I wouldn't do a tour, but it is a personal matter. If you like tours, a tour of Italy is fine. We just don't like tours, we like to get out ourselves and discover things. We also took Italian classes for a year (in nightschool) so that we could get off the beaten track, order food, etc. We met some wonderful people just by being able to talk to them. Read Maeve Binchy's book Evening Class for a sense of the experience.

Rome is worth 4-5 days, lots to see. I like the Parco dei Principi, a little expensive but we enjoyed it. Lots of other more affordable options.

Think of Italy as a collection of very different regions. The Almalfi coast, Rome, Tuscany, northern Italy, are to me very different vacations. Trying to do them all on one trip may do none of them justice. It would be like going to Disneyland, Yellowstone, Washington DC, and New England all on the same trip. We have done Rome three times, and Tuscany four times. We will go back again to Rome, Tuscany, and next time to the south of Italy. I would focus on a region, and not try to cover it all.

In Tuscany, Firenze, Siena, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Pienza, Radda, Grieve, are all worth visiting. It is all about the food, and the people. We love Tuscany, and have stayed in hotels, and rented a villa for three weeks in Southern Tuscany. We are considering taking bikes and doing a supported tour, from hilltop town to hilltop town.

I would skip Venice, as it is something of a septic lake. A nice square, but dirty. Overblown, IMO.

Ask away if you have any specific questions.

Jeff

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