Italy at Last!

In the Spring Jim and I are going to Italy for three weeks! We have never been able to go there when in Europe before. Long before Laura and Robert and the boys moved there we had wanted to go to Italy on our 40th anniversary which we will be celebrating on June 15th this year.
So we are super excited that along with our dream vacation we will also be able to spend lots of time with our kids. It is serendipity all the way!

For about 8 days we will be in northern Italy where we will have a base camp and will travel to see Genoa, the city where Jim's mom was born, Florence, Venice, Piza, Tuscany and possibly Umbria. Laura and the boys will go with us. Robert has to work and we are bummed about that!

Of course we will go to Rome and the Vatican also. While in the south we want to see the Amalfi Coast, Sorrento, Pompeii, and possibly Capri. We will also see a lot of Naples too as the kids live just north west of there.

What is making me a little nervous is that we really don't have a daily plan yet and we have no idea where to stay, eat, sightsee. Of course we have Rick Steves' Italy, The Lonely Planet, etc., but it seems there is so much to read and make decisions about that it is overwhelming. We will be driving (yikes) to the north but during the days we spend on our own we don't know if we should get a rail pass, book a mini tour, or whatever. The books include so much info on everything that I would really love input from anyone who has been there to help us cull out the best of the best. I would also love to see and hear about what we should skip. A referral to a great hotel or two would be welcomed as well. We want to avoid that nightmare vacation where you are spending all your time trying to figure out what to do, with your nose stuck in a map, tour book, or 2-way dictionary. ( All while fending off pick pockets too.) We are on info overload and would just like someone to point and shoot us in the right direction. Sharing your "leanings" would be appreciated.