Post RS Village Italy tour decisions--train to Florence?

Florence is the kind of place I would maybe even prefer to be alone, soaking up the art and just walking and people watching. I'd go for it, provided flights work out okay. (Check Pisa airport, too)
It might be nice to pair Rome with Naples and or the Amalfi Coast, where it would be nice to have a companion.

Florence is very compact and completely walkable
You shouldn’t have any trouble navigating your way around on foot

There are no direct flights to USA from Florence and very few others but all will stop/change planes somewhere in Europe.

Milan is nothing like Florence but still worth a day or 2 for The Last Supper and the Duomo
If you decide on Milan you’ll want to book Last Supper tix as soon as they are available for your dates ( if interested)

You will have more options for flights home from Milan and will definitely be less expensive.

Florence does pair well with Rome

I've done this tour and I wished I'd given myself 2 nights in Milan at least for the Last Supper. I did get to the Duomo. You will not need an extra day in Orta San Giulio.

I agree that Rome and Florence are good together.

I've flown back to the US from Florence and transited thru Amsterdam. It was a very early morning flight out of Florence and I've decided that I need to do those kinds of flights in "stages", lol. IE....fly to Amsterdam or Paris or wherever the day ahead so I don't have to stress about getting to the airport at the crack of dawn or a short transit time. But you do what you think will work for you and your schedule because I'm retired so time matters less!

I'll add that I'm a solo female traveler and I'd have no issues doing the train to Florence. If you stay in Milan the guide will probably group people who need to get to Milan City Center and order a van for them. You split the cost between the passengers. That worked out great when I went. I also recommend the Hotel Gran Duca di York in Milan. I've stayed there twice and it's close to the Duomo, near some nice restaurants and about a 30 minute walk to the Last Supper location. The staff is very nice and it's got a 24 hour manned front desk. Breakfast is also really good.

This is a really fun and excellent tour!

Florence is one of my favorite places, and is so easily done on foot. And while there are no direct flights to the US, you shouldn't have a problem finding connecting flights via one of the large European hubs like Frankfurt.

Florence is so easy to do solo, and most sights are within easy walking distance of one another. One thought re your flight home. If fares and connections are a lot better from Rome, you could take the fast train to Rome on your last late afternoon (3 hours), transfer trains at Roma Termini train station (the main station; trains from Florence all stop there) and then take a train to the airport (45” and run every 20-30”). Sleep at a hotel at the airport - see this forum for suggestions - and you’ll be able to fly out of Rome the next morning. Your total transit time fromFlorence train station to airport hotel should be no more than 5 hours.

Yes, go to Florence but do return to Milan for a day to see “The Last Supper” one of my top travel highlights. Make reservations in advance.
And then fly home using Milan MXP. All very easy to do.

Grazie a tutti! All of your comments are so helpful. I am going to continue my flight search prepared to go either way. Not retired but fitting in travel is next best thing for essentially self-employed. :-)