Have heard good things about Dijon.
It seems to me that Alsace might be a bit far.
There is also the Loire Valley.
A trip to Cassis sounds delightful—will you have a car or would you use some other form of transport?
To me, Siena is a must, but there are other very appealing hill towns. We loved Pienza.
Arezzo is another possibility. Don’t forget to take travel time into account.

In between Florence and Rome I would try and swing by Venice if possible. You can take the train from Florence to Venice, then Venice to Rome. Those three are must sees in my opinion when visiting Italy….If you want a closer trip from Florence, Pisa is about 30 minutes away local train from Florence….nice town but not a ton there except for the leaning tower….

When going to Pompeii (via Naples most likely) keep your valuables close when in the train station….the sketchy characters look obvious, so just keep a look out….

Eh, I’m not dying to see Venice. I’d rather see some countryside on my way to Rome. Thanks for the tip about the sketchy characters at the train station.

Cil, I think my friend has a car, or can get one. You’re right, I do need to take my travel time into account. My next task is to figure all the travel out and decide which, if any, rail pass to buy. Who knew there were so many little bitty details to think about when traveling. I still have to figure out what to do with my cats when I’m gone, and my car since my neighborhood is a little sketchy, and…oh, so many other things. Sigh.

I think Siena is a good option between Florence-Rome, though unlike others I don’t necessarily consider it a “must.” It definitely is nice, though. Pisa could be a half-day trip from Florence or Siena. Yea, the tower is touristy, but it’s kind of amazing to see in person. The duomo in Pisa is nice too. I’m glad I went.

Another 1-2 night stop I really loved was Bologna. The food is fantastic there.

So, if you’re heading back to Paris on the 31st, that really only gives you 3 days in Rome (28, 29, 30). I’m not sure I would do Pompeii unless you run out of things you want to do in Rome— which I find HIGHLY unlikely. Add another day to Rome if you want to do Pompeii.

I’m sure other people can help you out with a railpass, as I haven’t used one before, but in point-to-point tickets are cheap in Italy. The fastest train Florence-Rome (less than 2 hrs) was only like 30 euros last year, and the longer ones (~3 hrs) were less than 20 euro. I can’t speak for travel in France though.

Bologna looks great. Maybe I’ll do that. Although i guess I would need to do Bologna, then Florence. I might only spend one day in Bologna and get to Rome by the 27th. I think I’m going to take the night train back to Paris from Rome. Is that possible? If so, I would have most of the 31st in Rome. I haven’t looked much into how I’m getting from place to place, yet. That’s next.

I really kind of wanted to get out in to the countryside and see some agriculture—olive groves vineyards, whathaveyou—but I suppose that would be sort of difficult without a car.

I must be in Rome on Sunday because I want to explore the Via Appia. Have you done this? What are some of your favorite things to do in Italy, other than the obvious?

One day in Bologna would be enough. It’s got a nice walking center, but there aren’t any huge sights. Absolutely plan to spend some money on dinner at a restaurant. Ask someone for a recommendation or check out a guidebook. We got recommendations from the hotel manager and both places were fantastic- if you like tortellini at all, this is a must. And it doesn’t need to be expensive either, there are plenty of restaurants with pasta dishes for 6-10 euros. Actually, I never found the food in Italy expensive at all (including Venice, we just hunted around for the right places), and we usually ate in restaurants for dinner (and cheap pizza or sandwich places for lunch). Pasta portions are generally HUGE too.

If you go to Siena there is a FANTASTIC family run restaurant near Piazza del Campo I can find the name of for you. My friend and I splurged and got tortellini al brodo each and then split a roasted chicken and potato dish, and it was still only like 12 euros each. Well worth it.

The countryside would be nice too nice, but I agree it’s kind of hard without a car. We got to take a long weekend as a group (I was studying abroad) to the Umbrian countryside and it was BEAUTIFUL but we had a private bus and I have no idea how we would have done it without private transportation (we visited several really tiny towns, etc.). it might be easier in Tuscany, though, I’m not sure.

Anyway, ROME! Definitely go all the “obvious” things- Colosseum, Forum, Vatican/St. Peter’s, Pantheon, etc. They are well worth it.

One thing I really loved doing was walking EVERYWHERE. Rick Steves guidebooks have good walking guides. Check out Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Venezia, etc. One museum I really loved was the Capitolini Museums (there’s 2). It’s at Piazza di Campidoglio, which is right near Piazza Venezia and it has a lot of really cool statues. I don’t seen it recommended a lot, but it’s even worth it to walk to it because kind of behind the museum you get the best views of the Forum. My little icon picture (whatever you call it) is a picture I took of the Forum from outside the Capitolini Museums.

Go to Villa Borghese- it’s beautiful and walkable. I also loved the Gallery, but you do need to make reservations to get in.

Get lunch at Campo di Fiori- there’s great fresh fruit at the markets and there’s a great, cheap pizza/sandwich shop called Forno.

Florence was also really wonderful because it’s more compact than Rome and easier to walk. I’m not a huge art person but we had to go to every important church and museum in Florence and I actually enjoyed most of it. I also recommend walking around the open air markets- I found a lot of cute, cheap souvenirs there, including my favorite scarf. I did not go to the Boboli Gardens so that is a priority for me when I return this summer.

Hope that helps!

I loved Bologna—there is a fun student energy and yes, we ate well there.
I do consider Siena a must. The history is fascinating, the architecture beautiful, and the Piazza del Campo is such a beautiful example of community; the passaggiatta there is unlike any other I’ve seen.
There must be some day tour you could take which would allow you to enjoy the agricultural side of Tuscany or Umbria. I agree it is well worth it.
Umbria is green and a bit less touristy, but again, getting around is not easy without private transportation.
My favorite place in Rome is the Pantheon. It is a masterpiece of design, and so ancient.
Favorite piazza is Navona, but Campo dei Fiori is fun too.
An enjoyable day trip is Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli. It is both relaxing and fascinating.
I’ve heard nightmarish stories of night trains between Rome and Paris. I wonder if a cheap interEurope flight might be easier? Ryanair might have its issues, but it is pretty darned cheap. Easyjet is more, but perhaps fewer headaches? Good luck with that and with your kitties.

Okay, so let me ask this. Would it be better to do a day in Bologna, two in Florence, and a day in Siena, then four in Rome. Or, two days in Florence, a day in Bologna or Siena, and five in Rome, one being a daytrip to Pompeii?

Cil, what kind of nightmarish stories are you talking about. Like, theft-nightmare or what? I have thought about trying Ryanair, so I’ll look into that.

Dreaming, I am definitely checking out the markets. I was in Italy briefly ten years ago and got my favorite scarf at a market. I had it until last year and it has disappeared on me. I think it’s just hiding from me. I also got a sweet little pair of leather gloves there, which I still have and wear. I dreamed of Italy every night for a year after I got back from that 10 day trip—very vivid dreams. And I’ve been dying to get back ever since. Now that I’m going, I feel all giddy. It’s almost like having a crush. I have a crush on Italy!

Thanks again for the help.__

I like both trips. I think Pompeii is the deciding factor here- if this is someplace you really want to see, I would do the second trip. Has Pompeii always been in your plans/someplace you have really wanted to see?

If Pompeii is not a priority then I would take the first trip.

When looking into Ryanair, make sure you read the baggage restrictions and realize they have a lot of “extra fees” to make sure it is worth it, financially. I have flown with them before and had no problems at all (I flew Rome-Venice) and would fly with them again, but I know other people aren’t huge fans….

I have a crush on Italy too! I’ve been back nearly a year now and I can’t wait to be back in July!

Mooma, what Dreaming describes about Ryanair (the baggage stuff) is part of the problems I’ve heard about, also abrupt cancellations etc but ya know this stuff can happen with any airline. My older son has used them multiple times with no trouble. I’ve never even flown with them, but probably would if it were necessary. All the airlines are doing the nickel and dime thing these days.
I agree with Dreaming about your trip selection. Do what feels right.
Pompeii is an amazing place IMHO. (If you go, just remember to bring your own water.)

I was going to look into the railpass and ryanair thing today, but woke up feeling shiftless.

I have been knitting and watching Rick Steves all day (it’s cold and rainy here today) and, uh-oh, I think I want to ditch Siena and Bologna and see Naples now. What about two days in Florence, a day in Naples and a day in Pompeii, then Rome. Or, let Naples and Pompeii break up four days in Rome?

I thought I had figured things out and I still can’t make up my mind!

I’ve heard about bringing water to Pompeii. What do you do for water the rest of the time? I know I won’t be able to bring a water bottle with me to Europe, since I don’t plan on checking a bag on the way over. But can I buy a water bottle when I get to Europe for use while I’m there. Or will I just have to buy bottled water every time I want water?

You can buy bottled water there, obviously, or just buy a water bottle and refill. There are lots of public drinking fountains in Rome that I frequently drank from.

I’m not a fan of Naples, the only place in Italy I did not care for. It was very crowded, loud, and dirty. I have also heard from others (my host family. for example) that it’s pretty unsafe, but I don’t know personally because I did not stay after dark. We did a 5 hr day trip, ate some pizza and saw the Archeological Museum. The museum was very cool and the pizza was fantastic, but I would not chose Naples over Bologna or Siena.

If you do chose Naples, I would spend all your days in Rome in a row, though. You will feel more ease in a city the more days you spend in a row (staying at the same hotel, figuring out how to get places, etc.).

I’ll double check that. The way I’ve understood it is that you can’t have a container that can hold over a certain amount (3oz?) I know you’re not allowed to bring in a partial bottle of water.

I just took my metal water bottle on the plane to and from France. As oldlady said, it’s fine as long as there’s no liquid in it.

I have a really amazing suggestion for you while you are in the South of France. Draguignan is not too far from Le Lavandou. From Le Lavandou, You can take a ferry that takes about 45 min and is really cheap to the island of Port Cros which is a National Park. It is not a national park for no reason, it is really stunningly beautiful. The beaches are godly, and the water is filled to the brink with tons of beautiful fish of all sizes (make sure to bring a mask and tuba!!). There are no roads on the island, apart from a few fire paths for fire trucks. You have to walk to the beaches, the paths take you along some of the most beautiful panoramas of the coast of France and of wildlife on the island. It is really really nice, and I highly recommend it, I go back every year. When coming back from the island, drive up to Bormes les Mimosas which sits above the peninsula called Le Cap Benat. The town is really amazing with one cobblestone street, old churches, hundreds of artisan filled alleys, a dilapidated fortress that overlooks the coast, and best of all, the town lives up to its name, and is overflowing with beautiful Mimosas flowers.
Picture of Port Cros landscape: http://www.linternau…

Last year I went from Florence to Tuscany and stayed at a hostel near Vinci with olive groves all around. It was the highlight of my trip as the place was amazing, very rural being up in the Tuscan hills with great scenery and I met some great people there. It’s called the Heart Of Tuscany Hostel and they pick up and drop off daily from outside Florence train station so it’s easy to get to.

Rest of your trip sounds good too. Would just echo what others said, Naples is a bit shady, but very unique!

You misunderstood. The restriction is on bringing more than 3oz of liquids through security. Once you pass security you can fill up your water bottle at a water fountain and take it on the plane.

Wow! That sounds and looks amazing! I think Emmanuelle would absolutely love that! I wonder if she’s been. I’ll definitely put it on the short-list. Thanks!

Sounds perfect! Definitely looking into that. I think I’ve decided against Naples. I’d love to explore more of southern Italy on another trip, but it’s going to take to much finagling with the short amt of time I have on this one.

Thanks for the suggestion!

And thanks to all for the water bottle info!