Italy Itinerary Help?

First of all, fitness is more important than age in dealing with the Cinque Terre, but even if your parents aren't into hiking all the trails, you can get from one village to another pretty easily by public transportation. And late 50s isn't really old, is it?

I think your route is fine the way it is, but to get to Venice from Cinque Terre will take some time, and you only have two nights in Venice. Your group might enjoy vaporetto trips (get the pass) to Burano and Torcello, in addition to "cruising" the Grand Canal.

In Rome, I might flip days 2 and 3, since you may experience flight delays or jet lag, and a group only moves as well as its slowest member. Visiting the fountains and piazze you have listed for Day 3 can be done regardless of time losses on your first day, and there are plenty of opportunities to sit in a piazza in front of a beautiful monument. Your group might not be up for the crowds at the Colosseum and Forum on the arrival day.

You also only show two nights in Florence. If your parents like Renaissance art and history, they might appreciate more time there. I would think about stealing some time from Switzerland, unless that's a priority.

Depends on your and your parents' travel philosophy and interests. I would rather stay longer in fewer places and spend less time travelling, so if this were my trip, I would cut out CT altogether, and add the extra time to Florence. If they love food and wine, you could do a vineyard tour from Florence one day that would let you see some Tuscan hilltop villages and the countryside without needing a car. If they are more museum and church people, then there is plenty to do in the city. Alternatively, skip Venice this time (crowded and smelly in the summer). If you are committed to all these sites, I don't think there is much difference whether you go with this itinerary, or Rome-CT-Florence-Venice-Lake Como

cb,

"Cinque Terre is somewhat inconvenient to travel to."

Actually, the Cinque Terre is very easy to get to. The order I'd suggest is Rome > Cinque Terre > Florence > Venice > Lake Como (via Milan) > Mürren (via Interlaken). With the short time you have, I'd recommend spending your time in Rome and north in order to minimize transportation times.

I can add more detailed information later tonight on which trains to use, if you're interested. It would help to know which of the five C.T. towns you plan to stay in.

Thank you all so much for your feedback.

If we keep CT in the loop, I think Monterosso is a lovely place to stay. I had not thought of switching CT and Florence, thank you for the help! Inconvenient wasn't the best word. It is easy to navigate to CT but if we kept the CT to Venice route, that is quite a long train route.

I'm trying to figure out what my family would enjoy more, a more leisurely time in fewer cities or to have exposure to more cities overall.

If we chose to eliminate CT and disbursed that time between Florence/Venice, is a visit to some of the hill towns easy to coordinate?

there are a variety of ways to visit hill towns. Rental car is typically recommended on this board, if someone is willing to drive. I don't drive in Italy and have been fine without a car. Orvieto is easy by train from rome. Assisi is a particular favorite of mine and is easy from florence by train, and a number of other hill towns can be reached from there by train or bus. Both of these are in Umbria, which I prefer -- typically quieter than Tuscany. There are also many day tours to hill towns. I particularly like those of Context Travel.

I agree with Sherry, easy to travel by public transportation to most places, or you can book tours through your hotel or on your own. For example, easy trips from Florence to Lucca and Pisa, Siena, and many other places. Buses will probably be more convenient than trains.

I agree that you should flip day 2 and 3. Don't forget some time to get your bags and check in at your hotel. The items listed in Day 3 are better later in the day and you can relax the jet lag away and do the Forum and Colosuem on Day 3 instead of when you land.

I'd also say flip the CT and Florence. You can take a high speed train from Rome to Monterosso at certain times of the day. Then the trip from CT to Florence is easier as well as Florence to Venice opposed to CT to Venice in one day which is a 5-6 hour trip that I have done in the past.

I agree with flipping days 2 and 3 as well: what you have on day 2 is a lot after a long flight.

And another suggestion? Instead of the Mammertine Prison, I'd consider doing the Palatine instead as it's included in the price of your ticket to the Colosseum and Forum, and is right THERE. We've done Mammertine and frankly found it to be very badly presented and not worth the time or ticket price. It has some archeological value, which is best gathered from other sources, but any other claim is speculative, and the Palatine has so much more to offer.