Will be staying for 9 days in Positano, Italy. After that will do some touring.

Are you staying in an apartment in Milan for 5 solid nights and planning to high-tail it from Venice to Milan, or are your lodging options flexible enough that you could work your way to Milan by way of Bologna?

You may have plans for your time in Sicily, but be sure to see the temple at Segesta.

Thinking of staying 3 days in Venice then train to Milan (to tour and stay) for 5 days and do day visits to Florence, Genoa and Bologna. Unless I see other noteworthy places not to miss. Hadn't planned on Sicily this time.

Liz

Tentative itinerary is Naples, flight to Venice for 3 nights and then train to Milan for 5 days with day visits to Florence, Genoa and Bologna.

1. I presume you've been to Rome in the past?
2. What airport(s) are you flying in & out of?
3. How many nights do you plan to be in Italy?
4. When is your trip?

Why not fly into Venice & travel South to Florence>Rome> (Naples)

I would stay in Florence over Milan & fly out of Rome.

If you already have your flight tickets & will be flying out of Milan & plan to keep your present itinerary, you may want to take a day trip to Padua (26 minutes by train from Venice) & visit the Scrovegni Chapel (advance reservations required) and St. Anthony's basilica.
You may also consider staying in Verona & visiting Lake Garda & then spend the day before your flight in Milan.

Milan it's not worth 5days there, stay just two days there and then Florence, it's more beautiful than Milan!
If you don't now what to do in Venice you can give a look at this website, it has a lot of interesting informations about the city and its surroundings http://en.venezia.net/

I love Milano but I would take a few days from there and spend them in Florence, unless your heart is set on the day trips you mention. If you love Renaissance art and history, Florence has it, but if that doesn't interest you that much, day trips from Milano will be fine. I would suggest a day in Bergamo Citta Alta, not far from Milano by train.

Thanks for all the information. I now think Florence as a home base would be the best choice after Venice.

The trip will begin in Positano, 6/13 and when we check out on 6/22 will plan to stay for 2 nights in Naples (day trip to Herculaneum) and then air flight to Venice. That will start our tour of northern Italy. Will 3 nights be enough for Venice? Then train to Florence - 5 nights - with tours of this city as well as day trips to the towns mentioned. After that, not sure. The towns of Lucca, Livorno and Pisa come to mind - how long should I give them? Then on to Rome for some touring and then departure.

As you can see it's an itinerary in the making. I was fortunate to have spent a week in Italy this past July - Rome and the Umbria region - so want to explore the northern region next.

Very interested to read any tips on my above plans.

Liz

Pisa is an easy day trip from Florence on the train.............

Not sure how many days you have total for Northern Italy but we really enjoyed the Dolomites which should be good in June. We started in Venice for 3 nights then to the Dolomites (by car), stayed in La Villa. Spectacular scenery and a change of pace from Venice. Just a thought. It was our first time renting a car in Italy and it was easy.

Please don't take this as an insult, but I find some of your choices odd, to say the least. 9 days in Positano seems VERY long to me, for example; but then, after going through the time and expense of getting to Italy, I'm not much for just sitting around. With so many more attractive places nearby, I also can't see why you would choose Milan for 5 days. Finally, with an abundance wonderful towns in Tuscany, why Livorno?

Thank you for all your ideas for my Italian trip.

Will look into the Dolomites. The Lake Como district is also appealing. Realistically, if time and money weren't an issue, I would choose to visit everything I could in this beautiful country.

Regarding why so many days in Positano - this is a villa stay on the beautiful Amalfi coast that has been in the planning for a long time to celebrate two birthdays - 50 and 70 and now a wedding. Four of us will be together, two will depart for home and the other two travelers will continue to tour after our rental time is over.

Change Livorno to Pisa.

After Pisa maybe Sienna? Any suggestions for other Tuscany areas?

Then on to Perugia to catch some of the Umbrian Jazz Festival (begins 7/10)

Ending in Rome for some sight seeing and then flying home.

Liz

Liz

Some people bad mouth Pisa. I think the tower is a must-see, if you're nearby; and the cathedral and baptistry are gorgeous. Realistically, however, that's worth about half a day. Lucca, S. Gimignano, and Volterra are all attractive and interesting towns in the same vicinity. Basing yourself somewhere in Tuscany would make more sense for seeing them and Florence than basing in Milan.