First Time in Italy: Itinerary help

Fly in to Venice, rather than Florence.
Venice (3N)
Ferrara (3N)
Florence (4N) with visits to Siena & Pisa
Rome (4N)

Virgin Atlantic is showing some great prices (less than $800) if you are willing to spend a night in London on the way home. Flying to Venice or Bologna will be about $100 less than flying to Florence. Ferrara (correct spelling?) is about 1/2 hour northeast of Bologna, or 1 1/4 hours southwest of Venice.

Venice is worth a stop for a few days.

Thank you for the replies!

Is visiting Venice in Dec nice? I heard it flooded a lot. That' why we didn't even consider it for this winter trip.

The new moon is going to be the morning of Dec 19, so if you are gone a few days before that, you should be OK. Actually, I've been there for "acqua alta" a couple of times, in February and September, so it can flood anytime. It is not a reason to avoid Venice. It is fascinating to see what goes on during the high water, which only lasts a couple of hours. Buy a pair of plastic overboots from a street vendor and go sloshing about with the rest of locals.

Flooding does not always occur during the new moon, just sometimes when other conditions are present. Venice is better organized to cope with flooding than Chicago is with heavy snow. And as Sam also says, it's a very interesting phenomenon to witness and never lasts long.

Thank you so much for the replies! Sounds like Venice is a must go place in Italy. We will definitely considering to including it in our plan by flying into it. Thank you!

Spent Christmas in Rome about 3 years ago. Rented a fabulous apartment in the center of Rome. Christmas Eve day was spent "shopping" - hit a variety of markets for our Christmas Eve night/Christmas day feast as well as a few little gifts. It was definitely busy but very, very festive! Christmas Eve evening we walked to St. Peter's and stood in the square. Truly a once in a lifetime experience! Christmas day was our "rest day" for the trip -we slept in late, made a huge breakfast and then took off for a long and meandering walk and stopped at a couple of Christmas markets that were open. There were lots of people out and about and as I recall, plenty of restaurants and cafes were open.

Tips and Hints: Weather was quite variable and yes, very similar to Seattle's. When we hit Florence, it was warm enough that my guys were in shorts and t shirts the first day - but the next it was back to jeans and fleece! So, bring a good waterproof jacket and layers!
Also, although pharmacies are open on Sundays, generally there is only one open per district (at least in Venice). So, pack enough OTC meds that you use to get you through about 48 hours - we spent a couple of hours in Venice trying to find an open pharmacy to fill a prescription after a trip the Venice ER!

Assuming you arrive on the 15th, David's idea would put you in Florence the 24th and Rome the 25th. Not a great split given it is Christmas.
Venice (3N) Dec 15-16-17
Ferrara (3N) Dec 18-19-20
Florence (4N) with visits to Siena & Pisa Dec 21-22-23-24
Rome (4N) Dec 25-26-27-28

I would shift things so you arrive in Rome no later than the 24th in the morning, or do not arrive until the 26th. And I would recommend 5 nights in Rome since A) you seem to have time, and B) you lose a day of sightseeing when you spend Christmas Day. It is a great day to just walk around and take a break from touring, though!

You might search the Forum for "Christmas in Rome" posts as there have been many.

I agree with starting in Venice. It is worth visiting. Don't worry about the aqua alta. I have experienced it. It is interesting and unique.

Thank you, Sam! We got Virgin Atlantic tickets to Italy under $800! I am so excited!

Plugging (again) the Motorcycle Santa parade in Roma (elves ride in sidecars), either on the 24th or 25th.