Italy 2022

I think that there are often 2 reasons people advocate Venice first and Rome or Naples/Rome last.

First is for US visitors' convenience. Flights into Venice are at decent times but most flights out of Venice as a leg of a transatlantic flight home are very early in the morning which means being up literally in the middle of the night for a very early - often before dawn - boat or bus or land taxi to the airport and then a longish layover in the leg change airport. In and out of Rome is much more convenient. Same with Milan.

The second is for first timers to Italy. Generally Italy gets much much more "Italian" as you go south, in a number of different ways. So it is to allow you to acclimate more gradually rather than jumping in at the deep end.

I have been many times to Venice, Florence, Rome, and south of Naples so I don't mind either way - and I tend not to fly.

You can of course do things in whatever order is best for you - these suggestions are just made in general to make things a little easier.

Other than the Venice early flight thing (which there are exceptions to), unless you are trying to be in a place for certain weather or certain events like a festival, I think it makes no difference whatsoever. Your plan sounds nice.

Hi Michelle,

Nigel has mentioned what I believe is the main reason for starting north then moving south. Departure from Venice is decidedly more difficult than arrival but you don't have that issue in your itinerary.
Venice is also a very easy entry to Italy and a great place to get over jet lag, as long as it's given enough time.

As far as "more Italian the further south you go" I think that probably applies more to south of Rome.

We have done both- first trip we started in Venice, ended in Rome. It was perfect.
Another trip we started in Rome, departed from Venice and since we had been before knew how to deal with the departure logistics.

Many might feel that Rome is a bit overwhelming for a first time visitor but the historical center is so compact there you can easily get acclimated just by sticking to that small area before venturing further. We love Rome though, so I am biased.

Your itinerary sounds fine to me. I actually wouldn't want to start with just 1 night in Milan then to Como- too much moving too quickly and seems like a waste of a nice relaxing few days.

If the flights work best for you- into Rome, out of Milan - keep your plan.

My two cents:

1. Yes, flights back to the US from Venice depart at uncivilized early hours: taking a ferry to Venice airport at 3 AM is romantic only the first time you do it. Same for walking up and down the bridges with luggage in tow to get to the ferry stop.

2. Milan isn't exactly a main touristic destination, even if there are some world class museums, a Gothic Cathedral and a notorious fresco. Going North-south one can spend the last night either in Rome or on the Amalfi coast.

I guess you are flying home from Milan's Malpensa airport and not from Linate or Bergamo. If so, try to stay close to Milan Cadorna station and not Centrale: the neighborhood is more lively and the train trip to Malpensa will be 20 minutes shorter.

PS It's always nice to be defined by the way of life of a minority (southern Italians) because it matches with somebody's else views. As nice as being forced to eat a sheep's stomach stuffed with corn, onions and kidney because the rest of the world thinks it's quintessentially British.

Hi Caron, in the past it was cheaper to fly between the US and Milan than Rome. There are three airports that allow you to fly non-stop between the US and IT: Venice, Milan and Rome.