July 2025: 3 Teenages, 3 Weeks - Input Please!

You need to give some thought to travel times not only from Canada to Italy, but between each city. That requires some amount of time.

I would drop Bolzano, Moderna, or Orvieto--I think it is just a lot of moving at a face pace with three teens. Unless you are paying for a service, which could require a 24 hour wait, remember you have to have time for laundry to dry (and with you all in one room, there will be little room for laundry, but many funny memories!)
Two nights is one full day, and even with partial days on either side of that, it may be difficult to get to all on your list. Finding your way around and checking in and out of hotels can be a lot more time-consuming than you'd expect. Also, be sure to triple check the travel time between these destinations, I was wondering if the order might be reworked if your drop any.
It will be wonderful regardless, but I think if you drop one from the list it will be just about perfect.

A couple thoughts: If you want to hike in the Dolomites, it is better to stay in a mountain town like Ortisei rather than in Bolzano, which is in a valley an hour away and also likely to be hotter. Given the crowds and heat of recent summers, I wouldn't think of Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast as the best places to chill. For Cinque Terra, try to avoid being there on a weekend if possible. From Modena, you can easily visit Parma or Bologna if that appeals to you. Overall, sounds like a wonderful trip.

I'd add another day to Venice. It's the perfect place to work out jet lag, and if your incoming flight is delayed or canceled,, you could lose precious time. We like staying in the Cannaregio area, on the quiet back canals, away from the crowds.
I also feel you have too many destinations. Are your teens morning people? If not, slow down and sleep in a bit. Everyone will be in a better mood by the conclusion of the trip.
Also, 2025 is the Jubilee year, bringing thousands , if not millions, more pilgrims to Rome. How do you function in heat and crowds?
Also you may consider adding a day to Sorrenti/AC and not going to the CT, as you have two hilly, coastal towns.
Don't under estimate the difficulty it takes to move about in the AC. The infrastructure is sadly neglected and moving about takes patience and time.
"Can't miss" places are very personal. Perhaps give everyone some research assignments. My "can't miss" could be your snooze.
You'll have a very special family trip, making great memories. Safe travels!

Anyone interested in a food tour in Rome? Go to the Eating Europe Website. They offer two tours in Rome, and I recommend the Testaccio one. It’s a chance to see a less touristy neighborhood, with places used mostly by locals, and have lunch inside the hill created by Ancient Romans tossing their used clay olive oil containers into a huge heap thousands of years ago. It’s some history, archaeology, and excellent everyday Roman food rolled into one!

Jen,

As mentioned, I would trim out Bolzano and Orvieto and add in an extra day in Cinque Terre and stay in Ortisei when visiting the Dolomites and add an extra day there.

active ladies, not terribly interested in the fine arts, but we do
love history. We are backpacking and plan to train throughout

I know your hotels are tentative. Have you considered a family room at a modern hostel? You may find regular hotels beds rather small for two. Hostels often have bunks. Also, many have washers/dryers. And, your daughers may be able to meet other teens from around the world in the public spaces.

You've gotten lots of comments about fitting in too much and over traveling. And you have listed some very specific reasons (e.g. Otzi) for visiting certian cities. I suggest that you and your daughters take the list from you post and each of you, individually, circle three items that are must dos and cross out one item that is the least important. See what, if anything, drops out.

As for Rome, please consider the Borghese Gallery. Yes, it is considered an art museum and it is full of history. Also the Parthenon and the National Roman Museum. At St. Peters, walk up via the Dome by Stairs.

I think your itinerary is doable as long as all four of you are on the same travel style wavelength. You'll need to get up fairly early, especially on travel days. Travel days are a huge waste of your most valuable commodity when traveling and that is time. As was mentioned, checking in and out of hotels, getting to train stations, takes time away from enjoying the places you are visiting.

Your trip is a buffet sampling of Italy and that is fine as long as you realize that your two night stays will be much shorter days because of travel. You will be on the go everyday with what you want to see. I am not sure you have any real "chill" spots on your list. CT and Sorrento have a lot to explore.

There is no right or wrong itinerary. Yours is just busy everyday. You'll see what you can and will enjoy the travel memories forever. Enjoy.

...give some thought to travel times...between each city.

Each time you relocate you will lose 1/2 to 3/4 of a day. Also, a two night stay means only one full day, and part of the arrival and departure days.

And the more the daughters are involved in the planning, the better the trip will be for everyone. Not that teenage daughters are ever a problem.

Just offering food for thought. Enjoy the trip.

Not to mention four folks (and female at that) sharing one bathroom. Unless you do that at home, the degree to which is slows you down in the morning may be a surprise.

Instead of a 30 minute gondola ride, how about group rowing lessons on the back canals, with Row Venice? It's about 100 euros total for all of you, 90 minutes . It's harder than it looks, and a lot of fun, as you all rotate your duties and see who picks the skill up the fastest! Safe travels.

Given the time of year and the upcoming Jubilee, I would cut two nights from Rome. I know that history is a big interest and you're flying out of Rome, so you could still have 3 nights (2 full days) to hit the highlights, but 5 nights in Rome with the intense heat and crowds of the summer could be very taxing.

I'd give one (maybe both) of those nights to Venice (the first day you arrive will be a blur, and you probably won't want to be inside any museums).

I'd also recommend doing a lot of reading and research about the challenges of visiting Sorrento in the summer. I've never been, but from what I understand, there's not a lot of "chill" to be had during the height of summer.

Modena is a great city - if you have Netflix and have ever seen the "Somebody Feed Phil", his Modena episode is wonderful. We went to the balsamic vinegar shop featured in the episode and were not disappointed!