10 days in Italy over Easter - where to go?

[bookwormsforever]

We’re thinking about catching the sleeper to Milan, then the train to Venice, Rome, Naples (for Pompeii and sorrento). Booking oartments and staying a couple of nights in each.

Would anyone recommend any other cities? What is sorrento like? Anyone been to Pompeii? Is it better to book tours etc when there, or book them in the UK first?

Sorrento is not particularly attractive but handy for Pompeii/Herculaneum. Bologna or Siena might be a good stopover with Florence.

I have been to everywhere you are thinking except Naples but not all in one go. I would base yourself at 2 or 3 places and visit where you most want to see from there. Sienna is lovely worth a visit, as is Florence but maybe too big and much to take in alongside Rome (As both need about three days and you will be exhausted and cultured out), the Italian lakes (Como/Garda) are both beautiful more scenic than city, Verona is lovely small and compact can easily get round it in a day, lots of lovely places in Italy to visit.

All those places will be very busy at Easter (particularly Rome as the Pope does an Easter mass and it's heaving with pilgrims). I'd check out accommodation before you commit . Are you travelling with DC and if so, what ages? If you're not, I really recommend you go outside the main school holidays.

If you are, depending on their ages, those cities might not be that great for them. Ideally, your DC will be over at least seven to get some enjoyment of Italian cities. We've been to Rome with our two in Feb half-term and it was good, admittedly, but at Easter? Everywhere is going to have such long queues and if you want to the big sights like the Forum, Colosseum, etc, the only way to jump the queues is to book a private tour (which is £££).

As for Naples - what do you want to do there? Pompeii is amazing, but will be very busy. Are your kids doing Romans or Latin at school? If so, they'll find it interesting, but it's a large site and there is a lot of walking. Herculaneum (Ercolano in Italian), is smaller, more accessible and less busy. Both Pompeii and Ercolano are reachable via the Circumvesuviana train, which you can get from Naples. Sorrento is naff IMO and full of pensioners, we thought Amalfi was much nicer. Positano is pretty, but oh so crowded. TBH if you've only got 10 days to do three cities, plus day trips though I really don't think you've got time to visit the Amalfi coast.

A few years ago we visited Rome the week after Easter and it was relatively quiet, also very warm. The lakes could be still be chilly though and out of season.

Wow. Hadn't realised that. DC are 12 and 15, so not tiny. Wonder if we could visit the Dolomites instead. How far are they from Venice??

We'll be in Rome about 10 April, so 2 weeks before actual Easter...

I want to go to Pompeii. I was thinking it would be much quieter there this time of year than in the summer! Is that not accurate? DD is doing history GCSE.

We just want to use Naples as a base for seeing Pompeii/Vesuvius. Is it pretty? It has a harbour. A beach?

Naples is awful. Wasn't impressed with Amalfi coast either. However Pompeii, Herculaneum and Mt Vesuvius were amazing!

Avoid Sorrento and stay in Naples and Rome - you can take trips out to the islands and Pompeii from Naples and also to Ostia Antica from Rome. We had a brilliant Easter holiday in Naples at Easter!

Naples is wonderful. So many things to see and the best food I’ve ever had,m.

We went the week after Easter with much younger children than yours OP. I had visited Rome before. Our kids loved it. I had worried they might be overwhelmed or disinterested and neither are massively into history they were brilliant it was busy but do-able. We did jump the Queue at St Peters and the Coloseum though as the queues for both were horrendous. We also mixed up historic sites with a half day in Borghese gardens think that’s how you spell it to break it up for them as they had done so well. We had lots of gelato and pizza stops etc. We had 3 1/2 days in Rome which was frantic but we did most of the sites we wanted to.

Love it. 'Naples is awful' and 'Naples is wonderful' within two posts! Who to believe?!

I loved Naples and was completely blown away by Pompeii. We booked a tour guide before we left Uk and would highly recommend this. Stayed in sorrento for two nights; was nice but nothing amazing. Naples was alive, buzzing and the food was out of this world.

I loved Naples as well, bit grubby but loads of character.
Sorrento is very touristy, as is Capri, but worth a visit.
Venice was gorgeous as well.
I love Italy!

What do you want to do in all those places?

It's a lot of travel time and some of those Rome destinations are places you can easily fill a week and still feel rushed.

While others are more 'look there's a lovely view' Sorrento

You can happily do a day trip to Venice and feel thrilled you saw canals but on your itinerary you've done a lot of Trenitalia or Autostrada for that.

Have you thought about doing longer in Rome and doing Ostia Antica instead of Pompeii? Or Rome/Bologna/Venice/Ravenna to keep things a bit together. Ravenna is totally amazing.

Could just do Emilia-Romagna ish area - Bologna, Mantova, Padova, Venice, Verona, Ravenna, Modena - if any Ferrari fans! All easy on the train.

What do you want to do in all those places?

It's a lot of travel time and some of those Rome destinations are places you can easily fill a week and still feel rushed.

While others are more 'look there's a lovely view' Sorrento

You can happily do a day trip to Venice and feel thrilled you saw canals but on your itinerary you've done a lot of Trenitalia or Autostrada for that.

Have you thought about doing longer in Rome and doing Ostia Antica instead of Pompeii? Or Rome/Bologna/Venice/Ravenna to keep things a bit together. Ravenna is totally amazing.

Could just do Emilia-Romagna ish area - Bologna, Mantova, Padova, Venice, Verona, Ravenna, Modena - if any Ferrari fans! All easy on the train.

I think compared to Rome and Naples, Emilia-Romagna is a bit boring.

Was not boring! Especially as OP's plan is only 1-2 days in each place. And you will eat far far better food.

Ha, sorry, I live in Emilia and am a bit fed up with it today. I still think Rome and Naples are more interesting for children though.

I would go to Bologna and then Tuscany or Umbria. Definitely Sienna. I've travelled all over Italy and much prefer the north.

Argh, typo, obvs meant Siena.

Boologna - wonderful

Italy is great but all those amazing historic sights are also bloody exhausting, especially if you're travelling between cities every other day. I'd either do a) north Italy (say Milan to Venice stopping at Verona and a couple of other places), b) Tuscany, including Florence, Siena and the lakes or c) Rome, Naples and Pompeii/Vesuvius. (Or d) Sicily - amazing and great volcano action.) Schedule a few empty mornings or afternoons to rest.

This is all really helpful, thanks. Ordered the new Lonley Planet guide tyo Italy and am impatiently waiting for it to arrive. I did wonder about doing a lake/a day in the Dolomites, but would this be possible by train?

The Dolomites are far north, so no you can't do them by train for a day (unless you want to spend an entire day on a train!). IrenetheQuaint is right IMO. Pick a smaller geographic area and just do that and you'll have a much better time - try and cover all the ground you talked about in your OP and you'll spend your entire 10 days travelling and very little of it actually seeing anything. And if you're going two weeks before Easter - that's much better than going over Easter itself. TBH, I would avoid Easter week in Italy like the plague. Everywhere will be heaving, but two weeks before Easter, probably not.

P.S. If you're going to Naples leave your valuables at home. DH was mugged there and had his watch stolen by moped thieves, which is really common apparently.

Ah, thanks. That's really helpful. Maybe we should sit down with a map and reconsider. (Just realised I NCd halfway through this thread, sorry.)