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Itinerary help needed

I’m planning a family trip the end of June into early July with 4 adults and 2 kids (ages 16 & 11) for two weeks. I was originally planning on flying into Milan and out of Rome and was planning on the below itinerary:

3 nights in Milan (with one full day in Lake Como)
2 nights in Venice
4 nights in Florence (with potentially 2 nights in the countryside)
5 nights in Rome (with day trip to Naples and Pompeii)

All that said I was able to snag a much more affordable flight roundtrip to and from Milan (arriving in Milan at 7am and departing Milan at 9:30am). So I was thinking I would do one less night in Rome and spend the night before our flight home back in Milan near the airport. But now I’m wondering upon arrival in Milan we should start in a different order so that we end in Milan since we are departing from there. I would love to spend a day or two in Amalfi or Cinque Terre, but I also wanted to keep it a little more simple since we are already covering a lot of spots. I would appreciate any advise. This is our first time visiting and I don't know when we will be able to return. We are an active family who is used to packing a lot in.

Posted by
543 posts

I would skip Roma.
I would do:
Firenze (skip the countryside as there so much in Firenze)
Bologna (day trip to the Ferrari museum in Modena)
Venezia (deserves more than 2 days)
Milano (we spent 6 days there and are going back this November for another 4)

Posted by
7995 posts

Hi Jamie,

Throwing out ideas: Since you’re doing a roundtrip to Milan, I would land at Malpensa and take the train to Lake Como for 2 nights to get over jet lag in a beautiful area for your water location. (You don’t have time for the Amalfi Coast on this trip.). Then take the trains to Venice for 3 nights. (Get away from the Rialto Bridge-to-St. Mark’s path during mid-day to find out how special Venice can be!). Follow with 3 nights in Florence, 3 nights in Rome (2025 is the Jubilee year, so Rome will be even busier than normal), and 2 nights in Milan.

Siena is very atmospheric and just a short ride from Florence. If you’re up for moving, it’s a convenient chance to be in a smaller, college town city with a great piazza. Read about the Siena Palio to understand the city.

Naples/Pompeii is a very long day from Rome. Check out Ostia Antica on the outskirts of Rome as a quicker alternative for this trip.
Your group with teenagers might enjoy city bike tours, a rowing lesson at Venice, food tours, etc.

Posted by
17 posts

Thank you both for these alternative ideas. Definitely have more to consider now!