Following this thread intently, we are taking our teenage boys in June as it’s the summer before my son’s senior year in high school. Next summer we will be busy with getting him off to college, so we are biting the bullet and heading out into the crowds.
Not to hijack the thread but we decided on 12 days, flying into Milan for two, Florence for 5 (with a day trip to San Gim), a day in Montalcino, and the remainder in Rome before flying back. Should give the boys a taste of the highlights so they know what they want to explore deeper next time they go back.
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Probably should start looking into your Galleria dell’Accademia and Uffizi tickets soon.
Tren Italia offers a lot of family discounts and flash sales, but usually are only advertised on the Italian language site.
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Brian, we were in Italy last September for 15 days, 3 each in Cinque Terre (Levanto, technically, the next city above), Barolo, Barbaresco, Alto Piemonte and Lake Como.
As others have said, I think you’re trying to cram too much into 10 days. I like getting to feel the vibe of a place when traveling, and it’s really hard to do if you’re just rushing around from place to place. I wouldn’t imagine that trip without renting a car, but if you go to Florence maybe abandon the rental when you get there?
We were disappointed by Cinque Terre. It just seems like it’s so many people just milling around looking and taking pictures to prove they were there, without really supporting the local businesses. We did really like Levanto, though, it has a number of good restaurants and friendly people. The place we stayed (Costa di Faraggiana – Agriturismo Levanto) is fantastic, and was our favorite spot that we stayed, even though we really liked the others.
I love Barolo and Barbaresco, but it’s really about wine and food. The small towns are lovely, and there are churches (not famous ones, but still nice) and a small amount of shops, but the main focus is on food and wine. There are so many excellent wineries and restaurants that you can’t even come close to covering them in the 3 days we spent in each spot. One or two days will be rushed and you won’t get the mellow, friendly, Piemonte experience.
Lake Como is beautiful that time of year. We stayed just SW of Bellaggio in Lezzeno and enjoyed being in a smaller town. It was still easy to catch the ferries to visit other towns and to drive to Bellaggio. Bellaggio has a fair share of tourists, but it’s less crowded than Cinque Terre and you can go to some of the other towns that aren’t as popular. We like to actually take time and relax when travelling and support the places there. But I’m less concerned with seeing things that are famous than just enjoying the local culture and offerings.
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We did ATL → MXP on the A350 and it was indeed amazing. Carbon fiber planes are the best for long haul jet lag.
My very best advice given that there already is plenty of them here, is to really consider @Ian_Sutton ‘s suggestions to get the most out of a Italy trip.
My experience is the same just that Ian is much more thoughtfully and comprehensive in his replies than I ever could get down in a message.
There’s always a struggle with the have to tick off/see…
Italy rewards having a less ridged schedule with great unexpected experiences though I am sure you’ll have a fantastic trip regardless🍷
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Well on Emirates first you also get a shower which is an absolute game changer on a redeye.
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We did a packed week mostly in Piemonte last October. Would not change a thing.
Hotels/wineries/food all in the post below if anything is of interest.
Loved our two dinners around Barolo especially.
Was my first time in Italy.
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I also strongly recommend not spreading yourself so thin over what’s a relatively short trip. You could consider flying into Torino and spending a couple of days there–it is an interesting city having been the royal Savoy capital and then the first capital of (the kingdom of) “Italia”. There are ancient (Taurini, Roman) remains still visible, an excellent opera house, and several good museums (including the Egyptian Museum). Apart from Barolo and Barbaresco, there are the towns of Asti and Alba that are worth visiting (especially if you are there for any of the events that happen in the fall), and there are the northern Piedmontese comuni (e.g., Ghemme, Gattinara) where great Nebbiolo/Spanna is also grown. Aosta is fairly near, gives a very different view of what “Italy” comprises, and offers gorgeous scenery and good food. You could very easily spend ten lovely days just in this northern area alone. If pressed, I guess I would say perhaps add on a few days in Florence. I would skip Milan and Venice–that’s really a lot to try and cram into a short trip. For me at least, part of the pleasure of being on holiday is not having to rush anything.
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Torino my favourite city in Italy, and also my favourite large city, and Piemonte my favourite Italian region. No mass tourist destinations is a bonus, but as you say, there’s plenty to see & do, eat and drink. We also really like the culture, so it really is great for us across the board.
Touching on the ‘covering a lot of ground / spreading thin’, it’s worth mentioning that some aspects of Italian daily life will be unusual to us. It’s not the more relaxed south, but even so, the pace of life is slower, despite Italians often being in a hurry (especially driving). Most obvious when eating out, and the long midday break can be confusing to get used to. Bus tickets being bought from tabbaccherie and validated on entry to the bus. Traditional shops having you order at the counter, then paying at a cash till, but traditional (coffee shop) bars having you pay at the till first, then present the receipt to the barista and say exactly what you want (but many instead have you paying at the counter now). Petrol pumps with varied ways of paying. Tipping being uncommon / modest amounts. Pedestrian crossings where you have to be clear/obvious in stepping out to cross, as drivers and pedestrians just ‘share the road to make it work’ rather than sticking to the rigid rules (like we have in the UK). There are so many little details to absorb, that it can be a cultural shock, so adding lots of logistical planning in can make for more stress than you’d want on a holiday.
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I loved Venice in August and would love to go back to just wander around when the weather is not as hot. I absolutely loved the food, so different than anywhere else I’ve been Italy. The Venice airport is one of the biggest in Italy so it’s possible you could fly home from there (I assume you have to connect anyway). Yeah it’s crazy crowded between Rialto and Piazza San Marco but outside of that main area it wasn’t oppressive.
But yeah 10 days you’ll have to cut some of those places, I don’t think you can go wrong.
I’d definitely keep in Barolo/Barbaresco of course (or Tuscany), gotta have the “driving around the countryside” portion of the trip.
Agree 100%
Lots of good advice here as usual, but in the end the OP’s itinerary will be what is best for him and his wife.
Having lived in Rome for a year and visited the country 40 times and counting, I’ve learned one thing: if you want to avoid the crowds and see what the country is like when it is reclaimed by the locals, go in the off off season. I discovered early on that the first half of December, the second half of January and all of February are the best times to go. A concierge in a hotel in Florence once told me that March is the best time to go to Florence because it’s a real dead period. Sort of like the calm before the storm.
I realize because of kids and other considerations, going to Italy in the off off season is just not practical for most folks. However, consider this:
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When we go to Italy, we pick one city and stay there for at least a week. No hopping around to other cities and elsewhere. We stay put. In early December 2023, we were in Florence for 8 days and nowhere else. Nothing was planned, we took each day as it came. On a Saturday afternoon, the Ponte Vecchio was empty except for a few locals. Christmas season in Florence is spectacular, the lights alone are worth the journey.
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I love Venice, there’s just no place like it (Suzhou in China is similar, but there’s only one Venice), but only in January and February. Years ago, on a chilly January morning, I walked to the Piazza San Marco at 5am. It was, of course, empty except for the lone figure of an old fellow sweeping. The entire piazza was shrouded in mist, and I could see the Dolomites in the distance. The moon and stars were the only source of illumination. The memory of that scene still haunts me, it is the stuff of poetry. Stay in the Dorsoduro, which is the southernmost district of Venice. My friends in Venice tell me that even in high season, the number of tourists in the Dorsoduro are dwarfed by the crowds in the Rialto and Pizza San Marco. The Peggy Guggenheim Museum and Accademia Gallery are located in the Dorsoduro, but in the off off season, there are no crowds.
May Mr. and Mrs. Stotter enjoy their journey!
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Man, that’s a great post! We’ve been to Italy three times in past decade or so, always in the summer, and each time we tried to cover too much ground (realized after the fact): 3 cities/12 days kind of thing. I like your plan. Now that my kids are older and out- gonna give your model a try. Next Feb/March sounds good. Cheers
This is how I prefer to travel–better yet, two to three weeks in one spot. I like getting to know a neighbourhood, the local markets, etc. I hate feeling rushed. And when I’m on holiday, if I want to sleep in, I don’t want to feel any pressure because I’m “wasting” time. In terms of seasons, I nearly always book travel around the opera season, with the exception of trying to avoid any travel during the summer, which I positively loathe. Unfortunately there are opera festivals scheduled inconveniently for the summer.
Rushing from one spot to another gives at best a superficial look at a place. It’s like those tours that hurry you through a museum in an hour, where a proper visit ought to take a day or more. I can and have easily spent four or five hours in a single exhibition in a museum. The vividness of the resulting memories is well worth it.
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Happy to be of service Dennis!
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Voila, M1a !
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I should add, I usually book a place with a kitchen, as I like to cook, and part of the pleasure of travel is discovering markets and farms and the ingredients you can find here that may be entirely new to you (or of better quality than you’ve ever had previously). Don’t get me wrong, I like restaurants too, but being able to actually buy and cook something that caught your eye at a market is an experience I would never trade for (yet another) restaurant meal.
Very much true for me as well, and I love (and feel passionately like I want to preserve) the Italian tradition of small specialist food shops. Grazing them is a joy for me, and in addition to buying stuff to cook, we often maintain an ever-changing salad/picnic selection, that helps us slot light meals in when we want them (be it breakfast, lunch, supper etc.). Each day a few new items get finished and different items added to replace them, keeping those meals interesting. We also love not living by anyone else’s schedule when on holiday. There are plenty of great markets in Italy (plus a few less interesting ones), plus the specialists, gastronomie, alimentari, etc.
On a side note, I now have two sources in Norwich for Nespole (Nispero/Loquat), and it’s a fruit I always hunt out in spring in Italy. I’m happy.
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My wife and I have been talking recently about finding an Italian town to move to and get away from the chaos here. Shop in the morning, cook in the evening. Need to get our kids off to college and then the dream might become reality.
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Ok, we blocked out 10 days inclusive of travel (my wife unfortunately can’t take off as much time from work as I thought), so we’re going to axe Cinque Terre unless we make a day trip out of it. Here is what I’m thinking now based on your input:
Day 1: Fly into Turin (STL → FRA -->TRN), rent car to Barolo/Barbaresco (stay in Alba, Monforte, or La Morra?)
Days 2-3: Barolo/Barbaresco
Day 4: Drop car in Genoa, train to Florence
Days 5-9: Florence - Use as home base and do a couple day trips (Siena, Lucca)
Day 10: Fly out of Florence (FLR → FRA → STL)
An alternative for the second half would be Days 5-7 in Florence (skipping the day trips), then Days 8-10 Venice/fly out of Venice. I’m not so keen on losing another day for travel and would be fine skipping Venice, but will see what my wife thinks.
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