jillyp

My boyfriend and I are going to Italy as part of our graduation trip. We are flying into Milan and have a total of 10 days to travel the country. It's a limited time, so we are curious as to suggestions for our travels. So far, we have heard that Cinque Terre is gorgeous, Milan is eh-ok, and my boyfriend is dyin to go to Rome...

What are your suggestions?

LoveItaly

What interest you two about Italy jillyp? Do you want to be by the seaside, in the lake area, do you like museums, historical sites, art etc. Big cities, small little towns?
Do you two like to take hikes or do you prefer to enjoy cafes, shopping etc.

Italy has so much to offer. It is hard to offer suggestions when one does not know the other persons likes and dislikes. Personally I love Milan. If I was flying into Milan and had ten days I would probably spend the first couple of days in Milan, then enjoy oh perhaps Lake Como and than Venice and fly home from Venice.
Someone else would probably flee Milan on landing and enjoy say the Cinque Terre and than perhaps a bit of Tuscany and then work their way back to fly home from Malepensa Airport (Milan) because they purchased tickets that had them fly in and out of Milan.

Anyway, ten days in Italy with your loved one will be fabulous. And with more information as to what you two are looking for (versus opinions from your friends) will no doubt get you a lot of suggestions here on Fodors.

And congratulations on your upcoming graduations!

5alive

Hi, jillyp --


One problem I had when I went to Europe in college was I honestly didn't know what I wanted to see. "I want to see everything!" was my thought. But of course, time is limited.

Buy or borrow from the library an Italy guidebook with lots of pictures and short blurbs about each place. Eyewitness Guides are the most popular but Fodor's has a line. Look through it with your boyfriend and see what kinds of things most interest you, then repost with what interests you the most.

Let's Go or Lonely Planet are the two series most targeted to young adults.

DeirdreStraughan

Milan is worth a day at least - the Duomo is an amazing Gothic cathedral, there's the Last Supper (if you can get a ticket - that !#@$# book has made it very popular), a castle built by da Vinci, and some lovely little museums.

Lake Como is not to be missed; photos and tips here: http://www.beginningwithi.com/italy/.../lake_como.htm

Personally, if I had to choose, I'd take Rome over Florence or Venice. Rome has everything - paintings, sculpture, architecture, all periods of history, plus real Italian life. Florence and Venice by now have become primarily tourist destinations; it's easier to get ripped off, eat bad food, etc. there than anywhere else in Italy (now I'm sure lots of supporters of those two cities will jump all over me...).

best regards,
Deirdré Straughan

beginningwithi.com

LoveItaly

Ciao Deidre, I sure won't jump all over you..I agree with you! And I always enjoy your comments when you post.

5alive

Deirdre -- when we started out in Florence we loved it, but then Spring Break hit and I think there were more Americans than Italians in the historic center. So I can see your point, especially if it's gotten worse in the last few years.

But if you love art, you can't miss Florence. Not just the David and the Uffizi. The Pitti and the Bargello and the Medici Chapel and ... well, you know. But that's why it's important for the OP to determine what she and her boyfriend want to see.

alison

is there a reason to start in milan? i visited italy my first time in college and was thrilled to do the "big 3" of venice, florence, rome. Can you open jaw to fly to venice and back from Rome or similar? You can go back many times in the future and see the countryside, rent a car, etc. I would probably do 2 nights Venice, train to florence, 3 nights florence, train to rome, 4 nights rome. If you are committed to flying in and out of Milan, you might want to head to CT, Pisa, Lucca and Florence if you are on trains. Or go straight to Rome and stay as long as you want and see what else you can fit in on your way back to Milan. The good thing about being young is that you can be free-wheeling and know you will come back!

ira

Hi M,

How about:

Fly into Venice for 3 nights, calm down and get into the Italian way of life on one of the worlds most romantic cities.

Leave Venice early for Florence (about 3hr), drop your bags at the left luggage office and visit the city.

Leave Florence about 17:00 and arrive Riomaggiore about 20:00

Stay the night and a day on the CT and

Train to Rome

Fly home from Rome.

If you already have a flight into Milan, take the bus to Milan Centrale and the train to Venice San Lucia.

Have a great trip.

jillyp

Thanks everyone for your responses! We are committed to arrival/departure in Milan (tickets already purchased!) We also have Student Eurail passes for transportation.

My boyfriend has his heart set on Rome, and I agree, I'd love to see the city.

We spent six weeks touring Greece last summer, and we really enjoyed seeing ancient ruins, historical sites, and going to the museums. I also love shopping and sitting at the cafes to people watch.

It's so hard to plan this trip because we want to do/see everything in such a short period of time.

Basically, we are trying to distinguish the MUST-DO's from the rest-we are open to all suggestions!

gard

Hi

It is tempting to try to cover it all isn't it. But with 10 days I'm afriad you have to sacrifice some of the wonderful sights of Italy. My wife and I went to Milan a couple of years back. Check out the Duomo and the Last supper (see my trip report on http://gardkarlsen.com/italy_milan.htm). From Milan it is only 2-3 hours by train to Venice (see http://gardkarlsen.com/italy_venice.htm). I think Rome is the most wonderful European city so I don't think you should miss out on that. My wife and I went there last year and I have posted a trip report with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy.htm Get in touch if you have any questions or comments. I would recommend that you buy a guidebook so that you can try to figure out what you want to see in Italy and then take it from there. Have an excellent trip

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

Doble_Vergasser

Jillyp,

Everyone here understands noble goal of seeing everything. If you could gets us to be honest, then we have all taken trips just that way (but probably do not any more).

You can do Rome, the Cinque Terre is said to be gorgeous - I have not been yet, I think that Lake Como is gorgeous - I have been there twice (and Lake Como is near Milan).

With ten days, three destinations is reasonable. Four would be too much. I think it is good to see a bit of small town Italy (so Cinque Terre or something else is a good idea). You might consider splurging for a day for a private guide in Rome. Look for a copy of the book "Top 10 Rome" that will give ideas. There are other good guide books as well. Research on this website is also productive (and fun).

Is trip for May/June of 2006?
Have a good trip.

Doble_Vergasser

Oh yes.

Consider Venice as well.

rkumar3

I am also doing a 10 (well actually 9) day trip starting/ending from Milan in last week of Sept and wanted to see a lot inlcuding Rome, however after looking at the distances and listening to some old timers... I have decided on following:

- Arrive in Milan
- Train to Venice (3 days)
- Drive to a central Tuscan town?? (4 days
- Do day trips to Tuscan towns including a long day in Florence
- Drive to Cinque Terre (2 days)
- Fly back from Milan back to South Florida

csandoval

I would do this itinerary.....

-Arrive into Milan and go directly to the train station to catch the train to Venezia and stay there for 2 days.
-Then 2 days in Florence.
-Then 3 days in Rome.
-Then 2 days in Cinqueterre
-Then 1 day in Milan to catch your fly back to the US.

Have fun!

eroz

OK, Flying into Milan, you'll probably land in the morning. Train immed to Florence. 2 nights. Maybe 1 night also in a smaller hill town? Tuscany was our favorite part of our trip but you'd have to leave out CTerre then.
Train to Rome. 3 nights
Train to 5Terre. 2 nights
Train back to Milan, arrive early afternoon, explore the Duomo and city that afternoon/evening. Have a great meal. 1 night. Catch the early bus to the airport the next morning to head home.
You'll have to go back and rent a car next time and explore Venice and Tuscany!