12 Days in April

I like Sienna, and its fairly close to Florence. We did spend 2 full days enjoying Sienna, but it would doable day trip. I have not been to Lucca, but its in my plans. Its a walled city.

For me, Venice would be too far from Verona for a day trip. Round trip it'd be about 3 hours. We loved Padua. It would make for a nice day trip from Verona. Again, we spent 3 nights there, but you could see a lot in a day. If you want to see Scrovegni chapel, you should book tickets at least a few days in advance.

For Venice, you would want to book St. Mark's and the Doge palace in advance, especially if you are going to only be there a short day. We didn't care to do the campanile, but noted the line was VERY long.

You don't include your outbound flight details, but I wondered if you two could head to Venice while your daughter hangs out with her friend. I think your Verona time will easily be filled but I would keep working on the Tuscany plans--because Florence gets so crowded, I would want to have a good sense of my options on any given day (not be tied to them, just to have lots of ideas).

Why skip Venice?

Great trip planned! I like Verona very much. Make sure you cross the Roman Ponte Pietra and go up the hill to Castel San Pietro for some outstanding panoramic views of the city and river below. Go left after you cross the bridge and there is a Funicular that will take you up to the castle. Nearby, on that same side of the river are the ruins of a Roman theater and an archeological museum. I found them both worth seeing. If you have never been to Lake Garda it is easy to take a bus from Verona to Sirmione, a pleasant small town with a pretty castle on the water, or take the train to Desenzano del Garda. Another easy daytrip would be to Mantova. I like Trento. It is about an hour by train from Verona and the atmosphere is very different. You are much closer to the mountains and there is a mixture of German/ Austrian and Italian foods and architecture. The old town and main piazza area is a very easy walk from the train station. Are you flying out of Milan or returning to Rome? If flying out of Milan, check out Bergamo on your way there.

I'm not saying skip Venice, we just spent 6 days there. I'm saying given the long time to get there in back, I don't think its an ideal day trip from Verona.

I can appreciate that. It looks like we can do the train to Venice in about an hour. We are from Maine so basically everything takes an hour or more to get to. So the distance seems doable to me! haha

Most of the train itineraries are about 1.5 hours, a couple are 1.25. I would make sure you have all your tickets purchased in advance. I talked with someone doing a day trip and he spent 3 hours in the line for the campanile. And it looks like you are there Easter week

If you are flying out of Milan you will need to stay in Milan or near the airport the night before departure flight.

Have you allowed for that?

Day tripping in to Venice means you will be with all the other day trippers/crowds/ cruise passengers
Expect extreme crowds as it is Easter week
Staying the night ( or a few) is the best way to enjoy Venice

Rome should have more than 2 nights that is only 1 full day and a jet lag day.
A tour of the Colosseum on arrival day wouldn’t be my choice
How do you do with transatlantic travel?

Check your calendar against the Italian calendar
April 20th - Easter - it is a super Sunday, reserve restaurant, almost everything closes and churches are very busy with services
April 21st - Easter Monday - festive day, traditionally devoted to family day trips. Reserve restaurant. Transportation packed.
April 25th - Liberation day - festive (national day)
April 27th - ordinary Sunday
May 1st - Labor day

Thanks I am comfortable with my itinerary . And I am aware of all of the Italian holiday dates. Just looking for some off the beaten path ideas. Thanks