This past weekend, B and I did more planning for our Italy trip. "Italy trip" is a misnomer, but every other possibility that I've come up with sounds pompous--Our Mediterranean Escape? Our four-country sun binge? Our "enjoy the sans-enfants life while it lasts" trip? Well, anyway, the Italy portion involves the most planning, so we're focusing on Italy for now.
For our honeymoon in France, I created an itinerary that some have opined was excessively detailed, but those details ensured that we saw everything that was important to us (well, ok, perhaps the plan was skewed toward the creator's tastes, but I did include several museums, which were strictly for B's enjoyment). I scheduled each day's activities, trying to take advantage of smaller crowds or discounted admission. Some days we rebelled and didn't follow the itinerary, but for the most part, we followed the schedule (and were glad to have it).
One of the more memorable activities of the France trip was a guided tour to the inland Cote d'Azur. We traveled by minivan with our guide Michel and visited 6 towns that we could not have got to without a car. Our guide was knowledgable and helpful and funny and gave us information that wasn't in any guidebook.
I looked for similar tours in Italy and found a day trip to the Dolomites, a section of the Alps in northern Italy. The scenery is supposed to be beautiful, and the culture of the area is a combination of German and Italian--at a restaurant, you can expect pasta for dinner and streudel for dessert. There was only one problem with the tour: it was offered out of Venice on specific days of the week, and we weren't going to be in town for either option. And we couldn't do the trip on our own without renting a car, and I'm so not ready for renting in a foreign country.
B and I decided to take another look at our itinerary and consider adjusting it. Our original plan involved 3 nights in Florence, 4 nights in Cinque Terre, and 3 nights in Venice, and the Cinque Terre leg of the trip was problematic. We hadn't been able to find a decent, available hotel room at a reasonable price (I know, perhaps my expectations were too high), and I had concerns about the 3-4 train connections that we'd have to make to travel to and from the area, especially since Rick said that theft is common on trains. Cinque Terre was supposed to be the relaxing part of our trip but it was causing the most stress.
Our first decision was to extend our stay in Venice to accommodate the tour schedule for the Dolomites. A call to Starwood revealed information that we knew but had been trying to forget--if you pay with points for 4 nights, your fifth night is free. Suddenly, staying in Venice for only one extra night seemed silly, especially if the fifth night would be free. Since the same concept applied for Florence, we decided to take advantage of the free nights and do 5 nights in Florence and 5 nights in Venice. We've reserved a day trip out of Florence to the Cinque Terre, so we'll still be able to visit the area.
I felt relief as soon as we made our decision, so I know it was the right one. I'm glad to know that we can take our time in Florence and Venice. Plus our new schedule might allow for a little outing to the location known as The Mall--outlet shopping for Armani, Gucci, D&G, and every other Italian and non-Italian designer that you can think of. I knew a trip to Italy was a good idea!
