Advice of first trip to Italy itinerary

Well, I'm a Venice lover, so I would suggest at least another night there (I've had 9 or 10 nights over 4 visits). There are some good 'budget' places to stay (depending on your budget and how many people are travelling).

We've used this place 3 times...http://alcampaniel.tripod.com/ We've stayed in the standard double (same room, all three times) and usually has been mid-late Sept. Prices about 65-75 euro. In a great spot, right off a vaporetto stop. Not too far a walk to Rialto and breakfast is included!

One of the great (free) things about Venice is wandering off the beaten path and just...enjoying it. Soaking it in. The vaporetto passes are pricey (but worth it if you are going to use the vap more than a few times each day) but, unless you want to head out to Murano/Burano/etc, Venice is pretty walkable. Honestly, I'd take a night off Rome (at the start or end) and throw that extra night onto Venice. If you really don't want to spend another night in Venice, I'd recommend spending most of the day, then head to Verona for the evening, giving you a full day in Verona the next day, but still squeezing out most of another day in Venice - since it does take almost 4 hrs to get from Rome to Venice - and finding your room and whatnot will take up a good chunk of your sightseeing day. It's too bad you can't fly into Venice (a great place to get over jetlag) and home from Rome.

Five nights in Florence is nice - give you a couple day trips if you want to do them. We've had two 5-night visits to Rome and I still would love to return. Haven't been to Verona or Assisi.

Your plan looks good. Be sure to wander off the tourist track in Venezia.

Looks A-OK to me too, and it's nice that you have a long-ish stay in the middle (Florence) between two shorter ones!

Looks good to me

You might consider only one night in Rome at the end (necessary for your flight home). Arrive in Rome (maybe a hotel near transit to the airport) in the afternoon or early evening, after your visit to Assisi or Orvieto. Have a nice evening in Rome, then head home the next day. Add that extra night to Venice (or elsewhere if you prefer). You will have already had 5 nights in Rome and, while Rome can certainly occupy you for longer, I think it might be good to have a little longer elsewhere.

Oh - another idea - do the 2 nights in Rome and use the full day for a day trip to Naples / Pompeii! Southern Italy is a different beast, I understand (I've not been south of Naples except for Sorrento), and might be a good cap for your trip

Janineventer,

If it were me, I would day trip to Verona from Venice. I would also day trip to Vicenza and Padua (all in one day) from Venice. While I absolutely loved Verona, I don't know that it has enough in the city to fully occupy 2 nights as a destination in and of its self. That being said, I would do 5-5-5-2-1 (Rome-Venice-Verona-Florence-Assisi/Orvieto-Rome).

Since you are spending so many nights in each town, I would definitely do apartments instead of hotels. Particularly in Venice, this can amount to a BIG savings over a moderately priced hotel. Plus, you get the added bonus of space to relax, a kitchen to ???, and (usually) a cloths washer for doing laundry on your time.

On a recent trip to Italy, with my mother traveling with us, we stayed in 2 bed/2 bath apartments in Venice, Florence, and Rome, for an estimated 50% of what 2 comparable hotel rooms throughout the trip would have cost. Our Venice apartment was overlooking a quiet canal (Rio Marin) 10 minutes from the train station. Our Florence apartment was about half way between the train station and the Duomo (5 minutes from the Mercado). Our Rome apartment was across the street from Piazza Navona.

With so much time being spent on trains, (I count at least five trips with luggage), packing light will be really important. You might find the clothes washers a real godsend...

How nice that you have so much ground time on your first trip to Italy- enjoy! Your schedule looks good from here, but I would shave off one of the Florence nights & add one to the finale in Rome.

I would change it a little this way--
You have 5 nights Rome in the beginning, plenty of time to take a day trip to Orvieto, about 1 1/2 hrs

3 nights Venice, too much to see, not always that expensive.

2 nights Verona. You can take a day trip to Peschiera, Lake Garda, 15 minutes by bus.

Keep your 5 nights Florence, but do day trips to Lucca, Pisa, Siena, and Tuscan countryside.

2 nights Assisi, or skip day trip to Orvieto above and spend 2 nights Orvieto.

Since you already have 5 nights in Rome, just spend your last night there to fly out in the AM.

Thank you so much for all your feedback! I am feeling more confident about our itinerary now. I was worried that we were trying to fit too much in.

We above booked an apartment in Florence and a sort of apartment-hotel in Rome. I am going to browse a few Venice apartments and see if I can find one I love. :-) If I do, I might consider staying there and doing Verona as a day trip.

Thanks so much again! Much appreciated!