ITALY 2008---need serious help

Hi there,

So my wife and I are planning on going to Italy again this year in September. We are facing a huge "Dilema" here in trying to figure out where we all want to go in Italy (we have 2 weeks). We are FORSURE going to Rome again, and my wife REALLY wants to go to Tuscany.

BAsically we want to really see the countrysides and coast lines of Italy this time. We only have 2 weeks (live in Manitoba Canada) and we are a little rushed for time.

Last year we did the whole London, Paris,Rome,Venice trip in 2 weeks and it worked great!

We are also really wanting to go to Barcelona, Spain! Want to relax on the beaches for a bit and see the architecture.

Can you guys please help us with figuring out where we should go and for how long (Italy). Also which Eurail pass we should buy, where to fly into from Canada (cheapest airfare) etc etc?

Its alot to ask but we are a little desperate.

Please help, thanks

Joey and Jaclyn

You're going to squeeze a lot within 2 weeks by attempting to do Rome, Tuscany *and* Spain in 2 weeks! This sounds a bit manic - you'll need the few days at the beach to recover. There is so much packed into Rome alone. I respectfully suggest;
- 6 week in Rome, including the day you land and the day you travel to Tuscany.
- You can't miss Florence in Tuscany if you haven't already been there. Another fine and reachable city is Pisa (not only for its leaning tower) and Lucca is quite charming. Perhaps days 7-9 in Florence and then tour Pisa and Lucca.
- Italian rail travel is relatively cheap - it may be cheaper to pay for tickets as you go, rather than getting a Eurorail pass. Check the TrenItalia site
http://trenitalia.it/en/index.html

and compare prices.

For your beach experience Italy has plenty of such resorts! Convenient to Toscano are listed here:
http://www.italiantourism.com/beaches.html

I can't advise about flights from Canada but perhaps someone else will assist.

Happy planning!

Zoom now flies non-stop to Rome from different Canadian cities.

And I think you should concentrate you 2 weeks in Italy. There's so much to see!

Enjoy!

Hi,

2 weeks for Italy should be enough if you concentrate for a part of the western coast. But it is true, in Rome you could spend some weeks. I went to Rome only for 4 days once and still was able to see a lot. Of course, you will not be able to feel the whole atmosphere as you would concentrate of the touristic spots.
Why don't you consider going to Capri. This is one of the most prestigious places in Italy. You can easily take the train to Naples and then the boat to Capri or Ischia. There you can enjoy the countryside and also the beach. That would be a good choice, instead of rushing into Spain. And of course you can not compare beautiful Italy with the overruned spanish beaches by german tourists.

Flights with U.S. Airways via Philadelphia should be around 500-600 EUR. Maybe you can check out directly on the website from Alitalia.

Enjoy your preparations and of course your trip to Italy.