France and Italy in two weeks

[helena.ryan]

Hi

I am trying to plan a trip around France and Italy by rail. I am coming from Ireland by ferry and will either be landing in Cherbourg or Roscoff (which would be better?) I definately want to spend at least a night in Paris then I will be travelling to Italy by train from there (unless there is somewhere along the way I should definately stop off at!) I'm then doing a trip around Italy and back to south of France. Would I be better off coming inland then or going along the south coast? Where are the best places to visit and how long would you reccommend in each place? The places we go must be easily accessible by train (we can do a small bit of driving, but not in any major towns! and only if there is car hire available) I hope to spend a week to 10 days in France, this will be divided by my time in Italy, perhaps 2-3 nights travelling from Brittany to Northern Italy and maybe 5-7 days travelling back. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated!

Cheers

Helena