myself to fly. So last year I finally started seeing a therapist to help me cope and I flew 3 times last year (domestic flights - longest was 3.5 hours). I'm not gonna lie - I also took valium before each flight, but it was a huge step to even get on the plane.

Best of luck and have fun!

Re: Italy

I don't recommend a cruise for Italy. Personal choice but the ports are 1-1.5 hours away from major tourist cities. We did a European cruise and excursions had like a 6:30/7 am departure time. It was exhausting as we had to be up There is a lot of local traffic that can make the bus trips difficult.

I would pick 1-2 places depending on how long you are going. I loved Florence. Southern Italy is beautiful - Capri, amalfi coast. Venice is on my bucket list

Once you fly there, I understand it's pretty easy to travel via car/train.

Tour is an option, depends on what you want to do really. You can do one day trips - I.e. From Florence into nearby wineries.

Re: Italy

We've done both... a cruise and a Rome/Florence/Venice tour.

Cruise was actually easy, lots of fun and we saw a lot.

Was not a fan of Almafi coast. Loved Pompei, Rome, Florence, bike tour to vineyards.

The tour was fun too... did a lot of calm walking.

Re: Italy

My first trip to Italy, this was our itinerary:

Flew into Rome, immediately took train to Florence.
Had hotel in Florence for about 6 days, but we packed a light bag and took a train to do an overnight in Venice sometime in the middle of our Florence days (was worth it to pay for two hotels for one night just not to schlep everything).

Took train to Rome for about 4 days, did day trip to Pompeii. Also visited my family in Bari at end of trip, but as beautiful as southeast Italy is, it's not necessary for a first trip.

The only thing I would have done differently would be to try to squeeze in Capri.

If he's into art, he will want to spend more time in the north in and around Florence, visits to some of Giottos work in small towns, as well as Rome.

Italy

Italy is easy on your own. We were just there in August and while it was great it was HOT. We spent three days in Rome followed by 4 in Sorrento because we were traveling with kids and didn't want to overwhelm/bore them with too much touring and churches. They were ready for the beach. But if you are really interested in art then Rome, Florence/Tuscany and Venice would be a good combo. I would say you need at least 10 days. Trains are super easy to use and everybody speaks English. August is very high season and I recommend booking everything ahead of time. I used trip advisor to research and booked either private or group tours for Colosseum, Vatican, and Pompeii, so we waited on no lines. There is so much to see and experience (and eat!) I just don't think the day you spend in a city on a cruise does it justice.

Re: Italy

We did 2 Mediterranean cruises.
First time we stayed a few days in Rome before the cruise and a couple of days in Barcelona where the cruise ended, from there, we drove to Madrid and stayed another few days.
The second time we stayed in Barcelona a few days before the cruise.
If you decide to cruise, I recommend hiring a driver anywhere you can in Italy. We did the second trip and it was so much more enjoyable. Waiting for 50 old people to get on/off buses was brutal especially since for the most part the ports are far from the places you'll want to see and it tastes even more time.
The drivers are completely flexible to your wants and schedule and I found them to be informative and knowledgeable.

Re: Italy

We did Italy on our own. I went with my sister. We flew into Venice then train to Florence, rented a car and drove through Tuscany countryside to Rome, and train to Sorrento.

I would probably cut out Sorrento if doing again. My favorite was probably Venice. In order for me would be Venice, Countryside, Florence and then Rome. Hope you have a great trip!

Re: Italy

First time we did Italy we flew in from Paris. We went to Rome and spent 3 days there and then we flew to Venice and spent other 3 days there. On that trip we went to London, Paris, those 2 cities in Italy and finished in Barcelona. It was a good trip but it was exhausting. Lots of walking plus dealing with the luggage, the stress of loosing it on the flights, etc. But luckily everything went great.

The other 2 times in Italy have been in cruises. One from Barcelona... In Italy we stopped in Pompeii, Rome and la Spezia (other stops were Cannes, Palma de Mallorca and Barcelona).

For the last cruise we flew to Milan, took a train to Genoa and it departed from there. In Italy we stopped in Rome, Sicily and Cagliari. The other ports were Mallorca, Valencia and Marseille. Back in Genoa we decided to go back to Milan and we spent there 4 days. The other option was going to Florence, but we opted for Milan, mainly because we wanted to go to Lake Como and St Moritz in Switzerland.

I have to say that I love the cruises so much better. Although the experience is different in terms that you don't get to experience the whole city, it was much more relaxed and easy.

Have fun planning! It sounds very exciting and a great way to celebrate!

Re: Italy

My parents went last year with a tour. I think it's so much easier that way. You don't have to wait on lines to visit museums/tourist attractions, you have guides who are knowledgeable, you have dinners booked, but they still give you lots of free time to explore on your own or you can buy the extra excursions. they had an amazing time!

I would suggest Florence, and the Vatican museum if he loves art. Also, visit as many churches as you can.

enjoy!

Italy

Italy is really easy to travel via train. I haven't been on a cruise so I cannot speak to that. I am not the kind of person that likes arranged tour groups - I like to eat where I want, wander and explore.

If its your first time I would do - Rome - Florence - Venice.
Fly into Rome and out of Venice. If your husband was an art history major, Florence is a must. The Uffizi and Academia are must visits. 10 days would be great. If you are in Florence you can do a wine day as well, which is amazing.

Cinque Terre is my favorite place in Italy, if you want to do something more beachy.