Italy March/April Itinerary

Overall looks good. You can certainly adjust your daily activities based on your energy level.

It is probably too late now, but the only improvement I can think of, would have been to start in Venice and work your way south and thereby minimize your backtracking. If you still have flexibility in your schedule , go directly to Venice on your arrival day and save your days in Rome for the end.

Bologna is OK, but why only 4.5 days in Rome. Rome is a must see city, while Bologna is way down the list of places in Italy. Ravenna was more interested to us than Bologna.

Otherwise, it looks good.

Hey, I liked Bologna! It has one of the largest medieval districts in Europe, and many of the streets are arcaded so there's protection from possibly-ugly March weather. There's great food, and Bologna is a viable base for a day-trip to Ravenna (which I agree is fabulous).

Me and my girlfriend are food-lovers and heard that the Emiglia Romagna region is perfect for that. Also, we are planning on a day trip to Modena/Parma and maybe Ferrara or Ravenna. Of those 4, what do you guys think are the best?

Concerning Rome, I agree, wish i had 1 more day to include!

I have some questions for u guys:

1) Is it possible to go to Val Dorcia and Chianti in the same day? For example: Montalcino vineyard in the morning, lunch in Montepulciano and about 3pm head to Chianti for a sunset drive?

2) San Gimignano and Siena in the same day is possible? Focusing in Siena.

3) I thought of heading from Rome to Florence by car, and passing by Orvieto and Civita in Bagnoreggio, what do you think? I would lose half a day minimum of Florence

Thank you for the response!

You can't do everything. I much preferred Orvieto to Civita di Bagnoregio, and I say you can skip them both. Better to have a bit more time in fewer places.

Of the places you mention around Bologna (which I really liked), I have only been to Ravenna, so I cannot make a comparison. I will say that I thought Ravenna was wonderful. The historic district is beautiful, the mosaics are beyond words (and I am not remotely religious), and when I was there (summer 2015) there were very, very few tourists. In fairness to the other cities mentioned, I don't think they're overly touristy, either. But they don't have Ravenna's mosaics.

" Also, we are planning on a day trip to Modena/Parma and maybe Ferrara or Ravenna. Of those 4, what do you guys think are the best?"

All are good, but I give the edge to Ravenna for the mosaics and Ferrara for the city's vibe. I actually preferred these daytrips to Bologna itself. But, if your interest is food, you'll probably want to focus on Bologna, Parma, and Modena.

So many great places - so little time!

I would head to Florence pronto ...

March
14. Arrive Rome, then train to Florence - 5 nights
15. Florence
16. Day to Siena
17. Day to Lucca
18. Florence
19. am to Pisa | pm train to Bologna - 3 nights
20. Bologna
21. Day to Modena + Parma
22. am to Ravenna | pm train to Venice - 4 nights
23. Venice
24. Day to Verona
25. Venice
26. Fly to Naples, transfer to Sorrento - 5 nights
27. Day to Capri
28. Day to Pompeii
29. Day Positano
30. (Good Friday) Day to Naples
31. Train to Rome - 5 nights

Siena and San Gimignano on the same day by bus is difficult. I'd choose to spend the whole day in Siena - plenty to enjoy there.

Ferrara is a pretty town. Ravenna's Byzantine churches and mosaics are wows.

I was going to suggest you go straight to Venice on arrival, even though it's a long train ride (or even Florence), so you'd have an uninterrupted stay in Rome (one less hotel change) but moving your itinerary would mean traveling from Sorrento to Rome on Easter Sunday, which you may not want to do.

I think I'm going to Ravenna, and then maybe one morning to Parma to visit a Parmiggiano factory. I heard you can only visit early in the morning... Wonder how could I reach the factory in the morning without a car, maybe by train?

How about San Marino? Too far away?

Do I have to worry about lines or crowds in this time of year? Places like Colosseum, Vatican Museums, Venice or Uffizi Gallery. Thinking about getting tickets for Uffizi, Colosseum and Vatican in advance.

How about Naples? I'm thinking about changing my visit to Pompeii from Sorrento instead of Naples. That would leave an extra day just for Naples, sacrificing one day in Sorrento...

Store your bags at the station in Bologna, then head to Ravenna...
RE 6425
Dep 08:52 BOLOGNA CENTRALE (Italy)
Arr 09:51 RAVENNA (Italy)

Return to Bologna for your bags...
RE 6418
Dep 18:09 RAVENNA (Italy)
Arr 19:08 BOLOGNA CENTRALE (Italy)

Have a bite to eat, then head on to Venice...
FR 9446
Dep 20:08 BOLOGNA CENTRALE (Italy)
Arr 21:35 VENEZIA S. LUCIA (Italy)

one morning to Parma . . . . Trenitalia shows trains as early as 5.00 from Bologna, then several per hour. Journey's about 1 hr.

Do I have to worry about lines or crowds in this time of year? Places like Colosseum, Vatican Museums, Venice or Uffizi Gallery. Thinking about getting tickets for Uffizi, Colosseum and Vatican in advance. YES. I saw long lines in Rome in February, more than once. In Venice, I believe you can now avoid the line to St Mark's by buying tickets in advance. I was there a year ago and for some reason visiting hours were severely curtailed so I skipped it. You can get create your own "combo" ticket with VeneziaUnica which will save you time, though the only long ticket line is at the Doge's Palace. If you have time, the Secret Itineraries Tour is excellent - must be booked in advance, there are very limited places and usually sell out.

I'm thinking about changing my visit to Pompeii from Sorrento instead of Naples. That would leave an extra day just for Naples, sacrificing one day in Sorrento... That's the big problem in Italy - no matter what you choose, you'll have to give up something else that could be equally good. I enoyed my time Naples, but many people don't find much to like there. I day-tripped from Salerno to the Amalfi Coast twice, and if I'd had more days in Salerno, I'd have gone back again . . . and again. OTOH after a total of nearly two weeks in the area, I still haven't been to Capri. My best advice - do your best to see and enjoy every minute wherever you are and keep the rest on your "next-time" list.

Me and my girlfriend are food-lovers and heard that the Emiglia
Romagna region is perfect for that.

If you do advance research, you will find there are indigenous dishes for each region you will visit, and you should work hard to seek them out. Why? Because they are the best in the world at what they do.

Of the places we've visited over three trips, we found Rome a treasure trove of cuisine. Artichokes, cacio e pepe, spaghetti alla Carbonara, bucatini all' Amatriciana, and then the kicker were the restaurants from other regions--Sicilian, Pugliese. Fabulous.

The overall fare in Florence & Tuscany was not at the top of my list, but the bistec Florentine should be sampled for sure, also the 'take-away' beef sandwiches at 150-year old Nerbone in Florence's Mercato Centrale.

I think the underrated sleeper for me was the food on the Amalfi Coast, and in Sorrento & Salerno. Not even close to a clunker of a meal in 10 days in the region over two trips, just fantastic melds of seafood, lemon, deft spicing. Both Sorrento & Salerno are great bases to stay for active daytrippers, and wherever you go, you can be assured of coming back tired at the end of the day and enjoying a great meal. That's worth a lot.

Thank you all so much!

It's ture, too many beautiful places to choose from, but that's a fun "problem" to have... Lol

About the two days in Tuscany, I'll rent a car in Florence (March 21st) and head to Tuscany.

2 options:

1st) March 21 - San Gimignano in the morning, Siena in the afternoon (sleep in Siena)
March 22 - Val Dorcia in the morning and early afternoon, then Chianti while sunset (car return in Florence)

or

2nd) March 21 - Chianti in the morning, Siena in the afternoon (sleep in Siena)
March 22 - Val Dorcia the whole day (car return in Florence)
In this option, I would visit San Gimignano by bus in one morning leaving Florence