Rome..How Big a Deal

10-12-2003, 03:06 PM

We are going to Italy next year...we are planning Milan, Florence and Venice
of about 9 days. It looks like Rome is quite a distance from these 3
cities.. Is Rome worth trekking to? I don't like spending all my time
traveling when I visit somewhere.

Any opinions..or maybe someone might have a different itinerary. My wife
wants to spend a few days in Milan for shopping etc.

best regards..

10-12-2003, 03:26 PM

>>>>> We are going to Italy next year...we are planning Milan, Florence and
Venice of about 9 days. It looks like Rome is quite a distance from these 3
cities.. Is Rome worth trekking to? I don't like spending all my time
traveling when I visit somewhere.

Do it next time you go--skip it this trip!

10-12-2003, 03:32 PM

In article <>,
"Dale" <> wrote:

    > We are going to Italy next year...we are planning Milan, Florence and Venice
    > of about 9 days. It looks like Rome is quite a distance from these 3
    > cities.. Is Rome worth trekking to? I don't like spending all my time
    > traveling when I visit somewhere.
    >
    > Any opinions..or maybe someone might have a different itinerary. My wife
    > wants to spend a few days in Milan for shopping etc.
    >
    > best regards..
    >
    >

with only 9 days I would drop Milan except for passing through and quick
visit to the Cathedral and split my time between Venice and Florence --
Rome is great BUT not a quick trip and adding it jams too much in to
such a short trip

We didn't even visit Rome till our third trip to Italy -- and then spent
5 days the first time and 10 the second -- wonderful city -- but you
don't have to jam everything into one trip

10-12-2003, 04:31 PM

In news:,
Dale <> typed:

    > We are going to Italy next year...we are planning Milan,
Florence and
    > Venice of about 9 days. It looks like Rome is quite a distance
from
    > these 3 cities.. Is Rome worth trekking to? I don't like
spending
    > all my time traveling when I visit somewhere.
    > Any opinions..or maybe someone might have a different
itinerary. My
    > wife wants to spend a few days in Milan for shopping etc.

Rome is worth spending a lifetime in. There's an enormous amount
to see and do. My wife and I have been in Rome around a dozen
times, and we're leaving next week to spend four weeks there. We
will see and do things we've seen and done before, but we will
also get to places new to us. However in nine days you can't do
everything and four cities, in my view, is too much.

Of the four places you mention, Milan, in my opinion, has the
least to offer the tourist. Your wife can find wonderful shopping
in the other three cities, and, although I like Milan a lot, my
recommendation is to skip it entirely on a first short trip.

If I were you, I would fly to Milan, but not stay there. Take the
train to Venice immediately. Spend a few days there, then take
the train to Florence. A few days more, and take the train to
Rome. Spend a few days there, and fly home from Rome.

That gives you three days (really less, because traveling eats
into the time) in each city). That's barely enough to scratch the
surface of what each of the three has to offer. Better is to
leave out either Venice or Florence (which to choose depends on
your personal interests), and plan on coming back to another time
to visit it. Or if you can swing it, extend your trip to
somewhere around two weeks, which would let you get to most of
the main sites in each city (but still far from everything).

__________________
Ken Blake
Please reply to the newsgroup

10-12-2003, 04:39 PM

"Dale" <> wrote in message
news:...
    > We are going to Italy next year...we are planning Milan, Florence and
Venice
    > of about 9 days. It looks like Rome is quite a distance from these 3
    > cities.. Is Rome worth trekking to? I don't like spending all my time
    > traveling when I visit somewhere.
    > Any opinions..or maybe someone might have a different itinerary. My wife
    > wants to spend a few days in Milan for shopping etc.
    > best regards..

I would skip Milan in favor of Rome unless you have a special reason to go
there. I can't imagine choosing Milan over Rome.

Ryan

10-12-2003, 06:11 PM

>>>>> Any opinions..or maybe someone might have a different itinerary. My
wife wants to spend a few days in Milan for shopping etc.

I don't know--I think it would be better to shop in Milan and skip Rome.
Milan is a lot easier and more comfortable on a short trip like this
one--Rome is exhausting. The shopping is classy and easy in Milan. I
wouldn't spend "a few" days there, though, but as long as you're going for
the shopping, it's a pleasant, centralized center that is easy to negotiate
and has some character.

10-13-2003, 02:50 AM

Skip Milan and use the time to visit Rome. FFM

Dale wrote:
    > We are going to Italy next year...we are planning Milan, Florence and Venice
    > of about 9 days. It looks like Rome is quite a distance from these 3
    > cities.. Is Rome worth trekking to? I don't like spending all my time
    > traveling when I visit somewhere.
    >
    > Any opinions..or maybe someone might have a different itinerary. My wife
    > wants to spend a few days in Milan for shopping etc.
    >
    > best regards..
    >
    >

10-13-2003, 08:24 AM

"Dale" <> wrote in message
news:...
    > We are going to Italy next year...we are planning Milan, Florence and
Venice
    > of about 9 days. It looks like Rome is quite a distance from these 3
    > cities.. Is Rome worth trekking to? I don't like spending all my time
    > traveling when I visit somewhere.

Absolutely, its unique

    > Any opinions..or maybe someone might have a different itinerary. My wife
    > wants to spend a few days in Milan for shopping etc.

You can shop anywhere, including Rome but you cant visit the Colosseum,
Roman Forum,Palatine Hill or Vatican at a mall.

Keith

10-13-2003, 11:37 AM

Dale wrote:
    >
    > We are going to Italy next year...we are planning Milan, Florence and Venice
    > of about 9 days. It looks like Rome is quite a distance from these 3
    > cities.. Is Rome worth trekking to? I don't like spending all my time
    > traveling when I visit somewhere.
    >
    > Any opinions..or maybe someone might have a different itinerary. My wife
    > wants to spend a few days in Milan for shopping etc.

If you only have 9 days, I think three cities is already one too many.

I could spend much more than 9 days in Rome and not see all I wanted to
see. However, you haven't given us any idea of what interests you (other
than shopping, which you can do in any decent-sized city). So I don't
know if Rome is worth your time.

Barbara

10-13-2003, 11:51 AM

Keith Willshaw <> wrote in message
news:bmdo0l$ckb$...
    > "Dale" <> wrote in message
    > news:...
    > > We are going to Italy next year...we are planning Milan, Florence and
    > Venice
    > > of about 9 days. It looks like Rome is quite a distance from these 3
    > > cities.. Is Rome worth trekking to? I don't like spending all my time
    > > traveling when I visit somewhere.
    > >
    > Absolutely, its unique

Just like everywhere else! ;o)
---
DFM