I did search the archives and saw the trip to Tuscany, but my time table would not work with that. This will be my first trip to Italy and my wife was in Rome when she was 13 (long time ago!). I'm trying to plan something for this summer, and include a visit to the factory. Rome and Florence are on my list. I know there are many things to do and see in both cities and we'll be there for ~7-days. I don't want to cram in too much and make it not fun. I figured I'd pick one city or the other and stick with that one for most of the week, with maybe a day trip somewhere. So my questions are; Rome or Florence? Where to take a day trip? I would like to see the Med. Likely via rail. Can I get to the Factory and back in 1-day from either city via rail? Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thank You Sean
Probably yes, just check the trains' timetable. But if you are in Florence it will be easier for you to get to Maranello. About Rome... Hehehe, if you plan to stay one week in Italy, with a tour to the Ferrari factory, some days in Florence and the rest in Rome, well, probably you need one week just to see 50% of my city... lol IMHO, Rome needs at least 2 weeks to see the entire city and its monuments; in Florence you simply have to walk straight and you can see almost anything in one day or two. I was born here in Rome 28 years ago and i still have to see so many things...
My suggestion is, 2-3 days in Florence, including the factory visit while you stay in the capital of Tuscany (so you don't have to do that in a rush). Rest of the days in Rome but, like i said, 4 days aren't enough.
I could not agree more! Florence is great, but Rome is absolutely fantastic! Both are an absolute must see! Travelling in Italy is easy. Try to see both places. It is a pity that you can not join us during our Tuscany trip.
I second Rome. There's so much to see from the Forum Romanum to the Villa Borgese (a must if you like sculpture art). Take at least a week to see the most important sites. Florence us beautiful too and easier if you plan other things in a short time as well. Ciao, Peter
Not to mention: The Vatican and St Peter's Church The Cappella Sistina St Angel's Castle Piazza Venezia and the Monument to the Unknown Soldier The Spanish Steps Piazza Navona The Colosseum Circus Maximus .... And many more.
On a Sunday in Rome one of the ancient Roman roads is shut to traffic so you can just walk down it a few miles out of town and experience it just like 2000 years ago (via appia antica I think) - totally awesome
Thanks for the reply's. From what I've read, and what everyone is saying it may be best to stick with one city and that would be Rome. I've tried looking at schedules and it looks as if a trip to the factory from Rome would be tough to do in 1-day. I'd likely have to spend the night close by, then visit the next day then back to Rome for the rest of the trip. I really want to get to the Factory. That's something I've wanted to do since I was little and since I have a car, and I will be in Italy I figured I'd better not pass up the chance to go. Who knows when I'll get back and if I'll have a car at the time.
What's the weather like in November? Summer time air fare tickets are $300-$500 more from the US to Rome than in November. Or what about March?
I´m travelling 3-4 times a year DFW (Dallas Fort Worth )- FRA (Frankfurt, Germany) and I pay always 550,- for the round trip. Change your broker
Sorry W, couldn't excist. @Sean, Florence is beautifull, Rome is fantastic!! If you only have time for 1 city deffinatly visit Rome.
Usually in March - prior to the 31st the air fares from the US are still lower than peak for the summer. I just checked orbitz and in April you can go from Houston-Rome for $938 (inc tax pp). You just have to keep monitoring the individual airline sites and other sources - I find the fare alert email updates very useful. Carol
Well the cheaper ticket cost is offset by the need to have my mom and sister fly down to watch the kids. We've revised the schedule some. Now we're thinking of driving to KC and dropping the kids of with my sister, then fly to Rome and stay in Italy for 8-days. This would allow me to have time to go to the factory. My tavel dates would be 27-Jun to 05-July. A local travel agent advised that I take a train to Florence (~2-hours), then rent a car and drive to Maranello (~140km) and visit the factory that way. We could leave from Florence early one morning and then spend the day at the factory and return that afternoon and drop off the rental. This way I could see a little bit of Florence, and only have to deal with a rental car for 1-day.
When we are gone for an extended time (Monaco this year) we have to purchase an airline ticket for our daughter to come from PA to babysit all the horses, cows, dogs. Carol
I thought it was about 600 km's from Rome to Florence? Am I wrong or is it a very fast train? Be careful in Florence, people drive like mad over there! Avoid driving in towncentre. Never been to Rome did spend a week in Toscane. Really liked it there, very nice to drive for days in the hills over there. Maybe you should stop at the Lamborghini factory as well. Much more friendly people over there. Nice museum. Gijs
Your ID says you are in Texas and since you are going for only 7 days, you'll have to figure in jet lag and travelling. With such a tight timetable I'd think Firenze is the far better choice for sightseeing, food, cheese and wine. If you are taking a Significant Other who loves to shop, then Firenze will have more crafts such as leather goods to satisfy her (MANY times travel needs to balance both HIS and HER needs!)
Rome and Florence are both great cities... actually you should see them both at some time in life... Rome is of course a lot bigger and has more to offer but you can't underestimate Florence either... I agree that you need more time to experience Rome completely. And obviously Maranello really is a must if you like Ferrari's I've been in all three places a few times allready, I love them, and know that I will go back to all three of them someday... In september I will return to Italy, this time I will be staying somewhere between Florence and Siena, not that far from San Gimignano in the Tuscan hills... a wonderful region IMO... It's actually about 275km
The Factory is only available on 4-July which kind of screws me up. I wanted to visit on the 3rd, then spend the 4th in Florence and back to Rome via train that evening. Spend that last night in Rome and fly out the next morning 5-July. One of the guide books we found suggested after 3-days I'll have had enough of Rome and need a change of scenery. I was thinking of driving up through Tuscany for 1 to 2-days up to Modena, spend the night there and to the factory the next morning. After the tour & lunch, back to Rome that afternoon on the A1. Or, I could do Rome/Marenello/Tuscany/Rome. Having a car would give me more freedom to change plans, stop for lunch when/where I want in Tuscany. Of course, it will cost more than the train/bus route. I need to get on the ball by the end of the week as I've noticed good hotels are getting booked and the air fare has already gone up $20/ticket in the last week.
Where do you plan to stay relative to Maranello? We've stayed in several places in that area - friends from London whom we are meeting for the San Marino GP found a really neat small hotel in Maranello - looks good. We normally stay at the Domus when we go. Best buy now - I've noticed a definite change in airfares since we bought our Italy tickets last summer for this spring. Get on the fare alerts from the different sources - that's really helpful. Don't overlook flying into London or Paris and then use the European airlines to get to Italy - some of the fares are really good (as in very good) - but have to be careful as Ryan Air goes into the smaller airports like Forli rather than Bologna. Just a thought - I am always trying to see how cheap we can get to whereever. Carol
Well I'm not even sure if we're going now. Every time I bring it up with the wife she has a reason not to go.
