ITALY FOR A WEEK--need help planning??

Question

ok, i want to go to ROME, FLORENCE (TUSCANY) and PISA (just to see the Leaning Tower-or if u know of anything cool around there), SAN MARINO (just to pass through), VENICE, and MILAN (to see the Last Supper and Lake Como--or anything else cool u know to due in that part of Lombardy/Lombardia). im planning to go for 2 weeks. what are the main things i have to see at each place, what are so cool things that most tourists dont know about, and how long should i stay at each place in nights??

please help, i truly appreciate any helpful feedback, grazie mille in advance

Answer 1

In rome you must see The Vatican City. Then go on the gondolas in Venice. That's all i have

Answer 2

I live in Italy(Im italian). If you want to know more about it, prices, what to do, where to go, etc. tell me, or add me in msn (I hardly ever use yahoo messenger), my msn is [e-mail]

Answer 3

Alright, I'll try to answer your question in sections...so here goes:

Rome: A beautiful city and has been the center for many things through out the centuries....might I suggest this site http://www.romebuddy.com/guidetorome.htm... ....it is a little out dated but still very useful and gives you all the info on culture that you can learn without actually visiting a place. Some must see sites are these and the area of Rome they are in are in the ():

Colosseum (Colosseum)

Roman Forum (Colosseum)

Palatino (Colosseum)

St.Peter in Chains (Colosseum)

St.Clemente (Colosseum)

Capitol Museums (Campo dè Fiori)

St. Maria Aracoeli (Campo dè Fiori)

Campo dè Fiori (Campo dè Fiori)

Piazza Navona (Navona)

Pantheon (Pantheon)

St. Maria sopra Minerva (Pantheon)

Doria Pamphili Gallery (Pantheon)

Trevi Fountain (Trevi fountain)

Piazza di Spagna & Spanish Steps (Spanish Steps)

St. Maria del Popolo (Spanish Steps)

Ara Pacis (Spanish Steps)

Triton Fountain (Via Veneto)

Palazzo Barberini – National Gallery (Via Veneto)

Quirinale Presidential Palace (Quirinale)

Opera Theatre (Quirinale)

Repubblica Square (Termini Station)

St. Mary Major Basilica (Esquilino)

St. Peter Basilica (St.Peter - Vatican)

Vatican Museums (St.Peter - Vatican)

Sistine Chapel (St.Peter - Vatican)

Olympic Stadium (Prati)

Borghese Gallery (Villa Borghese)

Villa Giulia – Etruscan Museum (Villa Borghese)

Auditorium (Auditorium)

St. Agnese Catacombs (Salario)

University La Sapienza (University)

St. John Lateran Basilica (Laterano)

Mouth of Truth (Aventino)

Circus Maximus (Aventino)

Appia Antica (Aventino)

St. Sebastian Gate (Aventino)

St. Maria in Trastevere (Trastevere)

Janiculum (Trastevere)

Tiber island (Trastevere)

Just google the sites you don't know much about and it will tell you about them. And may I suggest just setting down somewhere and soaking it all in when you are there. Be observant of the locals and the local customs.....and Italians are more than willing usually to tell you everything about Italy and to help out as long as you are respectful.

Florence: This city is very Renaissance and very beautiful. Here is a site I recomend to find out more about the history, culture, art and so forth of Florence http://www.aboutflorence.com/art-and-cul...

While there you must see Santo Spirito....this church was designed by Brunelleschi and that is also where you will find his tomb and there is also still a fragment of the "Last Supper".

Some other places are Cappelle Medicee, Uffizi Gallery, II Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, Piazzale Michelangelo and many more....just walk around and discover!

Pisa: We just went through this city to of course see the leaning tower. The tower is awesome but I didn't see much else (though there may be)...there are allot of merchants though and lots of things to buy that are pretty cool. Here is an interesting site I found about the city http://www.italyguides.it/us/pisa/pisa_i...

San Marino: I have never been there and all I really know that is that its the 5th smallest country in the world.....only ones that are smaller are Vatican City, Tuvalu, Palau, and Nauru. I had a friend that went though and enjoyed the Gothic Palazzo Publico and the church of San Francesco (which has paintings by Raphael and Bellini if you are into art at all).

Venice: ahhhh, beautiful Venice! A very romantic city (except for the stench the canals tend to give off in the summer). While I have been to several cities in Italy I have never been here....so I will suggest another site

http://www.venetia.it/    This site will tell you some must sees and some other useful info.

Milan: Another place I have never been but has been described to me as the New York City of Italy....very fashion foward and so forth. The only thing I really know about Milan that it is home to the Duomo cathedral which is the world's largest Gothic cathedral (which I found out from a project I was doing on gothic architecture). And then of course there is what you have already mentioned.

May I make a suggestion? A city you shouldn't leave out is Assisi....so very beautiful and one of my favorite places in the world! It is small town Italy and not as many tourists....I had a blast there. Me and a friend went into a deli there to get a sandwich (we were only able to stay a few hours in the magnificent city) and the deli was run and owned by an older gentleman...my friend and I set there for probably an hour just talking to this man and his daughter....they were so friendly.

I can not determine how many nights you should stay in each place because I do not know what cities you will like best....I guess just try to divide it up fairly, like spending a little more time in Rome because there is more sights to see. But to discover Italy all you have to do is pay attention....go through the little alley ways and peek into all the churches. Have fun and good luck!

Answer 4

Sounds like far too ambitious a plan for just 2 weeks.  Might be better to limit yourself to just two or three cities your first trip. If you have time to do some reading and research online check out the site www.slowtrav.com.  There you'll find suggestions and reviews and lists of must-see places in every city.  Or you can just do the Rick Steves thing and cross things off a list without even looking at them. You'll surely want to go back for another visit some other time, no?

Answer 5

Check the best journeys in Lonely Planet guide.

www.lonelyplanet.com

Then you can adjust  your travel with the information you will have for a week in Italy.

Answer 6

After I've read "*Led*Zep* Babe"s answer I have nothing to add....its surprising that its coming from an American because aren't Americans suppose to be ignorant to the rest of the world? *sarcasm*

Answer 7

Hi! I am Italian and I live on the shores of Lake Como, so I can give you suggestions about this area... I don't know your age and the period of your visit, but I can tell you that the beauty of this area is the landscape... for example Bellagio is a little town that lies where the 3 branches of the lake join and when the weather is clear you can see all 3, surrounded by the mountains...it is quite "boring" (average age: 50/70...), but if you have a couple of days it is worth to spend them around the lake: you can take a boat trip, visit Switzerland (the border is only 10 minutes away from Como), do trekking on the mountains...

have fun and I hope to see you around!! Ciao!!