Recommendations for Rome, Venice, Florence, Milan

If you can still get tickets, the Secret Itineraries Tour in the Doge's Palace in Venice is very interesting. Be sure to ride the vaporetto along the Grand Canal and enjoy the view, once in daytime, once after dark. Get up before dawn one morning and to to St. Mark's piazza to watch the sunrise over the lagoon.

Unless there is something special that you want to see or do in Milan, I'd skip it. If you're flying out of there, then just stay the night before if you have a morning flight. The other cities have a lot more to see and do.

In Florence, allow a couple of hours to shop in the market. You can get good buys on leather goods if you bargain and look closely at the quality. Do NOT shop for gold on the Ponte Vecchio - worst prices ever. It's nice to be on the bridge below the Ponte Vecchio around sunset.

You really should pick up Rick Steves' Italy guidebook. He gives a tour plan for each city that will help you use your time well and help you avoid making mistakes like going to the Vatican on a Sunday. :-) You will need advance reservations for some museums: the Doges Palace Secret Itin tour mentioned, Galleria Borghese if you are interested, Accademia in Firenze, etc. Without some knowledge and guidance with a good book, you'll stand on line when you could be skipping that very long line such as is found outside the Colosseo in Rome.

In Venice get the vaporetto pass for major savings if you plan to use the vaporetti several times. Each separate ride is about €7.50. With the pass, you have to swipe or tap it at every use (you'll see everyone doing this) in a little machine before you enter the boarding area. It's a great break to just hop on the vaporetto whenever you get tired of walking, or to "cruise" the Grand Canal at different times of day/night.

4 cities in 9 days is a bit hectic, in my opinion. You won't have time for much else with all the traveling, checking out and checking in. I would cut it down to two cities and do them justice. At this time of year, I, personally, would skip Milan.

Agreed on the Florence markets. The best is the 2-in-1 San Lorenzo Market, an outside rabbit warren of stalls selling everything but focusing on clothing & leather goods. Right next to that is a two-story structure called the Mercato Centrale, the food hub. Highlights here are the best prosciutto house in Florence and Nerbone, a 150-year old stand that sells boiled beef sandwiches on a crusty roll, with a dollop of pesto sauce. Might not sound good, but believe me, it is. College students live on them, at a cost of about 3 Euro.

One more thing. We did an 11-day trip several years ago that originally was going to be--besides 4 days in Sicily--5 days in Rome, 2 in Florence. A buddy of mine had just returned from 4 months in Florence teaching art, and he advised me to switch it around, which we did with 5 in Florence, 2 in Rome. Great advice. Yeah, in Rome we did the Vatican & stayed near Campo Di Fiori, walked across the Tiber River to Trastevere for pizza (Dar Poeta!), and it was cool. But Florence creeps up on you. If you can, stay in the central area, near the Arno River. It's magical--besides the Uffizi gallery, there are tons of churches where you can walk right in, for free, and see frescoes from the Medici days. Incredible.

In Florence, besides the big museums that require reservations, there are smaller, less expensive ones that do not, and are wonderful - e.g., the Museo San Marco, the Cappella Brancacci, the Bargello... You can take the #7 bus from alongside the Museo San Marco up to Fiesole - great views. Just walking along the Arno and crossing the various bridges is really enjoyable.

I think the options (both big picture and details) are easier to understand when you have the guidebook. It will also urge you to walk away from the main sites, to find your own quiet street, especially in Venice. You can see lists of top attractions by city at http://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy.

you did not mention how you are traveling (by train ?) you will change trains in Milan between Florence and venice.....so if you just wanted to walk around and get a long lunch.....and hop back on a new train to Venice.....its an option. YES, read ricks guide book....but we did 2 nights each in 4 different locations last summer and thought that we got a nice over view.......depends on your energy level, etc.

I did a ten-day tour with a goahead travel tour in which we started in Venice, went to Florence, and then finished in Rome. I thought it was much too rushed; by the time I felt oriented to one city, it was time to go to the other. If I were to do ten days again, I'd want to split my time between two cities so that I don't feel totally rushed. But of course different travelers have different abilities to take in a lot in a short trip.