2 weeks itinerary - First time to Italy - advice

Yes, May is much better weather than March.You're going to enjoy it much more to sleep in the Cinque Terre on nights 2 and 3, instead of your current plan of sleeping in Genova on nights 2 and 3 and doing the CT as a day trip; just go directly from Milan to Cinque Terre on day 2, without stopping over in Genova.

Thank you. :) I hadn't found anything specific as a must see there yet. I thought maybe my research was lacking there. Good to know.

Your research is good and told you exactly what you need to know. The way your proposed itinerary has it, it's a direct comparison between sleeping in Genova on nights 2 and 3 versus sleeping in the CT on nights 2 and 3; and in that comparison probably 99% of travelers on this Board will tell you there's no comparison, CT winds hands down. Your itinerary forces you to make good decisions about where you sleep and Genova shouldn't be on your list.

Great. I'll go re-read some of the threads and RS topics about which city to stay in.

I also feel odd for not getting all gung-ho on Venice. I know it'll will be interesting just because it's put together so differently than any other city. And I guess eating risi e bisi in its howmetown will be cool. So many of the highlights I read are all couple oriented. Hmmm...

There are only 5 CT villages (these are small villages, not cities!): Vernazza Riomaggiore Monterosso Manarola CornigliaMonterosso is the most developed. Corniglia and Manarola are very small. Many travelers sleep in Riomaggiore or Vernazza, but all 5 deserve your research and consideration.

Hi Heather,
The answers to your first two questions are yes and yes. I'd omit Milan altogether, also Genova and the CT, especially if you opt for March. Look into whether you can get an open jaw ticket, e.g., into Rome and out of Venice. We were able to fly home to San Francisco from Venice, on Delta, with little or no additional cost, so I know you can get from there to the West Coast. I'd add a day each to Rome and Florence, maybe two if you include day trips to such places as Orvieto or Tivoli (from Rome) or Volterra or Arezzo (from Florence). Verona is easy to reach from Venice by train, as is Padova, another very interesting city. Many of the smaller cities, such as Orvieto and Arezzo, house magnificent art and architectural treasures. Great food is everywhere. Buon viaggio!

Thank you. :) I don't think my companion is willing to miss The Last Supper, but there's plenty of time to decide. We don't expect this to be our only trip to Italy, but it could be several years between.

I'm also reading (into?) that you think Verona is worth a trip. I'll have to research for other day trips out of Rome as well to consider moving some days around.

Not much of interest in Genoa and little to do and see in Milan except Last supper, opera and Cathedral.I would add another day to Roma or Venice instead.

Heather,
Just a thought: one way of unpacking less is to use a "base city" approach. You could divide your time between the big three, Venice-Florence-Rome, with day trips as Rosalyn suggests.
Verona is definetly worth a visit. It's my favorite place to participate in the passagiata.

These suggestions have been very helpful everyone! I need to talk to my friend and nail down our sight seeing priorities. At the very least I think I'll reverse the order (work clockwise) and work 3 days each out of Venice, Rome & Florence. I think after 10+ days of walking around Italy, the nothing-to-do-ness of CT will be in order, and the less unpacking to do the better.

Thanks again!

Heather: Glad we were able to help. Your revised plan is much improved over your original one. I'll say the same thing someone else did: if you decide to go in March to get lower prices, then you probably want to drop the CT from your list because it's a weather dependent location. People will say they've done the CT in March and I'm sure they have, but it's a question of limited time and priorities and where your time is best spent, your other destinations are not highly weather dependent (you can be inside museums if the weather is bad in Florence) but not so with the CT.

Hi Heather
All good advice so far as you need to optimise time at a place versus time traveling (fun though that can be). If you want to spend more on food then look at this site I found (for my travels when the bank balance allows) -www.monasterystays.com. This is a different accommodation scene but seems to be good value for money.

May is a good month to travel, though I think September is the best month. You are trying to squeeze alot into 2 weeks - you will be spending too much time on trains and checking into and out of hotels. Each move will consume a good portion of the day. I would skip Genova, Perugia and Verona. Assisi is great, so if you must go there this trip, stay there. Your other destinations will cetainly keep you busy and you will have some time to enjoy the vibes.