Italy Itineraries

If you really can't choose one destination, you'll end up speeding through Rome, Florence, and Venice. After a day and a half picking off the top sights in Rome, take a fast-train to Florence for the night (1 hour and 37 minutes). Spend the day visiting the Uffizi museum, the Duomo, and Michelangelo’s David; then continue northward and spend the remaining time in Venice, where you can see St. Mark’s Square and the Doge’s Palace, drift in a gondola, and get lost on a long walk. You will need much advance planning and prior reservations for tickets to the major sites.

See Rome (with a side-trip to Pompeii), Florence, Venice, and Milan. Spend 2 nights in Rome (hop down to Pompeii from Rome; about 2.5 hours each way), 1 day in Florence, and 2 days in Venice. On your way home, go to Milan, peep into the Duomo, and then run to the airport for your return flight.

Start at the top of this list and work your way down the boot (or vice versa): Milan, Venice, Florence, Rome, Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, Sicily. Spend 1 day in Milan, 2 in Venice, 2 in Florence, 3 in Rome, 2 days taking in the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii, and then 4 days in Sicily (2 for Syracuse, 1 for Catania, and 1 for Taormina).

Pad the above with further sights to indulge your interests. You might want to visit the Italian Lakes from Milan, and maybe add stops in Verona and Bologna on your way south; from Florence, take day trips to Pisa and Siena or Perugia and Assisi. Consider visiting the charming island of Capri off Positano. If shopping is part of the plan, start from the south and leave the chic boutiques of Milan for last.