Lake Como or Cinque Terre - adding to RS Best of Italy Tour

Best wishes! If possible, fly into Milan, use a few days at Lake Como to recuperate from the stress of the wedding. It's a perfect place to chill out, get over jet lag, and acclimate for the tour. Then take the train to Venice to join the tour. If that's not an option and the only extra days are at the end of the tour, consider just staying in Rome for a few days. We've been there a number of times and still haven't seen or done it all. Love long and prosper.

Thank you for the advice! That's a nice thought to start the trip with a nice relaxing couple of days! We were thinking to have it at the end so we can kind of recuperate from the tour there, but that gives us something to consider! Maybe it's better to start refreshed! Hmm!

That's what we did - a few days in Varenna before taking train to Venice. One advantage is by flying in to Milan, there are more direct flight options from N America.

In April it will likely still be cool on Lake Como. Since the tour ends in Rome I would recommend going down to the Amalfi Coast to end your trip. It's very honeymoon appropriate and would be warmer than the north. Then you could fly out of Rome.

I agree with the others who have posted. Fly into Milan before the tour and stay a couple nights in Varenna. I would not attempt to go to the Cinque Terre on this trip. Varenna will be a great place to relax after a wedding. While in Varenna, be sure to hike up to the castle for a great view of the city and Lake Como.

Can you squeeze in say 4 extra days and do both ?? Fly into Milan and train 1 hr up to Varenna. Then you train from there to Milan to Venice on the high speed and meet your tour. Relaxing is better when you get there for a few days then jumping right in and touring Venice.

Then after Rome, train up to the Cinque Terre to end your trip there.

Actually thinking about airfare and all the sub $400 deals I've been seeing on Round Trips the past few weeks, I'd say if you can do both then get a Round Trip ticket to Milan. the CT to Milan is about same train travel time to Rome.

Cinque Terre is not close to anything you are visiting on the tour. And the closest airport, Pisa or Genoa, is at least 1.5 hours away, and neither is a major hub.
As suggested above, one option is to add days before the tour and visit a lake (lake Maggiore near Milan Malpensa airport, or lake Como near Milan Linate airport, or lake Garda, closer to Venice), then go to the tour.
If you want to add days after the tour, the most sensible choice is probably the Gulf of Naples/Amalfi Coast area. There is a lot to visit here, so 4 nights would be good to have. Consider that the last night before you fly home you need to be closer to the airport, therefore no matter where you go, you need to come back to Rome to spend your last night there.

The good news is there is no "bad choice" between the two for scenery and relaxation

The proximity of Milan to Lake Como makes airport access easier

Pick one and plan the other for your next trip!