Italy with a Parisian/Loire "vibe"?

(A) to your minds, are there destinations in Italy (or further a field in Europe) that have a similar polished or classy or relaxed "vibe" to Paris and the Pays de Loire that we should check out?

In my opinion, Turin and Piedmont fill the bill for classy and relaxed. Also closer to Annecy than some other locations you've listed. Turin was the royal capital of the Savoys for centuries, and they littered the countryside with expansive and luxurious castles that are available to visit. We actually stayed in a Savoy castle a decade ago, in private hands, but used to be a castle on the Savoy family's annual tax collection junket. It was amazing.

While in Turin, you can also get to some lakes easily enough: Orta, Maggiore, Varese. I wouldn't go any farther east for Como, Lugano, Garda - too far out of the way. Don't miss the Abbey of San Michele in Avigliana, a 20-minute commuter train ride from Porta Nuova in Turin. It's a 1000-year-old pilgrimage abbey on the Via Francigena pilgrimage route. Spectacular.

Then a leisurely tour through the Piedmont wine regions - Langhe and maybe further south. It makes for a glorious road trip (speaking from experience.) It's full of beautiful small wine villages, each with its own tasting center. This area is also the home of the slow food movement, and believe me the eating and drinking is incredible. Definitely hits the romance category.

Then on to Rome if you must. It's Jubilee year and it's going to be shoulder to shoulder people all year. I really enjoy Rome but I'm staying away next year.

So maybe something like this: fly into Geneva, enjoy Lake Geneva, Castle Chillon etc. On to Annecy. On to Turin and Piedmont for the bulk of the trip. Then to Rome and home.

My two cents. We spent 3 weeks in Piedmont the first time and it wasn't enough.

P.S. Edit - I didn't say much about Turin proper. It is a beautiful, elegant and very classy city. Lots of porticos with endless upscale shopping, great museums and castles. A glorious river runs through it. Don't shortchange the city itself.

P.P.S. I noticed most of your options started in Rome and ended north. That works too. Rome to Geneva by way of Turin...

With your northern track I would suggest you look into Verona as a potential destination. Verona a very pretty, mostly pedestrian, town with an arty cafe culture vibe tucked in a bend in the river. It has upscale shopping, intact Roman arena and theater, some interesting churches and a few museums.

It also has some (fake) Romeo and Juliet sites - which I urge you to ignore - but because of that it is destination wedding town with that kind of romantic air if you lean into it.

It is close to Lake Garda - a few minutes by train - but the areas accessible by train are very touristy. Towns up both sides of the lake are obviously sill for seasonal tourists but less mobbed since you can't just train in.

Brescia is close by train (35m) and is a town of interesting piazzas kind of linked together, really underrated Roman ruins, and a castle on top of the hill to top everything off. Padua and Venice are also reachable by train in ~45 min and 1.5 hours respectively.

Hope that helps, have a great trip,
=Tod

That time of year I’d do Rome, Bologna or Verona, and Venice. I’d also personally start with 4 nights in Rome to help get over jet lag and do trains for all connections.

In April, northern Italy lakes area and Switzerland area can be cold and rainy so wouldn’t be my top choice mainly because they have very little indoor activities if the weather is bad.

Torino sounds like it would suit your vibe. If it's rainy, you can easily stay dry walking for miles under the arcades. Lots of great cafés along the way where you can have a "bicerin" (delicious chocolatey drink which is a local specialty).

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g187855-d6653005-r384452791-Via_Roma-Turin_Province_of_Turin_Piedmont.html

Stunning palaces to visit include the Royal Palace and Palazzo Madama. If you're a film buff, there's also a famous museum: Museo Nazionale del cinema

Torino has a Parisian vibe, as folks above have mentioned. Your itinerary options all look too rushed for my taste. I'd just split the time between Rome and Torino. Simple and lovely.

Just for the sake of completeness of information, I spent 14 years of my life living near Milan and I had my superior studies there, and I always thought the city has a Parisian vibe; most cities whose urban texture was reworked in 19th century share it. But probably the thing is more evident to the resident than to the casual tourist.