Don't miss a moment of my recent Italy trip - see a day by day account of this fabulous trip as well as my daily itinerary!   

Perhaps some of the work I have done will help you plan your own visit to Italy. I hope that my trip will inspire you to visit this romantic and historic destination! 

Please check out below - my reviews of accommodations, tour guides and other places visited on this trip.

Final Trip Itinerary

Rome

Day 1
Arrive Rome from New York
Drop off luggage to Residenza Novona
Have breakfast - walk around Piazza Novona (neighborhood where we are staying)
Dinner: Home Cooked Pasta
Gelato: Piazza Navona

Day 2
Morning - Leisurely Breakfast
Stroll Around - Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain
Lunch
"Rome at Dusk" 3-1/2 Hour Tour - Colosseum, Pantheon, 
  and walking tour 

Day 3
Morning: 
"Food & Market" Tour - 3 hours

Mid Afternoon: Free
Late Afternoon: 
"The Vatican" - 3 Hour Tour
Dinner: Cafe 

Tuscany

Day 1
Depart Rome by car
Drive north to San Gimignano
Lunch in town of San Gimignano

Evening: Arrive at Il Borghetto Tusan Holiday Villa
Dinner on Premises

Day 2
Relaxing day at the Villa
Go to market for food
Dinner in San Gimignano 

Day 3
Relaxing day at the pool

Day 4
Relaxing day at the pool
Dinner on Premises

Day 5
Day trip to Pisa
(Self Guided Tour)

Day 6
Morning: Private Cooking Class
Day at the pool
Dinner on Premises

Day 7
Relaxing day at the pool

Day 8
Drive to Florence
Return Car
Take Train to Venice

Venice

Day 1
Arrive Venice late morning by  train via Florence (via San Gimignano)
Hotel Ai Reali
Afternoon: Lunch
Walk around:
Rialto Bridge

Day 2
Gondola Ride


Day 3
Lion's Walk Tour

Day 4
Basilica San Marco
Clock Tower/Bell Tower
Doge's Palace

Day 5
Depart Venice by train to Florence

Florence

Day 1
Arrive Florence by Train mid afternoon (via Venice)
Check into Hotel Santa Maria Novello
Leisurely day

Day 2
Morning: 
3 Hour Tour 
Uffizi Gallery & Accademia

Day 3
Duomo

Day 4
Pitti Palace
Boboli Gardens

Day 5
Depart Florence via train to Rome for 1 night before departing to New York

Day 6
Depart Rome for NY

Daily Blogs - August 5 - August 25

August 5th: Next Stop Rome
August 6th: Rome
August 7th: Day 2 Rome
August 8th: Day 3: Roma Food Market Tour AND The Vatican on Foodie Friday
August 9th: Day 4: Rome to San Gimignano
August 10th: Day 5: Relaxing in San Gimignano
August 11th: Day 6: Under the Tuscan Sun
August 12th: Day 7: Peaceful Tuscany
August 13th: Day 8: Day Trip to Pisa
August 14th: Day 9: Cooking Class on Throwback Thursday
August 15th: Day 10: Last Day in Tuscan Countryside
August 16th: Day 11: Off to Venice
August 17th: Day 12: Exploring Venice: Rialto Bridge and Gondola Ride
August 18th: Day 13: Starting the week with Counting the Lions in Venice
August 19th: Day 14: St. Mark's Basilica & Doge's Palace
August 20th: Day 15: Goodbye Venice, Hello Florence
August 21st: Day 16: Florence: Uffizi and Accademia 
August 22nd: Day 17: Florence on Foodie Friday
August 23rd: Day 18: Florence: Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens 
August 24th: Day 19: Florence to Rome: Goodbye Firenze

Elisa's Reviews

Accommodations

Residenza Navona
Rome, Italy

 

Hotel Ai Reali
Venice, Italy

Il Borghetto Tuscan Holiday Villas
San Gimgnano, Siena, Italy

Hotel Santa Maria Novello
Florence, Italy

Local Tour Guides

Rome Illuminated Guided Tours

Miscellaneous Reviews

General Pre-Trip Information 

Cities & Towns
We will Visit

We are planning to visit 4 Major Cities within Italy
* Rome
* San Gimignano (Tuscan Countryside)
* Venice
* Florence

Within the Tuscan Countryside, we will do a number of day trips throughout our stay.  
So far we are hoping to go to the following areas:
* Sienna
* Pisa 
* Lucca

Completed Tasks


Airline Tickets - DONE

Rental Car - DONE
* From Rome to San Gimignano and throughout Tuscany
(refundable till end of June)

Train Tickets - DONE
* From Florence (via San Gimignano) to Venice
* From Venice to Florence
* From Florence to Rome (for departure)

Tours
* Rome - DONE
* Tuscany - SELF GUIDED
* Venice - DONE
* Florence - DONE

Accommodations


Rome
Private 3 bedroom 5-Star apartment  
"Residenza Navona"
www.residenzanavona.net

[email protected] 
*tel +39 3498210540 
*tel +39 3423170764

San Gimignano Tuscan Countryside Villas
"Il Borghetto Tuscan Holidays"
Località Cortennano 21/23 
53037 - San Gimignano (Siena - Italy) 
Ph. +39 0577 941780 
Fax +39 0577 906783
www.ilborghettotuscanholidays.com
[email protected]

Venice
Boutique Hotel

Florence
Private 2 bedroom apartment 

Rome
Airport Hotel night before Departure

Restaurants & Dining Experiences

Rome
* Restaurant Roof Garden 
This place looks amazing -- and they have a vegetarian menu

Sienna
* La Taverna de San Giuseppe

 Florence
* Mama Gina's
(Recommended by our apartment host in Florence)
* Cafe Torre

List of Sights on Our Initial
Wish List

Rome 
Ancient Rome:
  • The Colosseum - count the cats
  • The Roman Forum & Palatine Hill OR Political Rome: The Pantheon
  • Late Afternoon: Spanish Steps -  (Adjacent to the steps at the bottom: Famous Tearoom, Babington's) (Dinner nearby: Pizzeria Le Grotte)
Sacred Rome: The Vatican
  • St. Peter's Basilica (7am - 7pm)
  • The Square
  • The Interior
> Charlemagne's Crowning
> Michelangelo's Pieta
> St. Peter's Statue
> The Vatican Museums  (only visit the rooms that may interest kids:  Here are suggestions:
- Michelangelo's dome (8am - 6pm, Admission)
- Baldacchino ("Grand Canopy" made from borne pillaged from the Pantheon
- Chapel of Confessions and Tomb of Saint Peter (there are 95 perpetually lit lamps that mark the Tomb of Saint Peter)
- Sacred Grottoes (Tombs of the Popes)
- The Loggia of Raphael ("Creation of the World"
- Pinacoteca Vaticana (Giotto is most famous for his depiction sod St. Francis of Assisi)
- Egyptian Museum (mummies, animals)
- The Sistine Chapel (tours available - 2 hours) mon-fri 10:30, Noon, 2:00)
  • Catacombs 
  • The Church of the Bones - Santa Maria della Concezione (bottom of the Via Veneto - 9am - noon, 3pm - 6pm  Free
The bones are in the Capuchin Crypt below the church 
  • Late Afternoon/Dinner Trevi Fountain

 Sienna
*Piazza del Campo
* Ecco La Cucina
* Torre del Mangia
* Biblioteca Piccolomini

San Gimignano
* Stone Tower
* Open Air Market
* Old Fort Rucca ( Public Park)
* Il Fonte
* Torrefazzione Fiorella

Pisa
*Leaning Tower of Pisa
* Duomo Pisa

Lucca
* St Peter's Gate
* Puccini's Home & Museum
* Via Fillungo: Shopping

Venice
* Piazza San Marco and eating at one of the cafes
* Count the Lions Tour
* Basilica San Marco
* Clock Tower
* Bell Tower
* Evening: Gondola Ride

* Rialto Bridge - Outdoor Market (lunch at cafe)
* Mask-Making Shop
* Gondola Factory
* Naval Museum
* Peggy Guggenheim Museum

Florence
* Uffizi
* The Accademia 
* The Duomo
* Pitti Palace