4 Weeks in Italy

I wouldn't try to add more places with your 8 extra days, but add that time to the places you've already chosen.

Another option is to spend all that time you've allotted to Florence to just the city, especially since 4 nights means 3 days. Then take some or all of the 8 extra days staying at an agriturismo in Tuscany/Siena provinces. If you rented a car and stayed at an agriturismo near Siena, you could take day trips to Siena, San Gimignano/Volterra and Pisa/Lucca.

I have nothing to add about your sites south of Rome, but I'd really re-think your plans to drive in that region in the summer. From what I understand, traffic is a nightmare in the summer.

We spent four weeks in Italy last September and it was our second trip. On our first trip we did the big three...Rome, Florence, Venice with a week in a farmhouse in Umbria picking up a car in Florence and dropping it off in Perugia. This most recent trip we flew into Milan, Lake Como, a week in Florence, Cinque Terre, Positano for a week and ended with five days in Rome. We did this without a car and used trains only. Not only was it very doable but there is no way I would want a car on the Amalfi Coast. We had a driver pick us up at the train station in Naples and drive us to Positano and return a week later to get us back to Naples. It was a splurge for us but the best money we have ever spent after seeing the traffic, narrow roads and zero parking options. We used a free app called "Rail Planner" to plan our train travel and did not purchase any tickets before the day we traveled. Also, the app can be used without wifi or cellular service so it is always available. Have a wonderful trip!

Nice to see an itinerary that has a reasonable number of nights in one place. You could maybe add a day to each of your planned stays; stay in an agrotouismo in Tuscany/Umbria and chill; or head to the Italian lakes and the Dolomites. If you decided on the latter, maybe slightly rearrange the itinerary so you are there after Venice. Sounds like a great trip.

Note the comments about driving in the region south of Rome, what you want to do can easily be accomplished on train/bus. It’s not just the driving on crowded roads but also parking in the towns.

Oh, I love the idea of the Dolomites and Lakes. I think we will definitely include this, given the heat. Not sure you can swim there, but it looks beautiful.

Yes, agree with alternatives to driving in narrow streets. We'll just argue over directions anyway!

Thank you very much for your suggestions. Much appreciated.

Revised Itinerary:

24 June - Rome - train to Milan (3-4 nights)
Train to Venice (4-5 nights)
Dolomites/Lakes (5n)
Train to Florence (5n) and day trips to Pisa, Siena, Lucca,
Train to Sorrenta (5n) - car trip to Capri, Pompeii, Positano
Train to Rome (5n)

I haven't included Verona or Naples, but above looks hectic enough for us. Nothing worse than rushing from place to place without enjoying the local sights. If we were to add a couple of days in there, where would you suggest staying longer? Personally, I'd love to catch a flight to Tunisia to see Carthage, but that's pushing the timeframes out.

You mentioned loving food. i took a great cooking class in Lucca. Let me know if interested and I will provide information.

Definitely! We love cooking.

24 June - Rome - train to Milan (3-4 nights) Train to Venice (4-5
nights) Dolomites/Lakes (5n) Train to Florence (5n) and day trips to
Pisa, Siena, Lucca, Train to Sorrenta (5n) - car trip to Capri,
Pompeii, Positano Train to Rome (5n)

I haven't included Verona or Naples, but above looks hectic enough for
us. Nothing worse than rushing from place to place without enjoying
the local sights. If we were to add a couple of days in there, where
would you suggest staying longer? Personally, I'd love to catch a
flight to Tunisia to see Carthage, but that's pushing the timeframes
out.

Has an open jaw flight been ruled out?
It might (not certain) make more sense to visit Milan and Venice (in either order), and then pick up a car for the lakes/Dolomiti and keep it for Tuscany (if you do a more rural stay in there versus just Florence) then drop the car before going to Sorrento. You do not want a car anywhere near the Amalfi coast in summer! It is wall to wall traffic and the parking is exorbitant. Use ferries.
Carthage would not be something I would add onto this trip, but there are some amazing Greek temples south of Sorrento at Paestum.

Open jaw flight is an option. If we fly into Milan and out of Rome we might save time. I like your suggestions, Valadelphia. While we could stay a few days in Florence, much prefer local townships.

I know the crowds will be horrendous, but it is the only time she has off school.

With some smart planning you can successfully minimize the impact of the crowds. Venice and Rome are overrun by cruise ship day trippers. The trick is to start early and go late to the more popular sites. As many have mentioned, once you get off the main drag in Venice, the crowds thin considerably. Explore out of the way places while the thundering hoard fills the Piazza San Marco.

I highly recommend Walks of Italy and I would take advantage of them as often as you can. We had wonderful tours in Florence and Rome. They provide the tickets that allow you to skip the line. There are other ways to skip the line as well, but our guides offered amazing information that we would have probably missed. Mark it down as an "educational expense".

Watch all the Rick Steves videos on Italy. It will give you some great ideas and show you what to expect.

Prepare to be amazed and to fall in love. Take along a huge dose of good humor and patience. Be flexible. Relax. I was 15 the first time I went to Europe. I was on a school trip. I met my wife on that trip. She was 14 at the time. It was wonderful to get to return to Florence 50 years later and re-enact our first kiss.

Your thoughts of flying into Milan and out of Rome makes a lot of sense. Will save you a tone of time. Highly recommend four nights in Venice -- five if you want to do day trips to Verona, Padua, etc.

I traveled through Italy by bus and train in June-July 2015 and have a few thoughts.

• Unlike the US, you won't find every indoor space in Italy to be air-conditioned. Small restaurants, cafes and shops will probably not have a/c. Many museums don't have it either. It's not easy to find a place to cool off. Hint: Look for a shop that keeps its door closed! Stop often for a cold bottle of water. It will be roughly 1 euro or less if bought in a small food store. Sometimes you'll get it for about that price at a bar in a non-touristy area. Don't skimp; heat stroke and dehydration are no joke.

• Having an air-conditioned car will provide a bit of a break when you're hopping between small towns. Otherwise, you're waiting outdoors in the heat for the next bus if there doesn't happen to be rail service (not that the train station will have a/c). I am not suggesting that you should use a car everywhere.

• Your air-conditioned hotel room is your surest refuge from mid-day heat. In sizable towns and cities it is critical that the hotel be centrally located so you can easily retreat there.

• Consider getting Kool-Ties (or an equivalent product) for everyone. I was doubtful, but I used one last year in southern France and it did help. Yes, you will still feel hot.

• The Dolomites were my refuge from the heat in July 2015. You need to stay at altitude (Ortisei is a very popular option) to get away from the heat. Bus and lift services are good. Easy and harder walks are available. The valley cities of Bolzano (more to do, including a visit to the Iceman) and Bressanone (smaller) have pretty historic areas but were no cooler than points south. Many of their budget and moderate hotels have no a/c (unlike most lodgings farther south), so stay up in the mountains.

• I've enjoyed visits to several Italian lakes, but I'm not sure how much cooler it will be in that area. Check wunderground.com for weather stats.

• I know three nights in Milan is only two days, but that's a lot of time for Milan. Beyond the Last Supper (if you're interested and can get a ticket) and the Duomo, I wouldn't know what to suggest to you. The hill town of Bergamo is visitable on a day-trip from Milan. It's very atmospheric.

As originally presented your itinerary seemed well-paced but was very heavy on the most popular Italian destinations (which is natural). Since you have some extra days, I'd like you to see some places where you won't feel like three of thousands of American tourists. Having a car in Tuscany/Umbria so you can get to some hill towns not visited by big-bus tours would be one possibility.

Another option would be to visit the string of towns stretching between Milan and Venice: Verona (which I haven't seen and suspect is very touristy), Padua and Vicenza. Rail links are good. Padua has quite a lot to see and has the feel of what I call "a real city", as opposed to a place that exists just for tourists. It has a very nice historic district, the Scrovegni Chapel, etc. Vicenza feels a lot smaller; it's know for Palladian architecture. Padua would be a better base. Several people on the forum have liked Ferrara, which is south of Padua and also accessible by rail.

Bologna, while a large city, doesn't get many American tourists. It has one of Europe's largest medieval districts and is known for its food. It is not a "cute small town" but is a great base for day-trips. Even Ravenna is viable (magnificent mosaics and a beautiful, under-touristed historic area). There are other great destinations (including Ferrara again), many food-related (Parma/ham, Modena/balsamic vinegar).