Northern Italy trip September 2026

I found the first part of your trip taking a lot of time for no reason. Why don’t you fly into Turin and take the train directly from the airport to Asti? There are direct trains and ones that require a change that will get you to Asti in about an hour and a half. I could understand your routing if you are unable to get an open jaw ticket into Turin and out of Venice. I’d also add a night to Turin and Parma. Although some people love Bologna, I found it to be a large, gritty city whereas Parma was less crowded and more charming as well as the home of Prosciutto de Parma and Parmigiana Reggiano.

I agree with Phillip, if you can, fly into Turin. We went to Asti as an on-the-fly day trip from Turin. It is very easy, takes about 35 minutes on a direct train, and there are many direct trains per day. Nothing complicated about it. Cute town: enjoy your trip!

Thanks Phillip and Elena. When flight booking opens, I’ll take a look.

Take more time in each place.
I am 76.
My rule is 3 nights minimum, preferably 4.

I agree with adding at least one more night to Torino. I was there earlier this summer for 4 nights and wish I had more time. Don’t miss the Egyptian museum.

I've always flown into Venice, not out, but I have heard that most flights from Venice to the U.S. leave at extremely early hours. Check on that. Perhaps you can flip your trip to begin with time in Venice, though I know you're locked into the dates of the Asti Palio.

I do like Bologna, though I would probably agree that it's a bit gritty. I also like Parma. Perhaps, to reduce the number of moves, you could consolidate those two locations, and visit the other as a day trip.

Everyone has their likes, and I didn't much like Torino. It just didn't click with me (whereas Bologna did, as well as my favorite in that area, Modena).

Have fun planning!

Hi Horsewoofie,

I’m glad to hear that you saw the mention of the Asti Palio, and you’re planning to go next year! I arrived back home last night at midnight and feeling groggy from the jet lag, so I won’t write much here today. But, I think you would love the itinerary I just completed. I have the framework of the trip report started and should have it posted by the end of this week. The Palio was fantastic along with all of the parades & medieval dress events leading up to it! Venice is always lovely! And one of my other favorites this trip was time back in Torino. I was there three nights - long for me - LOL!

Jean, welcome home. Get some rest. Flying west sometimes has more jetlag than flying east to Europe. Can't wait to read your trip report. I plan to stay Hotel Lis. As of yesterday bookings for September 2026 aren't open yet.

Lexma, this will be my 4th trip to Venice, absolutely my favorite city. I've flown out of there twice. United has a flight to the US usually at 11am, enough time to get up early to take the Alilaguna from San Zacccaria to the airport.

Mary, thanks for the Egyptian Museum recommendation. Is it better than the British Museum's display? I saw that this June. I'm considering adding a day to Turin and dropping a day from Bologna.

davebarnes, I usually stay 4 to 6 nights in each town. But this trip I want to see more places and do more things. 2 to 3 nights each is more than adequate for this trip. I'm used to that type of travel after taking 5 RS tours. I don't want to add more days onto this trip.

To everyone, thanks for your recommendations and ideas. I'll consider adding and subtracting towns and days as I work on my itinerary. I still have almost a year to plan. Flights won't open for another month. Keep the ideas coming!

Mary, thanks for the Egyptian Museum recommendation. Is it better than the British Museum's display? I saw that this June. I'm considering adding a day to Turin and dropping a day from Bologna.

When I was researching for my trip to Torino, I read someone’s blog online that said the Egyptian Museum in Torino puts the British Museum’s collection to shame. The collection of Egyptian antiquities in Torino is the second largest in the world, after the collection in Cairo. Even in June, I did not find the museum to be crowded. I spent three hours there and if I had more time, I would have gone back for a second time on another day.