Italy Itinerary
 

I need some help forming an itinerary for a 10-day trip this summer to Italy. Nothing is set in stone but we want to go to Tuscany (Florence and one other place - Sienna?), several days on the beach (Portofino or nearby?) and a few days in Milan. Any suggestions on where to start and how to get between places is appreciated. I was thinking that we'd fly in/out of Milan and take a train between there and Florcence and rent a car for the other stops, but please advise if you think that is not the way to go.

I'd rent the car at Milan's airport, Malpensa, and drive to the Riviera (Portofino is a beautiful port town but not a beach), then on to the Cinque Terre (where one can swim). Stay several days in Portovenere. Head towards Tuscany via Pisa and Lucca. Be sure to include San Gimignano in your agenda. To return, I'd shoot back to Malpensa on the autostrada. Unless there's a specific reason to do so, I'd not spend any time in Milan.

Four places in 10 days? NO!

Pick one seaside stop, one Tuscany stop and either Florence or Milan but not both.

If you can, cost permitting fly into Milan and out of Rome...we did a trip 6 years ago doing just that...1 night/1-2 days in Milan (saw The Last Supper) then drove into the Alba area stayed at a B&B for 2 nights while eating in Acqu Terme (the best food) and visited Cerreto winery for some wine tasting(they were so accomodating)...thru Pisa and Lucca(on the way - didn't stay the night)(great olive oil) onto Florence for a couple of days...Porto San Stefano somewhere along the way...think on the way to Rome (for couple of days or so)...then flew out of Rome. Depends on what your likes are...rest thru relaxation or travelling. The best memories of food are from the Tuscan countryside.

If you want to see Milan and Tuscany, I'd recommend flying into Milan and out of Pisa rather than having to take time driving back to Milan. We took a train from Venice to Florence when we were there...you'd easily be able to do that from Milan and pick up a rental in Florence. Leave enough time for Tuscany, though - it's addictive!