hi everyone,
We're planning on spending about a month next summer (from July 19 into August) in Northern Italy. We have visited Italy a couple of times before including Florence, Cinque Terre and the lakes district. We will be arriving in Italy following a three week organized tour of the Baltic countries including Poland and St Petersburg. We love Italy and want to explore some previously unexplored areas, however, we don't want it to be a whirlwind experience.
Our initial thought is to spend 3 nights in Venice, 10 days in Bologna (never been before and great location for train connections) and 10 days in Florence (staying in the Oltrano neighborhood or outskirts). While we've been to Florence before there is so much to do there and it provides excellent train connections. We're thinking of side trips to Lucca, Verona, Modena, Parma, Ravenna and one or two towns in Tuscany. Should we spend 3-5 days in Lucca and another town in Tuscany instead of those locations being brief side trips? Which locations (and any others) should we consider and for how long. We will be getting around by trains/ buses/cabs/walking and uber if available. We will not be driving. Generally, we like absorbing/exploring/walking around towns and enjoy shopping, food, live performances, cafes, walking tours, wine, etc. Are there any must see/do things such as festivals occurring. I know this is wide reaching but whatever input others can provide will be appreciated. Thanks in advance! Arlene in Tucson