ITINERARY

Well here's the plan so far:

Day 1 – Thursday, July 14, 2011
Travel Day

DAY 2 – Friday, July 15, 2011
Today is “getting to know Rome” day. We’ll get to our hotel, probably around 10:30AM, settle in, get some food (OF COURSE!), and THEN head out for a low-key day of exploring the general area. Two must do’s though: buy a bus map, and find the Colosseum (probably the most well-known /iconic monument). We already have tickets to the Colosseum for today and tomorrow. From the Colosseum, we will walk by the Roman Forum and look down over the ruins. Walk to the exquisite Pantheon – can go in at this time or not. The Pantheon is free to enter.
Then IF we have energy, we can get a scoop of gelato and stroll toward the Spanish Steps for a look at the city’s best-known staircase. Then, with change we can wind our way to the Trevi Fountain and wait to do the ritualistic coin-throwing. Can also go see the Borghese Gardens – right by our hotel. Heard it’s a fabulous place not to miss! We will cap the end of our first day in Rome with a meal on one of the city’s famous squares or on a quiet side-street in a place. A possibility close to the hotel: La Pentolaccia on Via Flavia.

DAY 3 – Saturday, July 16, 2011
Today we awake when we can and head out to do what we didn’t do yesterday (either Colosseum or Pantheon or Borghese). Then we have a tour of the Vatican Museum at 2:00PM. An English speaking guide will pick us up at the hotel for a 4 hour tour. We’ll also see St Peter’s Basilica. Need to note that St. Peter’s has a strict dress code – no exposed shoulders, knees, or midriffs are allowed (might be a problem for Doug - ha!). Before the tour of the Vatican, we could visit a couple other things – like the nearby Castel Sant’Angelo (now a museum) and its bridge (lined with angel sculptures), or the Campo dei Fiori (a popular food market by day and lively square by night) just across the river. Or we could even walk along the Tiber to the Trastevere neighborhood and spend the rest of the afternoon and evening there if we want. It’s well known for having cheap eats and great nightlife, so it could be the ideal way to end the day.

DAY 4 – Sunday, July 17, 2011 Still in Rome. It’s a lot of history in one day, but since these monuments are very close to one another it’s more taxing on your brain than it is on your feet. Still, this is a day to wear our most comfortable walking shoes and dress comfortably. What we haven't seen and/or done yet, we'll indulge today since we're leaving tomorrow. Knowing our family we'll be happy to do alot of walking to offset all the carbs we're enjoying!!!Definitely need to go see Villa Borghese.

Day 5 – Monday, July 18, 2011
Travel to Florence
After arriving at the hotel and getting settled, we will again, go out and forage for food and get the lay of the land.
Duomo in Florence is the hub of the historic center, so we’ll gravitate toward the Duomo at some point soon after arriving in the city to “check in.” The square in front of the Duomo offers some great people-watching (though it can also be a haven for pickpockets, especially during summer, so keep we need to keep all valuables close and/or hidden).
Other things to see in Florence are likely to be the Piazza della Signoria and the Ponte Vecchio, so we will get familiar with where they are (close to hotel). We’ll need to scope out where to have dinner tonight and other nights, and we’ll HAVE to have some GELATO!!!

DAY 6 – Tuesday, July 19, 2011 ART DAY!
This is the day we will spend in 2 of the city’s big three art galleries/museums. We’ll start at the Accademia 8:15AM tickets; then have lunch. After that we’ll go to tackle the Uffizi at 12:30PM, where we have a guided tour and tickets.
After a full day of art galleries, we can reward ourselves with another couple scoops of gelato and a leisurely walk around a neighborhood we find particularly enjoyable such as the Oltrarno, which is what they call the area across the river from the Uffizi (Oltrarno meaning “other Arno,” or the other side of the Arno River), and it tends to be a little less crowded than the Duomo side of the river. If we are up for it and the weather’s good, a hike up the hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo is supposed to be a lovely place to watch the sun set over the city. Otherwise, there’s a bus that’ll take you up to the top of the hill, too (we can always walk back down!). Then, of course another fabulous dinner is in store… And, at some point our cousin, Kriss Hughes, is joining us for the duration of our stay in Florence!

DAY 7 – Wednesday, July 20, 2011 day trip to winery and Sienna (Kriss here)Today we'll take a bus or rent a car to see Sienna.

DAY 8 – Thursday, July 21, 2011
church/shopping day (Kriss here)Today is more of a leisure day to do things we haven't done or want to do in Florence. Kriss' flight leaves around 6PM, so we'll have the whole day with her!

DAY 9 – Friday, July 22, 2011 Travel day from Florence to Cinque Terre
And we will change trains in Pisa, so we’ll get off there (There are luggage lockers at the Pisa train station so you can stow your bags, and if the lockers are full there’s also luggage storage area that’s operated by a couple guards.) and spend a couple of hours in that city seeing the famous “Leaning Tower of Pisa.” And yes, we’ll take the ubiquitous shot of us holding up the tower!
The Cinque Terre, while most often described as one place, are actually five villages on the coast of Liguria that are connected by hiking trails, a slow-moving train, and a ridiculously windy road. The villages are, starting from the northernmost one, Monterosso al Mare (where we’re staying), Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. Monterosso is about 1.5 hours from Genoa by train, and the closest city of any size to the Cinque Terre is La Spezia, just south of Riomaggiore, at about 15 minutes by train.

Whatever time we have when we get there should be spent on the beach and just enjoying the rambling streets of the town, soaking in the views overlooking the water, and figuring out where to eat dinner that night. The beach in Monterosso (the northernmost town) is the largest, but there are smaller, rockier, inaccessible beaches in some other towns. Option to do early evening stroll before dinner.Have a leisurely dinner (seafood, of course) in one of the many Cinque Terre restaurants that spills out into the streets. Our friend, Ty Volkman, should be joining us this evening from Vincenza.

DAY 10 – Saturday, July 23, 2011 Cinque Terre Hiking Day
We need to get up get hiking as soon as we’ve had coffee and pastry. We’ll hike as much or as little as we feel but it’s well worth it to stop in each town along the hike and see what’s different about each one. The towns are similar, but each one has a unique feel. You can get something to eat – even if it’s small – in each town, and scope out which one to stay in next time. Keep an eye out for people selling things along the trail – like homemade olive oil. Starting the hike early means that even if we’re hiking all four trails connecting the five towns in one day we should be done by around lunchtime. Reward ourself post-hike with a feast in another of the Cinque Terre’s many restaurants. Then we can indulge in an early afternoon glass of Sciacchetrà, the local sweet wine (with a biscotto cookie for dipping), before heading back to the hotel to get cleaned up or relax by the beach, pick up a few souvenirs, or take a nap. Then it’s time for another dinner, bed and Cate, Doug and Caroline - ready to head to Venice tomorrow! Enjoy the rest of your trip in Italy with Ty, Ross!

DAY 11 – Sunday, July 24, 2011
Travel to Venice day

DAY 12 – Monday, July 25, 2011
Explore Venice

DAY 13 – Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Travel home to Atlanta : Flight leaves Venice at: 11:40AM