Italy in May

Well, that's a pretty broad question. Have you looked at guidebooks, or YouTube videos? What are you interested in? Imperial Rome, religious sites, general historic buildings? You can narrow down your choices by doing some research into what interests your family. How many days in Rome?
Last time I was there with my family, we spent one week in Rome, and walked to all the major sights and stayed in an apt. in Trastevere. There is certainly enough to keep you busy in Rome for a whole week.

There's a lot of territory between Rome and Milan. Are you planning on visiting the countryside? Tuscany or Puglia? The seaside? Or just the major cities? Florence, Siena, or Venice. Or are you thinking of including south or Rome, too?

I'm not being snarky, but your question is tough to answer with so little information. In any case, do a bit of research, narrow down your options, and perhaps you will get some helpful answers to some more pointed questions.

Hi myfunda,

Congratulations! on your first trip to Europe and many more I hope. Rome is the eternal city. You picked a great city to start your Euro adventure. For your 14 days excursion, I am going to suggest some places to visit and sights for day trips.

4 Days in Rome:

Day 1 - Rome

Day 2 - Rome

Day 3 -Rome (Day trip to the town of Ovierto or Roman ruin Ostia Antica)

Day 4 - Rome

3 Days in Florence:

Day 5 - Florence

Day 6 - Florence

Day 7 - Florence

2 Days in Siena:

Day 8 - Siena

Day 9 - Siena (Day trip to Pisa)

3 Days in Venice:

Day 10 - Venice

Day 11 - Venice

Day 12 - Venice

2 Days in Milan:

Day 13 - Milan

Day 14 - Milan (Fly out)

*If you decide to skip Venice then opt to stay in Lake Como area for 3 days and tour. Milan to the lake town of Como is 1 hour by rail.

Hi myfunda -
jadamowi pretty much hit the mail on the head: sure, any of us could bang out a 14-day plan....and that plan could be all wrong for your family as we don't know anything at all about you. Starting with an assortment of guidebooks is a very good idea, and tell us why you chose Italy to begin with? What's there that you think you and your family would like to see and do (and "everything" isn't an answer.) :O)

Hi jadamowi,

Thanks for reply. Yes I have reading of about Italy lately.. everything looks must visit and hard to select. Planning 3 to 4 days in Rome , may be a day to Naples, 3 days in Florence, 2 days in Venice and rest in Milan and Lake como

Keep in mind that to have two full days in Venice, you need to spend 3 nights there. That would be my absolute minimum. People who make quick trips to Venice often don't like it much, because they end up spending all their time surrounded by throngs of other visitors near and on the direct path between the most popular sights (Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge). You need to have enough time in Venice to get off that path and absorb the atmosphere along the little canals. If you don't have time to do that, I'd recommend postponing Venice until a later trip.

RJean,

Thanks for the reply. Is it possible to add Amlalfi coast and lake coma in 14 days plan ( in and out days to Italy not included)

Myfunda,
Ok, so I'm going to assume you mean 14 sightseeing days, and not including travel days.

I'd suggest 4 days in Rome, skip Naples. Too much to see in Rome. Perhaps a day trip to Ostia Antica which is 1/2 hr by train, and a wonderful archeological sight. But that's something you could decide while you are in Rome.

Off to Florence for 4 days. It's an easy walking city, and you can see a lot in that time frame. (I'll actually be in Florence next May, too)

Then Venice for the remainder, to enjoy the city while it's still above water. I'd just head to Milan to be there for your flight, depending on the time of your flight. You don't have time to really explore Milan and go to Lake Como,too.

There is a motto often repeated here. “Less is more.” Resist the temptation to add additional stops to your itinerary. To begin, scratch the idea of Naples. What ever your interests, Rome needs at least 4 days, preferably 5. Don’t forget, if flying from N. America, you lose a day on the way out. Also, your departure for home day doesn’t count. Your first day is likely to be a fog of jet lag for some or all of you.
You could do the “big 3,” Rome, Florence, and Venice, then add some days at Lake Como. A big NO to trying to cram in the Amalfi Coast.
Most people here, including me, find Milan less interesting than lots of other destinations in Italy. It is a good departure point if you want to end your trip at Lake Como, however. How about just planning to sleep at a hotel near Malpensa airport the night before your flight?

Even though your kids are not very young, I suggest getting hold of one of the several books about traveling in Italy with children. Let them help to plan some activities that seem appealing to them. I know there are, for example, guided tours in Rome geared toward families; and my grandson once took a cooking class for kids as part of such a tour. ( I think they made pizza from scratch.)
More information about your interests will help us give you lots of good specifics.

Myfunda - It's possible to add Amalfi coast and Lake Como but I would skip Venice so the itinerary won't be too congested. Since this is your first trip to Europe, 4 days in Rome is needed. Florence is worth 3 days, and you can use those 3 days to take a day trip to Siena or Pisa from Florence. Amalfi coast is worth 3 days to explore the region. That leaves you 3 days in lake Como and 1 day in Milan before flying out. Do you like this itinerary?

Thanks acraven

Just one more thing....you don't need to try and pack it in all in one trip. If you want to visit Naples and Amalfi, save that for its own trip. You could easily fill a week in Amalfi, the islands, Naples, Pompeii and the Sorrentine coast.

Rosalyn,

Thanks for suggestion. Yes Milan stop will be for overnight stay only ( to catch morning flight to USA)

Funda pm me so i can give suggest a possible itinerary

How many nights will you have on the ground in Italy? You'll get a more accurate measure of what you have to work with that way. I'd also spend at least 4 nights in Rome, and choose Lake Como (Varenna) over the Amalfi Coast/Naples for this trip, No I don't think you can do both, and geographically Como makes more sense with Florence, Venice and Milan.

Moving 4 people around can also eat up some time - especially with teens who often are not exactly early risers - so you might try to keep your location moves to a minimum. Florence makes a good base for some easy day trips around the region so you might want to add time to that one and day-trip to, say, Siena and Lucca from there.

You can pack in as much as you want to - you could have a whole trip of 1 and 2 night stays. But almost everyone who has any experience will tell you that won't be anywhere near as enjoyable as fewer places for longer amount of time. Everyone is different and go at different paces. I did a trip - 8 nights - with someone who had never been to Italy (and only once to one other place outside the US) - and we did 3 nights Venice with a day trip to Vicenza, 2 nights Florence, 2 nights Rome, 1 Milan. She had a great time and said she was very happy she did that instead of just two place for 4 nights each. BUT - she had me as a 'tour guide' and I'd been to all those places so she didn't 'waste' time finding her way around, etc. I know how the trains work, even where the hotels we stayed at were. For most people a slightly slower pace is a better idea.

So general rule would be at least 3-4 nights per place. So for 14 days (assuming that doesn't include the day you depart, nor the day you arrive unless you arrive very early - and even then prepare to be jet lagged and not able to accomplish much) that would be 3 (maybe 4) stops. So far Rome, Venice, Florence, Amalfi Coast and Milan have been mentioned. I would say pick three and figure you can do day trips if time allows. If you can really prepare ahead of time you could do 4 of them. But do not try to do all five. Since you have to depart from Milan you want to be there your last night so I'd probably give it at least 2 nights and plan on a day trip to Lake Como if you don't think you want to spend a whole day or day and a half in Milan itself.

Thanks Isabel,
I will pick 3 or max 4 locations.

Any recommendations on train ? Is any Italy train pass available (similar to euro pass)?

Passes are rarely of any advantage in Italy. For longer-range journeys between major cities (e.g. from Rome to Florence) if you are willing to commit to "fast" trains on specific days, at specific times, with reserved seats, you can realize some nice price breaks if you book tickets in advance. This method does not allow you much for flexibility but if you know you need to go from (here) to (there) on a specific day, then book those tickets and plan on being on time for your trains.

Tickets for shorter hops on slower regionale trains (e.g. from Florence to Pisa) can be purchased on the day of your journey as prices do not change from day-to-day.

"The Man in Seat 61" created a great primer for traveling by rail in Italy; just don't pre-order your tickets through ItaliaRail. You want to use Trenitalia or Italo for your "fast" train tickets:

https://www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm
https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html
https://www.italotreno.it/en

A good guidebook is going to help you with transport questions as well. Here's what Rick has to say about train passes in Italy:

https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/trains/italy-rail-passes

The best of IT is Venice, Cinque Terre, Florence, Siena and Rome. To get the most out of your trip, purchase RSEs Best of IT book next Apr. You can download an electronic version from his app.
Here's what I recommend:
Day 1 - fly into Rome and stay in the Trestevere (trahs-TAY-veh-ray) neighborhood for three nights and take RSs self guided walking tours to see it all. I would skip the Roman Forum though because it's difficult to follow. You also want to see the exterior of the Colosseum at night.
Day 2 - Rome
Day 3 - Vatican City and sleep in Rome.
Day 4 - take a train from Rome (www.bahn.com) to Monterosso (Cinque Terre) and sleep in Monterosso for two nights.

Day 5 - hike or take a train to all five towns and a boat back to Monterosso. Sleep in Monterosso.
Day 6 - take a train to Florence that requires one connection. If your train stops in Pisa, consider stroring your bags at the station and seeing the leaning tower of Pisa before moving on to Florence. Sleep in Florence for four nights.
Day 7 - tour the Uffizi Gallery (buy tickets as far out as possible so you're guarnateed a reservation). Afterwards, walk over to Accademia to see David's Michelangelo. You'll need to purchase tickets before leaving home for this museum too. Sleep in Florence.
Day 8 - take RSs self-guided walking tours. Sleep in Florence.
Day 9 - day trip to Siena by bus (1h 15m). Sleep in Florence.
Day 10 - take a direct train to Venice (get off at the end of line) for two nights and sleep near the train station. Take a vaporetti (water taxi) from the train station to San Marco Square the day of arrival at twilight, to see how grand the palaces really are that line the canal. It will take you back in time. To get back to your hotel, follow the people.
Day 11 - get lost in Venice.
Day 12 - take a direct train to Milan.
Day 13 - see Milan or take a direct train to Varenna (Lake Como) and a boat to Bellagio. On your way back explore Varenna.
Day 14 - if you have an extra day this may be the day to visit Lake Como.

Thank you MaryPat.

People define "days in Italy" in different ways. How many nights will you sleep in Italy?

I prefer the "Italy" guide book. It has more editorial content; Best of Italy is the one with the color pictures.

I would want more than 3 nights in Rome. That gives you just two relatively non-jetlagged days and some possibly-miserable hours on the day you arrive.

There are no non-stop trains from Rome to Monterosso. Monterosso is a very small town; trains that stop there make a lot of other stops. I don't believe there is even a way to get there from Rome without changing trains (not that changing trains is difficult; it isn't).

Two of the four segments of the lowest-level path linking the five towns of the Cinque Terre have been closed for several years and are not expected to reopen until 2021. If you want to see all the towns you will need to link some via train or ferry unless you want to climb considerably higher up the hills to a higher path--but check first to be sure about what's open.

I would hope to have more than two nights in Venice (about 1-1/2 days in this case). I would rather do that than have a rushed visit to Venice and a rushed visit to Varenna. So many people say they didn't care for Venice, then you find out that they were only there for about a day. However, if relaxing around Lake Como is more important than Venice, by all means drop Venice from the itinerary. There's never enough time to see everything.

A 12 year old may not be as interested as a 50 year old in _____________

Read a good (for you) guide book.
If the kids aren't into looking at what you're reading, find a representative Youtube and have them watch it.
You'll get there opinion OR you'll be selling them on the idea.

We went to Italy with our 15 and 16 year old boys.
They did fine w/ all the museums and churches BUT/AND we went into every soccer (football), shoe and athletic store.
Also, they bought sunglasses and watches from street vendors - thinking they were getting a deal :-)

Thank you all for the suggestions.

Here is my draft itinerary

Day 1 Rome - Arrival From USA
Day 2 Rome
Day 3 Rome
Day 4 Rome
Day 5 Train to Monterosso
Day 6 Clinq Tere
Day 7 Train to Pisa and Florence
Day 8 Florence
Day 9 Florence
Day 10 Florence
Day 11 Train to Venice
Day 13 Venice
Day 14 Venice -- noon train to Milan
Day 15 Lake Como
Day 16 Lake Como -- train back to Milan
Day 17 Morning Flight to USA

Let me know your recommendations/suggestions/must-see.

Day 14 Venice -- noon train to Milan
Day 15 Lake Como
Day 16 Lake Como -- train back to Milan

Instead of the above, I'd go directly to Lake Como (Varenna) early from Venice on Day 14. It will involve at least 1 train change but that's not a big deal. Stay in Varenna on days 14 and 15, and go to Milan on Day 16.

I would allow more than one full day for Venice. It's an unusual place and maybe more interesting for kids than, say, Florence.

I'd fly into Venice and depart from Rome. This way you would avoid all the "backtracking described above and you'd save time:

Venice

Lake Como

Milano (to change trains but you could throw a visit to the Duomo' roof in)

Monterosso

Florence > day trips from Florence to Pisa/Siena/Lucca

Rome.

Another option could be the direct 11:07 Intercity #657 train from Monterosso to Pisa. Drop your luggage at the station, see the tower and when you are done get tickets and take the first local to Florence. Also note that there are direct Buses from Siena to Rome's Tiburtina station

R jean seemed to nail it.

Still, I would do a day MORE in Rome, lots to see there and take a day off Siena. You can do Siena on a day trip from Florence.

Do the big three: Rome, Florence and Venice.

Thank you Kathy. I will change day 14 plan.
My family enjoys nature attractions. In 2018 summer; we went to Banff National Park (Canada) and kids loved it.
Someone suggested us to drop Venice from Italy trip. What do say ? Is it better to drop Venice and include Amalfi Coast/Naples in this trip ?

Is it better to drop Venice and include Amalfi Coast/Naples in this
trip?

No one can say what choice will be "better" as it's up to personal preference. I think substituting the A.C. will complicate things as it's a geographical outlier. You have two water destinations - Monterosso and Como - and that's enough, IMHO. The A.C. region/Naples also deserves more than 3 nights/2.5 days or less to explore so save it for a different trip.