Hello,
Will be spending 11ish days in Italy during the middle of August... Will be arriving in Rome and departing from Venice... Have been to Rome before so I do not plan on spending too much time there... Was considering the following and would like opinions...

Rome - arrival day, full day, departure
Florence - arrival day, 2 full days, departure day
Bologna/Parma - arrival day, full day, departure day
Lake Como - arrival day, full day, departure day
Venice - arrival day, full day, departure day (home)

Can rent car or travel by train...

Also, any opinions on Airbnb vs hotels?

Thanks

Forgot... Will have been on the Med for 10 days before so I will already have visited a number of the coastal towns..

Only 11 days--in August---my advice is to pick 3 of five and enjoy yourself rather than a forced March.

We used Airbnb in Milan, Rome, and Florence and had good experiences. Be sure to read the reviews carefully, ask the owners questions, etc. before you make a reservation.

Lee Ann

1) are we talking 2015, if so start booking tonight
2) can i rent a car, yes you can
3) should you, well no, use the train
4) 11 days in August (the busiest month in the hotest part of the year) tic tic tic....... It depends, if you travel $$$$ then just do it, if you travel $ then cut the places to 2 or 3

Your itinerary is 12 days, unless you were not counting the last day of traveling home.

Day 1: arrive Rome
Day 2: Rome
Day 3: travel to Florence (2-3 hours)
Day 4: Florence
Day 5: Florence
Day 6: travel to Bologna (1-1.5 hours)
Day 7: Bologna/Parma
Day 8: travel to Lake Como/mid-lake (3-4.5 hours)
Day 9: Lake Como
Day 10: travel to Venice (4.5-5.5 hours)
Day 11: Venice
Day 12: travel home

The second half of the trip has a few long travel days every other day. My inclination, if you are not interested in Rome but must fly there, would be to skip Rome and travel directly to Florence upon arrival. Then you could add a bit more time to some of your other destinations. For example:

Day 1: arrive Rome/travel to Florence (2.5-3.5 hours)
Day 2: Florence
Day 3: Florence
Day 4: travel to Bologna (1-1.5 hours)
Day 5: Bologna/Parma
Day 6: travel to Lake Como/mid-lake (3-4.5 hours)
Day 7: Lake Como
Day 8: Lake Como
Day 9: travel to Venice (4.5-5.5 hours)
Day 10: Venice
Day 11: Venice
Day 12: travel home

You might also save a little travel time by putting Lake Como at the end and flying home from Milan, but that might depends on a private car to the airport from Como.

I have never used Airbnb but on a recent trip to Italy I met a number of people who have. Many had good reports. However, two different I met people reported that when they arrived at their rentals they discovered they were sharing the apartment with strangers—not the owners—and there was no lock on their rooms. They said the description did not make clear the apartment would be shared.