Pre-Cruise - How to divide the time?

[dirtydan]

DW and I are cruising western Med in July on Connie (Rome to Barcelona).  We arrive in Venice on a Wednesday around noon and our cruise leaves from Cicivitavecchia the following Monday.  Never been to Italy before.... and not sure how to best utilize the time we have.

 

My original thought was to spend Wednesday/Thursday in Venice, then train to Florence on Friday, followed by train to Rome for Saturday & Sunday before we head to the port on Monday. 

 

Yes, the cruise does stop in Livorno so we could see Florence from there but am afraid that will be too rushy given the travel time to and from the port.  Also, was hoping to get to San Gimignano & Volterra that day.

 

Any thoughts or advice?

 

 

[Wine-O]

Sounds like you have just about enough time to do a "drive by shooting."  With travel time, you have a day and a half for Venice, 1/2 day travel to Florence, 1/2 day in Florence, 1/2 day travel to Rome, check in at 3pm and that gives you a day and a half for Rome.  

 

Wednesday is pretty much shot getting over jet lag and checking in to your hotel at 3pm.  I would leave Florence out of it altogether and visit during your port visit to Livorno.  Spend the rest of the time in Rome.  Forget San Gimignano & Volterra, and come back another time.

[cruise kitty]

If your flights aren't booked yet, then I'd skip everything else & fly straight to Rome.  Four & a half days is just enough to get a little taste of Rome, but at least you'd have time to experience most of the big sights.  If you're already committed to flying through Venice, then take Wino's advice & divide the time between Venice & Rome. 

 

Book a mini van to take you to Florence from Livorno to get the most of your port stop there, if you can share it with 4 others on your roll call it's pretty affordable.  

 

BTW everyone, Go Rams!!

[Jim_Iain]

Your plan would work pretty well.   Our first trip cruise which we planned a trip to Florence from Livorno cancelled the port due to high winds so wasn't able to see Florence.   While you could do it from Livorno or another port you always have the possibility of missing or modified ports.

 

Train from Venice to Florence  is 1 hour 53 minutes and runs at least hourly.   Reservation is compulsory for the high speed train.

 

Train from Florence to Rome is 1 hour 32 minutes and run about every 20 minutes.   Reservation is compulsory for the high speed train. 

 

There is a great Iphone App called Rail Planner.    It gives you the train schedules and is really great for planning. 

[cruise kitty]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Your plan would work pretty well.   Our first trip cruise which we planned a trip to Florence from Livorno cancelled the port due to high winds so wasn't able to see Florence.   While you could do it from Livorno or another port you always have the possibility of missing or modified ports.

 

Train from Venice to Florence  is 1 hour 53 minutes and runs at least hourly.   Reservation is compulsory for the high speed train.

 

Train from Florence to Rome is 1 hour 32 minutes and run about every 20 minutes.   Reservation is compulsory for the high speed train. 

 

There is a great Iphone App called Rail Planner.    It gives you the train schedules and is really great for planning. 

 

He definitely can do it, the question is, should he?   I still would personally spend the entire time in Rome...   4 & a half days is too short to spend time traveling from place to place, checking in & out of hotels, etc.   But everyone has different priorities.   

[downsmead]

I would suggest you need more than one day to see Florence, we stayed 4 days pre- cruise and although we saw the major sights, would have loved to stay longer. 

I would agree with others in the time would best be spent in Rome pre-cruise and maybe visit Pisa from Livorno as there is just not enough time to 'see' Florence in a day.

We flew into Florence on our visit then caught the train to Venice for a couple of days before picking up the ship ( we had been to Venice before, hence only the couple of days). I will agree that train travel is so easy and to book it in advance.

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, cruise kitty said:

 

He definitely can do it, the question is, should he?   I still would personally spend the entire time in Rome...   4 & a half days is too short to spend time traveling from place to place, checking in & out of hotels, etc.   But everyone has different priorities.   

 

I agree that we all have our own priorities while on vacation.   I guess the decision is, whether they wish to immerse themselves in a specific city or whether they want an overview of each city so they can decide where they would like to spend more time on future trips.   

 

I am obviously not as fond of Rome as you.   I have been to Rome numerous time and use to work there.  Even when sailing out of Civitavecchia we don't go into Rome.   On one of our last cruises we ended a B2B Singapore to Rome.   We rented a Airbnb for one week each in Florence, Venice and Vienna.   It was a wonderful way to explore and live like a local.  We purchased a 6 day EuroRail Pass (days do not need to be consecutive) and found it very convenient and efficient way to explore.     

[dirtydan]

5 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Your plan would work pretty well.   Our first trip cruise which we planned a trip to Florence from Livorno cancelled the port due to high winds so wasn't able to see Florence.   While you could do it from Livorno or another port you always have the possibility of missing or modified ports.

 

Train from Venice to Florence  is 1 hour 53 minutes and runs at least hourly.   Reservation is compulsory for the high speed train.

 

Train from Florence to Rome is 1 hour 32 minutes and run about every 20 minutes.   Reservation is compulsory for the high speed train. 

 

There is a great Iphone App called Rail Planner.    It gives you the train schedules and is really great for planning. 

 

The way I figure it, the entire trip is going to be merely getting a “taste” of a lot of different destinations (the 10 night cruise is also a very port intensive) with the goal of returning someday to spend more time... so why not do the same “pre-cruise” too.  With the high speed trains ... we figure we can leave early and still have most of the day in Florence and Rome.

 

Also, there is a restaurant in Florence that we have been told not to miss (Il Latini) which we can only do if we overnight there.

 

Do the higher “class” seats on the high speed trains sell out often in the summer?  How far in advance should we book?

 

[cruise kitty]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I agree that we all have our own priorities while on vacation.   I guess the decision is, whether they wish to immerse themselves in a specific city or whether they want an overview of each city so they can decide where they would like to spend more time on future trips.   

 

I am obviously not as fond of Rome as you.   I have been to Rome numerous time and use to work there.  Even when sailing out of Civitavecchia we don't go into Rome.   On one of our last cruises we ended a B2B Singapore to Rome.   We rented a Airbnb for one week each in Florence, Venice and Vienna.   It was a wonderful way to explore and live like a local.  We purchased a 6 day EuroRail Pass (days do not need to be consecutive) and found it very convenient and efficient way to explore.     

 

Ahh, thanks for the additional info.   This is what makes answering questions like this so difficult.  Everyone has different likes/dislikes, & travel styles.  At this point we've spent not nearly as much time in Rome as you, just about 2 months in Rome, & could probably do two years or more before I felt we had truly experienced Rome.  

 

For me personally, Tuscany & Venice is best experienced in early Spring or late Autumn, but the OP may have work/life restrictions that limit him to summer travel.  

 

BTW, I really enjoy your trip reports :)

[cruise kitty]

1 hour ago, Drothberg said:

 

The way I figure it, the entire trip is going to be merely getting a “taste” of a lot of different destinations (the 10 night cruise is also a very port intensive) with the goal of returning someday to spend more time... so why not do the same “pre-cruise” too.  With the high speed trains ... we figure we can leave early and still have most of the day in Florence and Rome.

 

Also, there is a restaurant in Florence that we have been told not to miss (Il Latini) which we can only do if we overnight there.

 

Do the higher “class” seats on the high speed trains sell out often in the summer?  How far in advance should we book?

 

 

I really, really recommend that you visit the Italy ports section of these boards, or Trip Advisor,  You'll get experts in all of these destinations giving you much more in depth info that you can get on the ship boards...  you'll get more travel/destination people answering you there, rather than people on the ship boards who are into the ships themselves.  

 

Happy Travels :)

[Wine-O]

We don't do Rome anymore because we've been there, done that, got the t-shirt, but for someone who has never been, Rome deserves 3-4 days.  Do your self a favor -- one day in Venice (not my cup of tea), and train to Rome for the rest of your time.  

[mom says]

6 hours ago, Drothberg said:

 

The way I figure it, the entire trip is going to be merely getting a “taste” of a lot of different destinations (the 10 night cruise is also a very port intensive) with the goal of returning someday to spend more time... so why not do the same “pre-cruise” too.  With the high speed trains ... we figure we can leave early and still have most of the day in Florence and Rome.

 

Also, there is a restaurant in Florence that we have been told not to miss (Il Latini) which we can only do if we overnight there.

 

Do the higher “class” seats on the high speed trains sell out often in the summer?  How far in advance should we book?

 

You seem determined to stick with your original plans despite experienced advise to the contrary, so I'm not sure why you bothered asking. However, I will say this about your travel days: the train trips themselves are quite short, but you have failed to account for the time it will take you to check out of your hotel, get to the train station, travel to your next city, get to your new hotel, check in, and dump your bags. You will easily lose half a day with each of these moves.

 

If you land in Venice at noon, it could easily be 3:00 before you get to your hotel. And you will be really jet lagged. You will also be visiting all of these  cities when they are at their hottest and most crowded; so you need more time, not less to actually see much of anything. Eliminating one of these cities just makes sense logistically.

 

It is technically possible for any of the high-speed trains on either Trenitalia or the other privately-owned company (the name escapes me right now) to be completely booked, but it's unlikely to happen. It's not a matter of the class seats selling out as much as the lower fare seats selling out. Italian train fare systems are not the same as airline fare systems. For an excellent primer on travelling on  European trains,  including those in Italy, have a look at "the man in seat 61" website. You'll find that on the Trenitalia website that advance tickets (of either first or second class) bought several months early can give you quite a cost saving compared to buying at full rack rate on the day of travel. But they do come with restrictions. 

[chemmo]

14 hours ago, Drothberg said:

DW and I are cruising western Med in July on Connie (Rome to Barcelona).  We arrive in Venice on a Wednesday around noon and our cruise leaves from Cicivitavecchia the following Monday.  Never been to Italy before.... and not sure how to best utilize the time we have.

 

My original thought was to spend Wednesday/Thursday in Venice, then train to Florence on Friday, followed by train to Rome for Saturday & Sunday before we head to the port on Monday. 

 

Yes, the cruise does stop in Livorno so we could see Florence from there but am afraid that will be too rushy given the travel time to and from the port.  Also, was hoping to get to San Gimignano & Volterra that day.

 

Any thoughts or advice?

 

 

 

Hope you really enjoy your pre-cruise and cruise. Totally understand your sentiments of wanting to see as much as possible and you clearly take on board the fact that you will be getting a ‘snapshot’ of each location rather than being able to really savour the ambience.

 

We can no longer manage such intense travel but did plenty when we were younger. A bit of advice you may find useful....

 

Travel as light as possible.

 

Look for ways to cut down on your walking, it really is desperately hot in July especially in Florence. Plan your itinerary each day very specifically so it flows, if there is some distance between two sights pre plan a local bus or pay out on a taxi....much better than you running out of steam!

 

Hotels are often very strict on check in times so if you arrive before three have a wallet  of valuables ready to request the managers put in the safe/deposit box for you so you only go out with a bit of cash and one credit card kept in a lanyard, money belt....Pickpockets are everywhere. You can obviously leave suitcases with the porter.

 

As you have planned to do in Florence make your dining part of your sightseeing. Look on trip advisor or ports of call for memorable places to dine, in terms of location as well as food quality. Roof top restaurants and bars can offer real sightseeing opportunities whilst you enjoy your meal. Not only will this save you some time wondering around looking for somewhere suitable at the end of a tiring day  it will give you the opportunity to at least experience a bit of a flavour of each destination.

 

Pre-book where possible as many places as you intend visiting. July is high season.

 

Keep your eye on Italian news. Lightning strikes do happen and can really mess up travel plans. I would recommend taking a driving license with you so you could hire a car if necessary.

 

Sincere best wishes for a fantastic trip to Italy and a wonderful cruise!

[dirtydan]

8 hours ago, mom says said:

 

You seem determined to stick with your original plans despite experienced advise to the contrary, so I'm not sure why you bothered asking. However, I will say this about your travel days: the train trips themselves are quite short, but you have failed to account for the time it will take you to check out of your hotel, get to the train station, travel to your next city, get to your new hotel, check in, and dump your bags. You will easily lose half a day with each of these moves.

 

If you land in Venice at noon, it could easily be 3:00 before you get to your hotel. And you will be really jet lagged. You will also be visiting all of these  cities when they are at their hottest and most crowded; so you need more time, not less to actually see much of anything. Eliminating one of these cities just makes sense logistically.

 

It is technically possible for any of the high-speed trains on either Trenitalia or the other privately-owned company (the name escapes me right now) to be completely booked, but it's unlikely to happen. It's not a matter of the class seats selling out as much as the lower fare seats selling out. Italian train fare systems are not the same as airline fare systems. For an excellent primer on travelling on  European trains,  including those in Italy, have a look at "the man in seat 61" website. You'll find that on the Trenitalia website that advance tickets (of either first or second class) bought several months early can give you quite a cost saving compared to buying at full rack rate on the day of travel. But they do come with restrictions. 

 

I wouldn't say I am "determined" to stick with my plan.  If I were, you would be right and there would be no point in my asking.   You do make some very good points and I will definitely take them into consideration.  I know that trying to squeeze 3 cities in 4 1/2 days is tight and in then end, may well take your advice. 

 

Also, thank you for the tips on the train web site. If there are compelling reasons to modify, we will and I do appreciate your input.  FYI the other line is Italio and two of its major shareholders are the Chairman of Ferrari and of owner of Tod's leather. 

 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2019 by Drothberg

[dirtydan]

7 hours ago, chemmo said:

 

Hope you really enjoy your pre-cruise and cruise. Totally understand your sentiments of wanting to see as much as possible and you clearly take on board the fact that you will be getting a ‘snapshot’ of each location rather than being able to really savour the ambience.

 

We can no longer manage such intense travel but did plenty when we were younger. A bit of advice you may find useful....

 

Travel as light as possible.

 

Look for ways to cut down on your walking, it really is desperately hot in July especially in Florence. Plan your itinerary each day very specifically so it flows, if there is some distance between two sights pre plan a local bus or pay out on a taxi....much better than you running out of steam!

 

Hotels are often very strict on check in times so if you arrive before three have a wallet  of valuables ready to request the managers put in the safe/deposit box for you so you only go out with a bit of cash and one credit card kept in a lanyard, money belt....Pickpockets are everywhere. You can obviously leave suitcases with the porter.

 

As you have planned to do in Florence make your dining part of your sightseeing. Look on trip advisor or ports of call for memorable places to dine, in terms of location as well as food quality. Roof top restaurants and bars can offer real sightseeing opportunities whilst you enjoy your meal. Not only will this save you some time wondering around looking for somewhere suitable at the end of a tiring day  it will give you the opportunity to at least experience a bit of a flavour of each destination.

 

Pre-book where possible as many places as you intend visiting. July is high season.

 

Keep your eye on Italian news. Lightning strikes do happen and can really mess up travel plans. I would recommend taking a driving license with you so you could hire a car if necessary.

 

Sincere best wishes for a fantastic trip to Italy and a wonderful cruise!

 

Thank you for your wishes and thank you for the tips, especially the ones regarding pre-planning.   On other trips we have tried to simply wander around and "wing it" and many times, that decision turned out great. However, with VERY limited amount of time we will have at each destination and with high-season crowds in abundance wherever we go, we definitely need to plan ahead.

 

 

 

 

[kurgan]

---Also, there is a restaurant in Florence that we have been told not to miss (Il Latini) which we can only do if we overnight there.---

 

You can find  number of high quality restaurants in Florence. A few years ago we had a nice diner in Il Barreto restaurant, not far from Il Latini.

If you'd like to go to visit Uffizi, book your tickets way in advance online!

 

 

[dirtydan]

2 hours ago, kurgan said:

---Also, there is a restaurant in Florence that we have been told not to miss (Il Latini) which we can only do if we overnight there.---

 

You can find  number of high quality restaurants in Florence. A few years ago we had a nice diner in Il Barreto restaurant, not far from Il Latini.

If you'd like to go to visit Uffizi, book your tickets way in advance online!

 

 

Thanks for the tip.

[Nang]

I used to be you 5-6 years ago - fit in as much as possible because its so far to go. Now that I've done that for a trips and also tried the more relaxed approach of less locations with longer stays I wish that I had got the above advice earlier and took it. Still you live and learn (and we aren't all the same). However I would seriously consider dropping one of the cities off your pre-cruise itinerary or extend your trip by a few days if at all possible - its too hectic in and out of hotels and travelling. Still you will have a ball either way, enjoy!!!

[cangelmd]

On 2/3/2019 at 12:34 PM, Wine-O said:

Sounds like you have just about enough time to do a "drive by shooting."  With travel time, you have a day and a half for Venice, 1/2 day travel to Florence, 1/2 day in Florence, 1/2 day travel to Rome, check in at 3pm and that gives you a day and a half for Rome.  

 

Wednesday is pretty much shot getting over jet lag and checking in to your hotel at 3pm.  I would leave Florence out of it altogether and visit during your port visit to Livorno.  Spend the rest of the time in Rome.  Forget San Gimignano & Volterra, and come back another time.

I agree completely with the chorus of voices saying there isn’t enough time to do this. I planned and arranged the same train trip for 12 people, only difference is that we went straight to Venice from Rome, and worked our way back to Rome. The train trip will suck down more time than you think. I also did our very first Europe trip as a west Med cruise round trip from Barcelona, so I completely understand you desire to get a taste of it all.

 

So a suggestion: If you split your pre-cruise time between Florence and Venice, you will see a lot of both places, maybe as much as you want to see. The ship should have an intensive, all day taste of Rome tour, use the unused train tour money on that. Use the ship day in Livorno for Pisa ( you will never have to go there again,lol) or possibly for San Gim and/or Volterra, having “done” Florence. I don’t have a map in front of me so I’m not sure how much you can do on the Livorno day, but you should be able to get a trip to one of those places as easily as Florence.

i chose Rome to leave off because it is the easiest of those places to return to. Also, I have done the ship based “Rome or Die in a Day” tour AND done it on my own AND the main sites with a land based guide, based on that experience, the ship tour will give you the overall taste that you are looking for in a much more efficient manner than any other alternative. Dropping Rome will allow a better visit to the other cities.

 

 

[cangelmd]

Ooh, I just realized you are going in July- there are many festivals in Italy during that time. In Venice the fest of the Redemption is at the end of the month, most amazing fireworks I have ever seen, truly magical.

whatever your final itinerary, do a little research on what is happening where and when - you may want to be in the city for the event or actually miss it! Have a wonderful trip

[cangelmd]

Ok sorry, I hate people who post before they absorb the original question. I read it as the cruise left from Venice headed to Barcelona!

 

given that you are leaving from Rome, I would drop either Florence, or more likely Venice, unless there is a special reason for you to go to Venice. Then fly into Rome.

Venice is a totally different place after the day trippers/cruise travelers leave. I’m not a big Venice fan, been there, done that and it will never be as great as that first trip, but she definitely deserves to be seen in the evening

[waterbug123]

On 2/3/2019 at 12:45 PM, dirtydan said:

My original thought was to spend Wednesday/Thursday in Venice, then train to Florence on Friday, followed by train to Rome for Saturday & Sunday before we head to the port on Monday. 

 

Yes, the cruise does stop in Livorno so we could see Florence from there but am afraid that will be too rushy given the travel time to and from the port.  Also, was hoping to get to San Gimignano & Volterra that day.

 

Any thoughts or advice?

 

Yes- eliminate one of the cities!  I realize you're trying to get a taste of as much as possible, but you will have such a short time in each that it's more like a drive by.  It will also get tiring to be constantly on the move, changing hotels.

 

On 2/3/2019 at 1:34 PM, Wine-O said:

 I would leave Florence out of it altogether and visit during your port visit to Livorno.  Spend the rest of the time in Rome.  Forget San Gimignano & Volterra, and come back another time.

 

Agree- definitely forget SG and V.  Leave that for a land-based trip to Tuscany some day.   Either skip Florence and focus on Venice and Rome, or as another poster mentioned, or focus on Venice and Florence and skip Rome pre-cruise, instead doing the all day (as in 10-ish hour) Rome highlights tour that the ship will offer to get your taste of Rome.

 

On 2/3/2019 at 6:44 PM, Jim_Iain said:

I am obviously not as fond of Rome as you.   I have been to Rome numerous time and use to work there.  Even when sailing out of Civitavecchia we don't go into Rome.  

 

Of course you don't, because as you said- you've already been there many times and used to work there.   You've been to Rome, you've seen the sites, etc. but someone who has never been there is going to have quite a different perspective.

 

On 2/3/2019 at 8:22 PM, dirtydan said:

With the high speed trains ... we figure we can leave early and still have most of the day in Florence and Rome.

 

Yes, the trains are very efficient.  But you still have to allow travel time to and from hotel/train station, time to check in and out of hotels, time to arrive at the train station early, etc.  It really will be close to half a day lost every time you pack up and change cities/hotels.

 

On 2/4/2019 at 3:02 AM, mom says said:

 

 

On 2/4/2019 at 11:18 AM, dirtydan said:

 

Thank you for your wishes and thank you for the tips, especially the ones regarding pre-planning.   On other trips we have tried to simply wander around and "wing it" and many times, that decision turned out great. However, with VERY limited amount of time we will have at each destination and with high-season crowds in abundance wherever we go, we definitely need to plan ahead.

 

Something we have learned is that a good guide is worth their weight in gold.  On several occasions we have visited somewhere for the first time and just winged it on our own.  We thought we "saw the city" and we enjoyed it, though sometimes were less than wowed, wondering what all the hype was about.   But on a subsequent visit, or sometimes a subsequent day during the same visit, we ended up with a guide and Wow! what a difference.  So now we frequently arrange a private guide for at least a half day and we do so as early during our stop somewhere as possible.  That way we can also question the guide for what else to do the rest of the day and/or on subsequent days, as well as the best manner and timing to do so, get restaurant recommendations, public transit advice etc.

[PRH]

I personally would suggest more time in Venice and Florence—and they are fairly close by train.  Trying to do all three cities in the time you have will be frustrating since this is your first time in Italy.  Venice and especially Florence are romantic and very walkable.  Using a guide the first day is a great idea to get oriented.  Florence is one of my favorite places on earth.

 

For me, Rome is a big, busy city and not particularly pedestrian friendly in the larger scheme of things.  Spent a lot of time in taxis in Rome-traffic is crazy—as in fast drivers making many quick maneuvers and loud horn honking.

 

Whatever you choose, have a great trip!  You will want to return!

[begood2me]

On 2/3/2019 at 4:44 PM, Jim_Iain said:

 

I agree that we all have our own priorities while on vacation.   I guess the decision is, whether they wish to immerse themselves in a specific city or whether they want an overview of each city so they can decide where they would like to spend more time on future trips.   

 

I am obviously not as fond of Rome as you.   I have been to Rome numerous time and use to work there.  Even when sailing out of Civitavecchia we don't go into Rome.   On one of our last cruises we ended a B2B Singapore to Rome.   We rented a Airbnb for one week each in Florence, Venice and Vienna.   It was a wonderful way to explore and live like a local.  We purchased a 6 day EuroRail Pass (days do not need to be consecutive) and found it very convenient and efficient way to explore.     

I'm with you Jim.  Having been to all 3 multiple times, I would spend all the time in Venice and Florence and skip Rome all together except for going through there to get to Cruise ship.  

[dirtydan]

Well, the mob has spoken and we are heeding your advice (some of it anyways).  Due to other family commitments we cannot depart for Italy any sooner than we already are so we have decided to split our "pre-cruise" time between Venice (2 nights) and Rome (3 nights) and do a shore excursion to Florence when the ship stops in Livorno instead.   

 

I know I will take some flak from you for our choices (especially choosing Rome over Florence) however, in doing so, there were some logistical factors for us to consider.

 

Firstly, even if we wanted to skip Venice (which we don't) and concentrate instead on Florence and Rome, we are committed to flying into Venice. When I booked our flights we used air miles and at the time there were no direct (or reasonably direct) flights available to get us to Rome (or anywhere else in Italy for that matter) unless we made several awful connections along the way.  Also, even, if I were able to change our flights now (which I can't), the cost to do so would be quite punitive.  So.... Venice it is.

 

As for choosing Rome over Florence pre-cruise  (again, in my view there are no "bad" choices") we wanted to keep our 2 "travel days" within Italy as straight forward as possible.  While we could get to either Florence or Rome by train pretty easily (both direct, high-speed, with reserved seating etc),  I'm sure you will all agree that it is far more cumbersome to get from Florence to Civitavecchia than from Rome.  In fact, so as not to have any worries getting to the port, we we will likely use Roma Cabs (or similar service) as it pretty much door to door service from our Rome hotel as compared to going by train from Rome... which I'm told can be a pain in the butt once you get to the Civitachecchia train station. 

 

As for our making the most of our shore excursion to Florence, I am hopeful that I can find 2 or 3 other couples on our roll-call who will be interested in booking a private van tour rather than dealing with the larger (and overpriced) tours offered by CC.

 

Again, thank you all for your input.  If you have other suggestions/recommendations for our trip (in particular, hotels, restaurants, tours, museums etc. in Venice and Rome), I welcome your suggestions.   I will of course, continue to scour the "port" boards for general advice as well.

 

DR