Italy to...?

You will love Italy that you won't want to leave after a week. Stay in country and experience much more. Save the other countries for a different time!

What do you enjoy doing on vacation? What kinds of things might you be interested in? That will influence the helpfulness of any responses.

I agree that you should stay in Italy. If you are set on going to another country, you might choose by your flight home. What's your home airport? Is there a city that has nonstop flights to your home? Perhaps Paris for 6 days, if you've never been there? There's many nonstops to the US from there. It won't be really warm, but we were there this April 5th and it was ok and pleasant.

Venice won't be terribly warm but it is magnificent and I would certainly consider going to Verona and then Venice by train for a few nights each and then flying home from Venice. You could also easily go south in Italy - it will be warmer.

I agree. Stay in Italy. You will wish you had.

If you leave Italy without going to Venice or Rome you will miss out on some extraordinary travel experiences. Going to either if these places is almost like going to another country as they are incredibly different from Florence, except for the language, of course. Many more direct flights home to US from Rome and it is a fabulous city. If it were me I'd pick Rome. You could stay a month and still not see everything worth seeing. Seeing Tuscany is just a tiny slice of Italy so save another country for another trip.

If you have never been to Italy before, leaving Italy after just a week spent in Tuscany would be a crime against humanity deserving the highest punishment by the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

There are plenty of places in Italy where you could spend that additional week. From the Dolomites, to Venice and the Veneto Region, to Rome, to the Gulf of Naples and the Amalfi coast, just to name a few.

A first timer to Italy who visits Italy for less than two or three weeks should be barred from traveling abroad again and his/her passport should be permanently seized.

I agree with others. Stay in Italy. If you absolutely have to see another country then Switzerland is bordering Italy and is the closest.

Thank you, everyone, for the subtle and not-so-subtle travel tips about Italy! I will certainly take all of your comments into consideration as we get closer to finalizing our plans!

Italy to...

Precede with 4 nights in Rome and possibly 2 nights in Orvieto.

Follow with ...
Either ... 3 nights in Bologna, and possible day trips to Ravenna, Parma+Modena, Ferrara.
Or ... 3 nights in Verona, and possible day trips to Mantua, Vicenza, Padova.
Finishing up in Venice for 3 nights.

I'm fortunate enough that when I visit Italy it is two months at a time. I know this is not possible for many, but 4-6 days does not in any way make it a "Italian" experience

While I agree that if you spent all your time in Italy you wouldn't be sorry, I understand wanting to see different countries while you are there. Monaco and the south of France are an easy train ride away. Germany and Austria are rather close, but would be much colder. I think Greece it too hard to get to/from, especially during the off season, if you have only 4-6 days.

We were in the same situation for our trip that is coming up in two weeks. We thought about Prague, Barcelona, Vienna Switzerland. Inthe end we are stopping in London on the way to Florence.

We were in the same situation for our trip that is coming up in two weeks. We thought about Prague, Barcelona, Vienna Switzerland. Inthe end we are stopping in London on the way to Florence.