Italy or Elsewhere in Europe with a Parisian or Pays de Loire "vibe"?

That is a tough one. Going to be a lot of personal preference. Personally I like the uniqueness of different places. Paris and Rome is about as far a part in vibe as anything. Love both. For us when we want more of the same, we simple return to the same and enjoy it again. We have spent close to a year in Europe over the past 40+ years and right now cannot think of any area that repeats another area. As I was starting my response I thought something would come to mind. There is some overlap in beach areas but that is not what you are asking. Good luck.

From Rome I would think the next best city like a Paris would be Milan. Marseilles could be a choice. The French or Italian Riviera.

A lot of French people say Prague. I’ve never been, but my husband was there four times before the Wall came down.
But, there are months and months of things to discover in Paris and Rome. Very few places in the world equal those two.

Prague is certainly nice but misses to my opinion the real "Grandeur" Paris has, nevertheless it can be combined with a visit to Karlsbad and Mariënbad for instance.

Think there is no serious substitute for Paris but maybe Vienna can be a good option. Have no idea how much the Danube river has to offer there, but the Middle Rhine Valley and the tributary Moselle in Germany have a lot of charm and in that respect to my opinion comparable with the Pays de la Loire. Ofcourse Vienna and the rivers are far apart, but have no better alternative so far.

For me of the cities that I have been to the one that feels the most like Paris is Budapest. There are nonstop flights from CIA, Rome's secondary airport, on Ryanair that take about two hours. I have no idea of where to suggest for the Pays de Loire feel.

Turin, which is often called the “Paris of Italy.” I spent 4 days there in May several years ago and it is gorgeous! I’ve been to Paris countless times and my favorite thing to do is to just wander. And that’s what I did in Turin, too. Parks, gardens, arched colonnades, lovely squares, and of course fabulous food.

I have to agree with JHK. Budapest was the first thing that came to my mind as well. It is absolutely beautiful.

Maybe this will be too similar, but perhaps Lyon + Burgundy? Lyon is really beautiful and parts of it look a lot like Paris, plus it has many museums, beautiful areas to wander, and a phenomenal gastronomic culture. In Burgundy you get the countryside, charming small villages, and wineries. There are direct flights from Rome to Lyon on Wizz Air and EasyJet. You can take a train from Lyon to Burgundy (I have enjoyed basing in Beaune which has a wonderful open air market on Saturdays and the very interesting Hospices de Beaune, but there are many places you could stay).

I am with Shelly and would recommend Turin/Torino. We just left after 8 days and it has become our favourite city in Italy. We had no trouble filling up our days wandering beautiful streets, eating fabulous food, and exploring a few museums and palaces. We stayed at the Grand Hotel Sitea and it is in a perfect location with wonderful staff. It is not particularly touristy which was refreshing and we were warmly welcomed everywhere.