Itinerary help for March trip

Looks good to me

I would add at least a day trip from Bologna to Ravenna

You don't mention your interests or specific focus but I think your schedule looks pretty good.

I've spent quite a bit of time in Verona and here's my quick run down: Verona is a great walking town - the center is nearly traffic free and buildings with faded murals and painted details lurk in unlikely corners. There are cafes with outdoor seating everywhere in Verona whenever you decide to want to sit and/or spritz.

The an intact Roman Arena and Theater which are still used for events with music and opera being a big part of the city's summer schedule including concerts and opera. The Theater includes the Archeological Museum which is small but also gives you access to the rambling remains of old religious sites there. If you like modern art check out the small Palazzo Maffei Casa Museo which mixes ancient and modern art, a palazzo and rooftop tour all into one place overlooking piazza Erbe and is underadvertised. I think Piazza Erbe (looking past the market stands) is one of the prettiest piazzas in Italy. Verona has the 'elegant decay' feeling with faded murals on medieval buildings that the Veneto does so well.

Al Grottino - Osteria e Sbecoleria is a great hole in the wall place off Piazza Erbe for a drink and cicchetti. Cafe Monte Baldo nearby also has great cicchetti and more serious food if you want that. Right near the cafe there is Arcivio a super small, super hip cocktail bar. There is no lack of good restaurants in Verona but read the menu carefully at the older places because the cuisine can be very "traditional".

Day trips from Verona by train at under an hour include Vicenza, Padua/ova, Brescia, Mantua/ova, and further Trento, and Florence.
Vicenza for Palladian architecture, Brescia for Roman ruins and interesting town plus castle, Padua for religious sites and Mantua for unique Unesco renaissance appeal. I've left off Lake Garda because March is early but it is close.

Bologna is mostly a food and history destination. Day trips from Bologna include Parma, Modena, Ferrara (ancient city) and Ravenna (mosaics).

If you want warmer weather in March you could look at destinations further south but every area - and even city - of Italy is different and has it's own appeal.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

I'd suggest a day trip to Paduva from Verona.

Agree with Tod on Verona. Wow! I always had an impression that it was just fake Romeo and Juliet sites. No! So much more. Lovely city on a river, very historic.

I think unless you can add days, you should skip a stop in Florence. If you do find some time, just walking around and taking in the vibe of Florence would be fun especially since you probably had less time for that kind of thing when you were in Florence the last time.

I don't know what you consider a day trip. I consider a day trip to be transit time no more than 2.5 hours round trip. We went with the RS guidebook for our trip to Orvieto, and I found his advice to be lacking. Make sure to take a look at the Trenitalia site so you know actual train times and the best train station to utilize (Tibertina can work, as well as Termini). There aren't as many direct trains as the guidebook indicates. Many of the routes have a connection. We thought we could go to Orvieto city center in an hour from Termini. No Way can that happen. Don't get me wrong, we LOVED Orvieto, but we had 3 full days there. Civita Bagnaregio is a don't miss, and it can be a day trip from Orvieto.

I think you've got a good plan, though the only one of your destinations I've visited that early in the year is Rome. I assume you're OK with cooler temperatures and shorter days.

Since you haven't been to Venice recently, I'll mention that vaporetto tickets now cost 9.50 each, which is really painfully expensive. If you expect to ride more than a few times, you should consider buying a pass. Current prices are as follows:

24 hours: 25 euros
48 hours: 35 euros
72 hours: 45 euros
168 hours (1 week): 65 euros

Thanks for the advice on vaporetto prices. Seems like we had a pass last time as well.

I am warming to this idea of Verona thanks to the reviews here. I mostly just want to drink wine and spritzes, see churches and museums, food tours, and mooch around. Seems like a better idea to see two cities we’ve never seen, Bologna and Verona, than revisiting Florence. I do want to see the mosaics in Ravenna, I am assuming this could be a day trip.

If that's your goal then I think Verona will do nicely for you - it has a very chic, cafe culture feel.

Ravenna would best be a day trip from Bologna. It's a little over an hour on a direct train that basically runs every hour.

Have a great trip,
=Tod