First Timer Looking for Itinerary Feedback!

Go directly from MXP to Lake Como, skip Milan. No point in staying in Milan if you're planning a day trip your one full day there.

Venice is a great place to wander, but if you're not interested in Venice, skip it. Why go there for half a day?

Keep CT. But stay in a CT town.

Marco, thanks for your reply!

We want to see Venice but not spend a lot of time there, plus my thought is that it’ll be the best place to pick up the car for Dolomites. Is there somewhere else I should be considering picking up a car from?

I suggest go directly to Lake Como and stay in Lake Como for two nights- if not three nights. So much more beautiful than Milan, so relaxing and peaceful . We like Hotel du Lac in Varenna, ask for a room with a balcony and lake view.
Have a great time!

https://www.albergodulac.com/

If you want to see Venice then stay in Venice proper on the lagoon
Not Mestre or Lifo

Just be aware that those you don’t give Venice the time it needs usually come away not liking it at all

Verona could be a pick up location
And a drop off location
Or Bolzano
Wouldn’t want to drive all the way to Florence (but you certainly could drop off at different location)

Make sure you read up on driving in Italy
All drivers must have an IDP

We always book our cars thru AutoEurope.com

I agree with the advice about Lake Como, but look immediately for lodging. I had trouble finding a room in the (nicest) mid-lake area for Aug 30 - Sep 3, and I made the booking 3 months or so ago.

People who make quick trips to Venice often really dislike the city. On a visit such as you are planning, you'll probably end up in a theme-park-like scrum around San Marco and the Rialto Market for most of the day. Venice's charm is in the back canals away from the throngs, but you won't have time to see them. And staying on the Lido or in Mestre is not a good idea at all. Neither is really Venice; they have streets and cars rather than canals and boats. Staying in one of those places makes you essentially a day-tripper, having the worst possible Venice experience. Honestly, there is really no point to what you are planning to do; it's just going to cost you time that could be used elsewhere--such as on Lake Como if you can find suitable lodging there. (I adore Venice; I don't want you to go there and hate it.)

A few words about Venice. We added Venice to our first Italy trip because everyone said it was a must see, bucket list, etc... I expected my reaction to be similar to our experience in Santorini. See what everyone talks about, go crazy from all the tourists and the crowding then leave to visit a more authentic place (but happy you saw it). To my surprise, I LOVED Venice. We stayed for 2 nights at https://alpontemocenigo.com in the Santa Croce area.. Lovely hotel half a block from the Vapretto stop and seemed to be in the lease tourist-y area we saw-while still staying on the island. If all you do is ride the vaparetto up and down the canal, your trip will be worth it. Yes, it's crowded but if you think this will be your only trip to Italy, don't miss it. They're aren't many "must see" sights but we really enjoyed our few hours at the Peggy Guggenheim museum.

Thank you everyone commenting! I will definitely consider staying longer in Venice and staying in Venice proper rather than an outskirt.

With our itinerary laid out as it, what location would you decrease in order to increase our Venice time?

When you land at Malpensa, take the trains directly up to Lake Como. It doesn’t sound like Milan is a priority, so skip it.

Venice, yes, definitely stay on the islands and not in Mestre! After you check in, put away from phone maps and just explore magical Venice! Stay away from the Rialto Bridge-to-San Marco route during midday while the daytrippers are in Venice.

You could take the train from Venice to Verona and rent the car from there. Verona would be a nice place for lunch, too, and maybe you want to walk over to the Romeo/Juliet balcony courtyard since you’re engaged. : ). If you decide to skip the car, you can just take the train north from Verona and take the bus from Bolzano into Ortesei. The Dolomites are gorgeous, and this will probably be your least busy location to enjoy!

The day you’re planning to return the rental car is a Saturday. Frequently, car rentals close early on Saturday and aren’t open on Sundays.

Jean, the car rental information is so good to know. Thank you! My fiance really wants to drive a manual to the Dolomites so that's a priority for us. I'm so so thankful you told us about the rental closure days. I was hoping we'd have time to stop in Verona so I'm glad you mentioned it!

With our itinerary laid out as it, what location would you decrease in order to increase our Venice time?

Since the Dolomites are your top priority, take a night from Florence and a night from Rome and add them to Venice, so 3 nights in Venice. You’ll only have 2.5 days in Rome, so no day trips from Rome.

Car rental agencies
Pretty much all but airport locations closed on Sunday
Most close on Saturday at 12 or 1
Weekdays close from 12-1ish til 4 ish

We use AutoEurope.com mainly for their stellar customer service and options offered and they usually have best rates

You can check yourself on their website
Be sure pick up drop off times are during open hours ( ex don’t put in a time after 12 noon)
Or
You can call them toll free and they will have answers to all your questions. Super helpful and knowledgeable
They can point you to best pick up and drop off locations and they know all the open/closed hours

If you do decide to go to Venice then pick up at Venice Piazalle Roma is easy
Or Venice Mestre-a very short train ride from Venice proper
Could return in Bolzano and train to Florence

Or do Verona as suggested
It’s a lovely city

Hi. We are first timers to the Dolomites as well. We are in our early 70’s & like to hike, look at wildflowers, & search out local cuisine. Also interested in taking ski lifts up high & hiking higher up, Alpe di Siusi. We’re looking at staying in Val Gardena or Castelrotto.
I agree with others. Skip Milan. Go straight to Como. We stayed in Argegno at the Hotel Belvedere (may be called Villa Belvedere now). Lovely hotel right on the lake. Terrific restaurant (or it was 24 years ago!) A short funicular/cable car takes you up above the lake. We hiked along an old cart path to Pigra.
We also like Lenno a lot. There is land on the lakeside of the road which is uncommon along the west side of Como. Fun market on Tues. Nice swimming beach & small eateries lakeside. I highly recommend going to Villa de Balbianello. You can take a water taxi from Lenno or walk. We walked one way & took the water taxi back to Lenno. Most town websites in Italy will have hiking suggestions/links.
Florence is fabulous. A day trip to Siena would be fun.
Rome is amazing. Other than the regular places to go I recommend the Borghese Gallery. The Bernini sculptures are incredible. Try to get tickets ahead of time. And the Palantine Hill. Gelato. The Pantheon is a must.
We love Trastevere. We had an exceptional meal at Trattoria da Lucia. Basilica di Santa Maria is worth a stop. The best thing is Trastevere is the hike up Gianicolo Hill (Janiculum Hill) at sunset. Amazing view of Rome.
Near the Colosseum is Basilica San Clemente. 3 churches built on top of one another. Incredible floors & mosaics.
That’s it from me! Have fun!!
Let me know where you end up staying in Trastevere.
Susannah