My wife and I are 77, planning a trip for next spring or fall ('26). We've spent maybe a week in Rome, a week in Milan, a week near Orvieto (our daughter was married there), stayed near Brad for 5 days, we've spent a few days in Verona (a real find), seen Venice, stayed 5 days outside of Spoletto, been to Cinque Terra, stayed in Sorrento and a couple of nights on Capri. Never been to the Lake District. What have we missed? Don't want to rent a car again. Thanks so much for any insights.
Posted by
Saint Paul, Minnesota
1841 posts
Without knowing your interests, I'd say Florence, Torino, Bologna/Ferrara/Ravenna/Modena/Parma, Padua, the Puglia region + Matera, Sicily, and Naples.
Posted by
Sidney, BC, Canada
1085 posts
I’ve always had thoughts about visiting Turin. I would think quite easy to combine with a trip to the Lakes….Turin sounds somewhat less touristy than other cities in Italy.
Posted by
59 posts
I highly recommend Torino and all of Piedmonte. There are wonderful wine areas, Asti and Barolo are two. There’s a cheese festival in the fall and harvests of hazelnuts. Sacre de San Michele is amazing. A car is essential for going to the vineyards.
Posted by
Idaho, USA
8648 posts
”What have we missed?”
I’m up to 45 now - the number of cities in Italy where I’ve stayed, and I don’t rent a car, so there’s plenty more for you to enjoy. There’s a lot in the Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany & Puglia regions that you haven’t seen. The Dolomites are gorgeous, but better for Summer weather.
What about the Rick Steves Sicily tour? Would you be interested in something like it?
Posted by
Boston
1863 posts
The mid-sized cities are calling you. Cremona, Parma, Albisola, Pistoia, Bracciano, Arona, Ferrara, Treviso, Ravenna, Lecce, and dozens more. Step outside the vicious circle of English language promotional travel writing and you'll find a huge number of possibilities. To evaluate possibilities, look at some of the regional train maps on Wandering Italy like this one: https://www.wanderingitaly.com/maps/tuscany-rail-map.html
Posted by
217 posts
So, basically, you’ve seen perhaps 0.1% of Italy. You’ve got a long way to go. Where shall we start? I’ve been traveling to Italy for more than 25 years and have yet to scratch the surface and I’ve also lived here and we’re here now as well. Turin, or Torino in Italian, Sicily, Basilicata, Campania, Puglia, specifically the Salento, Ischia, Tremiti islands, Bergamo and the rest of Lombardia, Genova, Bologna, both excellent food cities, and that’s just a tiny list. I assume you’re able to find out more on your own.