28 day itinerary in northen italy - any real trip planners?!

Those are all great places to visit ( tho I am not familiar with Ascoli Picino). If that is your travel style, 2 nights everywhere, go for it.

But have you driven a car around Italy before? So you are familiar with the ZTLs and parking issues?

When you traveled before, did you drive, and did you move this quickly? It looks way too fast to me, with little time to enjoy the places you are visiting (never more than one full day anywhere), but I realize this is a personal preference issue--knowing if this is the way you like it goes a long way.
Some of this would be more efficient without the car, and you do not seem to be really taking full advantage of having a car--for example, in Marche, the car could take you to Frasassi caves.

There is a Presecco Road fairly near Venice. Different countryside and just wonderful. Since you have a car and will be touring, you might want to consider that when in that area.

I would try to figure out how long the distances are between places to give you a better sense of what you have planned.

Some people prefer to move rather than back track like you would have to with a day trip which seems to be you as I see places geographically close together as separate overnight stops.

It does seem though as if you have treated all places as pretty equivalent in terms of time. I think Venice is worth more than the two nights you have allocated to it. I would consider deleting one of your locations (Dolomites is one I thought of as 2 nights seems again too little to be worth the trouble of getting there.) and adding those days to Venice or 1 to Venice and one elsewhere.

Ravenna, Bologna, Parma, Verona, Venice, and Treviso are all well served by train travel. Consider rearranging your trip to first visit the places you can by train and then rent a car to see the rest. You will save money and stress. Also, instead of flying into and out of Rome, fly into Verona or Bologna or Venice and begin your trip there --- we always think Venice is a great place to get over jetlag if you stay far from where the crowds go, but we have flown into Verona and Bologna, too, and find that both are wonderful places to relax. In fact, we have not so far found any city or town in Italy we can't stay in and relax as much as we want to.

If you decide to follow miuccia's itinerary, Narni is a great little town where we stayed for four nights and enjoyed eating in the teeny tiny dining room of the deli Terra & Arte (and also several other restaurants I can't remember right now). You'd probably want to take a taxi from and to the Narni Amelia train station since it's kind of far from the historic center of Narni, but the car rental places are close to the Terni train station. Roma Termini to Narni Amelia is a 50 minute direct trip. One or two nights in Narni, pick up your rental car, and then off you go!

Hello everyone and thanks for thoughtful replies.
I have already booked my flight into and out of Rome, so i cannot change that. My first plan included driving through Molise and Abruzzo, so Rome made sense. But those have been removed now, due to lack of time.

As for the car, i meet more people on trains but generally prefer the car. I have driven about 8000 miles in italy already., but never in these places. I did go to Venice once before.. so That is why i have only allocated two days for it here. I think it is the most beautiful city in the world, but i know they are groaning under over-tourism and are trying to discourage entry with a daily tax, so i thought i would cooperate by just staying two nights this time.??

I dont see parking as an issue in gaeta, ascoli piscina, ancona, or urbino..and yes i can go to frassasi caves and other small towns around there. At ravenna i have booked a hotel at the beach with parking. of course for bologna, verona and venice, i will need to leave the car in a lot, but i do like the freedom of driving (american). To me, a 4 hours drive through the mountains from Gaeta to Ascoli Picino sounds heavenly.

I know Gaeta is a strange addition, but someone recommended it to me and I flew into Rome and took train to naples in May and by the time i got my room i felt Ill and went to bed. I get heavily affected by jetlag because i fly coach and cannot get much sleep at all on the plane. So, i thouht i would see a beautiful place, take naps, go for a swim and be ready for my trip after two nights in gaeta.. then leave early and can be in ascoli picino by noon or later if i am enjoying the drive.

I will need a car in the dolomites. And in the Udine area... I have already reserved the car.. but, i will reflect more deeply on the advice to use trains..:)
Marna .. thanks for recommending proseco road.
thank you for recommendation of Frassassi caves..
As for Ancona..? i guess i like the sea.. maybe i will find that it is too built up and touristic but they do call that area a Riviera and i wanted to see how nice the beaches are.
By the end of next may i will have driven 11,000 or more miles in Italy. (planning to do the northwest areas, lake regions, torino, and liguria....and i am hoping to choose a pied a tere for part of a retirement plan. So, this is why i am canvassing the area a bit differently than some people might.

yes, i want to see the UNESCO sites and beautiful cities.. but also have an eye out for places that might be nice for me and i can always come back and explore more in depth in an area.. For example LE Marche has about a dozen towns that they say are worth visiting... but i am trying to get a broad (but not too high level survey of Italy)... If that makes any sense..

I will reconsider ancona, i will think about the car, i will think about dolomites.. I was in alpe di suisse area last year.for a day hike.. i thought with two days this time i could do he famous driving loop there and valle de funes....

Still appreciating any feeback.. basically checking to see if i would like to spend part of my annual life in ravenna, verona, bologna, trieste, gaeta, etc... i know i woudln't live in dolomites but love them.

Thanks for your time and sorry for teh rambling reply...

I get the survey aspect, it's just not a lot of time to see if you like the day-to-day vibe of a town if you are only there one day. But, it's not my trip and I wish you success! (It's not like my social media feed is not full of Italian real estate, lol)
For a coastal stop between Ascoli Piceno and Urbino, check out Senigallia and Fano. Much easier to scope out vs. large Ancona. The beaches off Monte Conero (south of Ancona) are gorgeous--natural and rocky, clear seas. Ooh--another place I filed under "would be great to live here, just not in top ten to visit" is Pesaro.

yes, arcona was a dart thrown on the board. it doesnt mean i would spend my days in that town.
In may i drove through puglia, basilicata, calabria and campania.. i slept in 18 different towns and visted 30 including 8 unesco sites.
my style is like drinking from a firehose.. my brother died a few years ago and it served as a starting gun for the rest of my life.
I have driven 20,000 miles in europe in the past two years (alone). and while i may seem rushed i am also quite thorough.

I spent a month in austria, a month in switzerland, a month in sicily, a month in the middle east, a month in southern italy... two years ago i drove 6200 miles in france.. i have settled on southern france or italy as a place to use as a homebase... i also spent a month in the philippines last year. I am a pretty intense person... even if i ultimtely do not decide to own anything, i am having a ball looking...
I also do travel photography and driving is better for that (i feel)... i am travelling alone, so taking pics helps.

two people have mentioned narni and so i will look into that.
looking at itinerary again, i could leave out the dolomites... (keep it for may) and that would give me an extra two days to use..
i guess i could skip Gaeta and go straight to ascoli picina... that would also save me two days..
I will see some seaside in gaeta, ancona area (rivierra de connero), by the sea in ravenna and by the sea near trieste...
I can walk to the sea from my house in USA so..it does have a draw for me...

If you have any other ideas and critiques (I can take it), please let me know. Actually, the feedback was more thorough and pointed than i had expected, so i really appreciate it and will try to come here more often.
Boston Paul

miuccia... THanks, good point but then i would have to return the car to gaeta or pay extra..
Flying back out of Rome.. Thank you though....I will look into this...
I was picking up the car (for less than at airport) at the Rome Termini train statio...it would be late morning... not such bad traffic leavig city.... anway.. you guys have me much to consider...different car rental, more trains, Narni, frassasi caves, porseco drive, skipping ancona area, skipping Trviso to sleep and day tripping it from venice, waiting t book dolomits till i see the weather report., seeing ceiings on way to ravenna....
thanks very much!