Any advice to get started on a trip to Italy, etc? Total newbie..have no idea where to start. I hear that September/October are good months to visit, due to less traffic, cooler weather. My spouse and I would like to go before we get too old to enjoy it! 
Looking at maybe a 3 week timeframe for travel time and enjoyment. We like nice hotels, but they don't have to be extravagant. He has a bad back, so comfort is of some concern. He is a glass artist and wants to see some great art and glass work. Any tips on what my first plan should be? We'd like to plan starting now and take a trip next September ( a year or so from now). Any suggestions on which areas not to miss? Lots of questions. Thanks for any help getting started. I'm 44 and he's 56. I am physically fit but he has to rest some due to his back. Would also like ideas on where to fly into, where to fly out of for coming home. We live in Seattle.
Need advice for a travel newbie!! Italy, Murano (?)
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Lucky you! Since you're a (fellow) Seattleite, you should start with a copy of the Rick Steves Italy book. That will introduce the country to you in a way that's perfect for first-timers.
Happy travels.
There is a good glass museum on Murano. If your husband is skilled glass maker he will be able to sort the wheat from the chaff so to speak of the various glass houses. The shops do have a lot of knock off stuff made in China. There is a shop in the Calle San Provolo (castello)that deals in old murano beads and sometimes has old glass items. Bottom line is you get what you pay for buying murano glass.
Fly into Venice. Stay maybe 3-4 nights. Pick up a car and drive to Ravenna to see the mosiacs.
Then i suggest you base yourselves for a week in Le Marche or Umbria. ( why you will want a car) head to Orvieto for a night or two and drop you car there. Take the train into Rome for the rest of your trip. Do a daytrip to Ostia Antica while there. Fly home from Rome.
Save the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii, etc for another trip. you'll be back.
Do some research on Umbria and le Marche before decopiding which you want to indulge in.
You will have years in which to travel, peach. We are 77 and 80 and going back to Italy for about the 15th time!
You are smart to take a full 3 weeks in Italy. Just don't try to do too much. You will go back.
First, do some reading about different cities and country areas to decide what really interests you personally. If you love Art - then Florence, Rome and Venice; wine tours - Tuscany; Palladian architecture - Vicenza; food - Bologna; stunning coastal towns - Amalfi; ancient ruins - Pompeii; fashion - Milan. This is just to start thinking about it. You can find fantastic art, architecture, food and beautiful landscapes all over Italy. There is no best, only what is best for you.
With three weeks and some interest in art, I would certainly start with Venice for at least 3-4 days and probably end in Rome for 5 days, and build from there.
Get some good guide books and one with some pictures as well.
I don't want to overwhelm you with choice, but I want to provide a contrary view to the good recommendations you've received so far.
With 3 weeks, you could choose 3 areas of Italy, such as Venice, Rome... and Sicily. In addition to the train, it's easy to take internal flights between cities.
When you mentioned that your spouse is a glass artist, it made me think of the gorgeous ceramics for which the town of Caltagirone and others in Sicily are well known. The down-side is that these towns tend to be perched on the tops of hills! So there is some steep walking involved.
I've only been to eastern Sicily, but within a few hours drive, you can be in the pretty coastal town of Taormina; view the ceramic steps at Caltagirone; and immerse yourself in ancient ruins - and even a Carravaggio or two - in Siracusa and the valley of temples. FWIW, we flew NYC-Rome-Catania to start our trip, then worked our way northward. For your trip, IMO I would start in the north and head southward, following the sun.
I agree that if you haven't already, go look at some guide books. I always recommend planting yourself in your local library or bookstore and leaf through a number of them, especially the photo-centric ones, such as DK. They're not the best for traveling with since they provide photos often at the cost of valuable written details, but they're great for getting an idea of what you want to see! (That said, both Fodor's and Insight guides are a good compromise of photos and info.)