One Week in Italy?

Florence and Venice are incredible places to visit, we spent about 4 days in each city and wow there is an endless amount of things to do and see in each city. The train from Florence to Venice is very easy to maneuver as well.
You cannot beat the rolling hills of Tuscany, a wine country tour is a must or if you are feeling adventurous rent a car and wander around the medieval towns of Greve-in-Chianti or Castellini. We also did a cooking class on a hillside kitchen where you pick the ingredients fresh from the garden, the experience is so great(I can link you to it if you would like!). The views alone are enough to make me want to go back. Florence is rich with history everywhere you go, we did a few free tours from cultural societies and wow they are great (the tour is free but tipping is definitely recommended). There is a great mini hike you can make to Piazzale Michelangelo which overlooks the whole city, sunrise and sunset are picture perfect there. It is perched over the city and about a 20 minute walk from the center of Florence up some impressively steep stairs.
Venice also has plenty to see and do. During the day it can get quite packed with cruise ship tourists but at night and early mornings the city is all yours. Even after having been there I still cant believe the city has no cars and hundreds of bridges. The neighboring islands of Murano and Burano are great to visit and they are way less crowded during the day. Getting around Venice is not hard as there is a great water taxi system if you wish to visit the surrounding islands or just get to the other side of Venice instead of walking the labyrinth of narrow streets and bridges.

You will definitely get your steps in in both cities, we walked about 8 miles a day easily. Regardless of where you choose I hope you enjoy!!!

What time of year and how many nights on the ground do you have?

Laurel - We will be there end of July and have about a week... Could break it into 3/4 days between two places, or one week in one location.

Welcome to the forum, Lauren!
You could very easily make your base in Florence for the entire week as there are multiple day-trips which can be easily done from there - Siena, Lucca, Pisa, Fiesole... - and the city is just lousy (in a great way!!!) with Renaissance/Medieval culture. Food? No problem.

What time of year are you thinking about making this trip? There is some good hiking in the Cinque Terre (a couple of hours by train from Florence) but I don't recommend that one for a day trip. The 5-village area can be overrun with day-trippers during high and shoulder season BUT a lot of of them don't venture to the upper reaches of the towns or lesser used trails so a conditioned hiker can lose the herd with a stout pair of shoes. It does involve making arrangements for accommodations well in advance, though as the folks who choose to bunk down there for a few days - as we did - lock down their rooms well before the busiest seasons.

I'll second the trek up to Piazza Michelangelo in Florence (plan your route through the Rose Garden) and a bit higher from there to San Miniato al Monte. It's a very old and important church to Florence with an interesting cemetery and another breathtaking viewpoint. Great views of from Fiesole as well, and it's only 20 minutes or so by bus from Florence. You could ride up to the town and hike your way back down into the city.

The Boboli Gardens in Florence are expansive - you can wear some serious shoe leather wandering around that one - and you could combine it the lovely Bardini Gardens. A bit about some of the city gardens:

https://www.visitflorence.com/what-to-see-in-florence/gardens-in-florence.html
https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-museums/bardini-gardens.html
https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-museums/boboli-gardens.html

The Boboli Gardens can also be coupled with a visit to the Pitti Palace: the Palatine Gallery is the best of the additional attractions in the palace if one likes art but I found the collection a bit difficult to browse due to the height some of the works are hung at. It's also vast so we ran out of steam before examining all of the rooms.

https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-museums/pitti-palace.html

Anyway, we can offer up the official ticketing websites for Florence museums - SO much to see! - if interested?

Editing to add: I see you've added info about making this trip in July. Thank you. Yes, it will be hot in Florence/Tuscany in July but ability to manage that can depend on how used to heat you are to begin with and seeking out some lesser crowded spots in the cities/towns. :O)

In July will be very hot in Florence, Milan, and rural Tuscany, no question. Florence will also be very crowded while, in my experience, Tuscany is less so. Milan is OK, but unless you are drawn by something there, it’s probably not a destination until you’ve exhausted some other lovely Italian places.

Lake Como may be cooler (a little) and does offer some hiking. We enjoyed the Sentiero del Viandante, which is described in Rick Steves’ book as well as some places in the web. Great views and dining around the lake. Varenna makes a nice base as you can easily do everything without a car. Check out the restaurant Il Caminetto, high above the town. They will come down and pick you up for dinner and transport you back after. Also offers cooking courses. I could easily pass 3 or 4 nights at the Lake.

Maybe you could fly into Florence, spend 3 nights/2 full days getting your full of that pretty city, then escape the heat at Lago di Como for your remaining nights, then fly out of Milano. If your flight is not too early, it is feasible to spend your final night at the lake.

If you enjoy hiking, dining, culture, views, etc., you should really look into visiting Montepulciano. There are lots of hiking opportunities and the restaurants are incredible. As for culture, it looks like you will be coming at the end of July – the 44th Cantiere Internazionale D’Arte festival will be occurring. It’s a festival full of music concerts, dance, and art.

For the views, on one side of Montepulciano is the Val D’Orcia and the other is the Valdichiana. Both are UNESCO World Heritage sites celebrated for the views and beauty of the countryside.

Honestly, you can’t go wrong visiting anywhere in Italy…but if you decide to visit Montepulciano, feel free to reach out if you would like restaurant or accommodation suggestions. Have a great trip!

Lake Como certainly has the views and is very relaxing. I know most people here like Varenna, but we prefer Bellagio. For hiking, consider the Dolomites. Ortisei is a lovely town and has plenty of hiking opportunities, great food and stunning views. You can take the lift from the middle of town and spend all day or several days hiking the Alpe di Siusi.

If you stay at altitude in the Dolomites, in a place like Ortisei, your chances of avoiding extreme heat will be quite good. You are unlikely to be so successful if you stay down in one of the several attractive valley towns (like Bolzano).