Italy Options

Hello Tammy,

I guess it comes down to what kind of experience are you looking for? You seem to have concentrated on big cities in your itinerary but there are many small towns worth visiting in these areas as well.

I love Verona - it is a very genteel, sophisticated and cafe culture kind of city - but I don't think it deserves more time than either Venice or Florence which are world class cities.

Near Florence there is both Lucca - with it's great old center surrounded by walls - and Pisa with its obvious attractions. There is everyone's favorite Siena which is easily worth a visit. Smaller town Italy is really worth visiting for a different pace and vibe of Italian life than from larger cities and I would recommend you look to expand into some smaller options with your extra days.

If you do center in Verona other possible close day trips in addition to Vicenza are Lake Garda (depending on weather) and Brescia - especially if you have any interest in Roman ruins. I recently did both Padua/Padova and Brescia as day trips from Verona and while a single day trip is a fair test I preferred Brescia.

If you're an art fan don't miss the Palazzo Maffei museum in the heart of Verona. It's easy to miss and very much worth visiting.

The train is really an easy and generally low stress option for getting around and so I recommend you don't let an hour of travel time deter you from some potentially great experiences. Get the Trenitalia app and check schedules, buy tickets and track trains on your phone.

Have a great trip!
=Tod

Tammy,
Here is an option for A “Prime”, pending your interests:

Option A “Prime”
4 nts Venice
2 nts Verona (with possible day trip to Vicenza)
3 nts Bologna (day trip/s to Ravenna and/or Ferrara.
4 nts Florence

If you are an art lover, the mosaics in Ravenna are stunning and an easy day trip by train from Bologna. Depending on your love of Bologna, maybe a single day there works (plus evenings as your base) and you could day trip to Ferrara. Tickets on day of travel are easy, so you could stay flexible and make those choices on the fly when you are in Bologna.

Hi Tammy,

I would give Bologna three nights & Verona two nights if you’re interested in a couple of the places I listed below for day trips from Bologna. Everything I’ve listed has the option for just one train - no connections. All locations I’ve mentioned are flat to walk around. There’s cobblestones in this region, so have shoes with good soles.

Verona Day Trips:
Mantova is 45 minutes by train from Verona. So much to see here! Instead of me listing them, look it up on TripAdvisor things to see. Also, there’s three piazzas near each other.

Bologna Day Trips
Parma is 50 minutes from Bologna. Parma has my favorite church interior in Italy - gorgeous frescoes!
Ravenna is 1 hr., 15 minutes from Bologna. The mosaics are stunning and easy to walk & see locations!
Ferrara is 30 minutes from Bologna. There’s a castle in the middle of town, plus an excellent museum with Spina artifacts in it.

Hi, Tammy: We haven't been to Verona yet, but last year we spent some time in both Siena and Bologna, and loved them both. Bologna is worth at least three nights, especially if you sign up for the great Italian Days food tour.

For other choices, I would recommend either Padova or Lucca, but either is worth at least three nights, IMO.

There are way too many choices available, but I suspect the only way you might go wrong would be to spend too little time in any one place. Have you given any thought to splitting the entire time between Venice and Florence, but allowing time for some day trips, say to Padova, Verona, Siena, or Lucca?

Tammy,

Is the "Set in stone" time for Venice the maximum, or the minimum?

If it is the maximum, then Option B looks good as you can do many day trips from Verona.

If it is the minimum, consider Option B, V2

5 nights in Venice
3 nights in Verona (day trip to Vicenza)
5 nights in Florence

Option B, V2 will give you enough time in Venice and Florence to really do them justice. Each has plenty of things to see and do, and with five nights you'll be able to really experience each. And three nights in Verona should be enough there also.

Another thought to consider is this: Leave Venice early on departure day and stop in Vecenza on the way to Verona. You should be able to spend the entire day there while enroute. You will have to store the luggage, but I think (might be wrong) the train station in Vecenza still has storage lockers.

Jane, that’s the problem, too many choices, but these suggestions are great. I want to experience a smaller village in Italy, but one that can still keep us busy for 2 or 3 days. I know I can’t go wrong with whatever we decide. Thanks!

@TC-the nights for Venice and Florence were what I have reserved for hotels. My DH is not a fan of crowds and while I know we can’t avoid them, I want a smaller, less crowded place included. Thanks for your suggestion! I know there is so much nearby Venice and Florence that we don’t have time to get to on this trip.

Hi Tammy, now hearing that your husband is not a fan of crowds, I’ll suggest either Mantova or Ferrara as your second location to stay. Verona is busier with tourists.

If you select Mantova, Cremona is an easy day-trip, and it also has a gorgeous church interior. Cremona is also the home of Stradavari, so there’s a violin museum in his honor. On weekends, they have a short concert that’s well worth hearing in a beautiful very modern wooden acoustic concert hall attached to the museum.

Ferrara was mentioned in my previous post.

For Venice, get a reservation for the first time period that St. Marks is open. We went during that time last year and were almost first in line. We were able to enjoy it without a crowd. Then avoid that piazza during the day and return at 7pm to enjoy the ambience in the evening after the day-trip crowd is gone.

Florence seems busier to me than most cities, so I would definitely plan a day-trip during that time to give him a break. Lucca or Arezzo will be less crowded than Pisa or Siena. Lucca is flat; Arezzo is hilly.

Tammy, now that RS has waived many of the Covid restrictions for 2024, have you thought about going on the Village Italy tour? That will get you out of the big towns and to several small ones. https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/village-italy

I'm taking the tour in September 2024. Beforehand I'm spending five nights in my favorite city Venice. This includes a day trip to Verona. After the tour I'm going to Florence for four nights. I haven't been there so will spend all four days in Florence, no day trips. Afterwards I'm going to Rome for five nights before flying home.

Jean-thank you for that additional information. I think I have decided on Verona and Bologna. Fingers crossed my husband likes both places, but I'm the trip planner, so we go where I say! lol
Horsewoofie-I would love to take the Village Italy trip and may at some point in the future, but we want to travel independently as much as possible while we are still able. Plus, we are still on the two week time frame and I really, really wanted to spend time in Venice!
Thanks!

Hi Tammy—-Bologna is an excellent choice. We have been there twice, for 5 days each time, and keep discovering new things to see and do. You might consider taking a night from Florence (which is extremely crowded these days) and adding it to Bologna. Our list of top things to see and do there:

A daytrip to Ravenna to see the stunning mosaics.

Climb the Clock Tower to see the mechanical workings of the clock, and go outside on the terrace for a view over Piazza Maggiore and the famous Neptune statue:

https://www.bolognawelcome.com/en/places/towers-historic-buildings/torre-accursi-o-dellorologio-2

And be sure to go inside the Basilica de San Petronio. This church is remarkable not so much for its art, but for the Gothic architecture spanning such a huge space, and most of all for the meridian line on the basilica floor:

https://pauls-bologna.blog/2017/11/02/the-meridian-line-of-san-petronio/

This feature is unusual in a church of that era, due to its importance in the realm of science. It helped confirm Galileo’s heretical idea that the earth rotates around the sun, not vice versa.

For Venice, be sure to book a free visit to the rooftop terrace at the upscale department store Fondaco de Tedeschi. The store is worth a visit for the architecture as well, and you can marvel at all the Gucci and Prada so beautifully displayed. The food section in the basement is pretty amazing as well. It is a great way to escape the Venice crowds. They limit the visit to the terrace to 48 people for 15 minutes, so it is not crowded either. Reservations open up exactly 21 days in advance. Send me a PM about a month ahead of your visit and I can explain exactly how to score the reservation—-it is highly competitive!

Thank you Lola, excellent information and I will definitely PM you a month before our trip!

Context might matter...

I see 13 nights. Is that the entire trip, or is there more stuff before/after these 13 nights in/around Venice & Florence? If so, where?

I have been to Verona and Bologna. I particularly enjoyed the intact Roman Arena there. Also, the balcony of Juliet from Romeo and Juliet.
Still, I don't see spending more than a couple of days in Verona or for that matter Bologna. Ravenna was more stunning.

Just want to say, as a fellow crowd-hater, that we have been in Venice for the last 10 days and staying in a neighborhood that feels like a small town AND going to several places in Venice where we were literally the only people there. Every once in a while we plunged into the crowd in order to go see something, but it just doesn't feel as bad as living in Crowd Central. Another tip, given here often, is to get up early and go to famous places --- even just 9:00am will do it in December. Really works. On a previous week-long trip to Venice we also stayed in a very un-touristed neighborhood. So, try Cannaregio away from the Strada Nova and the rest of the route between the train station and San Marco, and try Castello near the via Garibaldi.

Get a pass for the vaporetto --- you can use it just to cross the Grand Canal when a bridge is not nearby. Get the app Che Bateo. We also found this interactive map very useful: https://avm.avmspa.it/sites/default/files/avm/navigazione/MAP/interattiva.html. Google Maps kept trying to "make us" not go all the way down the Grand Canal because that was not the fastest way (and we could not make it see reason).

Same thing with Florence --- don't think you have to stay smack in the middle of everything you want to see or near the train station. Like Venice, the old center Florence is tiny, tiny, tiny, and easily walkable AND has terrific public transportation. And the walking itself are fun, too.

Verona and Bologna are excellent choices.

Thank you Nancy and the others! I have now reserved all hotels and our final itinerary is;
4 nts Venice
3 nts Verona ( day trip to Vicenza)
3 nts Bologna
4 nts Florence ( day trip in Tuscany with Tours by Roberto)
Total of 14 nights, can’t wait!