Feedback appreciated: first-timer 18-day trip rough plan

What are 5,6,7 -- either/or?
With such a long trip, I'd like some longer stays in there somewhere, but that's a personal preference and this is a nice overview.

Having traveled to Italy many times, I would say your plan is a good first-time experience for Italy. Others will say it's too fast and you can't possibly see Rome in 2 days but plan this trip as if you assume you'll be back. Your plan will give you a good overview of the country and let you know which parts you prefer over others. See what you can in the time you've allotted and leave the rest for the next trip. In Cinque Terre, I really enjoyed staying in Vernazza, the town is beautiful and it's very easy to get to the other towns by train. Plan to be up early in the morning each day to avoid the worst of the crowds. June will be bonkers, but you can still enjoy it. Don't forget, wherever there are 1,000 tourists, usually a few streets away is a completely different experience.

Are you renting a car for Orvieto/Siena? The drive between the two is the best part of Tuscany. You could spend one night in Orvieto (one day is plenty to see what's there), pick up a rental car in the morning and drive up through southern Tuscany to spend two nights in Siena.

Thank you so much Bill and valadelphia!

For Siena and Orvieto - I was hoping to visit both if time allows!
For our itinerary between Rome (with a trip to Pompeii) and Florence (Day 4-8), suppose I do the following:
Day 4 - Day trip to Pompeii from Rome
Day 5 - Orvieto
Day 6, 7 - Siena
Day 8 - Siena --> Florence (overnight in Florence)

I think we have a few decisions to make as far as transportation goes. Any thoughts on the following questions?

1. Day 4, should we overnight in Rome, or in Orvieto? (The plan is to leave Rome as early as possible, visiting Pompeii, and then head back). If we take the train from Pompeii to Orvieto say in early afternoon, we should be able to make it to Orvieto by dinner time?

2. Should we pick up rental car in Rome, or Orvieto? The advantage of picking up the car in Rome is that our luggage can travel with us so we dont need to worrying about luggage storage when visiting Pompeii. Other than that, from our research it seems we will still need to carry our bags from Orvieto train station to our hotel so cannot just drive to hotel and unload

3. Should we return the car in Siena, or Florence?

4. If we decide to take the train from Rome to Pompeii, and then take the train from Pompeii to Orvieto - what is the best place for us to store our luggage (Rome Termini, Napoli, Pompeii, or elsewhere?)

Thank you!

Day trip to Pompeii (or save it for next time?)

Save it for next time is my suggestion.

Go to Ostia Antica instead, and save yourself some wear n' tear

I’d save Pompeii for next time when you do a trip to southern Italy. Instead, stay in Rome with a partial day trip to Ostia Antica. There is so much to see in Rome. I’m heading back to Rome for five days without scheduling any major “tourist” sights (saw those last visit). I like that you give Venice three days.

If you don’t have hotels booked do it now! They are booking full. I booked my rooms in November for September trip.

Since you’re interested in food, consider a food tour with https://www.eatingeurope.com

I would save Pompei for next trip and pair with Naples/Sorrento/AC
Keep that night in Rome

The problem with picking up rental car in Orvieto is there is only Hertz znd AutoEurope no longer works with them. If you need an automatic I’m not sure you can count on that car actually being there

You could rent in Rome at either airport or at Tiburtina
Then drop the car in Florence so you can drive the Chianti Road between Siena and Florence

Rome -i hope Vatican and Borghese are on different days
I’d be feeling museum overload if on same day

Can you see Pisa on your way to CT?
As it is you only have 2.5 days in Florence and that half day will possibly be a short one if you enjoy the Chianti Drive and drop car later afternoon

What dates of this trip?

What do you plan to do in Milan?

If you feel you are fine with only 3 nights in Rome this trip then I would add the night to Tuscany and car rental
Even though I don’t like one night stays i would do
Orvieto 1
Montepulciano 1
Siena 2
There are hotels with parking in all of these towns
As long as you have the car you should try to see as much as you can

Thank you ChristineH!

Vatican and Borghese are fortunately on two different days although for Borghese we're only able to secure the tickets with guided audio tour - one in English and one in Italian - do you know if we can just use the ticket to get in and do a self-tour with Rick Steve apps? Regular tickets all sold out already on the dates we will be Rome.

Visiting Pisa on our way to CT is a great idea, that should save us lots of time. Would you recommend renting a car to go to CT or train can do the job?

For Milan - We plan to see the Milan Duomo, Galleria, San Siro stadium. Maybe a day trip to Lake Como?
Il Cenacolo seems fully sold out already.

Thank you Horsewoofie and Joe32F.

We decided to save Pompeii for next trip. Great suggestion. Were already hesitating about it.
Tell me about the hotels, particularly in Rome, Milan and Florence - Fortunately we're able to secure most already - costs an arm and a leg!!!

For a hotel in Florence, check out the Hotel California -- that really is the name. It's a beautiful place to stay, and the locations is such that one can walk from their to just about anyplace you want to go.

I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to get in with guided tour then go off on your own
Just be sure to tell the guide you are dropping out of the tour so they don’t think they lost you!

Pisa/ CT by train for sure. A car will just be a nuisance and will spend its time in a parking while you are there

There are direct trains from Florence to Pisa then from Pisa to Monterosso
Store your bags in Pisa station
Pack light!

Milan-sorry you’ll miss Cenacolo-we finally got there last trip and it was fabulous
I was way more impressed than I thought I’d be

Be sure to do the Roof Terraces at Duomo

We really liked this hotel
Great location
Very nice rooms, friendly helpful staff
Take a 10 min cab to Cardona station to catch the Malpensa Express to MXP
https://www.ducadiyork.com/en/

Thanks again ChristineH!
For car rental, is it crazy to rent a car from Rome Termini station?
Our hotel is very close to Termini on Via Firentz so Termini is a more logical choice but I also heard this traffic restrict zone thing in Italy, although I am pretty used to drive in heavy traffic in big cities

Thx!

Termini is fine
Search this forum for driving directions from there out to highway
Posted by Roberto

He also has posted directions for in and out of Florence
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/picking-up-a-car-in-florence-to-drive-thru-tuscany

You've done a lot of research, I think this is a great first trip to Italy. I'm glad you decided to drop a day-trip to Pompeii, you have plenty going on.

If you're interested in a slightly cheaper Florence hotel, I've stayed several times at the Hermitage, right on the Arno near Ponte Vecchio & within a hundred meters of the Ufizzi. The rooms are smaller, but the location on upper floors with rooftop is pretty fabulous.

It's great you have no plans for arrival day in Rome. If you're up for it, the Baths of Diocletian & the Museo Massimo are literally across the street from Termini station, you could have a wander. (A combo ticket is 14 Euros, including 2 other museums you won't get to) and these are 2 places to savor ancient Rome, the baths, statues, mosaics, frescos... the list goes on. And there's hardly anyone there.

Personally, I would take an early morning walk in Rome if you have time - Start by taking a taxi to Trevi Fountain, walk from there to Piazza Navona (much less crowded than later in the day). You could do this the morning of your visit to the Borghese Gallery, not to the Vatican museums. OR save your wander for the evening, in which case take a taxi to the Capitoline Museum for the view out overlooking the Roman Forum, magical!

Hi - Thanks again for the great replies so far. We're narrowing down hotel / neighborhood choices in a few cities and would love some feedback:

Rome:
We've booked something already near metro station Republicca (looks pretty close to Termini), but also found another great hotel with easy access to metro near Prati. Which area would you pick?

Florence:
Many hotels recommended by RS already sold out, found the following with relative good reviews. Would appreciate if you ever heard/stayed at these properties.
- Casa Botticelli
- Uffizi Harmony
- BnB Firenze 8
- Flom Boutique Hotel
- IQ Florence

CT: need to chose between
- Levanto: Hotel Palazzo Vannoni,
- Levanto: Hotel Carla
- Monterosso: Parco B&B

Milan:
- Is the area immediately south of Monumental generally safe?

Hi, congrats on your upcoming trip! First timer here also in the midst of planning my Sept, 2024 trip. As I’ve never been, I’m going off tips and recommendations from loved ones but want to leave some tidbits here that I’ve learned.

-Venice is great to see in 24 hours but hardly any more time is needed than that. If you need to build in another day elsewhere, Venice is where you should take from.

-We’re flying in/out of MXP and I have two nights booked here. It was suggested I spend a couple hours in Milan and opt to do my overnights in Como (Fiance and I are lake/mountain > city people)

-Bonassolo is a 10 min train ride north of CT. The town has a beach and can be cheaper than staying in CT. Pesto was created here! My friend booked this airbnb and loved it: https://abnb.me/QlwsGGoiRCb

-Have a base camp in Florence and do day trips to the Tuscany regions from there

-Build in time to wander the off-beaten paths

-Some resources I’ve found valuable: the Untold Italy website; Local Aromas on TikTok

As one who loves Venice and has visited several times and will again I have to strongly disagree with above poster saying that 24 hours is all you need!

Most visitors who only give Venice a night or 2 come away disliking it because they haven’t actually given it the time it needs.

IMO-Milan is the least interesting of OPs destinations-at least for a first timer so that’s where time should be taken from.

Venice needs a bare minimum of 3 nights.