I am landing in Milan at 9 AM on May 9 and departing Rome at 10 AM on May 22. This is my first solo trip to Europe that was originally planned to work with a RS 10 day Venice, Florence, Rome tour, with a stop in Milan Last Supper) and a few extra days in Rome. I've never been to Milan or Venice, but I had three days in Florence and two days in Rome 10 years ago. I bought the RS Italy 2018 guide book and after I started reading it I've been drawn to places like Padua, hill towns, the Cinque Terre and other smaller places than just the big cities. I'm told to buy train tickets in Europe as opposed to buying a rail pass or tickets in advance on the Internet. On three previous trips to Europe I was there it was with family and every detail...lodging, rail pass and reservations, etc....were nailed down well in advance and went fine. A friend recently told me "when you travel solo all decisions are unanimous", and thinks I so should I leave most of the trip to chance, flexible, or tie it all down. Not sure of the wisdom of that, but with 13 full days in Italy I want to make the most of each day. I'm 72 and in excellent health and since I'm traveling alone money is not an issue this trip. Should I try to stick to the big cities as originally planned or look to reduce the time there and include smaller towns. I do have lodging booked for my time in Rome, four nights at a RS recommended hotel and the last night at the Hilton Rome Airport. Want this to be a fun low stress where I'm only responsible for me. Thanks for your input.
Jim