Scotland OR Italy for milestone anniversary?

I've seen a couple of people mention the Jubilee in Italy next year and the potential impacts on tourism/crowd size, etc. You might want to look into that. Probably cuts both ways.

It's sort of like comparing apples to oranges. Both are wonderful but very different in scenery, atmosphere and people. I love them both and I would have a hard time deciding.

That said, I think that Italy comes to mind when I think of an anniversary, as it has more of a romantic feel to it.

But on the other hand, Scotland is just so incredible. The people there are the friendliest I've encountered, the scenery is so diverse and gorgeous, and Scotland will definitely do an afternoon tea better than Italy. :-) There are some very wonderful places to visit in Scotland; ruins, castles, cute villages, gorgeous mountains and lakes, and of course, whisky. And there is something very lovely about celebrating an anniversary in a country that is new to both of you.

Anyway, that's my take. I hope you will let us know which one you choose. I don't think you would go wrong either way.

We went to Italy (Amalfi Coast and Salerno) in 2022, and Scotland in 2023 (Edinburgh as a base for day trips), For a milestone anniversary trip, I would go with the Amalfi Coast or Tuscany. Aside from afternoon teas, Italy ticks all your boxes. I just think Italy is way more romantic than Scotland. With that said, I did love everything we saw in Scotland.

I grew up in OKC!

Thanks everyone! I think we will do Italy and save Scotland for the fall. I appreciate all your answers.

Happy anniversary! I too recommend Italy for a more romantic celebration. We did Lake Como, Venice, and Tuscany in mid-June this year and it was crowded but not as overwhelming as our previous year's vacation to Naples, Sicily and Rome. May should be perfect for weather in Italy and the crowds are less but, as we were told, May and June is when the Americans come. We stayed in Bellagio which was wonderful -old buildings, lots of steps, magnificent views and the easiest access to ferries going to the other towns on the lake. For things to do, there are the magnificent Gardens of Villa Melzi on Bellagio, and the Villa del Balbianello on Tremezzina. Cernobbio has the beautiful Villa d'Este for an expensive Bellini.
We stayed in San Gimignano in Tuscany which was a great base of operations. The town is small and ancient but lots of restaurants and shopping and views which made it a fun place to be when we returned from our day trips. We had a car so were able to visit wineries and the lovely Tuscan villages.

We stayed in a small villa on the outskirts of Positano several years ago and that was perfect for visiting the coast and Pompei.
As for Scotland, we will be there in September for the first time and I am very excited - it appears to be a world different from Italy.

Not to disrupt your decision, but I think Scotland is better in May. Not only is it the driest month, but there are puffins in many places and the crowds are not yet present. We've been three times for three weeks each in May and had a total of two days of wet weather. I'm not comparing it to Italy, but to Scotland in the fall. Never been to Italy.

Sorry, I'm just posting to give Scotland some love. We did our “milestone” 40th anniversary to Scotland (and England) in June 2024. I noticed you mentioned history and beautiful views among your interests. Our main interests on this were Castles (and other medieval history), Roman sites in UK, and any pre-Roman or pre-Norman invasion (such as Pictish sites in Scotland), including:

• Urquhart Castle, a ruin in a gorgeous setting on Loch Ness, not far from Inverness. Great history from the signage and the audio guide. Because it’s a ruin (not redone to our modern tastes) and much of the archaeology was lost over the years, it really leaves things to your imagination.
• We also enjoyed the Inverness Museum https://invernessmuseum.com/ , with an interesting collection of early Pictish art and Iron Age artifacts, and the Highland Malt Whisky Experience https://www.highlandmaltwhiskyexperience.co.uk/. Just walking around near the River Ness was fun.
  
• Sterling Castle was more well kept, not a ruin, but also great history from signage, audio guide, and multiple tours; also great views.
  
• Doune Castle is more of a ruin, with some very nice history from signage and audio guide; a big plus for us was Doune’s role in “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, and the audio guide recorded by Terry Gilliam (with many Python insights). I think this may be on the list for Outlander fans as well.
• A real “moment” for my wife: 2 nights at Dalhousie Castle, 700 years old and now a very nice hotel and spa. We did falconry on the grounds; they also have archery.
  
• Perhaps our most unusual stop: from the Falkirk Wheel, we took a Segway tour out to the remains of the Roman “Rough Castle” which was part of the Antonine Wall (created shortly after Hadrian’s Wall, so the next emperor could claim he’d conquered new lands).
• In Edinburgh, the National Museum of Scotland had an enormous set of exhibits of early history in Scotland. We also enjoyed Edinburgh Castle (but it was the most crowded place we visited).

We also went to York (England) for Roman, Viking, and medieval history; Hadrian’s Wall; and Carlisle Castle.

No arguments with Italy! We were there in October 2023. We totally enjoyed that trip, but most of our time was in Venice, Florence and Rome, which you said you had already visited and did not want to repeat. Haven’t been to either Lake Como or Amalfi Coast, but I agree that Tuscany will be great. Instead of afternoon tea, definitely look for “Aportivo”; usually a Spritz and some snacks such as Bruschetta. We loved Siena! Our very short stops in San Gimignano, Volterra (never found their Etruscan museum), and Monteriggioni were not long enough.

Happy Anniversary!