21 day trip to Italy- flying in and out of Rome (no other choice on this)

Very difficult to advise since you've not listed any interests or what "style" of travel you enjoy - and by that I mean are you a group that is "up and at 'em" first thing in the morning or do you prefer a more leisurely pace? Do you prefer big cities over small towns or the reverse? Like biking, hiking or can't think of anything worse? Do you all enjoy art or are you more interested in food? What time of year are you planning on going? If it's summer , how do you all do in the heat? How long you spend in each of these destinations is a function of what you want to see and do AND how quickly or slowly you like to travel and under what conditions!

I know, not necessarily the answer you were looking for :-) But it honestly depends on what it is you want to do!

Some tips to help you start planning:
1. Get several guidebooks and have everyone go through them - listing what interests them - the trip will be much more fun when the teens have a vested interest!
2. Compare notes - what are the common things - those go at the top of your list!
3. Once you've done that, a plan of sorts will emerge. As for "how long" that is where the fine folks on the forums can help you in evaluating whether you have enough time (or too much!) to see and do what you want in each location.
4. Other things to keep in mind - every change of location (i.e. Rome to Florence for example) will eat up anywhere from 1/2 to 3/4 of a day so bear that in mind when starting to lay out your itinerary.
5. Definitely take advantage of the breadth and depth of the experience and knowledge of the forum!!

Good luck!!!

We are pretty energetic. We'd like to show the kids the big cities and major sites, but would enjoy a small town here and there.

We'd love to hike in Cinque Terre.

We love food! Love the art too but won't spend as much time in galleries/museums because the 14 year old may get tired of that.
We are traveling in August- yes I know, hot and crowded but it's our only choice (we are ok with the heat...)
We would prefer to train from location to location- no driving for us.

We would like to move medium pace- 4 days in major cities/areas and day trips/tours out of those areas.

A general guide of approx how many days in each location would help...starting in Rome and ending in Rome.

Hope that helps.

My husband and I have been to Italy before (20 years ago) but the kids have never been. They are 14 and 17 and very excited to see Italy!

I'd probably train to Venice immediately upon landing in Rome - don't spend the night in Rome if possible, put all your Rome nights at the end, together. That saves one extra hotel check-in/move plus keeps all of your time in Rome together.

I don't see how you have time for the South of France. Stick to Italy based on what you've posted above. You could do:

Venice (3-4 nights)
Florence (3-4 nights)
Cinque Terre (2-3 nights) (maybe Genoa - personally, I wouldn't but some do love it; if so, do this before Florence)
Sorrento/Naples (3-5 nights depending on what you want to include - Amalfi Coast, Capri, Pompeii, etc.)
(I stayed in Sorrento but wasn't crazy about it - too much of a "tourist town." Spent only a few hours in Naples, wish I'd spent my nights there)
Rome (4-5 nights)

Consider a stop in Bologna if you train from Venice to Florence; the train will pass through anyway. At least stop for a few hours, leave your bags at the train station, and go have a meal in Bologna, or spend a night. (You'll need separate train tickets if you stop)

(In August, I would skip the CInque Terre unless you want a "Disneyland" experience. Consider another Riviera town instead. They'll all be busy in August. Consider Camogli or Santa Margherita Ligure. You can always day trip to the Cinque Terre easily by train and try to hike through the crowds on the trails - or look for other hiking opportunities elsewhere in the Riviera that won't be so crowded.)

We did this trip last summer in July (the height of tourist season!) with our 14 and 16 year old and had a great time. I'm sure you will, too. To give you an idea this is how our trip went:
Venice 3 nights
Bolzano 4 nights
Monterosso (5 Terre) 2 nights
Cortona 7 nights (we did 2 day trips to Florence from here)
Sorrento 4 nights (Amalfi coast, Pompeii, Capri)
Rome 5 nights
First you may be too ambitious to get Genoa and the south of France in with Naples and Sorrento. IMO, Genoa is just a port town--albeit with some amazing pesto--but really kinda boring. We didn't bother taking the kids there.
We spent a couple of nights in Cinque Terre (Monterosso) and the kids LOVED it. We hiked the trails one day (We started early at 8am so it was cooler and it was not that crowded in the middle of July!) then we hit the beach one day. Keep in mind a couple of things with Cinque Terre (and Italy in general) during August: 1) not every place has air conditioning so plan accordingly. Very few in Cinque Terre have it and it was super hot and muggy. 2) try to plan your 'touristy' days when there are NO cruise ships in port (ie: hiking the trail.) We chose to hike the trails on a day where there were no cruise ships so very few day trippers. This is good advice for all of the touristy areas in Italy. We did the beach day when we knew there were ships in port so we avoided big crowds.
Sorrento was another big hit with our kids and for us. It was so relaxing and beautiful. Really unexpected! We took a boat tour to Capri and went swimming in the sea, had some really great seafood fresh from the fishermen, no museums, which was a plus from the kids perspective!
Rome, Florence and Venice are musts. One kid loved Venice, the other loved Florence. We did food tours in the big cities one or two days, which we all loved! It gives you a glimpse into the culture without sitting in a stuffy museum or church (my kids words, not mine.)
You also might consider a few nights in a charming town in Tuscany (there are many!) The four of us stayed in Cortona for a week (we were in Italy for a month) and it was so nice to wander the town square in the evening, grab a gelato and listen to the street musicians play.
If you chose to go to Sorrento (or even Naples), you might want to look at the hike up Vesuvius. We are hikers and the kids wanted to do this hike but we ran out of time. It is on the way to Pompeii (another must see in my opinion.)
Hope this info was helpful! Have a great trip!

Thank you so much for your amazing insight! One more question for now. Looks like we can fly into Rome (nonstop) and out of Venice (one stop) for about the same price as R/T to Rome. Do you think this option would be better for ease of travel?
Thanks again!

We flew in to Venice and out of Rome (so opposite of what you will do) and it was well worth it. And the same price (for us) as in/out of Rome. Saves you travel time and you're able to relax more. Kids were happier about it, too!

jradisay I meant to tell you that if you'd like the teen-age perspective, I'd be happy to share what my teens liked/loved/willneverdoagain list. :-) For example, Positano was on their 'neverdoagain' list but Ravello--they loved it! Happy planning!

The itinerary Andrew H suggested looks good to me, but with more time in Florence, and the addition of some day trips. Our rule of thumb when traveling is to stay a minimum of 3 days at each destination, preferably 4. This gives us time to get well oriented, find our favorite places to eat and hang out, visit the markets (a must!) and experience the music, art (not just in museums), and feel of each place. My suggestion would be:

Venice (4 nights). Buy a Vaporetto pass and use it to get around. Take a day trip (by Vaporetto) out to the island of Murano to watch glass blowing and eat fresh seafood from the lagoon.

Florence (5-7 nights). Eat lasagna on the terrace at La Loggia on Piazza Michelangelo, then check out the artists and the view out over the city; walk back down to the river. Listen to music at the piano bar in Piazza della Repubblica. Eat in the roof garden of Hotel Baglioni, across from the train station. Take day trips to Cortona (Etruscan) and San Gimignano (Medieval).

Cinque Terre (3 nights). Take to the water! Get a day pass on the ferry. Hop off in Vernazza and explore. Hop back on and ferry to Portovenere. Explore old town and climb up to the castle ruins of the never conquered maritime port (despite 2 centuries of war and 300 years of pirate attacks).

Sorrento (5 nights). Take the elevator down through the rock wall to the beach level. Plan on four day trips-- Pompeii (buried in ash), Herculaneum (buried in hot mud), Capri (great boat ride...visit the Blue Grotto) and Positano (vertical city...arrive by boat).

Rome (4 nights). Stay on Piazza Navona (location of former stadium, with fountains, artists).

Carolee Duckworth

hey jr
when do you plan on taking this trip and where are you flying from (USA)? yes to flying into one city and out from another (multicity), not having to backtrack, spending money on transportation and hotel room. a headsup flights out of venice to USA usually are very early morning. when I book I look at arrival times and how long are layovers, too early arrival and can't get early check in or bag drop off, what to do with luggage. decide where and how many days and book hotels/apartments early,
aloha
just saw time of year, sorry. air conditioning needed and it will be crowded, be prepared.

One more question for now. Looks like we can fly into Rome (nonstop) and out of Venice (one stop) for about the same price as R/T to Rome. Do you think this option would be better for ease of travel?

Going 'one way' will simplify things and save the wasted time and expense of backtracking. Just look at what time the departure from Venice is. Getting to airport for an early departure is typically an expensive hassle.

If you choose the r/t through Rome, I would suggest going to Naples/Sorrrento 1st, then fly to Venice and work your way back to Rome through the other wish list destinations

Whichever city is your first stop needs an extra night because you'll probably be barely functional that day.

I like to allot a generous amount of time to major cities but research interesting day-trips in case I am ready for some time in a smaller town. Orvieto is a lovely hill town that's easily accessible by regional train from Rome, so the fare will not be exorbitant if tickets are bought at the last minute. Padua and Vicenza are easy from Venice.

I think you'll find the heat more of an issue than you're expecting (climate change since your last trip), and 21 days is plenty long enough for it to be really draining. You will be exposed to the heat nearly all day long. Small shops and cafes in Italy are often not air-conditioned. (There's no breeze indoors, in the non-smoking section of restaurants.) Plenty of museums don't have a/c, or at least they don't feel like they do. Finally, you will not be moving from place to place in an air-conditioned car as you do at home. Be sure your hotels are not only air-conditioned but also conveniently located in case you need a mid-day escape from the heat during the siesta period (which exists for a reason).

I suggest cutting some time from southern Italy and spending 4 days or so up in the Dolomites, in a place like Ortisei where the altitude should keep the temperature pleasant. That's where I went in 2015 after sweating it out for weeks in Sicily, Puglia, Bologna, Padua, etc. I like Bolzano, but it's not where I'd stay, because it is not at altitude and can be unpleasantly hot. As it was for me.

Another somewhat cooler idea, both temperature-wise and enjoyment-wise, would be to exchange your Southern Italy time for some days on Lake Como, with views of the Alps, where the highs in August are in the upper 70s, not the low 90s. Stay in Verenna (you can get there by train), where you can hop on the ferry and wander the lake to Bellagio and Menaggio, and down to Lenno to catch a speedboat to the stunning Villa Del Balbianello (with an intriguing exhibit about one of its owners, Count Guido Monzino, an explorer and the leader of the first Italian expedition to climb Mount Everest). The northern side of the lake is known to be the best for water sports... wind surfing, swimming, beaches. Also for hiking, and for exploring towns located high above the shoreline. While you wait for the ferry, eat gelato!

Carolee Duckworth

If you can more or less the same price for flying into Venice and out of Rome, that's better for at least 2 reasons. First is the in/convenience of the airport. Venice's airport is a pain in the neck to get to and flights out often leave early morning making it an expensive water taxi ride, while Rome's airport is much easier to get to. But the bigger reason is that Venice is quieter, more laid back and has no major sights. It's a good place to recover from jetlag and just soak up the atmosphere. Rome is a big, bustling city with major sights, not the best place right after a long-haul overnight flight.

In recent years the Cinque Terre have attracted huge numbers of tourists, including day-trippers from nearby towns but especially from huge cruise ships. You may be better off spending 3-4N in the Dolomites or one of the lakes. Verona will be crowded because it's opera season. If you want to visit, check now for reservations! Someone suggested Bologna. It gets mixed reviews, some people don't warm up to it, others like me love it. It does not get as many tourists as other towns and it has some interesting sights and very good restaurants. One of the main reasons to stay there, aside from being easier on the budget, is that it's a rail hub and the train station is conveniently near the historic center. You can spend several nights and day trip to explore other towns, including Verona.

For the south, consider Salerno as a base instead of Sorrento. It's not quite as "charming" but it has an interesting historic center and a big sandy beach just a couple blocks away. And it's easier to get to by train. It's also a shorter trip by bus or ferry to the Amalfi Coast towns and Paestum is a good day trip as well. On the other hand Sorrento is better for Pompeii, Herculaneum and the ferry to Capri. Or you could stay in Naples and day trip to Pompeii, Herculaneum and Caserta too.

MENU A LA CARTE

Rome: 4 nights
Venice: 3 nights
Verona: 2 nights
Verona with one day trip to Lake Garda: 3 nights
Florence only: 3 nights
Florence plus Tuscan day trips: 3 nights plus 1 extra night for each desired day trip
Cinque Terre: 2 or 3 nights
Sorrento Peninsula area (Amalfi Coast, Capri, Pompeii, Naples, etc): 4 nights absolute very minimum

Genoa: no need to bother
France: leave it for another trip. Got too much already.