Itinerary suggestions

Varenna is a lake town popular with many people here and it has train travel convenience and also good access to the public ferry boats that will take you out into the midlake area where the postcard views are to be had.

amyf, if you are considering lake como ( and I think you should) I would encourage you to investigate the things to see while there. we just loved the lake como area ( after spending nearly a month driving to various parts of Italy it was our favourite) you can see why the rich people live there. it is so beautiful. we visited a few of the gardens and in particular villa balbianello. and you can access the area by train. ( we drove) the ferry service is great to catch between the towns on the lake.

as for venice and the islands, we thought it was OK, but not a highlight.
I don't think you would need 4 nights in Florence, IMO.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the suggestions. I think 3 nights in Varenna would be a good start. I thought 4 nights in Florence would be enough that we could do a day trip to Siena or another hill town.

I prefer option 2, but that's because I love Rome and was cool to Siena.

Were you thinking of renting a car to see places in Tuscany besides Florence and Siena? If yes, your first plan could be modified to have a few nights in Florence, then time in a more rural location with a car to see Tuscany. If not, I think 3 nights in Siena, even if you like it, is a lot.

I loved Varenna, and agree that it's very relaxing. You could also look into Lake Maggiore, as it's even easier to get to from Milan Malpensa airport (assuming you are arriving there instead of Milan Linate).

And, I'm assuming you saved several hundred dollars each by flying into Milan round trip instead of open jaws somewhere else. If so, don't worry about it; I like Milan a lot, and it certainly has a day of sights to see before you catch your plane home. And the train from Rome to Milan is only 3 hours, and booked in advance will be cheap.

Thanks Harold. We did save quite a bit by flying into and out of Milan. I usually always do open jaw. We are flying into Malpensa so I will look into Lake Maggiore. We weren't planning on renting a car but I'm not opposed to the idea. I feel confident with my husband behind the wheel and me navigating. But, if we weren't going to stay in Siena we would do a day trip from Florence to Siena. I hate to say it but my husband is taking this trip for me. He'd rather spend the time on a beach in N.C. I'm trying to make this as great as possible so he falls in love with Italy like I did.

amy,

Either Itinerary looks reasonable, however I might modify it slightly. Does your time frame include your two flight days? Here's one suggestion.....

• D1 - Depart U.S.
• D2 / N1 - Arrive Milan / MXP (Malpensa Express to Milano Centrale and then Regionale to Varenna - check Guidebook for hotel suggestions - Albergo Milano is always a favourite, but you could also have a look at Royal Hotel Victoria or Villa Cipressi).
• D3 / N2 - Varenna (day trip to Bellagio?)
• D4 / N2 - Varenna
• D5 / N1 - Regionale to Milano Centrale and then Freccia to Venice
• D6 / N2 - Venice
• D7 / N3 - Venice
• D8 / N1 - Freccia or Italo to Florence
• D9 / N2 - Florence
• D10 / N3 - Florence (day trip to Siena?)
• D11 / N4 - Florence (day trip to Lucca?)
• D12 / N1 - Trains to Manarola
• D13 / N2 - Manarola
• D14 / N3 - Manarola
• D15 / N4 - Manarola
• D16 / N1 - Train to Rome (use Regionale to La Spezia Centrale and then one of the direct trains to Roma Termini, about 3H:45M)
• D17 / N2 - Rome
• D18 / N3 - Rome
• D18 / N4 - Rome (day trip to Orvieto?)
• D19 / N1 - Train to Milan
• D20 / N2 - Milan (day trip to Stresa or Lugano)
• D21 / N3 - Milan
• D22 - Return flight to U.S.

There are lots of way this could be arranged, and this is only one suggestion.

While you could substitute Stresa for Varenna, IMO Varenna is a good choice as it's got a more relaxed atmosphere so perhaps a good place to acclimatize from jet lag and get used to being in Italy.

As you've been to Italy before, I'm sure you're aware of the "caveats" to be aware of when using public transit (trains, buses, etc.). Packing along a copy of the Italy guidebook either in hard copy or E-book format would be a great resource to plan touring, etc. and may save you some money.

It would be a good idea to get hotels booked SOON.