First time to Italy - Couple around 35 years old- Itinerary help

My only question is when? What time of year? Too early or late in the year would really impact any visit to the CT or Lake Como.

CJean, we are planning to go the second week of May (9th - 18th).

Then option 2. You get a decent (if brief) look at Rome. She gets to explore the towns on Lake Como. And a day in Florence is better than nothing. Venice is too far away for such as short trip. The CT will be overrun by cruise day trippers.

I vote option 2 also.

And if you have an afternoon return flight, you could easily add a day in Florence and leave from Como the day of travel.

5: Como
6: Como
7: Como

Are you using "Como", meaning the town of that name, or being 'somewhere' on Lake Como?

Of the options you present, I see #2 as the better choice.

Joe32F, you are correct. Have not decided where to stay on Lake Como (though likely not in Como).

Also, we don't feel constrained to the two options outlined. If others have thoughts on what they'd do given the prefrences I tried to outline. I think I could sacrafice Rome (or could convince her to sacrafice Lake Como) if there is a better first-timer trip that marries the urban/historical experience with the lake/ocean town experience (+ all the food).

Do not drop Rome. Everyone should see Rome, and you said you want to go to places with historical significance. It's also easy to fly in and out of, and a taxi from the airport to or from your hotel in the center is just 50 euro. It's also a great city for walking around.

Option-2
I'd add a night in Florence and drop a night in 'Como'.
There's a lot to see in Florence don't under estimate it unless you're planning a second trip to spend more time in Florence/Tuscany-area.

Lake Como and the surrounding area is pretty and nice but, I'm not sure it's 3-nights worth, 2-nights at most unless you're really taken with mountain lake communities.

Don't drop Lake Como. It's beautiful and serene , I have been there twice and will return. It's that type of location. We like hotel du Lac in Varenna, ask for a lake view room with a balcony. They have a daily happy hours. We met people during happy hours and had great conversations.
Having said that, you are late to the game for booking accommodations. Maybe that will influence your itinerary.
Have. Wonderful trip and safe travels!

Having just been there, I would also suggest skipping the CT on such a short trip. So option #2 - with a 2nd night added to Florence.

I'll go with option 2 as well, taking a day from Como and adding it to Florence, especially if interested in historically significant places. I'll advise reading up on that one before your trip. You certainly don't need to be an expert in art and architecture to appreciate the extant treasures of the "Cradle of the Italian Renaissance" but it helps to have a bit of background. :O)

Consider as well that many of those treasures are still in their original places - in situ - centuries after they were painted or sculpted you won't be viewing the them, say, in the sterile vacuum of a modern museum.

We took the My Way Italy tour last fall, and that itinerary might help you make some of your decisions for your own trip: https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/my-way-italy

The tour was 13 days, with two nights in each city. I realize this is longer than your time. FWIW, 2 nights seemed short for Florence and for Rome…we extended our stay in Rome after the tour. While we would have loved to stay longer everywhere, 2 nights was enough for us for Venice and for the CT, mainly because both were really crowded.

We stayed in Varenna on Lake Como, and our guide said she thought we were in the loveliest town on the lake, in her experience. We stayed at the Villa Cipressi, a truly beautiful hotel, and the nicest one of our tour. There are beautiful botanic gardens on the property, and I bet you’d see flowers in your time of visiting. No flowers for us in October, but lovely terraced gardens, and stunning views. The breakfast was fantastic. It’s walking distance to the promenade and restaurants and the ferry dock. We loved Varenna and hope we can return some day.

While there, we took a boat tour of the lake that also included an hour long guided visit to Villa Balbianello, famous for Casino Royale and a Star Wars movie being filmed there. The last owner was a famous Italian explorer, and we learned about his explorations to the North Pole and on an Everest expedition. There was also a wedding happening on the beautiful grounds there.

In Rome, we found a golf cart tour that was fun and helped us get close to a lot of the sights. I much preferred this to a hop on hop off bus tour, which was also being advertised on street corners. https://faciletours.com/ and our driver was Marco Serpicelli. The golf cart felt safer than I had thought, and he drove through parks, side streets, alleys, and tried to stay off the main noisy congested roads. It was a delight, with a stop for excellent gelato and time to explore Piazza Navona and other sights. Highly recommend!

If you’re interested in the Vatican Museum, consider a very early tour booked through the Vatican website. It made a huge difference for us in terms of being just ahead of the masses of tourists. We started at 8:00, which was perfect. We did not get a skip the line ticket for St. Peter’s, and that was a mistake - by the time we exited the Sistine Chapel and walked all the way back, the lines were way too long in the hot sun, and we missed out.

If you do go to Cinque Terre, I’d recommend a boat tour to see the towns from the water. That helped us appreciate the areas and escape the crowds for a few blissful hours. https://rosadeiventiboattours.com/en/ Marco was a great captain on our sunset aperitivo tour.

Good luck with your planning! So many wonderful choices!

Laurie😊

Option 2 is better, but forget Como, spend your time in Rome and Florence.

I have been to both cities twice, spending a total of 10 days in Rome and 7 days in Florence. I still haven't seen all there is to see in those cities, especially Rome.

Also, going to Florence for one day is just silly.

Hi Jeremy. Based on your stated priorities, I suggest option 1. We have been to these places several times, and similar to you, like active and outdoor, as well as a little history. Florence is great if you love art museums, but other than that, for us it isn't as appealing.
You will get plenty of history / culture in Rome. Both CT and Lake Como are extremely scenic; for Lake Como, base in Varenna. CT during the day can be overwhelmed with tourists, so plan to hike during the day and hang out in the town at night. Just my two cents worth. Enjoy your trip!

Congratulations! It sounds wonderful!
Definitely option 2! And I would also add another day to Florence taken from Como. I think your trip is a nice mix of history, city energy and serene beauty.

We stayed in Varenna at the Royal Victoria Hotel and loved it. We got one of the rooms with the full balcony and it had an incredible view. It includes a fantastic breakfast and also has an outdoor pool if that interests you. This is a sister hotel to Villa Cipressi, so you get a free pass to visit their gardens, without having to stay there and be surrounded by their constant weddings.

I hope your flight from Milan is later in the day. Then you could comfortably leave from Como that day for the airport. We got a private driver for $110.

Bob does make a good case for picking #1. I was looking at it from my point of view.

Florence might not be your style and CT was stunning and would suit your love of hiking. I would add another day to Rome and take it from Como, since you will have a lot of outdoor time in this scenario. And again, if your flight is later in the day, you might not need to stay in Milan before you leave.

IMO... you need more than a week, which you don't have. Rome in one day, or even two - you'll miss so much, especially with the hordes that will be there in May. After the RS Best of Rome in 7 Days tour, we did a day in Florence, round-trip on the fast train. We tried to do too much in one day. I regret it. Other than that, I don't know what to tell you. Your top priority is Rome; your wife's is Como. Maybe split your time between the two?

Lake Como is my wife's top priority with CT as her second priority. Rome is my top priority.

Based on your stated priorities, Option 1 would be the better choice. With your time constraints, consider dropping a day in the Lake Como area, and adding it to Rome. Also in favor of staying in Varenna at Hotel Villa Cipressi.

Lake Como is one of my special places. I just loved decompressing there after the flight. Don’t skip it. You could shorten it to 2 nights and a leisurely departure on day 3 for Florence. I have a hotel req near the a train station if you’re interested.