Italy Trip -Advice welcome

ASBO

Hi all,booked a back pack trip for myself and girlfriend for end of Sept - early Oct.

We inter-railed East Europe last year and are attempting something similar for just Italy but trying to keep accomodation/travel costs down somewhat.

Flying into Venice, staying 2 nights, train to Florence,
Florence for 3 nights, train to Rome,
Rome for 2 nights, train to Naples/Sorrento,
Sorrento for 3 nights, make way to Sicily (ferry?? or train/bus),
Sicily (taormina)for 4 nights, fly home to Dublin

So far flights only booked and hotel booked for Venice (well just outside in Mestre area). If anyone has stayed in this area before any advice is welcome. Any good Venice tickets that I should be buying now (tourist transport tickets, musuem passes) or any Venice restaurant recommendations (all I've heard is to stay clear of eateries around St Mark's Sq).

I would welcome any advice on Florence, Rome, Sorrento, Sicily (Taormina) accomodation, budgeting for max of €100 a night..I believe that might not get us much quality in Rome/Florence but should improve as we go South.

Again any tickets/passes for these areas we should be buying?

From our itinerary what would be the best way to see Pompeii, just go from Sorrento or should we overnight in Naples?

Any rail advice welcome (good value tickets etc), or advice on best way from city to city..girlfriend an inconsistent traveller on buses, sometimes gets motion sickness so we avoid where possible. Can we ferry from Sorrento to Sicily.

I know half the adventure of these trips is discovering things for yourself but I never pass on little gems of advice.

Itinerary not set in stone (exception of flying into Venice, out of Catania, Sicily) so any comments welcome.

Thanks.

ASBO

LiamMc

Information for trains is posted everywhere in the stations and it is accurate.
Staff speak English and it's possible to get good info on type of train,times and prices from the trenitalia.com http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=ad1ce14114bc9110VgnVCM10000080a3e90aRCRD
So why have I ended up on the wrong platform at stations, noted Arrival(arrivi) times when I wanted Departures(partenze) bought a ticket for a destination and then saw a notice on a platform for train leaving to the same destination a only few minutes after my ticket stated, 'surely it's this train I need' there can't be two trains going to the same place so close together.
I'm sure I'll get a train trip to Italy. where most things go right.

Florence has some of the warnings about buying tickets early incld. the building where Michelangelo's David is. Your partner may be interested.
But the atmosphere and architecture around the various squares, streets and bridges is ample aswell. Small queues at peak times at alot of restaurants, doesn't seem to bother anyone.
In Italy alot of religious orders sell accomodation in their communities. Some may have curfews so maybe for this trip Florence doesn't suit but there's a Convent on Piazza del Carmine, same square as Cappella dei Brancacci, Casa Santa Nome di Gesu http://www.fmmfirenze.it/ . Lovely place to stay, secure parking, cloister, old style accomodation, very reasonable.
The three major sites of Pisa are all in the same place a short bus ride from Pisa train station.
Transport seems to be very good around the Bay of Naples so I think it's down to the individual tourist what location suits. A trip out to the Isle of Capri is certainly recommended. Herculaneum is an appropiate alternative to Pompeii, it's got uncovered murals, petrified bodies, jars and Mt. Vesuvius right in the background.

There are ferries from Salerno and Napoli to Palermo (North Sicily) and Catania (East Sicily) http://www.directferries.co.uk/ferries_from_sicily_to_italy.htm

Catania is a built with black lava rock and has a different look. Syracusa on the southern tip is a nice town. A tour up Mt. Etna is a nice afternoon for the views.

rossie1977

ASBO wrote: »

I would welcome any advice on Florence, Rome

rome and florence (and venice too) are made for walking around and discovering stuff, florence isn't that expensive at all, pisa is less than an hour train ride from florence so its easy to that in a day, sorrento is very small, ferry to the isle of capri is a must do

From our itinerary what would be the best way to see Pompeii, just go from Sorrento or should we overnight in Naples?

no go from sorrento, its an easy 30min train ride from there to pompeii http://www.vesuviana.it/web/files/SoNa.pdf

Any rail advice welcome (good value tickets etc), or advice on best way from city to city

italy has system of high speed rail but the slower trains cost alot less, sometimes one third the price of the high speed tickets, i will say one thing about italian rail, strikes are frequent and can happen at any time, so be wary of that

coylemj

LiamMc wrote: »

So why have I ended up on the wrong platform at stations, noted Arrival(arrivi) times when I wanted Departures(partenze) bought a ticket for a destination and then saw a notice on a platform for train leaving to the same destination a only few minutes after my ticket stated, 'surely it's this train I need' there can't be two trains going to the same place so close together.
I'm sure I'll get a train trip to Italy. where most things go right.

I don't know what you're doing wrong. I have been all over Northern Italy by train, I've travelled into and out of Milan, Florence, Como, Pisa and Venice by train and never had a single problem.

p.s. I think you've answered your own question, you noted the arrival times instead of departures - Doh!