Seeking flight advice for 2 first time Italy travelers

One remotely positive thing that has come out of the calamity of the last two years is that airlines are getting more flexible. I would consider paying more for a refundable ticket versus getting travel insurance *(because insurance is a gamble in itself unless you understand all the particulars of the policy--which I never do, and never will, and "cancel for any reason" insurance often costs much more.) There is a site where you can compare travel insurance--maybe someone else will post it.
Lufthansa is a good airline and those flights/cost sounds good.

Seat selection is a personal thing--my husband and I prefer to select our seats. Flying overnight is fairly miserable, and getting one of those two-row seats when possible does make it more tolerable.

I am flying overseas next month on a refundable ticket, and I'm taking my chances by not insuring. I'd also not be in financial straits if I lost that money. Nor if I have to stay an extra week and a half.

Over the last year I’ve been preferring to book on, or at least via, US based airlines. All three flag carriers here have changed or ended their change fee policies, so at least non-refundable tickets can be canceled for a credit. And a credit on United of American is much more useful to me than a credit on Lufthansa or KLM

Insurance for trip cancellation or interruption may not be important if your pre-paid expenses are refundable OR you feel you are able to absorb a certain amount of loss. HOWEVER, to me the most important part of travel insurance is Medical Evacuation. Should you get seriously ill or injured on a trip, the cost to return home can be astronomical - $100,000 or more is not out of the question (for instance, you might need a special medical flight, be accompanied by a medical professional, need special medical equipment, etc.) Although rare, this can happen to anyone, even “young, easy travelers.” I have heard of a couple cases where a young person had a medical catastrophe and their parents had to take out a mortgage on their house to get their child home. You might recover financially from a trip cancellation loss of a couple thousand dollars, but not a medical emergency that costs thousands and thousands.

I think $140 is a very reasonable amount to protect two people. Be sure it covers Medical Evacuation. You might also want to check a company called World Nomads - their rates tend to be lower than most, but they don’t show up on Insuremytrip. I used to use them, but they won’t insure people over 70, so I am no longer eligible LOL.

I pretty much agree with the prev reply. Something on my checklist from five RS tours are
Buy ticket in Airline site (if you can)
Take the longest flight first if you can. (Adjust to time zone)
I like over night flights arrive early in the day

Pay for reserved seats. Check Seat Guru.
Carry on if you can. easy to buy jackets sweater undies etc
Buy a soft side duffle there for return flight. (Cheap)
Stay awake on arrival day. Early dinner 7:00 there and stay in bed as long as you can on first night.
Check med insurance coverage
Check your CC evacuation coverage
Get T-Mobile (free data) or others. Auto backup
Google maps for walking routes
Google translate
Google photos ( turn on location)
TripIt for tickets boarding passes and other documents copy
Never let your phone /purse leave your hand

We are doing Seattle-AMS-Rome- Palermo in October . 19 hrs. Total. Delta prem Economy 3200.00
Most of all relax enjoy & safe travels

That looks like a good airfare, I'd say go for it. You might get a better one if you wait, but you might not. You're right, it is gambling. Like many other choices in life.

I'd pay a little more to choose a good seat on the transatlantic flights because they're so long and miserable, but I'm 6'1" and much older than you. Doesn't really matter on the flights between Germany and Italy.

Whether to pay for refundable tickets is mostly about whether you'd expect to fly that airline in the next year or so if you had to cancel this trip. They should give you a voucher or credit for a future flight within a stated period, not necessarily to the same destinations. Scudder's point about having a credit with a US carrier might be worth considering. United is a partner of Lufthansa, so it would be worth checking whether buying these tickets from United would cost the same.

I'd love to pay only $140 for insurance, but I'm paying more because of my age and because I've made a non-refundable tour payment. In your case, medical and evacuation coverages are probably the main value, unless you think you couldn't use an airfare credit if you had to cancel this trip. You also want coverage in case you have to stay longer in Italy because of a positive Covid test before your flight home. A "comprehensive" policy should take care of these risks. I insure for somewhat less than my maximum possible out-of-pocket loss, figuring that I can eat the equivalent of a deductible if necessary. Keep in mind that you can add to the policy limit as your departure approaches if you start paying non-refundable costs.