First trip Venice/Florence/Tuscany/Rome. Now where to go on our return?

So what interests you? What time of year will you travel and how long will you be in Italy? What did you like most the first trip and is there anything you missed that you want to go back and see?

We spent 5 nights in Rome our first trip, then 9 more a year later. We never get tired of Venice and have spent over a month there over the course of 8 visits. Sometimes repeats are worthwhile.

Beauty, culture, food, wine, and saving new experiences for Anericans that never travel to Europe.

We traveled in July last year, but might try for spring next time. Also want to go for longer than the 8 days we spent

TIA

I would suggest anyone to fly open jaw into one city/region and home from another.
The advent of cheap European air carriers has opened up a new dimension of travel. Take your trip to Venice, Florence and Rome. And rent a car to travel through the hilltowns of Tuscany--like Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra and Orvieto.
But for less than $100, you can fly to a completely different European country on your way home.
How about Copenhagen if you return before September?
Or, how about Barcelona, or Lisbon, or Edinburgh, or Paris (if you've never been)?

I haven't been yet, but my trip this fall will consist of the places you've listed. I'm already thinking about what I want to do when I return haha.

Maybe you should try to focus on just Northern Italy this time - Milan, Dolomites, Lake Como/lakes region, Cinque Terrre, and the Emilia Romagna region (so Bologna, Parma, Ravenna). Or just more of Southern Italy - Amalfi Coast, Bari, Capri, and Ischia!

I like MsMaroon's idea...

North--start in either Switzerland or Slovenia, end up around Verona. The train across the Alps is special when you're riding in and out of snow squalls, as we did in early March.

South--Amalfi Coast, Naples, Pompeii, Salerno, Sicily.

Two completely different vibes and cuisines. In my opinion, more efficient in the North, warmer people in the South. And it would be warmer in the spring.

Believe it or not, we actually did both (no Slovenia or Sicily, however) over a 17-day span--the Freccia trains are wonderful!

Enjoy your planning!

We are making a return trip to Italy in September. Rome and Florence are repeats but new are Milan, Lake Cuomo, Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast.

Get the Rick Steves Italy book and read through it to find places that match your interests.

Places we've enjoyed on our five trips:
Verona
Assisi
Bologna
Orvieto
Bergamo
Ravenna
Arezzo
Rome five times (You never run out of things to do in Rome.)

Thanks all!

Liking the northern Italy ideas!

Off to look for tours

OK here are some more

Wine country in the Piedmont, Asti, Alba
Emilia Romagna for food, Parma, Bologna, and while there see San Marino (another country albeit small).
Vienna or Salzburg/Munich, then drive through the Dolomites. Venice, Trieste and into Croatia

"Off to look for tours"

Why a tour? Since you've been already, you should have no trouble doing it on your own.

I've been to Italy 7 times, each time for 10 or 11 nights; therefore, I saw a limited geographic area each time. Here's where I spent my overnights, the daytrips I remember, and who I went with and how I got around:

Spring 1989: Milan, Venice, and Florence (with a day trip to Siena and another day trip to Pisa and Lucca). Solo trip, traveled by train.
Fall 1994: Rome and Naples. Solo trip, traveled by train.
Spring 1997: Rome, Spoleto, Norcia, (with a daytrip to Castelluccio and the Piano Grande) and Perugia. Went with a friend and rented a car.
Spring 1998: Milan, Bologna (daytrips to Parma and Modena, Ferrara, and Ravenna), and Turin. Went with a friend and traveled by train.
Spring 2001: Bergamo, Cremona, Lazise (on Lake Garda), Trento, Bressanone (daytrip to Bolzano), and Treviso. Went with a friend and rented a car.
Fall 2009: Venice, Padua, Verona, Varenna, Milan. Went with a friend and traveled by train.
Spring 2014: Palermo, Caltanisetta, Syracuse, and Taormina. Went with a friend and rented a car. Full (and I mean full) details of that trip are here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/sicily-palermo-caltanisetta-siracusa-taormina

It's all good (as you can imagine I'd feel for a country I've returned to so many times over so many years). Well, almost all - I really didn't like Bologna (most do). I also didn't care for Siena, but since it's been over 25 years (!) I'd be very willing to give it another chance. Otherwise, I'd go back to almost anywhere on that list tomorrow.

So, do as much research as you can, and see what calls to you. Don't just be limited by famous places, or ones covered in Ricks' book (he has great details about the places he covers, but he doesn't try to cover everything). Get out books from the library, ask friends, investigate places on my lists and other people's lists, and then design a custom itinerary.

France would be my second trip.