So many places, so little time... Milan to Rome

Hi Janna,

Personally, I wouldn't skip Venice. It was the most romantic place we had been in all of Italy. It's beautiful there. My favorite was at night in San Marco Square strolling and watching the orchestras play. It was magical.

I think you will need to cut something though. I have never been to Lake Como, so I can't speak for it but maybe that's something you skip and do another time. Here's what I would do:

Venice - 2 nights
Florence - 2 nights
CT - 2 nights
Rome - 2 nights

You will be pretty busy with the above but it allows for time in most of the places you want to see. CT is very relaxing, so you can catch your breath there before you end in Rome.

Have a great trip! :-)

You are talking about 6 cities in 10 days. Plus, you are looking at 21.0hrs of train time. I would suggest that your itinerary is very tight. It's hard to relax when you are packing, unpacking, heading to/from the train station and traveling on the train.

Question: how many nights in Italy? This information is more useful than "10 days". We can't be sure how much of this time is exclusive of any flight time. My suggestion would be to drop either the CT or Lake Como and include Venice. You will spend 6.0hrs on the train from Venice to the CT and then another 3.5hrs from the CT to Florence.

Hi Janna,

We just retruned from 2 weeks in Italy. I have a bit of a different opinion than the others posted here: I liked Venice, am glad I've seen it, but it was not my favorite of our stops. We landed there and and spent 2 nights then rented a car and drove to Liguria, then down to Tuscany (sadly, missed the CT as there just wasn't enough time) but we LOVED Tuscany. Talk about relaxation, just tranquil and serene a very nice respite from the noise and busyness of the cities. We stayed at a little agritourismo just outside Pienza, Terrapille. It was enchanting. We also flew out of Rome and had an AMAZing guide while there, Ron in Rome. Not sure if he could fit you in or not but MAN was he worth the money.

Hope you have a wonderful time!

Jodie

I agree with Larry. The onething that many forget in their trip planning is the time lost changing locations. We always plan on half day or more if any distance is involved. Packing, unpacking, checking in and out of hotels, finding hotels, finding train stations and trains, the travel time, a little food along the way, getting oriented to new location, etc -- all take a lot of time. Also think it is very helpful to have th attitude, "We will see that the next time." It helps to reduce stress. My personal preference is to see a few thing very well rather than a lot of things quickly. That may not be your preference.

Can you fly into Venice and out of Rome? I would skip Milan in favor of some time in Venice. There was little difference in pricing the flights with Milan or Venice when we booked last fall. For my money, Milan is a skip, Venice while beautiful, 2 nights, and then where your heart takes you. The good news is you can't go wrong wherever you travel in Italy. Franks's info is excellent...as we travel more and more, we find that while tiresome at best, the worst part about moving around a real lot is the hours (add up to days) spent in moving and repacking. What sounds fantastic on the living room sofa takes on another life as you battle your way through throngs at the station and up 4 flights of stairs with your luggage every 24 hours. But everyone has their own agenda and speed. Slower travel may be a luxury that is afforded only after you have made a few trips. The urge to "see it all" is pretty strong, and can be a ton of fun too. I have done it both ways, and no complaints.

You will be much better off planning to do a "linear" route, that is, since your are only covering ten days, plan to go just between Milan and Rome and look for places you might want to visit in between. There are plenty. Firenze, which is site-ladened, Siena, which is just cool to be in, any place in the surrounding Tuscany countryside, which everyone agrees is beautiful and fits your 'best sites in Italy' criteria, Orvieto, which also has to be experienced first hand, and finally Rome.

As you might sense, there is a consensus on this board regarding limiting lost time in travel once in country, so to speak. Of all the things you can't "buy" while there, time is the most precious. so planning prior to your departure is huge. You can enjoy all of these places by train, (except Tuscany, which really has to be driven) so buying an Italian railpass before leaving is important. They have them to fit your itinerary, but, again, plan how you will be using it beforehand.

As for racing through train stations, that is why they invented those backpack suitcases. My wife and I are in our fifties and have used them for 25 years, one for each of us, when travelling in Europe. You pack light, with wash and wear clothes, and figure if you don't bring it, you won't need it.