Hi, i am traveling to Italy for 2 weeks and the cities i am planning to visit are Milan ( mainly because i am flying into Milan), Venice, CT, Florence and Rome (flying out from here). I've done some research and the recommended itinerary for these places are Milan-Venice-CT-Florence-Rome. I am wondering why no one does this route instead: Milan-CT-Florence-Venice-Rome? My reason for the route is because there is a straight train from Milan to CT and going to Venice from CT would require a backtrack to Milan or pass through Florence hence, i should go to FLorence before heading to Venice right?

May i know if this is not a practical route, for whatever reasons that its not popular?

Thanks for your help!

well, there are no straightforward routes for this itinerary as you have worked out for yourself.

What you say makes sense - i think that many people focus on the fact that going from florence to Venice and back to Rome requires a degree of backtracking, but if, as you say, your route avoids needless changes of train, it seems sensible to do it that way.

how long are you planning to stay in each place?

the main thing that leapt out at me from your post was the number of places that you are planning to visit in a relatively short period of time. remember that you lose at least 1/2 a day every time you move, so with 5 destinations, you've just lost 2 days out of your 14. Then there's the time to get to your hotel, check in, find your way around your new place, etc. etc. And it tends to be more expensive, not just with the cost of the travel, but also it takes a while to find the nice cafe with the reasonably priced breakfast, that friendly bar with the cheap drinks, etc. etc.

What time of year is your trip? [that's relevant to a trip to the CT in particular - there's not much point in going when it's cold and it can be horribly busy in high summer].

<< May i know if this is not a practical route, for whatever reasons that its not popular? >>

How do you know that your routing is not popular and you can't possibly know that no one takes the second routing.

You might want to consider costs. What is the train price for both routes? What is the time savings?

Take whatever route pleases you. There is no "one way" to travel. Everyone has their own thoughts and itineraries.

that seems a little harsh, adrienne.

the OP makes a good point about trying to rationalise his/her train route so as to avoid having to change trains when it's not necessary.

Thanks annhig! Yes, i do prefer not to have to change trains too often with my luggage, it will be very tiring and i am not backpacking. Thanks for pointing out that Venice to Rome is a backtrack but surprisingly the train ride isn't long (under 4 hours)!

I know its abit of a rush, but i can't cut out any of the places from my trip! Having to fly into Milan put a strain on my itinerary as i could have done without going to Milan. I am planning to stay a day in Milan, 3 days in Venice, 2 full days CT, 4 days Florence and 4 days Rome. ( My trip is actually 16 days long).

Initially i was planning for May as it seems the best time to visit Italy but i might have to change that to Sept and i know going to CT is not recommended in Sept. So i might have to change that to Sorrento instead. I definitely want to go to a coastal town. Im thinking Capri and Positano, Amalfi Coast is too far, i prob won't have time to go there. Do you have any other recommendations that in your opinion, i shouldn't miss out in Italy?


Like i mentioned earlier, when i did my research, the first route seems to be more popular, whether its guide books or on the internet, which was what prompted my question in case i was unaware of any reason for the route being more suggested by people. I will however look into train costs. Thanks for the reminder on cost!

Actually the weather is generally much better in le Cinque Terre in September than it is in May. I think the crowd factor is just about the same. You don't need t go to Sorrento to get better weather. Positano is on the Amalfi Coast and Capri faces the Amalfi Coast so you would be going that "far" if you included them.

It is generally more time consuming to include the coastal areas and islands south of Rome than it is to include le Cinque Terre.

You will save yourself a lot of time on trains by using the itinerary you have hit upon rather than doing the more conventional route.

You will also save yourself a lot of time if you just ignore people like Adrienne. She is a resident troll.

So i might have to change that to Sorrento instead. I definitely want to go to a coastal town. Im thinking Capri and Positano, Amalfi Coast is too far, >>

well, having just spent a week in Sorrento i can recommend it as a base for touring that area, albeit it was all planned for us as I was there with a group attending a language school. I think that you are right that in the time you have, it would make the only sensible base in that area. But I also agree with sandralist that you could happily stick to the CT if you were to swap your visit to September - it fits in far better with your itinerary than the area south of Naples does.

let us know what you decide to do and how it works out!

I wouldnt change your schedule, keep CT in, I dont see Sept as being a bad month although if there's "mare mosso" the ferry boats in CT will not go out . But this can happen anytime I think, it happened to me in early August.

I think the number of days in each place is adequate, seems like a lovely trip.

No need to spend time in Milan if it doesn't interest you. As soon as you land, head directly to your first destination, which seems it will be the CT. I find arrival day is sort of a wasted day anyhow, so you may as well spend it sitting on a train and getting to the place you really want to be. Buon viaggio!