http://www.frommers.com/destinations/rome
Ah..Roma! It is truly one of my favorite cities (and to take your honeymoon)!! It is easy to walk around it but you will get tired out so don't try to see too many things in one day but there are certainly a lot of great sites to see if you have the time for them. We also found it easy to get around with bikes and buses but being new to Italy it may not be your choice. If you have time you can easily take the train into town from the airport then take a cab to and from your hotel though you may as well just take a cab right from the airport I guess. Either; make them use their meter or negotiate the price before you take off or they will try to screw you.
Things to choose from to see: St. Peters Cathedral (amazing), the Vatican Museum (with the Sistine chapel, crowded but cool), the Pantheon (this is one of my favorites, not just for the building but the square in front of it - try to be there around sunset, it is lovely), the Roman Forums (absolute must do!), the Coliseum (this was a little over-hyped for me, the lines were long, it was crowded and expensive, when just across the street the amazing Forums are free and you can see the coliseum from outside it), the parks of the Villa Borghese (gorgeous!), Piazza Navona (different during the day and night), Campo dei Fiori (go in the morning and have breakfast in a café there and check out the market), the Trastevere area and the hills up behind and Piazza Garibaldi (this is a funky area, like the Soho of Rome)...
I've been to Rome numerous times but still haven't made it to the catacombs, the Galleria Borghese Museum and Hadrian's Villa and those are all supposed to be wonderful too...there are too many sights!
There are tons of good places to eat and it is lovely to walk around the centro storico (“historic downtown”) and find a café that looks yummy. We found an amazing place that wasn't in any of the books last time, but even though I can’t remember the name of the café, the beauty of Rome is that you will find your own amazing place.
You really ONLY want to stay in the Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Campo Dei Fiori area. Any other area will not be nearly as quaint. I absolutely suggest renting an apartment in Rome - if you are staying at least 3 nights, which you should you can do that and it is cost effective and you get a better place than a small hotel room in the best area of town. These people are great: http://www.rentalinrome.com. My contact is: Sonja (millenniumitaly@yahoo.it) - Phone: +39 06 99 05199)
For places to stay, the Frommer's guids are a good place to start for places to stay anywhere. The key is to stay in the right area. You really should stay in the centro storico so you can walk out to do anything. The area near the Pantheon, the Piazza Navona and the Campo dei Fiori is my very favorite area to stay though others I know love to stay in Trastavere.
You can actually walk all through Rome with very little help of public transport at all. We like to just walk everywhere there.
Florence (Italian: Firenze)
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/florence
If you are travelling to Florence, make sure you visit the Uffizi gallery, walk around, sit in cafes, walk up to the hill overlooking the city at Piazza Michelangelo. There is a cool wine bar across the street from the entrance to the Pitti Palace that we went to.
Place to stay: Last time we stayed at the Pensione Maria Luisa de' Medici - http://www.frommers.com/destinations/florence/medici - it is affordable, in a great central location and clean, friendly and full of beautiful things. It is certainly quirky but if you are interested in seeing an interesting place, this is the place to stay. There are other choices there on the Frommer's guide. The Oltrarno is a great area and probably a good place to stay though I didn't stay there.
On your day trips the place to try to visit that are within driving distance: the Chianti region (amazing drive, hills, vineyards, cypress trees, it is basically heavenly), San Gimignano (lovely little town which is especially nice at night when the tourists leave if you want to stay a night away from Florence), Siena, Pisa and Lucca.
Le Mossacce is not listed as one of the amazing places to eat but we had a truly amazing dinner there. All three of us who were there swear it was one of the best tasting dinners we ever had. It is small and not fancy at all but the tables are so close you meet your neighbors and share wine with them if you like. The Ribolita was truly delicious as were the ravioli and everything else - http://www.frommers.com/destinations/florence/mossacce
Venice (Italian: Venezia)
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/venice
Venice is a must see! There is nothing in the world like Venice. DO NOT MISS IT!
*Important note when going to Venice: DO NOT get off of the train or accidentally book a hotel in Venezia Mestre! It is a shipping port next to Venice and is absolutely not anywhere you ever want to visit!! Do not get off the train until the last stop after you have gone over the water first, the stop is called Venezia Santa Lucia.
Other than the obvious touristy things to do in Venice (St. Mark's Square, Rialto Bridge and a boat ride through the canals - not necessarily on a private boat but even on the boat bus) there are 3 things you must do:
1. Just wander and find a random square and sit at a café for hours and watch Venice walk by. All the little areas of Venice are wonderful and you HAVE to get off the tourist path to see Venetians living life there. It is such a quaint place and you must experience this. I like to go from St. Marks Square and wander west through the streets until I find the Accademia bridge and cross over and wander through Dosoduro and then up into San Polo - http://www.frommers.com/images/destinations/maps
2. La Biennale di Venezia - http://www.labiennale.org/en - this is a rare opportunity as this world renouned film and art festival only happens once every two years and you will actually be there while at least part of it is still going on. This is one of the world's best art festivals - film, music, theater, architecture and art. You can take a ferry to the Giardini (garden on the tip of the island) and go see the bulk of the exhibits from countries all over the world (including an artist from Argentina) or wander around the city and see exhibits installed in gorgeous palazzos and outdoors in piazzas. Get a map from a tourist office or off this page - http://www.labiennale.org/en/art/venues . It is truly amazing how much art is being displayed at one time all over the city. The art takes over the city and it is so cool!
3. The Peggy Guggenheim collection - this is an awesome modern art museum in an amazing art deco palazzo on the canal. This is one of my favorite museums on the planet. It is a must do in Venice.
It is hard to choose a place to stay while on your honeymoon in Venice since there are so many options. Just send out a bunch of inquiries to find out what is available and compare the deals. There should be low season deals when you are there. Remember, DO NOT get stuck with a hotel in Venezia Mestre!
Joey
