Hi Fellow Travellers,
We are planning our very first trip to Italy in Autumn Sept/Oct 2027. Exciting!!! We are flying all the way from New Zealand (will have a small stopover en route). We are both 60yrs old, average weight & fitness levels, with no health concerns. We are planning a touring itinerary to fit around a cruise booking we have, that departs from Ravenna 3rd week of Oct. So that is our fixed end point! We understand we cannot see everything (sadly), so we have decided to fly into Rome, make our way up the country, concentrating on the top half of Italy for approx 1 month. Internal travel will be via train/bus, except in Tuscany where we plan to rent a car for a few days. I have tried to pick quiet spots between hectic ones, and include a variety of landscapes etc. Obviously this is loosely based on Rick's suggested itinerary. We plan to stay in a mix of accommodation types including Monastry's & Air BNB's, to keep costs down. We would love to spend 3 nights+ everywhere but sadly can't. So here is our very 'diamond in the rough' plan so far - we would appreciate your wise thoughts, expert suggestions, & friendly advice - if you have a moment to share:
Rome 4 nights
Orvieto 1 night (arrive am, collect car next day when we leave)
Tuscany Agriturismo (Val d' Orcia region) 3 nights
Siena 2 nights (drop car on arrival)
Florence 3 nights
Lucca 1 night (possibly 2 - short 1/2 day trip to Pisa)
Vernazza (Cinque Terre) 2 nights
Milan 2 nights
Varenna (Lake Como) 3 nights
Bolzano 1 night (possibly 2? - Just a pitstop after a long travel day)
Castelrotto (Dolomites) 3 nights (use buses to explore)
Venice 3 nights
Ravenna 2 nights
Looking forward to hearing from you!