Hi,

We are planning a trip to Italy from Australia in October 2008, we plan to stay 17 days.  We are a party of 3      adults  & 2 teenagers (17&16).  Hoping to maybe fit in a trip to Paris Disney.  Could you please help with                       the best places to see and stay, and of course we would like to fit in as much as we can.

Hope you can help,

Kind regards

M.

Hi M.

First off, you may want to check out the T.I.P. section on noambit.  The step by step planning guide (which was actually written during my planning for a trip to Italy) may help you start organizing.  Since you’ll have 17 days, you can cover quite a bit of ground.  Of course how much you see or linger in a city is going to just depend on your goal for the trip.  Do you want to see everything you can or do you want to relax and just feel like a local for a few days?

You mention you want to go to Disney Paris.  Since this is essentially at the opposite side of the Continent from Italy you’re gonna have to figure out how many days you are going to need to get there (and back if your flight dictates).  Of course you could fly there in a couple hours but planning this ahead of time (soon) is going to help make this affordable for your whole family.   The train is going to be more expensive and probably take a few transfers; which can be a hassle with kids in tow.  Ultimately I would look into flying into Europe at one airport and flying out from another…say into Rome and out of Paris.  The cost isn’t going to vary all that much if you do a bit of searching.

For Italy, assuming you’re going to have about 12-13 days of “just in Italy” travel you’ll probably want to hit the major  sights.  Rome, Florence and Venice.  3 days in Rome and two in the others are going to be minimum.  If you’re more of a beach / resort type family and it wasn’t October, I would recommend you spend a few extra days on the coast in Rimini.  Being that it will be cold your days may be better spent heading down to Naples and seeing the sights at Pompeii.   Check out my article on a great place to stay down there.   A nice way to decompress after the hustle and bustle of Rome is a day and night in Pisa.  If your not on a really tight budget a wonderful place to stay is the Royal Victoria Hotel…I’ll have a review posted soon.

Since you will be attempting to get up to the Paris area, and want to see as much as you can, why not spend a few days in Paris?  17 or so days in just Italy, at least to me, starts feeling like I came all the way to Europe and only saw one thing.   Vary up your countries and your trip will feel a lot more fulfilling.  Wander the catacombs, climb the Eiffel tower, spend an afternoon getting lost in the Louvre.

In Rome you’ll want to be sure to see the Colosseum, the Forum, Vatican, the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain.  The Capatolini Museum is a great stop if you’re interested in seeing ancient sculpture (the giant Constantine Head is at this  museum).  Also, seek out the free and fascinating “bone church” right off Barberini Metro stop in the Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini church.  Just head up V. Vitt Veneto.  Your kids will probably get a kick out of it; a section under the church decorated all with human bones and mummies.

In Florence you have the Duomo, Dante’s house, Gelato and the Uffizi if you like Renaissance art.  For a local “treat”  (I couldn’t eat it all) seek out a Tripe stand.  Its a sandwich that Florentine men eat while standing around chatting on their breaks.  The “meat” (I’ll let you look up the word Tripe if  you don’t already know) is boiled or grilled then soaked in the cooking juice, topped with spice and slapped between a couple pieces of bread.  Have your kids or husband eat one before you tell them what it is.  You can find a couple stands amongst the leather products at the Mercato Centrale. Right off Piazza S. Maria Novella and up V.della Scala street over by the Main train station you will find one of the worlds oldest Pharmacies. Dealing primarily with herbal concoctions the place is a trip to walk around and it smells great!

When you get to Venice, I would just wander…get lost and wander some more.  Maps are pointless; you’ll never find  one you can follow for long.  Grab a 24 (or longer) transportation pass for around 16 Euro and cruise the Grand Canal, hoping off whenever the view moves you.  I’ve never really sought out particular sights in Venice besides San Marco square and the Basilica but there are a few Museums to hit up if that is your thing…and you’re not tired of them by this point.

If you end up with extra days…think about flying into Madrid before you get to Italy or maybe Berlin on your way out…If you really want to see as much as you can then try to bounce around a few different countries in Europe, not a few different cities in Italy.

If there is anything else I can help you with, just let me know.

Till soon,

Chris.