New itinerary first time Italy

So you're not really seeing Florence? Partial day after the train from Venice, and the second day outside the city on day trips. OK if you've been there before, but otherwise -- it's like a Renaissance time capsule!
Sounds like a great trip!

I wouldn't be surprised to hear after your trip that you skipped Verona on Day 10 and stayed in Venice. I like Verona a lot, but I'd spend the time you've allotted in Venice; it's magical! : )

I wouldn't be surprised to hear after your trip that you skipped Verona on Day 10 and stayed in Venice. I like Verona a lot, but I'd spend the time you've allotted in Venice; it's magical! : )

In the Dolomites- we stayed in Castelrotto....I just checked- we stayed at Hotel Al Lupo... we loved that area. Ended up staying an extra night... We did an agriturizmo in Cinque... something Buranco- amazing- although the breakfasts could have been better the lodging and area was awesome... Tuscany, we did an agriturizmo there too and LOVED it!- Il Canto del Sole. Absolutely beautiful, food was incredible, pool area so peaceful, just loved everything about this place. Hope this helps.
PS... Curious what you'll think of Venice... we ended up leaving early. Just not my favorite place. Everything else is Italy was incredible.

Hi Jean. We may drive to Verona from Ortisei before returning the car in Venice and that will give us a day more in Venice.
Aly - truly appreciate your accomodation recommendations will check that out. Still in the early stages of googling places to stay.
Laura - we may see Pisa and Lucca after we pick the car from La Spezia and that will give us more time in Florence.

If anyone have driven Varenna to Ortisei, would be most helpful and what to see/stops along the way.
Thank you everyone for replying .. Truly much appreciated

Hi again, Rocky. I think you have a good plan overall. I would suggest one fewer nights in Varenna and one more in the Dolomites. From our PM exchange I know you plan on Ortisei and below I will give you some lodging ideas. The reason I suggest at least one more night in Ortisei is that it will increase your chances of good weather. Everyone I have sent there has said they wished they had stayed longer.

I agree that skipping a Verona day trip is a good idea. More time in Venice! A day going to Murano, Burano and Torcello, if it is sunny, is well worthwhile. The Rick Steves book has a nice self-tour for the islands. I am inclined to suggest you skip the Florence stop and just go stay in Lucca for two nights. It is quite charming. Unless you really want to see some of the Florence museums, but with your current plan you would not have much time to do so. When you return to Tuscany and stay near Siena, you could daytrip to Florence if you've a mind to.

Now as to lodging in Ortisei, we really liked Villa Aurelia. It is a B&B right on the main street, a 5-minute walk from the bus piazza. They have parking. Very sweet landlady. They also have some small apartments. A lot of Ortisei i very hilly and it can get tiring walking up and down to the village. You cannot take your car everywhere in the village, so going out to dinner is often a walking affair.

Personally I would not drive to Sorrento, but that is a very personal choice.

The valley cities of Bolzano and Bressanone both have very lovely old quarters. Bolzano is considerably larger and has a number of good museums, including the one housing the Iceman. The museums are close to the old district. Bressanone is just a bit beyond the turn-off toward Ortisei. It's much smaller. You could get to either one by bus or a combination of train and bus if you wanted to visit later and didn't want to bother with taking your car and looking for parking.

Before you get to the Alto Adige you'll pass fairly near Bergamo (not far from Varenna) and Vicenza (east of Verona). Both fabulous sightseeing options.

Now that I think of it, I might be inclined to keep Bolzano and Bressanone in my hip pocket in case of a bad-weather day while in Ortisei. On my way from Varenna, I'd probably opt to see one or two other places that would be a bit harder to get to from Ortisei if weather suggested a non-hiking day.

It appears to me that you are woefully shortchanging Venice and Florence and spending too much time in Varenna and Tuscany. You might want to rethink that aspect. Just my opinion.

I was in the Dolomites (all too) briefly on an RS tour. They'd been using Bolzano as a base but last year changed to Castelrotto since it's much closer to the Alpi di Siusi. It's a lovely town and the hotel (Hotel Cavallino D'Oro) was charming.

Opera season in Verona begins on June 23. There are operas on both the 23rd and the 24th so expect the city to be packed with tourists. For that reason I would skip it. There's certainly enough in Venice to keep you happy for 3 days. If you are opera buffs, do take a hotel in Verona for a night or 2 and go to the opera. I'[m told it's a very special experience, even for non-fans.

I'm not sure why you want to stay in Florence for a day trip to Pisa and Lucca when you'll be in Tuscany with a car for several days later in the trip. BTW you can easily spend a few hours in Pisa on the way from Florence to the CT. There's luggage storage at the train station and it's a short bus or taxi ride to the Leaning Tower.

I would try to include Umbria with Tuscany while you have the car, especially visiting Assisi and Orvieto.

Lastly, good luck to your daughter!

If you are looking for the scenic route between Varenna and Ortisei, you can take a northerly route through Tirano, the ski resort town of Bormio, then over the Paso Stelvio (lots of hair-pin turns), to Merano, then highway to Bolzano, then the turn-off for Ortisei. Not the fastest route, but definitely the scenic one.

Hi everyone
Laurel. We may drop the car off in Orvieto . We plan to visit the place and Assisi.
Acraven. Thank you for your advice on Bolzano and Bressanone. I heard of the iceman . I will get hubby to check out route map.
Tc. We put more time in Varenna as hubby so work colleague went there and said the two days there were there was not enough so we figured there must be more to see with day trips etc...
Chani. Thank you re. Opera dates in Verona. We will avoid it on those dates. It is only a side trip so if we don't get there it does not matter.
Sam. Many thanks for route directions. Will pass that in to hubby. He is the map man. Me, I google! I google paso Stelio, wow. Just like Sa Calobra in Mallorca. Hubby's (John) is a VERY good driver even if it is on the wrong side of the road😁
Once again thank you everyone. Much appreciated. I am enjoying my planning.mi know it is a long way to go but time passes so quickly these days. And not long to Christmas !😬