Hi there!
My boyfriend and I are going to Italy for 3 and a half weeks this coming July, and are in desperate need of guidance!

We spent a few weeks in France last year and the highlights were definitely Nice, Paris and Bordeaux, I personally loved going to museums and historical sites and my boyfriend enjoyed getting to know the locals and eating great food.

Anyways, with COVID still having been prominent, we were super lucky that France wasn't too overpopulated. We've never been to Italy before, but we know we want to see Rome, the Amalfi Coast, Florence and Venice for sure. Are there any small towns we should absolutely visit or cities to avoid?

Thanks again ​​​​​​​

I've never found anywhere a tourist goes in Italy unpleasant, there are parts of Naples I would not go, but as a tourist you will not go there so you'll be fine. While in Naples you might like their catacombs that make a great visit.

Places you should visit...wow...in italy...near your route.... so many, but looking for easy wins

Padova
Lucca

What do you suggest seeing??

you got google there?

https://www.planetware.com/tourist-a...ua-i-vn-pd.htm
https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-b...s-lucca-italy/

Oops sorry! I didn't read the last bit. Thank you

I'm a big fan of doing the "big 3" for 1st time in Italy (Rome/Florence/Venice) & we added Amalfi Coast on our 1st trip as well.

I'd recommend flying into Venice and home from Naples (train back to Rome if flights are better). 3 1/2 weeks would even allow for a few nights in Cinque Terre.
My preference would be:
4 nights in Venice
6 nights in Florence (several day trips to Sienna, Assisi, Lucca, etc)
2-3 nights in CT (hike the trail in both directions)
6 nights in Rome
4 nights Amalfi Coast (Sorrento base in my preference).

Siena is one of my favorite places in Europe. It is composed of 17 neighborhoods (contrade), each has their own little museum, flag, colors, traditional music and costuming, and totem. They compete twice a year in the palio, a bareback horserace around the campo, a scallop-shaped plaza that is stunning. I could spend a long time there. I was not there for the palio, but I was there for the parade for the winner, the weekend after the palio. Epic.

chicksandbalances079, what alandavid wrote but add Pisa.

Well, there are many, many towns very much worth seeing in central-northern Italy. What are you rinterests and tastes like? Do you care particularly about, say, Greco-Roman ruins, Renaissance art and architecture, medieval towns and villages? Would you rather stick to the usual tourist highlights or do you want to head a relatively off the beaten path?

As a general indication, Naples is really gorgeous and wealthy in art and architecture, as well as great food. It's also a great base or stopover on your way to Ischia or Capri, Pompei or Herculaneum, Sorrento or the Amalfi coast... So definitely consider stating there. Salerno is right at the eastern end of the Amalfi coast, a short train ride away from Pompei, and the other terminus (together with Naples) of the mainline high speed rail network; it is also interesting, as well as a useful base or stopover.

In the north, Bologna and Padova are on your way between Florence and Venice, whether you take a high-speed train or drive along the motorway. They're both great cities to visit, Bologna perhaps being the more interesting of the two, not least because of the local cuisine.

Orvieto and Arezzo arealso on your way, between Rome and Florence, though most high-speed trains don't go though there (I think there's one per day that goes from Rome to Arezzo, but I'm not sure). Orvieto is quite remarkable, historically and geographically; it's a former Etruscan town on a flat hilltop flanked by cliffs, built over in the middle ages and Renaissance periods, and you can see the stratification in underground spaces. The cathedral is also gorgeous. Arezzo is perhaps less unique, but very pleasant and elegant.

Outside of the Salerno/Naples-Venice axis there are many other deserving towns, of course, but for a first visit it may make sense to pick some of the ones directly along the way. Though, again, it depends on your interests; if you're enthusiastic about ancient Rome and Magna Graecia, for instance, you should probably linger in Campania and Lazio and avoid extra stops further north, while if you find the hills and small towns of Tuscany and Northern Lazio particularly appealing consider straying from the Rome-Arezzo-Florence transport axis and heading to (some among) Siena, Colle di Val d'Elsa, Montepulciano, Lucca, Civita di Bagnoregio, Bolsena etc.

Here's my defense of Pisa:
In Defense of Pisa

Or you can stay a number of days in an agriturismo in Tuscany or Umbria, but you’d really want a car. Or there are smaller towns in places like Umbria where you can access with public transportation. We loved Spello and explored the region around it, though we did have a car.

I’m sure you realize that there will be a lot of crowds in Italy in July, especially in the places you mention, as they are very, very popular (for good reason).

alandavid has given you a good basic itinerary to start with. It will be crowded and warm in Italy in July so you won''t want to rush around too much but take your time to enjoy your trip. I would get hold of a good guidebook to help you figure out your "must dos." Once you have those in mind and your basic itinerary set, you can always add in extras, if time and energy permit.

I would add more days to other locations in the north before heading south to Sorrento.
The Piemonte- Alba,Turin;
The (3)Italian Lakes, choose one,
Bologna,
Verona,
Vicenza,
Padua,
Bassano del Grappa,
Dolomites,base in Ortisei
Liguria - Camogli and Santa Margherita, Portovenere.

Thank you so much for taking the time. I really appreciate it