12 days in Italy - how much to see?

Is your airline schedule locked in? Is there a reason you are returning to Zurich? A return from Milan or Rome would be more convenient and cheaper in the end. With twelve days on the ground you have too much scheduled given the travel distances/time. Especially if you spend a couple of days in Switzerland. We find that when we change locations we lose at least a half day plus travel time. Depending on how you count you have at least seven changes which means about half of your twelve days will spend on travel and checking in and out of hotels. How many nights do you plan to spend in Europe? Need to do a little re-think and look at the map.

Your current list of cities has you covering a lot of territory for 12 days. I would suggest no more than 3 locations in 12 days, with day trips if there are other must-sees. Plan on losing one-half to a full day of touring time each time you change locations. To save time, also consider flying into your first destination and flying home from your last destination; you can book this type of open-jaw flight by selecting the multicity option on the airline website.

I would suggest eliminating the Naples area from this trip, since it's the most distant locale. I'd also like to suggest adding a stop in Ravenna, given your interest in art and church history. It has some of the finest Byzantine-style mosaics in Italy. It was also as an important locale in the controversy between orthodoxy and Arianism in the early church, and you can see some interesting examples of art from each tradition. You could do it as a day trip (a long day trip) from either Venice or Florence, but it would be better to do an overnight there.

I agree with previous posts about flying open-jaw and reducing the number of places you visit. Big cities usually need 3-5 nights, smaller places 2-3 nights. Sure you could spend less time in each place, but running around trying to "see it all" means you'll spend more money and more time sitting on trains, and less time enjoying where you are.

Pick either Cinque Terre OR Amalfi Coast, there is no need to see both within one trip.

Your current schedule will allow you to check things you saw off a list, but you will enjoy virtually nothing. It's Lucerne to Venice - Florence - Rome with a night in Verona (maybe) on your way to Florence from Venice. Fly home from Rome or waste another full day on the train getting back to Zurich. I'm serious about sentence one - you will waste a ton of enjoyment and a ton of money. Italy is a different world compared to the rest of Europe, it is incredibly frustrating the first time. Take it from me and about 80% of other first-timers who made the same mistake!
PLEASE do the following: Buy Rick's "POCKET" books on Venice, Flor. And Rome and carry them with you as your free tour guide to every sight - you will see only the best of the best masterpiece sights and art by day and after your pm siesta, you will experience another vacation of real Italians, in the locals restaurants with Carnegie Hall grade musicians playing in the Piazzas by night. There is a reason why it is Rick's favorite country and you really have to experience it in the correct way (RS's way) to get the full effect. Practical stuff: Buy the Florence Card and the Roma Card and make a reservation at the Bohrgese in Rome before leaving the states. Follow Rick's guidelines on packing, going to the head of every line and read the books thoroughly (his museum maps lead you to every masterpiece - the Vatican Museum is 4 miles (!) worth of art with the Sistine Chapel at the back door! You couldn't see this much art in a year. So, for me it would be Venice (2), Florence (5) and Rome (5). Good luck.
Ciao Bella

Pick three. Does not have to be Venice-FLorence-Rome, but three stops is all you have time for. You did NOT mention outdoor activities in your list, so I would think the Cinque Terre is not your cup of tea; However, Liguria has some of the best seafood Italy has to offer (IMO). 5 nights Rome is a nice first stay allowing quite a few experiences. 5 nights in Florence is a bit much unless you are doing a couple of day trips in Tuscany (Siena by bus or train is a good choice; think about a wine tour with Tours by Roberto for a fun day). Do not go south of Rome with your limited time.

Venice, Siena/Florence, Rome is a classic first trip. You can take a day from Florence to overnight in Ravenna, and take a very long daytrip from Rome to Pompeii (shorter one to Ostia Antica). Adding more cities in twelve days will skew the ratio of travel time to sightseeing time, I'm afraid.

Add my voice to the chorus telling you to cut down your itinerary. Your interests in food and wine can be pursued at any of the locations listed. That leaves art and church history. None of that in the CT. I suggest you eliminate them and Switzerland. The "big three" of Italy will leave you gasping with astonishment. Truly! I knew quite a bit of the history and some about the art before my first trip to Italy, but I was staggered by the density of historic and art sites. Seeing the art and architecture in reality is awe-inspiring and quite different from seeing pictures. I've once heard a knowledgeable source say that it's estimated that 20% of all the "important" art in the world is in Florence. (I won't defend that if someone takes issue. Just an indicator of how Florence is regarded by professional art historians.) If you limit yourself to the three bases, you could include daytrips to Padova and/or Ravenna. Don't forget, if you want to go to Padova, to reserve a visit to the Scrovegni Chapel.

Although there are many different styles of travel I have to agree with pretty much everyone else - too many cities in too few days. We've been to mainland Italy 3 times for 2.5 -3.5 weeks each time, and to Sicily for 4 weeks. So our style of travel is different. By contrast, we don't want to see everything at once. We want to experience each location and get a real feeling for the town. On our first trip to Italy we spent 5 nights in Siena with a day trip to San Gimignano, 5 nights in Florence with a short trip to Fiesole, and 7 nights in Rome. Many think 5 nights in Siena is too many but we really enjoyed our time in that beautiful town.

If you wanted to pick 3 you could visit Venice, Florence, and Rome. That would give you time to explore the cities and take day trips from each location if you wish. Someone suggested skipping Rome on this trip in which case you could start in Florence for 4 nights and maybe spend 2 nights in Siena, then stop at Ravenna for 2 nights on your way to Venice for 4 nights.

You'll get lots of suggestions and only you know what you're really interested in seeing and/or experiencing. You'll have a hard time to narrow down your itinerary, as no matter how long you stay somewhere there seems to be never enough time to see and do everything. We feel that slower travel is more rewarding, enlightening and overall a better experience.