Easiest way to get around in Italy if not with a tour?

I've lived in northern Italy for over ten years and go out exploring often. I almost always use the train system to get around here. You probably won't need a Eurail pass for a week or two here - you won't do enough travel to make the pass worthwhile. You can find schedules and prices for the trains here: http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoi... Note that there are discounts on the higher speed trains for early purchase of tickets.

It's pretty easy to get to Pompeii from Rome on your own or there are day trips available. If you go on your own, take the train from Roma Termini station to Naples. A fast train takes about 1 hr 10 min. In the Naples station, follow the signs for the Circumvesuviana trains in another section of the station. Take the train in the direction of Sorrento and get off at the Pompei - Scavi Villa Misteri stop. The ruins are across the street from the station. There's a schedule here: http://www.vesuviana.it/web/en The starting station is Napoli Garibaldi. This train takes 36 min and cost 2.40 euro per person. You should be able to figure out the other times and prices fairly easily.

I use this site here for hotels: http://www.venere.com/hotels/italy/ . There are B&Bs here and some monasteries / convents accept guests.

The prices of accommodations can vary a lot depending on exactly when you're here and what's going on. As with most places, there are a range of dining options. Generally, the food will be cheaper and better if you're away from the immediate area of the major tourist attractions. Menus are posted at restaurants and you can check as you explore to find places that interest you. Venice is particularly expensive. If you're in Piazza San Marco and sit in one of the Grand Caffes for a coffee, it can cost as much as 8 euro for an espresso. There's a cover charge and service for sitting and if the musicians are playing you pay for that as well. I don't mind doing this on occasion for the atmosphere; whether it's worth it to you or not depends on your budget. You can always get a coffee at one of the windows and stand in the square to listen to the music for much less. There are a lot of good places to eat in Venice. Da Raffaele is good - especially if you get a canalside table. http://www.ristorantedaraffaele.com/index-eng.htm I also like La Zucca a lot. http://www.lazucca.it/

In Florence, try the ribollita and the Fiorentina. I like a restaurant called Da I Cinque Amici which is about a block down the street opposite to the back of the Orsanmichele. http://www.villavacations.com/openthedoor/restaura...

I always book my own travel; it's not difficult to manage.

Train network is the only you can use for long haul, bus is good for the short distances.

The long disance tain Eurostar have higher fare than the commom trains, but a lot of time the difference is worth to pay.

Food and lodging are quite expensive. Try to use a local agent to book could be an idea.

For the food: smell the air and follow your nose.

Going fron Venice to Florence do not lose FERRARA (guess where I was born!), the town with the best food in the world.

Hi.Trains are by far the most common public means of transportation in Italy. The towns you mentioned are very well connected so you shouldn't have problems moving between them. The only possible exception being Pompei, since that's a smaller town near Naples, but Naples itself should be easy to reach and from there Pompei is well connected.

You can check the trains schedule here : http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/

I have however to warn you that that italian trains tend to be notoriously late and occasionally on strike. Also, long distance trains are often infested by thieves preying on sleeping passengers (there's also talk of such thieves offering drugged beverages to put their preys asleep. I don't know if that's true). None of this should scare you off, but you should remember to keep an eye on your luggage and take into account a possible delay when planning your schedule. For long distances I also suggest that you book a seat on the trains

even when it's not mandatory to do so, as they are often quite crowded.

Whether or not it's worth to get a train pass depends on how much you plan to travel around. When I used to get that I also used to always chose appropriately distant locations to visit and sleep on the train, thus saving the money iI would otherwise spend on the hotel. That however would be quite hard with your choice of destinations, as they aren't that far away (it would also reqire a willngness to accept a certain level of disconfort I'm no longer confortable with. I don't know about you).

As for accomodations and dining I can't help you much, except by noting the obvious: the closer you are to the touristic part of town the more expensive (and also the worst the food, unless you know where to go: restourants catering to tourists don't care much to offer great food, as the clients are unlikely to return anyway). In the case of Venice it's common to avoid sleeping in the town itself and rather find a room in some nearby small town such as chioggia from which you can reach Venice in a very short time. Also while in Venice I suggest to avoid every bar/restourant in san marco square as they have the most insanely high prices I ever saw anywhere.

When I move around in italy I usually have no problem just getting in town and going to the tourist office to ask them to find me an accomodation. Of course I'm italian myself, so everything is easier for me. Doing some looking around on the internet and booking in advance is probably a good idea.

Doing this on your own is certainly sensible. The places you mentioned are very touristic and I don't think you'll have too many problems moving around with your own schedule.

btw, note that the naples area has a reputation for being a bit rougher then the rest of italy. Again, nothing to be really scared of, just keep your eyes open.

The best way to travel around italy is by renting a car BUT you should avoid "tourists invasion" periods. Travelling by car could easily become a nightmare in those periods..you'll risk to pass all the time stuck in traffic. Unfortunately in the summertime Italy is (in)famous for its kilometric queues on the freeways. However travelling by train in Italy is certainly the worst experience you could do here (expensive train fares, DELAYS et similia)... AVOID IT.. September it's ok but I suggest the second half of the month..you'll find good weather as well and the most beautiful cities will be almost tourists free. As to the accomodation, i suggest you find hostels or cheap hotels in towns which are close to the cities you want to visit. For istance, it's impossible to find a cheap accomodation in Venice! The best cities worth visiting in northern Italy in my opinion are: VENICE, VERONA, PADOVA, MILAN (i don't like it so much but the Duomo is worth visiting), TURIN, PARMA, FERRARA.....