N/Central Italy Itinerary - reality check needed :)

Is this your first trip to Europe, so you don't know now how you'll handle the overnight flight? I always arrive sleep-deprived, jeglagged and totally zombified. I'm afraid you may be like me and find the first, partial day pretty useless. That would mean less than a day in Varenna. I'd want time to visit a couple of the villas, take a ride or two across the lake and walk a bit. Even if things go swimmingly for you, your time in Varenna will be terribly limited.

That's the only thing I have doubts about, but it's not clear to me whether you plan to hop off the train in Padua (to see the Scrovegni Chapel?). If so, you'll need to get that ticket in advance, check on luggage-storage options and buy two separate train tickets.

Bus is better than train from Florence to Siena because the bus station is closer to the historic center of Siena.

Actually, this sounds like a well-rounded trip! Agreed, with this itinerary there's no need to rent a car, in fact it would just be a hassle. I would stay an extra night in Varenna & one less night in Venice, but that's just me. I LOVED the Lake District & you will arrive tired from transatlantic trip but are leaving the next day.... (Acraven & I must have posted at the same time... sorry if redundant!)

And I would stay an extra night in Florence & just do an early morning departure day trip to Sienna to beat the crowds, so fewer hotel changes. And that way if you're enjoying Florence, no need to add another town, though Siena is wonderful too. I would do a walking food tour the first day in Florence, then you can go back and eat in all the places they show you... since you mentioned 'eating everything'. Sounds amazing, enjoy!

This is very well-balanced, in my opinion!
I would indeed aim to stay 2 nights in Varenna and just 1 in Bergamo vs. the other way around, or 2+2 at the expense of one night in Venice (where 3 nights is already pretty good!).
Check if you are in Florence on a Monday: this is museum closing day. If you are in Florence on a Monday, you could flip Siena and Florence around to avoid that. I would stay in Siena, it is lovely there.

I think it's a reasonable plan.

Thoughts: the hardest train trip is probably Siena to Milan (never tried that leg). Venice to Florence and Milan to Padua/Venice (also never tried Bergamo) are both easy with regular service. Start with the hardest legs and plan from there.

Pack light, the lighter the better. Hopping on a train or bus is easy with just one small carry-on bag. The more luggage you have, the harder using public transportation will be, both from a hassle and personal security standpoint.

Three nights in Venice is two days of touring, about right. Three nights in Florence is two full days, again probably enough to see your top sights. I usually start with what I want to see in a place, then decide how long to stay. Two nights in Siena gives you one full day to see the sights, again about right. It seems like more days, but this is how to plan. You will probably get some extra time on your travel days to Florence and Siena, but don't plan to have a full day. You will also need to check out of/into lodging, pack/unpack, find meals and make your train/bus.

I usually like to be in place the night before my flight home. Don't try to catch a train that arrives shortly before you're due at the airport. That would be stressful at best and any missed connection/strike/late train or bus, might make you miss your flight. From personal experience, plan on missing at least one connection somewhere along the way. If you give yourself time to spare, those are just lessons learned rather than expensive disasters. Most train strikes in Italy are publicized. If you run into one, you can work around it, provided you have time.

Brad

I agree with Sandacisco's reply further above. An additional night in Varenna is definitely needed!

What month are you planning your trip for?
Buon viaggio!

Thank you all for your replies and insights!! I think I might adjust a few of the days so that there are a couple fewer transitions. The biggest planning challenge so far has been trying to keep the itinerary manageable and to try not to do too many things in such a short timeframe! :)

Edited to add: this might be crazy, but I'm leaving in exactly one month! The opportunity presented itself, and after thinking about it pretty hard for a few days, I decided why not??

Christina,
Try this, keep all all Milan and Varenna nights at the end.

Milan > Bergamo > Venice > Siena > Florence > Varenna > Milan.

The biggest planning challenge so far has been trying to keep the itinerary manageable and to try not to do too many things in such a short timeframe! :)

Yes indeed, that is always the challenge, even when I've been someplace multiple times! So, given you're leaving in a month (October 26?) I would definitely go to Varenna on Lago di Como first, the later you go the worse the weather might be. Good luck & do let us know your final itinerary, always interesting to see how it evolves!

@ Pat suggested in another thread to stay here in Varenna, OMG it looks amazing!! We loved Hotel du Lac in Varenna - great staff, lake view room with balcony, and daily wine tasting ( not free.) I think there is a hotel of the same name in Bellagio.