Milan to Rome

First, you will need a reasonable count of your days. The best way to do this is to count nights, not days, in the country. You have 8 nights, or 7 actual sight seeing days. Your arrival day and your departure day don't count. Even though you are arriving at 6:30 in the morning on the 2nd, the day will be really spent in a jet lagged daze, and the 10th will be spent traveling to the airport in Rome for the homebound flight.

In light of your 7 days of effective sight seeing, you really can see only two cities or destinations, or maybe 3 at the most. Figure every day that you have to move from one place to another as a half day gone due to packing up, traveling to the new destination, and unpacking in a new hotel.

Save Rome for last, since you are flying out of there.

What do YOU want to do? Get a copy of Rick Steves guidebook Italy 2019 and begin to look at places and things you want to see. When you have a rough idea, come back and we can be of assistance.

wbfey1 has given sage advice. You do not have time for all of the destinations you have listed and Vernazza is far out-of-the-way, takes a lot of time to get to.

Trains are your friends. Venice in October is crowded but not crazy. You could spend Oct 2 getting to Venice by train. You should be there by noon or 1300 with a 0630 arrival. That gives you a half day to wander around and get oriented. Spend three nights. Then take the train to Rome for the remaining four nights. To add in Florence does not make sense.

You could skip Venice and spend those first three nights in Florence, of course, and use Tours by Roberto for a one day guided adventure into the countryside of Chianti.

Good advice from previous poster. You only have seven days of touring.

My first time in Rome, I spent 6 days there and didn't see everything.

You can do Venice on another trip. I suggest trains. Head for Florence and split you time with Rome. I say 3 days in Florence and 4 in Rome.

Thank you! Wondering if we went down to Montepulicano and then over to Rome would work? Looking to get some contrasting views of Italy. Or spending one night in Florence over to Montepulciano and then down to Rome?

I agree that with only 8 nights in Italy, you should limit yourself to 3 destinations. Otherwise, you'll spend too much of your limited vacation time traveling and changing hotels. Milan (2 nights), Florence (3 nights) and Rome (3 nights) would work well. Substitute Venice, Cinque Terre or Montepulciano for Florence if you wish, although some places in Cinque Terre start to close down for the season around that time and so Monterosso might be a better choice than Vernazza. If you were to choose Cinque Terre or Montepulciano, I'd suggest staying only 2 nights and adding a night to either Milan (day trip to Lake Como) or Rome.

If this is your first trip overseas and you don't know how jet lag will affect you, plan accordingly but don't assume you'll be so jet lagged that you won't be able to function and will need to write the first day off. Most discussions regarding jet lag on this forum suggest that staying outdoors and active is the best approach, with some saying that a short nap in the afternoon helps. That first day would be a good day to visit the Duomo (including rooftop) and the nearby Galleria, adding a visit to Sforza Castle (museum with statue is small) or window-shopping along the Via Monte Napoleone depending upon your interests. Save museums, tours and other indoor sights for your second day in Milan.

All of the above posters provided cogent strategies. Another strategy to follow is this one: "less is more." Basically, you want to spend more time being there and less time getting there.

During our first time in Roma we spent 5 or 6 days there and still did not see everything. If you plan on touring two cities you will be able to enjoy yourself and save the other places for your next trip. Italy will enrage you, seduce you at the same time, and you will probably want to return. I'm always thinking of my next trip to Italy on the plane home from the current trip to Italy.

One last item, IMHO, do not discount Milano. They have some interesting sights to see such as the Last Supper," the Duomo, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, the Leonardo Museum. and there is even a torture museum in Milano. A favorite activity for the Milanese and tourists is to pass through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and spin their heel on the bull's balls for good luck. It will be easy to find...there is always a crowd around it. Probably more tourists than Milanese now. the Milanese have a sense of humor.

Buon viaggio,

Thank you! Wondering if we went down to Montepulicano and then over to Rome would work? Looking to get some contrasting views of Italy. Or spending one night in Florence over to Montepulciano and then down to Rome?

Without the context of where else you plan to be this may or may not be advisable.