First time Italy traveler - is July a mistake? 9-10 days?

Rome or Milan are the best choices for flight options. Venice is a small airport with fewer direct flights. Second, it is July - peak travel for a lot of tourists worldwide and HOT. It will be crowded. But you know that so you just adjusted. Hit sights early and late and take the mid afternoon siesta. There is a good reason why the siesta exists. See AC indoor sights mid-day or take a nap. With ten days I would include no more than three places and actually I would only do two.

Where are you meeting your friends? Could you meet in Naples, spend with three or four nights on the Amalfi coast and your final days in Rome and home from Rome? You could do a couple of days trips from Rome that would break the heat and crowds of Rome.

PS -- There are no off-the-beaten paths in Italy and certainly not the places you mentioned.

With 10 days, 8 nights, and the distances between, limit yourselves to two locations with day trips from the two.

Flying into Rome will probably be the most economical.

Your list of places are are not off the beaten path but in the middle of it.
Italy will be hot but Lake Como, Lake Garda and the Dolomites would be much more comfortable.

We spent 10 days in July in Naples, Sorrento and the Amalfi coast. Like you, it was just the way it worked out. At times, it was very crowded and hot. But we had a rather cool day to go to Pompeii and another one when we hiked the Path of the Gods. The buses were jammed but the ferries were not.

We flew into Naples via Frankfort but Rome can be much cheaper. It wasn't for us so not worth the extra trouble since we were not planning to visit Rome (we had been there previously).

One thing to keep in mind is that Italy even in the heat is not uniformly air conditioned. We were surprised that the archeological museum in Naples was not. We wilted and did not stay as long as would have otherwise. We ended up going on an under ground tour in Naples which turned out to be very interesting but our goal was to find some place cool!

And we did sit on a balcony and look at the Mediterranean in Positano in July.

From LAX you can fly non stop to:
Rome FCO (Alitalia, Norwegian)
Milan Malpensa MXP (Air Italy)

Or you can fly virtually anywhere with one layover.

The duration of your vacation is not long enough for everything you listed
For Amalfi Coast/Capri area you need at least 4 nights to cover the main locations.
Rome needs 3, or better, 4 nights.
Florence needs 3 nights, but you need more if you want to visit more of Tuscany on day trips from Florence.
Venice needs 3 nights
Lake Como also needs 3 nights, or at least 2 minimum.
The last night must be spent in the city you depart from to come home.

All these locations can be done by train and bus.
You just need to focus on those you can do in the number of nights you are on the ground.

Go as early as possible. It's not just hot, it's hot & very humid-- awful climate-- & very crowded..

You need to choose between a lot of travel time to briefly hit the high spots or trying to de justice to a few select places, Rome being #1. Takes at least 7 days to begin to see Rome.

Do not go to Venice in summer. Climate & crowds are awful. I saw a report that turnstyles will be set up to limit the number of people allowed into St Mark's Square this summer. And Venice is greatly overrated.

You seem to live in CA. Why go to Italy to see second rate seascapes (Amalfi Coast etc) when Big Sur is better? When it comes to water meeting mountains, the northern lake district has it and CA doesn't.

Consider this: Rome, Pisa, Verona, Lake District.

Hi writergirl242,
It's true summer is the busiest time, but it's also one of the best times to visit. If you are open to renting a car, I would definitely suggest Tuscany - especially the Montepulciano/Pienza area. There are crowds, but it's not insanely overrun with tourists. Using Montepulciano as a basecamp, you could venture out to explore so many other towns - Cortona, Assisi, Siena, Montalcino, Florence, San Gimignano, the list goes on. Also, you could his the Tuscan beaches...some of the best in the country.

If you end up putting this area on your shortlist and would like restaurant or accommodation suggestions, just send me a message. Have a great trip! -TJ

Southern Italy being too hot and crowded in July reminds me of what Yogi Berra said about a certain restaurant in NYC: “It’s so crowded, no one goes there anymore.”

My wish list are the Amalfi Coast - Positano - Capri - Venice - Tuscany - Lake Cuomo even?
which I know are far apart and probably crazy crowded and way too many choices for a week and a half.
We'd like to stay off the beaten path if at all possible.

NONE of your 'wish list' locations are off the beaten path.

Trying to do Amalfi coast and Venice/Lake Como in your short time frame is contraindicated ( i.e. crazy)

You should focus on Rome and destinations north OR Rome and destinations south, not both, for your amount of time.

Ditto to Joe's post: none of these locations are off the beaten at ALL - they're high-season tourist magnets - and Como to the Amalfi is too much ground to try and cover in just 9-10 days. Decide on either Venice, Florence (which is in Tuscany and Rome, or Rome and south to the Amalfi. If north, fly into Venice and out of Rome. If the Amalfi, fly into Rome and out of Naples, if possible.

If willing to drive, you could rent a car after Venice to explore rural Tuscany and fly out of Florence or Pisa.

A lot of your trip depends on what you want to see/experience and HOW you want to see/experience it. Do you just want to view something? Then things are possible. Do you want to savor and explore places? Then you may need to slow down the pace of your itinerary.

I'd suggest picking out two or three MUST SEE/DO/EXPERIENCE items for you and your friend and build your trip around those items.

Your list are more romantic second or third tier tourist destinations rather than off the beaten path. Off the beaten path may be rural areas in southern Italy, but they would be less pleasant with less chances of AC.
But, why not choose a region with at least some of your list? Rome and Sorrento (or Positano) for day trip to Capri and a drive down the Amalfi Coast? Just know if AC is not clearly listed, then there most likely is none. If looking at apartments, ask where the AC is and ensure it isn't just an occelating fan. If having separate sleeping quarters, you need to ensure both bedrooms have AC.

Three years ago my husband celebrated 30 years and I did LOTS in 12 days (June/July ) We flew into Venice, train to Florence, train to Cinque Terre (stopped in Pisa), train to Rome, train to Sorrento (did day trips to Capri and Positano), then train back to Rome and flew home from there. It was a busy, but AMAZING trip! If you would fly into Milan, it would be easier to train to Lake Como, then to Venice from there. We stayed 2-3 days everywhere. It was doable and the coast ended up being our favorite places! It was hot, but we drank lots of water and it wasn't a big deal. There were lots of people, but Rome was the worst. And if you skip Rome, then you can do it all in 10 days, you'll just be busy...but we loved it. Best trip ever!!

This June/July, I am going back with my 23 yr old daughter and doing a very similar trip, but we will be there for 14 days and adding a couple of day trips. I'm excited to show her all our favorite places from before and add a couple of new ones. :) We want to pack as much in as we can in the time we have! Have FUN...it is such a beautiful country!

To your first question... is July a mistake? I would say no. We spent 2+ weeks in Italy last summer in July. The only time it was uncomfortably hot (ie 100+) was on the last day when their big heatwave started. We just got used to walking in high 80-90 and chose to do indoor things in the middle of the day. We rarely took a true siesta, as I know someone above mentioned. So doable. Just expect the heat and work with it based on what you feel you can tolerate.

As for your wish list, as others have already echoed, your wish list includes all well discovered places. I would pick a maximum of two. We spent 7 days in Rome last year and it kept us fully busy that entire time, just to put things in context. Florence was good for a solid 3.5 days.

I would choose either going north of Rome in perhaps a Rome/Florence combo or south of Rome as something like a Rome/Positano combo. You could rent a car out of Rome and explore the Tuscan countryside on the way to Florence, if you decided to do that route, though the two cities are easily connected by train. Milan/Lake Como could also be combined.

I’d avoid Venice at that time of year but that’s just me. Venice is small with a much more limited surface area.

I would just say make sure wherever you stay has air con. We've usually gone in mid-Sept to early Oct, but a few years ago went early Sept, from Amalfi Coast-Rome-Venice and it was really hot - by the time we got to Venice it was a bit more manageable. Most of our days we'd be back in our room mid-afternoon for a few hours to rest/cool down, taking advantage of the cooler mornings and evenings to look around. Or try and plan to be in a museum during the hottest part of the day.

Italy is never a mistake but it will be HOT in July. You might consider seeing the Northern part of the country up in the Lake District. Might be cooler and there are an abundance of off the beaten path, beautiful villages in that area. You might consider Verona if you want to visit a larger city. It is a beautiful city. Roman amphitheater and ruins, good museums, two great piazzas for strolling and people watching, great food and shopping. Enjoy!

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE for the kind and thoughtful replies!!
To clarify - i meant the wish list as that - a "wish list" - knowing I'd need to pick two or three from the list-
certainly not planning to get to all those places this trip :)
It now looks like I'll be traveling the first two weeks of July and have a slightly longer window than I thought.

Has anyone stayed over on Capri? Is that something to try and do? Thinking beachy weather maybe a bit cooler?
Also, if flying into Rome would it make sense to just find a hotel for the night in Rome - rest from the travel, and then branch out to the first location - either north or south or Tuscany to set up a base camp of sorts :)

THANK YOU AGAIN!
Also Verona sounds lovely and it does seem like perhaps skipping Venice this time might be smart?

Yep, Italy July, it'll be HOT, but you already know that.

How many additional nights do you now have?

If the Naples area is still on your list, rather than visiting Capri, which will be jammed with cruise ship passengers, consider Ischia. Much larger island, less crowded, good transportation links, much better beaches and restaurants.

https://www.ischiareview.com

If Venice is not a must-see on this trip, you would do well to skip it. If you can give 4 days to each, I would fly in and out of Rome if that's cheapest and take train to Florence for 4 days with day trips in Tuscany and spend 4 days on Amalfi Coast. There is a recent thread about Tuscany day trips from florence without a car.

I know you are not ASKING for a tour...........but, just so you can nail down overnights, not have to worry about finding your way around, and see the highlights of several locations, would you consider taking the Rick Steves "Heart of Italy" tour.........I just looked, and there is space on late June/early July dates. The tour is heavy on Tuscany........and it is a great tour. We took the tour several years ago (the itinerary has morphed a bit since then), and we LOVED it.

Then, you could add a couple of days on the front (or the end) for enjoying time by yourselves seeing additional sights?

Just a thought.............

We went for the month of July summer before last and had a wonderful time. Some places were more crowded than others. And some places were hotter than others. But overall, it was a great time of year to go. I would say Venice was the most crowded and the most unbearable for heat (it is hot and humid there and kind of stinky.) Having been there before in the springtime, I'd suggest saving Venice for a shoulder season. However, the Amalfi Coast (we stayed in Sorrento) was sublime! We took a boat tour out to Capri one day, hired a driver to tour the whole Amalfi Coast one day, hung out in Sorrento at the beach one day. It was really lovely. Make sure anywhere you stay includes air conditioning as it is not a given that ever place has it no matter where you go in Italy. For most of our trip, we had a car (picked it up upon leaving Venice and dropped it off when we arrived in Sorrento.) Your wise to chose one area since it seems you have only about 8 days on the ground. I would pick one of these groupings:
1) The lakes region (Cuomo, Garda, Dolomites, Bolzano, etc.) Fly in and out of Milan or Venice
2) Tuscany (Florence, Cortona, Lucca, Montalcino, etc.) Fly in and out of Florence or Rome
3) Amalfi Coast (Naples, Sorrento, Positano, Capri, etc.) Fly in and out of Rome or Naples
Happy planning!

There's no need to repeat that it will be HOT! I enjoyed living in Italia and I would avoid Rome and the Amalfi at that time of year. It is so crowded, both with cruise ships and bus tours. Venice is not worth fighting the cruise ship crowds. If it were me, I would fly into Milan, and spend time in the north. Verona is a beautiful town, and there are fantastic wineries, plus the lakes. The Adriatic coast is often overlooked by Americans. Rimini has beautiful old center city, and Sirolo has a hidden gem where you can enjoy fresh seafood at a table on the sand with the Adriatic turquoise waters as the backdrop. I personally cannot imagine Italy without a car, simply because I loved taking a side road to see the monestary up on the hill, or the small vineyard not in any guidebook. Lago di Como is expensive, but it has a rich history and wonderful villages.

You can also take a high speed train from Milan to Florence if you want to divide your trip to see both the north and Tuscany.

No matter where you decide to go, Italy is worth slowing down and savoring! Bon Voyage!
Catherine