My family and I have decided to plan a trip to Italy for sometime in 2006. It is my parents' dream to go there, so we want to do it while they're still young enough to get around and enjoy themselves. Since none of us have ever been, I'd love any advice you can give.
We've purchased a tourbook of Italy, as well as "Italy for Dummies" to start with. We aren't sure whether to tour on our own or take a structured tour. If we do the latter, we have absolutely no idea which ones are legitimate. Another concern is that we'd love to do a tour combined with some time to explore on our own, so we're not with the tour 24/7. Of course, a cruise isn't out of the question, either.
Our primary goal is to visit Venice, Rome, Naples and Florence.
If any of you have toured Italy, can you please tell me how you did it and how you went about planning for it? Are there any websites you can recommend that helped you in your planning? We're open to any and all suggestions!
Much appreciated! Ciao!