Pre-cruise land tour

[ActiveTraveler]

It is obvious I need to spend a week seeing Italy by land before boarding a ship. Where are the can't-miss attractions outside the Venice, Florence, and Rome areas?

[cruisemom42]

I'm a little confused by your question. Do you mean that you want to spend a week touring places in addition to time spent in Venice, Rome, and Florence?

 

If you are including Venice, Rome, and Florence in your week, then you won't have time for anything else (or even enough time in these 3 places, IMO).

[John Bull]

It is obvious I need to spend a week seeing Italy by land before boarding a ship. Where are the can't-miss attractions outside the Venice, Florence, and Rome areas?

 

No, you really need a couple of months :D

 

But being a little more practical:

the first ideal would be time in Rome - a short mid-cruise day is woefully inadequate.

my second choice would be the Naples area. Although I don't rate the city, this forum is full of questions about how many places can be crammed into a single day. And very few mention a lot of other places in the area - Herculaneum, driving up Mt Vesuvius, etc ad infinitum.

 

So if you can find a Rome/Rome cruise, preferably one which doesn't duplicate a visit to Naples, then fly to Rome 2/3 days ahead of the cruise, no need for a car to spend time in the city. At the end of your cruise rent a car & drive down to the Naples area, about 2 to 2.5 hours. Include a very short diversion halfway to drive up to Monte Cassino, which overlooks the road - and everything else for miles around.

Ideal if you can spend 3 full days in the Naples area, stay in Sorrento (difficult, most hotels book by the week sat-sat), or Positano or Amalfi (private parking essential in both) or Ravello, high up above the coast - no significant parking problem unless things have changed in the past 10 yrs, and my recommendation. Other places too in the area.

Then fly home from Naples or, if it has to be Rome, drive back along the coast road past places like Anzio.

 

Mid-cruise, from the port in Venice you should have enough time in the city.

 

From Livorno you'll have enough time for Florence or Pisa though probably not both.

This part of Tuscany would be my third choice, behind Rome & Naples. Also needs a car to be fully-appreciated. Over 5 hours drive from Venice, but about 3 from Rome. I suspect others would rate Tuscany better than around Naples- certainly for a more laid-back less-touristy unwind. But each to their own.

 

John Bull

[6rugrats]

What is a must see for someone can be a snooze for someone else. Suggest you get a guidebook for the areas you want to visit, and read up on the attractions to see what you're interested in. You have two years, don't you?

[alexandra cruiser]

do google seach of each area to see what looks good to you,,,its GOOD you have 2 yrs..IMO,,,its a Big decision...personally, i LOVE Tuscany, we rented a villa near Siena for whole family and had a BALL, exploring all the "hill towns"...have been to Italy 5 times so far, and still haven t touched the surface....half the fun is planning it anyway,right?? Another delight is Cinque Terre area, but may be for another trip....we rented a car and got lost a lot,but fun in long run,,,only problem is many towns don t allow cars, must park outside town and walk in....like Lakes areas...another gem...I could go on and on.......:D

[ActiveTraveler]

What is a must see for someone can be a snooze for someone else. Suggest you get a guidebook for the areas you want to visit, and read up on the attractions to see what you're interested in. You have two years, don't you?

 

My problem is I don't know what I would be interested in. Before reading about cruises I had never heard of Naples, Sorrento, Revella, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Capri, or Pompeii. I knew only there are cities called Genoa, Tuscany, Pisa, Balogna, Venice, Rome, and Florence. OK, so I also knew the Vatican and Coliseum are in Rome and Venice roads are waterways with gondolas and that Torino (Turin) hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics - but most people know all that. So I don't know where to look for ideas outside the three already-named areas.

I doubt I will be able to find a cruise that includes Venice because I want to go to Spain and France, not Greece and Croatia, and Venice is usually linked to the eastern half of Europe.

[euro cruiser]

Try this one:

 

 

 

Or another one like it. You can read a little bit about each port.

[6rugrats]

My problem is I don't know what I would be interested in.

If you don't know, how would a total stranger on a chat board know? Take euro cruiser's suggestion and start reading.

[Susan-M]

Agree with the recommendation to read guidebooks.

 

In addition, here's an on line site that I find helpful: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/italy/

 

If you go through the links listed under "Best of Italy" and "Complete Guide to Italy", I think you'll come up with some priorities for your land trip, as well as ideas for port days.

[Susan-M]

Andrea,

Another guide book recommendation...and a favorite of many CC members:

http://www.amazon.com/Rick-Steves-Italy-2010-map/dp/1598802860

 

If you don't want to purchase it, your local library might have a copy.

[agabbymama]

And if reading books isn't your thing, I like this website.

 

http://europeforvisitors.com/

 

There is soooo much information on this website. On the left hand side, you can select countries or cities. Gives a good overview.

 

Have fun planning, then taking your cruise.