Nine Night Northern (Mostly) Itinerary Help

I would give Genoa a miss this trip. Genoa is a port city (if you go, you can see the Costa Concordia being cut up for scrap), and like all port cities, there is a mix of the lovely and the pretty ugly.

We spent three nights in Genoa last September and enjoyed it. However, that was part of an eight week trip. If we had been limited for time, we would have given Genoa a miss.

I enjoyed the Maritime Museum, also walking the streets in the old town. Genoa is a sailor's town, so there were a few working girls in the narrow streets, as we were taking morning coffee.

Tracy,

I agree with the previous reply - skip Genoa.

There are lots of possibilities, but one route you could consider is along these lines....

• Flight to Milan (you'll "lose" one day and arrive in Europe the day after you depart home)
• Train direct to Varenna (3 nights?) - That's a great place not only to recover from jet lag but also enjoy il dolce far niente.
• Train to Cinque Terre (3 nights?) - Which of the five towns are you planning to stay in (everyone here has their own preference, and I prefer to stay in Monterosso)? I'd suggest getting accommodations booked there as soon as you've got your dates locked down. As you "like good food" you'll be able to sample some fine Pesto dishes in the area where it was invented.
• Train to Florence (4 nights?) - You don't have to spend all your time there - it's the capital of Tuscany so makes a great "home base" to explore the area, without having to change hotels. Some of the possibilities are Siena (an easy one hour each way by Bus), Lucca or Pisa if desired).
• Train to Bologna (3 nights?) - Since you like "good food, some wine", this seems like a good fit as it's sort of "on the way" back to Milan, and you'll be able to enjoy some great food and see why the city is called La Grassa. While there you could also take a day trip to Modena.
• Train to Milan (1 night) - There are a couple of choices in terms of where to stay to allow easy access to the airport the next morning. You might prefer to stay closer to the Duomo and Sforza Castle for better access to restaurants, etc. near Via Dante. In that case, you'll access the Malpensa Express from Milano Cadorna station (travel time about 40 minutes as I recall).

If you haven't travelled by train or other public transit in Italy before, there are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of. If you need more information, post another note.

I think you've pretty much answered your question all by yourself.
Day 1 & 2 - Lake Como
Day 3 & 4 - Cinque Terre
Day 5 & 6 - Lucca (excursion to Pisa on Day 6)
Day 7 & 8 - Bologna (excursion to Parma+Modena on Day 8)
Day 9 - Milan

I think if you are happy to forego Florence (you may have already been before) this is a great (if intense) journey as you get to experience 4 different provinces of Italy.
If you wanted to spend time in Florence you could check your bags at the station on Day 7 as you will need to change trains in Florence.

With only nine nights, I suggest you stick to 3 places plus your one night in Milan. If you try to add one more stop, you have a string of 2 night stays with only one day to enjoy the location you are in. I find that tiring, the constant check-in/check-out.

Arrive Milan - go to Lake Como (Varenna?) for 2 nights

On to le Cinque Terre, 3 nights. (N.B. The 5 towns are crowded in Sept. You might consider staying north of there, still in Liguria. That's what we are going to do next October. Take a look at this piece on the blog A Path to Lunch for ideas.)

Lucca OR Bologna, 3 nights. Hard to pick. Lucca is so attractive and inexpensive and Bologna more sophisticated. Read up on both and make a list of what you might like to do in each before you decide.

Milano, 1 night

I like Laurel's suggestion. In Milano, get a room near the train station if you can take the train to the airport the morning of your flight (about an hour), you can take the metro to the Duomo stop for a nice evening before you depart.

Thanks for the great suggestions. We will definitely try to stay in Varenna, getting there around noon, and it sounds like instead of leaving it for last, it makes more sense to do that first. Would 2 nights and just about two full days there enable us to check out the area? Then on to Monterosso for 3 nights. It's from there I am still torn. We will have 3 nights to fill, so it's probably got to be either Lucca and Pisa OR Modena with day trips to Parma--or something else! We've been to Florence, and we don't want to go so far that we spend a whole day traveling. The walled town of Lucca sounds interesting, but so does all of Italy to me! Any other suggestions?

Two nights in Varenna is good, especially with your other plans. You can spend the full day you have taking a nice cruise on the lake. Check out Villa Balbianello. Absolutely breathtaking!

Thank you, Laurel. We will be sure to do that!