20th wedding anniversary trip to Italy (but we have to go in July)

I’d add Siena and hill Towns such as san Cacsiano Dei Bagni as well as the very underrated, Perugia.

Both the Amalfi Coast and Puglia are very far to travel from Cortona for just 3 days. Each is worth more time than three days at the location, and you must account for lengthy travel time in both directions (see below). July is not a good time of year to visit either one. For me, the likely miserably hot weather would be a bigger issue than crowds in Rome or Venice.

ViaMichelin's estimated driving time (no stops, no traffic, no getting lost, etc.) between Cortona and Bari (and you'd probably be going farther into Puglia than that) is 6 hr. 41 min. So realistically, nearly a full day of your 3 days would be spent just getting there. There's one train routing that is scheduled to take 6 hr. 35 min.; the others take substantially longer. Then on the third day you'd have to head back to the airport (I assume Rome), and that is estimated to take 6 hr. 13 min. by car (4 hr. 30 min. by train at the fastest). Again, that's from Bari but you'd probably be starting from a point farther south. So your 3 days in Puglia would really be 2 days.

Driving time to Amalfi is estimated at 5 hr. 20 min., but no one seems to recommend driving on the Amalfi Coast. The fastest train routing to Salerno is 4 hr. 55 min., then you'd need to travel on to your destination on the coast by bus, taxi, etc. Driving time from Amalfi back to Fiumicino Airport is estimated at 4 hours. There are a couple of train options that take less than 2 hours from Salermo to the airport; you'd need to add the time necessary to get to Salerno. If I were going to the Amalfi Coast, I'd want enough time to see several places, go to Capri (which is a full-day trip), etc. Two days and some odd hours would be really short, and you'd be fighting heavy traffic (whether in your car or on a bus), which would slow you down.

Overnight at MXP, the Villa Malpensa has a very good restaurant; 15 minutes to the airport on their shuttle.

Read this about driving in Italy and restrictions involved [ZTLs]; never leave anything of value in a vehicle when parked:

http://driventoit.blogspot.com/

Where do you plan to stay in Cortona? You can't drive into the center of town.

Puglia would be a real stretch for only 2 full days. You can pick up a Hertz rental in Lecco, dump it in Chiusi [Mon-Sat AM] and take a train to Naples; from there a driver to the Amalfi Coast town of your choice [described on www.positano.com].

Back to MXP, ferry to Salerno and a train ride of a little under 7 hours with 2 changes:

travelmar.it/downloads/orari_travelmar.pdf

Suit yourself, but IMO with all this travel time plus crowds, the AC not great idea. Perhaps Lucca or Siena for the 3 nights.

For good food -- Bologna area ?? Shorter travel distance.

Thanks so much for the replies. This is great info.

I probably should have started my post differently. More like—here’s an idea. But what would you all—the experts—do?

13 days in Italy in July. No kids. Lots of time in Europe but never been to Italy. Prefer to avoid the worst of the crowds. Don’t want to switch hotels/apartments too often. Not a hustle bustle trip.

City + country + water is ideal. My husband is interested in Turin but that’s just a thought.

With that as a blank slate... what are some itineraries?

I have stayed in Milan before flying out and stayed near the airport. Unless you have an exceptionally early flight, consider spending your last night in Milan not at airport. There is really something anticlimactic about ending your trip that way.

We have about 13 days including travel,

The above in original post

Then the first reply has "13 days in Italy in July"

Need to give the forum a stationary target for the amount of time you have.

Is entry/exit via Milan a must?

Do consider Bologna. It's not a big tourist destination. It is a rail hub, so it's very convenient for day trips to interesting towns in the area that probably won't be as crowded with tourists - Modena, Ferrara, Padua . . . . It's more relaxing to day trip by train because parking is often difficult near the historic centers (ZTL's). And you'll have many choices for dinners in Bologna.

My daughter and I went to Italy last July. We knew it was going to be hot, and we just embraced it. On that trip we did Florence, Perugia and Verona which was a nice mix for us. We planned breaks in the hottest part of the day and dressed for the weather. Don't be discouraged by the heat :). In crowded spots like Florence, we got up early to see the most popular sites. At 8am, we almost had the Uffizi to ourselves.

This April I am going to Bellagio, Santa Margherita Ligure and Anzio for my "water feature" tour. I am lucky to have three weeks this time, and I hope to make this a relaxing "sit by the water" kind of trip.

Santa Margherita Ligure is close to Portofino, but a little less crazy since the cruise ships don't land there. You might want to have a look :)

Beth

City + country + water = ideal.

Since you're flying into (and assume out of) MXP, get your relaxing country and water exposure in Varenna. It makes for a terrific recovery and tone-setting landing. Three nights there and you will have seen all the sights on the lake while charging your batteries for the next leg in a city.

Verona is magical, romantic, and ridiculously pedestrian. It's also a quick trip, but hot, so AC is a must. Two nights ought to give you a great flavor of the place, but three will make it more relaxing.

No trip to Italy is complete without Florence, so head there next. Stay in the Oltrarno and treat yourself to dinner at Trattoria Casalinga. You can either soak up the city for a few days, or stay longer and use it as a base to also hit nearby Tuscan towns as day trips.

Train back to Milan a day or two before your return flight and splurge on a nice hotel to round out the trip pampered and in style.

You're going to love Italy. Enjoy!

Thanks everyone.

Correcting my comment above, @joe32F we have 12 nights in Italy. Depart US 7/13 evening, arrive Italy 7/14. Depart Italy 7/26.

And no, entry/exit via Milan are not mandatory. We have not booked flights yet. But we are hoping to have itinerary determined this week so that we can do so.

Finally, we live in Colorado--landlocked--so for water, ideally we'd be seaside rather than lakeside.

Ah, in that case, land in MXP and return from FCO. That'll keep your travel in a generally east/south direction. So, rather than return to MXP as in my previous recommendation, continue south from Florence/Tuscany to spend your last day/night in Rome, which is only overwhelming when you try to do too much. If you take an early morning train into Termini on your last day, you can drop your bags at the hotel, hire a cab to give you a 25 minute tour to see the big sights, and then enjoy a relaxing dinner/passagiata. It really is an amazing city to wander around. To take the stress out of the trip to the airport the morning of your departure, take the train (traffic can make it a 2 hour trip by taxi.)

For sea and scenery: The most luxurious thing to me is spending 12 days in one place (or 2-3 places that are close together, like within a few hours). See what airfare you can get to any of the coastal cities and branch out from there. Coastal places we have enjoyed include Puglia/Basilicata, Campania (but I'd avoid the Amalfi coast in July--look south instead), Tuscany (southern coast), Marche (fly into Ancona or Bologna).

Just some food for thought...

Fly R/T Rome.

Arrive Rome and since you're at the airport, fly to Bari. 1:50 flight. Then since you crave water, beaches and quaint towns use 5 nights with travel between Bari and Lecce. Car is of great help with travel between towns,but not mandatory. There is train service but much easier with a car.

https://www.neverendingvoyage.com/8-towns-not-to-miss-in-puglia/

Return to Rome via flight from Brindisi to FCO, 1:10. Pick up car at airport, then head to Tuscany for 5 nights. Ending in Rome for your flight home.

Lucca is a great community for a few relaxing days and nights, train to Pisa one afternoon, then train to Florence, a few days there, possibly train to Bologna, or back to Lake Como. Bologna is smaller, not as exciting but many lovely things to see, good food. This seems more like a vacation then a trip, especially in July. Hope you enjoy your vacation!