Italy after Christmas - is it too much?

I would skip Milan, but it should really come down to your interests. Three stops would be my max with that amount of time.

Remember that you’ll lose half a day each day you travel: check out of hotel, get to the train station. Train to new location, get to new hotel, check in.
I too would skip Milan unless the airfare is a killer deal. Fly into Venice, out of Rome.

I agree that if your time is limited, skip Milan. VFR each deserve 3 nights each.

is there a good price flying into Milan, and sensible flight times? Are you coming back to Italy again, or is this your one big trip? By “2 days,” do you mean staying just 1 night? If spending 2 nights, then you’re not doing 1-night stands, constantly packing and unpacking.

It looks like a reasonable amount of traveling for major destinations and not a whole lot of of overall available travel time.

Welcome! Have you traveled to Europe/Italy before?

Listen to your instincts. I agree with the rest. One stop needs to go. Milan is the obvious choice. Can you fly open gate? You could fly into Venice and out of Rome. You'll need to look at airline prices to see if it is an affordable option.

Even with 3 stops, it should be regarded as a scouting trip. You'll just skim the surface. I hope you have an opportunity to take a deeper dive in the future. That will give you a chance to slow down and experience Italy in a much deeper way.

Thank you all, and I agree - skipping Milan makes sense. Florence at New Years, any ideas for fun things to do with college aged kids?

College-age kids will have more fun in Rome on New Year's Eve. They can hang at the Colosseum where there are fireworks and revelry all night.

Thanks. Rome sounds like the place to be.

We are only doing Rome and Florence now. And adding day trips from some of Rick's suggestions.

And favorite day tips I should take a look at adding?

Really appreciate all the helpful insights.

I love your choice to only visit Florence and Rome. Your teens might enjoy the Science Museum in Florence. You should have them look at the RS videos for Rome and Florence to see what sights appeal to them. There is a cat sanctuary at the Largo Argentina ruins that cat-lovers would enjoy.

Thank you.

Can anyone recommend a tour company for day trips from Rome and Florence? Or is taking the train a better option?

It really depends on the day trips you had in mind. For example, Pisa from Florence or Orvieto from Rome are a snap on the train. You may not even need any excursions depending on your interests and the weather.

We were in Florence in Jan this year. We took the train to Pisa. Allow almost a day for this with the train as well as walking to and from and we spent at least 2 hours at Pisa. We saw all the main sites on the field of miracles. Was really great

For a day trip we hired a driver. He took us to the hill top towns. Sienna. Monteriggoni and San Gimignagno. Our teens loved this trip. Our driver for the day was under 400 euro and would strongly recommend. Reach out if you want the drivers name

It was great doing this in Jan. was quiet and got to feel the peace of the countryside. He also took us to another really small village. Was cool walking down small cobblestone paths whilst the residents talked to each other from their balconies. .

We did have 7 nights just in Florence. So this may not work for you. You could easily spend 3 days in Florence by itself.

Buy the RS Italy guidebook. Will provide pertinent and useable information to help you make travel decisions.

Thank you, did not see that section before in the guidebook.

Question; Trying to book Vatican museum tickets with the link from Rick's website for January 3,4 or 5. The ticket options page ends at December 31, 2023. Do they not post tickets for 2024 until later this year? Or am I doing something wrong.

I do see $$$$ guided tours from other sites in January, but prefer to buy the entry only tickets from the museum site.

thank you

Tickets will open up later.

We were in the Italy the same time as you this year. We booked the prime experience on November 3rd for Jan this year

So wait a little for next year.

We LOVED the prime tour. It starts at 7:30, we were the first group in and had empty halls before us, and 30 minutes alone in a group in in the sistene, where the guide took us through the whole ceiling.

After you have breakfast in the pinacourt. Then you can go back in if you want, we had a look at the Egyptian collection, and walked back to the Sistene. It was crazy busy then, even in Jan..

The negative, is the tour is rushing to the Sistene, it skips some areas, however the areas it concentrates on does give good overviews, eg the hall of maps was fantastic.

...recommend a tour company for day trips from Rome...is taking the train a better option?

Google Ostia Antica and see if it holds any interest for your group. It's easy to get there from Rome using public transit, usually not crowded at all, and if you get an early start you can be back in Rome by 2 p.m. Some say it's better than Pompeii. Not sure if it's better, a bit different, but very interesting.

I really enjoy Italy just after Christmas. However, Florence sits in a bowl at the foot of a mountain range and can be so cold that time of year. For me flying into Venice and out of Rome is great. If you only have 8 nights I would split them 4 and 4. If you have additional nights I would add 2 nights to Orvieto as it is between the two and your getting something totally different. Your traveling with your sons? Only so much art a youth will want to see, Orvieto has underground cave tours which may be more interesting to tweens or teens. I am not a big fan of day tripping and with such a short trip I would not bother as you would need to cut a day out of a place that already has so much to offer.