My wife and I are 69 and early 70's and reasonably fit for travel in late August 2025 for arrival in Venice for one week sailing the eastern Adriatic to return to Venice end of August.
We hope to travel by train if possible but are open to a leg with a car and have about two more weeks in Italy.
We then plan 2-3 days exploring Venice at the end of August to the start of September.
From Venice would like to tour a town or two in the Veneto ie. Vicenza or Verona for ex.
From there we plan to visit Lake Maggiore for about 2 days. I suppose the train ends at Stresa. Not sure where on the lake to stay yet.
Our goal is to visit and explore Florence for 2-3 days. Not sure if it is best to stay in Florence or a nearby town and commute.
Would adding another stop such as Cinque Terre or if this would be excessive.
Ultimately, we plan to fly out of Milan to our eastern Mediterranean destination.
Is this realistic? Any recommendations and suggestions are welcome and appreciated.
Regards,
Steven
Posted by
Kamloops, BC, Canada
453 posts
It would be a good idea to stay overnight near the Milan airport on the night before your flight to avoid a potential delay arrival in Milan due to a train strike, etc.
If you are planning a day trip to CT, it would be a good idea to add an extra day to your itinerary. CT will likely be very crowded in August. If you want to stay there overnight, book your lodgings well in advance. Staying overnight will allow you to enjoy fewer crowds in the late evening and early morning.
As you probably know, Venice will also be very crowded in August. It's crowded during most months, but even more so in summer months.
Enjoy your planning and your travels!
Posted by
OP
12 posts
We will likely eliminate Cinque Terre.
Our time in Venice will be last day of August 2025 and first week of September. Hot and crowded it must be.
We would like at lease 2-3 days (3-4 nights) in Venice and onward from there.
I would like to visit Ravenna as well but this may take us out of the way of our heading west to Verona.
I will likely aim for Verona as a home base and visit other towns from there.
Once in Florence, a day trip to Lucca might be fun.
I agree, Lake Maggiore should end the trip before heading out of MTX.
Any other thoughts.
S
Posted by
OP
12 posts
miuccia,
Thank you for this excellent suggestion.
You indicate in your response a scenic slow train to Florence via Brisighella and Marradi. Are you referring to "IL TRENO DI DANTE?"
I looked at the website and it seems to be impossible to book at this time on this site.
Can you share any additional information?
Regards,
S
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Thanks very much.
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
1026 posts
Hello srolaser, and welcome to the forum,
Your plan sounds good since have a good amount of time in the places you've listed and is easily achieved with public transportation. My advice is stay in Florence rather than outside. The city is small and walkable and even if still crowded with tourists in September it is a city worth staying in and exploring. If you did want to stay outside check out Fiesole in the hills as a retreat from the city which is connected by bus.
I would choose Verona as a nice place for a couple of days in the Veneto. It is an arty, mostly pedestrian, cafe culture kind of city that has that elegant decay feeling that they do in the Veneto. It has an intact Roman arena and theatre and while you don't specifically mention your interests you'd be right at the end of the opera season if you're lucky you might catch an opera held in the old Roman arena. Vicenza is a short train trip from Verona or vice versa. Padua/Padova and Brescia are also possible day trips. If you stay in Verona stay in the loop of the old section or in the Veronetta to the east of core city to enjoy the pedestrian friendly atmosphere.
Depending on your flight I would also recommend staying in Milan the night before your flight. You can easily get from Stresa to MXP directly but for me that's a bit nervous making depending on the time of your flight. If your flight is later you could do this but I would have a back-up plan as well. (MXP is outside the city so Stresa is actually closer to MXP than Milan city is.) Milan is not my favorite Italian city but it certainly has enough to easily see for a quick visit if you stay overnight.
Have a great trip,
=Tod