Suggestion for Italy visit itinerary

Posted by stephensdl on 01/24/24 07:06 PM

SO and I will be in Italy late May/early June, arriving and departing from Rome. We have been to Italy with stays in Rome, Florence, Figline Valdarno, and Venice. Returning to the Vatican museum for a couple of days and spending a couple of days visiting Florence museums are a must for me. We didn’t love Venice so I would skip a return.

We are active and physically fit seniors who love art, history, hiking, walking the cities and dining. Some shopping is okay but not a focus. What are must-sees that should we include in our itinerary? We will be in Italy for 18 nights.

Posted by lnbsig 🌍

North Carolina

01/24/24 07:48 PM

2499 posts

A couple of art sites I particularly appreciated were the Scrovegni Chapel in Padova (requires reservations) and the Byzantine mosaics in Ravenna.

Posted by Lane

Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico

01/24/24 07:52 PM

1937 posts

I am curious, and please don't take this as a criticism, but why did you book 18 nights in Italy if you don't know where you want to go or what you want to see?

Posted by BB

Calgary

01/24/24 08:07 PM

1744 posts

Lane, I often do this. Why is it necessary to know exactly what to see before choosing a location?

My husband and I do what the OP is doing all the time, and it has worked out beautifully for us. One reason is that we are open to enjoying what an area has to offer. We usually have a set number of vacation days, and we decide what country or countries we will visit during those days. We'll have some idea of the highlights we want to see, but we usually research for suggestions on what else to see and where else to go after choosing the destination.

It works for us. We also have a wonderful time, because the world is full of beautiful, fascinating, and thought-provoking sights.

It isn't necessary to know everything about a place before choosing to go there. That's one reason why forums like this exist, after all.

Posted by stephensdl OP

01/24/24 09:19 PM

2 posts

Thanks. I do know many places I wish to visit but am looking for suggestions from others as I may be missing some gems that are unknown to me. I could google itinerary suggestions and I do have tour books but would love to hear from others.

Why 18 days? Because I had booked the flights for a different type of trip that didn’t work out.

Appreciate any and all suggestions.

Posted by nancys8

Saint Paul, Minnesota

01/25/24 12:14 AM

1593 posts

Two regions spring to mind when I read your interests (similar to ours), especially if you will be relying on public transportation: Emilia-Romagna and the Veneto. My husband and I have spent more than 40 nights in Emilia-Romagna and 23 nights in the Veneto (not counting 24 nights in Venice which my husband hated on his first trip and loved on the two subsequent trips).

Emilia-Romagna offers Parma, Modena, Bologna, Ferrara, Ravenna and many towns you'd need a car to get to easily. We especially enjoyed Modena, Ferrara, and Ravenna as places to stay.

The Veneto has Verona, Padua, and Treviso as well as smaller towns that we drove to.