That looks much better !

Bologna makes a lot more sense than Lake Como as you only have 1 whole day to spare. And Bologna is a food capital of Italy - it's much more known for gastronomy than is Milan.

Even if you are still flying out of Milan, as long as your flight isn't in the morning it will be no trouble to travel directly from Venice to Milan to Milan airport.

I can't agree with your last statement, c_e. Maybe I've been unlucky, but I've had not infrequent problems on Italian trains: delays, breakdowns, strikes and once a suicide on the tracks. I would never take the train from Venice to Milan the same day as a flight. What happens if you miss your flight? Will you have to pay an excessive last minute fare for the next available flight? And when will that flight with available seats be?

OP I like your plans of using the cities as a base and doing lots of daytrips out. I think this will make for a more relaxing trip. If you plan on major shopping then stick with Milan, otherwise I'd try to see Pompeii and Herculaneum instead if I were you. They are much more cooler then anything in Milan. And Milan train station is incredibly large and disorganized, not a fun place when you have luggage with you.

Mimar, maybe I have been lucky but to me that's a reasonably short and straightforward journey to do the same day as flying out - assuming, as I said, their flight isn't in the morning. I've never travelled back to where I'm flying from other than the same day as flying out - e.g. I've travelled the same day from Capri to Rome Ciampino (walk, hydrofoil, taxi, train, underground, bus) and Malcesine to Venice airport (bus, train, bus), without giving it a thought. In 23 trips to Italy so far, quite a few using trains, I've only ever had one delay - when workers at a factory between Pisa and Florence were told the factory was closing and they all walked out & sat down on the railway line, which I thought was very Italian & quite stylish ! (This was 19 years ago.) Just in case it's of interest - this was just after flying in, the guys I was sharing a compartment with and I hatched a plan to hire a car when we got back to Pisa, but it wasn't necessary as the train then went to Florence via another route. However if you did miss your flight due to something like this, a decent airline would probably just put you on the next flight free, or if not your travel insurance would cover the cost of a replacement flight and hotel accommodation if necessary.

Hi Everyone,
Thank you all for your detailed views and wonderful insights! We have finally decided on an itinerary that we like and it captures many of the suggestions from the forum!

Have gone ahead and blocked the flights too :) We really appreciate all the help and are very thankful!!

As mentioned we have decided to fly out of Venice and do florence-lake como-venice between day 10-12.

Thanks again everyone for the help! Have started a new topic to find high quality/low budget accomodations in rome/venice/florence/como.

Cheers

In Florence check out the Hotel Axial. Excellent location. Staff is friendly and helpful

Hi Friend!
We spent 18 wonderful days in italy in May of this year. I spent quite a bit of time planing the trip & it turned out PERFECT!(see below)
Here are some thoughts:
* we booked with Euorepean Destinations for the flight & hotel in Venice & Rome - Quite friendly & reasonable
* Start in Venice (3 or 4 days)
* Rent a car leaving Venice for your Tuscany vist (must have)
* Check out the Villa listed below (It was only like $900 US dollars for a week stay)
* Drop off the car when you get to Rome (Hotel below was a 10 minute walk from car drop off)
* Take the subway in Rome -Cheap & easy

Hope this is a help- Have a great trip!

* day 1 VENICE * AM –Boat from airport to St. Mark's Sq.
Vaporetto Boat from Airport (15 € )

* Early Afternoon – Check into hotel
* Hotel – Gorizia A La Valigia (small but right off St. Marks)
* Early Afternoon – Walk to St. Marks Square
*BASILICA SAN MARCO (RESERVATIONS on line-no charge)
* Evening
* Dinner near Ponte Rialto
Ristorante alla Madonna
* Evening – Vaporetto -Get 3 day pass -#1 Ride up grand canel The vaporetto lines 1 and 82 travel along the Grand Canal from Piazzale Roma to the Lido, allowing passengers to view the wonderful buildings that stand alongside the Canal until it reaches the San Marco Basilica

* day 2 VENICE
* Morning
Rialto Bridge Market

* Early Afternoon
* Lunch at San Marco
Algiardinetto

* Afternoon
Doge's Palace * Evening
Dinner
Osteria Ae Sconte

* Coffee & desert Outside in St. Mark’s Square
Caffe Florian (Expensive but a must do)

*day 3 VENICE
* Morning
Varoretto to Murano
Take lines 71 and 72 from S. Zaccaria (just up the Riva degli Schiavoni from St. Mark's Square) or Piazzale Roma. Get out at the stop marked "Museo." This will bring you within a few hundred yards of the Museo Vetrario, the glass museum. What you’ll see and learn there will help you understand what you see on the rest of your time there.
Vecchia_Murano_Glass_Factoryl

* Afternoon
Varoretto to Burano
* Have lunch in Burano & walk around

* Evening
Dinner
L'anice Stellato (read the reviews-sounds great)
L'Anice Stallato was outstanding. Started with the tagliatelle with some sort of beef (veal?) sauce we practically inhaled, then lamb, then chocolate mousse, then went off menu like the locals for the lemon ice cream/vodka/prosecco drink/dessert. Wow.


day 4 LEAVE VENICE
* AM –
Boat from St. marks to Marco Polo Airport:

Rent car at airport:
Autoeurope -Midsize Manual
* Late AM -Drive toward Villa (3 hour & 45 min to Villa)

* Early Afternoon (Almost Half way to the Villa –1 ½ Hr. from Venice)
Stop for lunch in Bologna (Al Sangiovese maybe?) (Video of Bologna)
Buy food for Villa (see web site-Stuff looks great!)

* Late Afternoon (Get to Villa –Eat drink Hot tub!!!!)
VILLA CENTOPINO - check it out! Wonderful 2 bedroom villa on 25 acres with pool & hot tub/ VERY Reasonable -Great home base to explore Tuscany


* TUSCANY /Take it easy!
* Afternoon
MONTECASTELLI PISANO (TOWN ON THE HILL IN THE VILLA PIC)
* Late Afternoon/Early evening
LA PERGOLA FOR DINNER

* TUSCANY - PISA
* AM –Drive to Pisa (1 hour & 45 min)
SIGHT SEE- TOWER, PIAZZA DEL DUOMO ,BAPTISTERY ETC
Don’t forget to try some of Pisa's famous biscotti (biscuits or cookies). Bakeries all through town will sell multiple varieties, for a low price.

* Late Afternoon Lunch
OSTERIA CAVALIERI (CHECK OUT MENU)

* TUSCANY (– WINE TOUR & MONTALCINO
* AM –Drive to winery (1 hour & 45 min)
WINERY TOUR:FATTORIA DE BARBI WE HAVE RESERVATIONS FOR 12.00
Public tours (groups of less than 8 persons)
in the aging cellar take place from Monday to Friday at 12 a.m, 3p.m .
Cost per person 5.00 € , free for children.

* Afternoon Lunch at Ristorante Il Leccio
In Sant'Angelo in Colle –Ask directions at winery

* Afternoon
MONTALCINO -16TH CENTURY CITY

* TUSCANY - FLORENCE
* AM –Drive to Florence (1 hour & 30 min)
PARK AT PIAZZLA MICKELANGELO - free parking/greta view & nice walk into city

ACCADEMIA GALLERY -MICHAELANGLO'S DAVID
NEED TO BOOK TICKETS ON LINE
It the most famous museum in Florence, for it houses some of Michelangelo’s most powerful sculptures as the gigantic “David”, originally in the piazza della Signorina where a copy now stands.

* Afternoon Lunch
TRATTORIA MARIO (CHECK IT OUT)
Open for Lunch only.
Seating from 12:00 to 3:30

* Afternoon
SAN LORENZO MARKET
The market was amazing. It was one of the highlights of my trip. I spent hours walking through the market. Anybody visiting Florence must go to the market!

PONTE VECCHIO
The row of shops is interrupted in the center and the bridge opens over the Arno with two splendid, panoramic terraces. Here in 1900, they put up the bust of Benvenuto Cellini, that ingenious Florentine goldsmith and sculptor.

* TUSCANY - SIENA
* AM –Drive to Siena (1 hour)
Piaza del Campo sightsee & lunch
* Afternoon Lunch
* Guidoriccio
Via Giovanni Dupre, 2 0577 4 4350
In Via Giovanni Dupre, a few steps from Piazza del Campo (leaving the Campo as you pass Piazza del Mercato), you can descend a flight of stairs and find yourself in this small but pleasant restaurant. Divided into small rooms, it has stone vaults typical of the old town centre and flagged floors. The food is varied and not just Tuscan in style

DUOMO -CHURCH Siena's Gothic cathedral is full of treasures, including its marble pavement, Piccolomini library frescoes and incredibly ornate interiors.

* LEAVE TUSCANY for ROME
AM -Drive to Rome * (3 hour & 20 min on Highway)
4 hour & 20 min along the ocean)
·Stop for lunch along the coast

* ROME
Afternoon –Drop car at Termini, walk to hotel
HOTEL PIEMONTE

* Late Afternoon
* GET 3 DAY TERMINI PASS/ GO TO TREVI FOUNTAIN/ SPANISH STEPS (Spagna Station)
A 3-day pass costs €11, and lasts from the moment you stamp it until midnight of the third day.
TREVI FOUNTAIN (VIDEO)
* Evening –Dinner by fountain
Trattoria Al Moro

* ROME
* Late Morning
GO TO PALATINE HILL, THE COLISEUM, ARCH OF CONSTANTINE (ALL IN THE SAME AREA)
· (TERMINI TO COLOSSEO STATION)

* ROME * Morning
* GO TO VATICAN CITY FOR ST. PETER’S & VATICAN MUSIUM
Leave for home from Rome

On first reading your itinerary I thought you must have been the Indian couple (US residents) we met at our B & B in Florence a couple of weeks ago - all speed and must see what someone else says is the "must not be missed" thing. Do your own research on things that interest you. There is no point in going to a church if you have no connection with the religion and do not understand the religious connections with the art within it. Churches are meant to be quiet places of contemplation, but we constantly see foreigners talking loudly and snapping photographs when the signs clearly say that silence is required and no photography.
We have completed our third trip to Italy - this time just 4.5 weeks taking in Milan 4 days, Genova 3 days, Cinque Terre (overrated) 3 days, Lucca 3 days, Florence 4 days, Arezzo 3 days, Orvieto 2 days, Tivoli (also overrated) 2 days and finally Rome 5 days. We have been to Milan Florence and Rome previously. Even so we found new things to see at a pace that was not speedy so that we could understand and enjoy rather than just tick off a brag list. In Milan, we walked around the Navigli area, went to the Cimiterio Monumentale, the Pinoteca Ambrosiana. In Rome we went on the Scavi tour, climbed to the top of St Peter's, went to Castel San Angelo.
In Florence we climbed the campanile having climbed the dome on a previous trip.
Our whole trip was based on public transport - trains (and yes although Italian trains do generally run on time, they can be cancelled or retardo and you will miss your plane). Only twice did we take a expensive taxi ride - in Tivoli as the public transport is woeful and the station is a long way from the centre of town.
We have travelled to the three major lakes in the north, Maggiore, Como and Garda. They are all very different and have different things to do. Como town is quite small and can be seen on a day trip. The ferry trip up to Varenna is long and doing the journey to Varenna by train from elsewhere is a long journey with a change of train. Varenna is a lovely town with lots of stairways rather than laneways.
Verona and Mantua can be combined but certainly not in one day.
Three days in Venice and you will merely see the tourist tinsle the town puts on. If you want genuine Murano glass go to David's store in the Jewish Ghetto. It can have odd hours but you will be sure to get genuine Venetian glass here - it is correctly stamped. A lot of the Murano glass is now made in China and you really cannot tell the difference unless you are a glass expert.
In Rome the buses are easy to use but need to understand the time table. The 64 or 40 Express run between Termini and the Vatican. They pass the Victor Emmanuele Monument and stop close to the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. Everything in Rome is within walking distance. You do not need to take public transport unless youa are staying in Prato or Trastevere.
Enjoy your trip, but make it yours and not someone elses.