15 day Italy for husbands 60th

4 nights OPEN - where to before we head to Venice??

Florence? Pretty much 'on the way'

I have been there once but quickly. is there a relaxed area to hang with great food, some touring?

You can stay in Bologna. Join the mouth-watering food tour provided by https://www.italiandays.it/ . Also day trip to Ravenna for the fantastic mosaic.

ferry to Capri for 2 nights - do we need 2?

No, one night will do.

If you haven't been to Venice before, consider giving it 3 nights.

I agree with CJean, Venice deserves a minimum of three nights.

I would, conversely, advise against more than one day in Venice. Horrible place IMO, though certainly unique.

Hello Paula G, and welcome to the forum!

I think one night on Capri will probably be enough.

I personally love Venice but I understand it's not for everyone. Verona certainly matches what you're looking for in a cafe culture, pretty and arty city with mostly pedestrian old down town core wrapped in the river bend. It has a standing Roman arena and theater and several interesting churches to tour. You could day trip to Padua, Lake Garda or Venice depending on what interests you.

The suggestions of Florence and Bologna are also good and on the way depending on what interests you. Florence has amazing art, history and architecture. Bologna is a University town and has great food, markets, a medieval core and the bustle of a big, but not too big, city.

Smaller towns include Siena and Lucca but these are farther away from Venice and would require getting back to Florence to get to Venice. Not a huge task but something to be aware of.

Buono compleanno to your husband. Have a great trip!
=Tod

Hi Paula -
I know you're not asking about this destination but it might be worth some questions?

...immediate ferry to Positano for 4 nights

Why did you choose it, and what activities are you planning while you are there? Also, how old is your son, and what time of year will you be traveling? I'm asking as it can be an inconvenient spot to be based for certain sightseeing, such as Pompeii, public transit to/from other locations around the coast can be overloaded and time-consuming, and it offers little to do for active younger folks. It also has, by all accounts, become seriously overrun during high season. It's been a number of years since we day-tripped it from Sorrento (our base) but we were essentially done with it after 1/2 a day.

Capri: how long to stay may depend on what you want to do while you're there? We had two nights/one full day/two 1/2 days and were happy to have had more than just one night. It's another very busy place but the worst of the mobs tend to congregate in the town (Capri and Anacapri) centers during the from midmorning to late afternoon when the day-trippers are out and about in force. If up for some exploring on foot to some further reaches of the island (highly recommended) you can generally escape the heavy crowds.

not sure.
we will be flying in from Toronto for 3 nights to Rome so assume that will be very busy and might want a rest.
Positano we have a two bedroom air bnb for 4 nights to relax, have dinner.
Going end of May.
Capri - 2 days because it is my husbands birthday. i saw that boats are way cheaper to rent there to go out for half a day from Ambassador WEbber hotel.
then not sure.
the whole idea of Venice started because my husband originally wanted to go to Croatia and then changed mind.

no real plans yet and hotels are cancellable by early May.

son is 20. studies history
he likes architecture, art, history, ruins, and nice dinners out.

2 nights Florence, 2 nights Bologna.

4 nights OPEN - where to before we head to Venice??

Florence 4 nights