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14 Days in Italy

I've never been to Italy and wanted suggestions for spending 14 days in Italy? I booked my flight already into Milan and leaving out of Rome.

Posted by
586 posts

Kind of tough without more of a sense of what you really enjoy doing, Kris, but I'll presume it's an introductory/survey trip? Also, WHEN you're going matters, too...summer vs. winter, a big difference, for example. I'll presume it's spring or summer? +Fly into Milan, bus to Milano Centrale; check bags +Visit Piazza Duomo (Duomo di Milano, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, lunch, shopping; could reserve tickets for da Vinci's Last Supper in advance, too) +Train to Venice; 3 nights Venice +Train to Florence; 3 nights Florence +Train to Cinque Terre; 3 nights CT (we like Monterosso al Mare as home base) +Train back to Florence; bus from next to station to Siena (one hour ride) +2 nights Siena +Bus Siena to Rome (3 hour ride) +3 nights Rome; fly home from Rome No real way to include CT without backtracking a bit since you're flying out of Rome, but I think it would be worth it for 3 nights there...stunning. Some might suggest 2 nights Florence and 4 in Rome...but not me. If it's a winter trip, you should exclude CT and maybe see more of Tuscany, instead (or spend a night or two in Milano upon arrival, instead). If you'd like more details, just PM me. Good luck!

Posted by
211 posts

If big towns, big art, big churches, etc are what you want to see first, which most people do, I would split the time fairly evenly between Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome. Go by train between them. That gives about 2-3 days in each place plus train travel. If you like quiet and the countryside, I would see the Duomo and last Supper in Milan, spend two days in Venice. Then train to Florence, 2 days, then rent a car and spend a few days in Tuscany driving around and taking in the countryside, hilltowns, food, wineries, etc. Then drop off car in Orvieto and train to Rome or just drive to Rome and spend last 2 days there. If this is one time trip, seeing all the great things in the 4 major cities is the way to go. If you think you may come back, I would skip one of the big cities, like Venice and spend more time in the countryside. Cinque Terre is big on this board, but I would skip it first time around. That way you have Venice/CT/other places to look forward to on your next trip!!

Posted by
32173 posts

Kris, my first question is the same as Chani's - WHEN are you going? As the others mentioned, it would really help to have some idea on what you hope to see in Italy, and what your interests are? I'd suggest trying to find a copy of the ITALY 2010 Guidebook, as that will provide a good description of the cities and sights. With the relatively short time frame of 14-days, Venice, Florence, Siena and Rome would be good choices (and perhaps Orvieto as it's "on the way" to Rome). As your inbound flight is into Milan, you might consider spending a few days at Varenna on Lago di Como to get over jet lag and get "acclimatized" to Italy. I can't think of a better location than Varenna for that! I wouldn't bother spending any time in Milan, but you will have to pass through there as it's a major "transit point" for trains. As it's your first trip to Italy, you might also want to check out the "Rail Skills" chapter in "Europe Through The Back Door", as you'll need to get "up to speed" on how the trains work there (it's not difficult, but there are some things to watch for). You can use the Trenitalia web site to research each of your rail journeys. Happy travels!

Posted by
2 posts

Thanks everyone for their help! We are going to be there November 6th - 20th. We would like to see a lot of tourist sights but also relax for awhile too! We are actually going there on a honeymoon but we would like to do mostly tourist stuff. Thanks!