RS My Way Italy, by myself, or just skip Italy?

Italy is one of the easiest countries to travel in independently, but you could also take a hybrid approach--do My Way, and then spend some time on your own after the tour to visit the Dolomites. Could you make that work time-wise? You don't need a car for anywhere on your list. Alternatively, you could visit Liguria, Pisa, and Venice on your own and then possibly find a Dolomite focused tour.
PS Shhh but I am not a huge fan of Renaissance art myself--but I keep heading back to Italy again and again. It has a lot to offer!

Teresa, I think your answer should be #3 or a new #4 which is a guided RS 17-Day Best of Italy tour. And here’s the reason why:

If you are going to go to Italy, it deserves a fair chance to be loved, and may I be bold and say if Pisa seems like a great Italy destination, you are very much shortchanging the real Italy.. Go to Venice with an attitude that you might not like it, and I almost guarantee that you will hate it. Your guide will explain Italy, its unique ways, and show you it’s not a list of art, sites, food.

My husband & I took that tour in 2006, and I have been back ten times. I know it is due to the way we were shown Italy. Art? I’m open to it. Afterwords, wowza! And by the way, living in the US, you will be amazed about what is real Italian food!

So, if you’re open (and I think you secretly are since you posted this question), go on the guided tour and be ready to be blown away by what Italy reveals! : ). Yes, you will see the Dolomites on the 17-day, and they’re spectacular!

There's nothing on my bucket list that was put there because other people told me I should visit there. My philosophy has been that I need at least one or 2 things I REALLY, REALLY want to see or do in a place before it makes my list. It has to be somewhere I would regret not visiting when I reach the end of my travelling days. If that isn't Italy for you, then find another place in the world that DOES call to you.

Go to Venice with an attitude that you might not like it, and I almost guarantee that you will hate it...

Perhaps. I went to Venice expecting to hate it. I went only because my dear wife insisted we go. I figured Venice would be overcrowded with annoying tourists (it was, but who am I to throw stones?). I expected to do a lot of eye-rolling and face-palming (I did). I expected it to be crass, the very caricature of a place that had lost all its authenticity and charm long, long ago, and had been loved to death by the mass tourism industrial complex. Yeah, all that.

And you know what? It was crass, crowded, touristy, all the annoyances and inconveniences that I had expected were there on display for all to see. But it still charmed my pants off (metaphorically speaking) – and I can be a hard case sometimes. We took a gondola ride. The gondolier sang "O solo mio", I gazed deeply into my love's eyes. She was smiling beyond ear to ear, with a glazed, far-away expression on her face, and she was looking back at me. My Grinch's heart must have grown at least 3 sizes that day. I gave in. I embraced it all. I swooned. If someone had offered me a cup of water straight out of the canal, I would have drank it down without question or hesitation.

Venice - and Italy - are everything that people say they are. Don't miss your chance to experience it. (But decline the cup of canal water if it's offered).

@David in Seattle, ahhh, Venice weaseled itself into your heart!

I say that I picked up a virus during that first trip to Italy, and there’s no cure. The only solution is to return to Italy again & again to appease it! I’ve stayed in 49 cities in Italy now, and I have reservations to return to some favorites in 2026…

I love Italy and have taken 3 or 4 Rick tours there. I would say the only place I would skip would be Pisa. For me, it was underwhelming. You join what seems like a hoard of tourists taking photos of travel mates 'holding up' the leaning tower. We came, did that and left all within an hour. I LOVED Venice, but especially in the evening when the cruise ship/day trippers are gone. It was magical.

You are not getting any younger. Go where you ARE interested, not where you "should be" interested.

To clarify the situation in Bolzano: The city itself is not in the mountains and can be unpleasantly hot in the summer. But there are buses up to Ortisei and beyond, from which there are short alpine lifts for high-altitude walking. Bolzano has very pretty architecture, and the Otzi exhibition at the archaeological museum is excellent, so I don't think staying in the city is a problem for those who don't plan to spend time doing serious hiking. The seriously outdoorsy people will want to stay up in the mountains; they'll also want more than a couple of nights in the area.

Italy has hundreds of great destinations. You could eliminate the 20 most popular places--whatever they are--and still spend a tremendous amount of time enjoying Italy. I do like art a lot, but I have no interest in wine, olive oil, opera and fashion. I am especially cold toward classical ruins. I like food but average less than one sit-down restaurant meal per day, because I prioritize sightseeing. I'm confident there's much you would enjoy in Italy, but a tour designed for the more typical tourist might not be the right way to see the country.

I agree with Mr. E and why go some place that doesn’t interest you just because a group of people are saying it should interest you? Make choices based on what you want to see or do.

While I firmly believe you should choose your travel destinations based on your interests, I do have an observation I would like to make. I have had some great travel experiences that I would not have signed up for on my own, but signed up due to a travel companion’s interest. Sometimes venturing out beyond known interests can be surprisingly rewarding. So, pay attention to your own interests, but be willing to risk a bit out of the known comfort zone from time to time.

I’m a more adventurous traveler gently forcing my travel companions out of their comfort zone. My travel partners are my husband, cousin, and her husband. Where have I pushed them?

Poland
Egypt, Jordan, and Israel
Walking the Camino in northern Spain
Japan

They had no interest in any of these countries but went along with me. All fabulous trips, would repeat each one, well maybe not the Camino.
On my list for future trips - Morocco, Bucharest and Romania, Bangkok+.
Oh we mix in Italy, their favorite, and easy places like Spain. I guess my long story, short point is, keep an open mind and you just might be pleasantly surprised.

The world is huge! Even if you aren't interested in just ticking boxes, the likelihood that you can see it all is remote. Our time on this earth is much shorter than the time it would take to explore all the wonderful parts of the earth.

Italy is a wonderful country to visit for lovers of art, food, wine, olive oil, opera, and fashion. If you don't have a great apprecation for those things, I see no reason to go to Italy. Sure, there are some other things that are worthy of seeing in Italy, but unless you can delineate what those things would be for you, and then are willing and able to design an itinerary that would maximize those experiences, it's pointless to go there.

I would not do a tour. Any tour you do in Italy will involve a lot of experiences that won't float your boat.

Personally, if I were you, I'd skip Italy and travel to places that will.

So, we’re all going to miss out on something. I didn’t catch anywhere that you mentioned age, so I don’t know if that factors in for you - it does for us. We probably aren’t going to make it to Israel or a safari given our age. My advice from this side of the glass is go see the places YOU really want before you worry about missing out. The world is changing too fast.

That said, we LOVED the My Way Italy tour. Because you’re in charge of your itinerary, if you don’t want to look at art, you don’t have to. If you don’t want to engage in any olive oil or churches, you don’t have to. This tour was our 3rd visit to Italy with some location repeats, so we got to see what we wanted to. My husband is a glass blower, so while we did the biggies in Venice (first trip, arriving a few days before the tour) we spent quality time on Murano talking with fellow glass artists. We weren’t bound by someone else’s time line. The tour did take care of lodging and transportation, thereby giving us the freedom to concentrate on our own plans.

Even though I consider myself "done" with Rome after traveling there twice on two different RS tours, there is so much more of Italy I want to see. I didn't know what to expect of Venice, and I found it fascinating. I'd gladly go again, and that's a city where you don't have to step foot in a church if you choose not to. As a cradle Catholic, and fan of all things Francis and Anthony, I will honestly say that most of the Pax and spirituality I felt while in Assisi came from gazing out over the countryside and walking quiet side streets rather than from stepping inside any manmade structure in the town. Likewise, my favorite memories of Florence are from walks not from paintings hanging on a museum wall--and I say that as someone who likes art.

My point, I suppose, is that Italy doesn't have to be a checklist even if visiting "checklist" locations. Enjoying Italy can be sitting in a cafe, drinking a cappuccino, and watching the world go by or watching the local kids kick a football around in a plaza in front of a church. Or chatting with a leather artisan proud to show off his work. I've been in March and April, and the weather was great, in my mind, both times. Granted, that was south of the Dolomites. I'd choose option 1 or 2 rather than 3. Just my two cents.

comfort zone is different than bored with.

Now, if the persuasion is to think out of the box, that's good. But Italy IS THE BOX.

Thank you, every one of you who responded. I have to say, I thought each entry contained an excellent point.

I did a little experiment. I listed each country I've been to (32) and did a lightening round of "Favorite or Stand-Out Memories" for each. Then I highlighted my favorite trips, in no particular order:

U.S.- land-based Alaska, planned myself

Japan, planned myself

Switzerland, planned myself

India, planned myself

Spain (RickSteves tour)

Turkiye (RickSteves tour)

My favorites had a variety of experiences within the trip, and a high degree of novelty (seeing/experiencing things new to me at that point in time.) Some, but not all had spectacular scenery and/or wildlife.

I know this is a big world, but I've had to eliminate lots of destinations based on age, health issues, destination safety issues, etc. I've also eliminated very expensive destinations that I just don't feel pulled toward, or wouldn't add enough unique experiences to warrant the expense. Unfortunately, there aren't very many places left on my list. Have I reached the point of diminishing returns? But traveling is my happy place!

Italy made it to my list because of FOMO. If SO many people return to Italy over and over again, then I wonder what I'm missing, especially since traveling in Italy seems so relatively easy, either by myself or with a tour group. I've never waffled this much over a trip. Up to now, places have practically reached out and grabbed me.

”comfort zone is different than bored with.”

Very valid point, Mr. E! Italy is definitely my “comfort zone”, and I have reserved hotels and B&B’s to return again next year. Thinking about it gets me excited already. I’m adding a new country - Czech Republic next year, and it’s been a long time since I’ve been in Budapest.

Teresa, thanks for replying again. If you aren’t excited about the thought of Italy, don’t go. It’s your vacation, your time, your money. Go someplace that gets you excited - not where other people or social media posts tell you that “you should go”. I prepared an itinerary in 2016 for Spain, but I just didn’t get excited about going. I tabled it and went to France. The next year, I brought it back out, and we had a wonderful time in Spain! Sometimes it can just be the timing, too. : )

”Unfortunately, there aren't very many places left on my list. Have I reached the point of diminishing returns? But traveling is my happy place!”

Teresa, do you have new hobbies you would like to pursue? There’s week-long hobby-focused tours/activities such as half-day cooking/half-day touring or ebike tours, or sketching/painting workshops in Europe just to name a few. Or, I love to combine a trip with some local festivals. Those are so fun and much more of a local experience. I also like music concerts, so I will time a trip to attend something special, if possible. Think more about what you want to experience & maybe the destination will present itself. : )

Teresa,

It sounds like you have some interest in seeing Italy, since you've listed a number of locations and sights that you'd like to see. Taking a tour offers a number of benefits, as it provides transportation, hotels, and a knowledgeable guide who speaks the language. However, there's a compromise with flexibility as you have to follow the itinerary and timing set by the tour. Italy is one of my favourite countries as it has such a rich culture and so many interesting parts.

I've taken both My Way and guided RS tours, and much prefer the guided version. I've found that those provide a much more rewarding and interesting experience, and I learn far more about the country, history, culture, people, etc., and especially in Italy, there's also the food ;-) It's also fun being with other people rather than on my own. I typically add time before and/or after tours to see specific locations on my own.

Regarding your questions......

1. I've travelled in Italy in both April and May and either would be good but it depends on the weather. In my experience, April was a bit cooler and could be wet, but May is usually better.
2. Sampling Italy on your own is going to require a lot more work in terms of planning, booking hotels, figuring out transportation and sightseeing. Some parts of many countries in Europe are not well served by public transit, which is one reason I decided to take tours for South Italy and Sicily. If you decide to try it on your own, the RS Italy guidebook has a wealth of information to help you work out all the details, and of course the group here on the forum are also a very helpful resource.
3. I suppose that's up to you.... if you haven't been there before, it would be a shame to skip Italy as there's so much to see and experience.

Good luck with your decision!

Thinking about it gets me excited already.

Jean, it’s a wonderful feeling, isn’t it!

Teresa,

Go to Istanbul (or another tried and true there is always more to see) and one new off-the-wall place. Coud be just Rome and Florence as a test or maybe the Balkans just out of curiosity. Don’t worry if you have to fly between them.