Italy three-week itinerary.
 

Hello!



I am planning to spend three weeks in Italy at the end of April—first half of May. My main goal is to visit historical (Medieval and Renaissance) towns and see the architecture, art, and sculpture.



I am wondering whether this is a doable itinerary:



Venice

Padua

Vicenza

Verona

Mantua

Sabbioneta

Modena

Ferrara

Ravenna

Florence—Basilican di San Miniato

Pisa

Lucca

San Gimignano

Siena

Pienza

Assisi

Orveto

Civita di Bagnoregio

Rome



I understand that this is most likely too much to see in 3 weeks, so any suggestions of what towns to keep/cut from the itinerary are welcome. I could also just cut Rome out since I have already been there twice, but as you know you can never see enough of the Eternal City.

How much do I need to spend in each of the towns to see the major historical sites?

Would it be easier to rent a car in Venice and drive to Padua, Vicenza, Verona, Mantua, Sabbioneta, Modena, Ferrara, Ravenna or would it be easier to take the train?

Would it be reasonable to return to Venice even after driving as far as Ravenna?

Has anybody had experience renting a car in Venice and dropping it off in one of the small towns I mentioned? Would it be cheaper to return the car to Venice, take a train to one of those small towns around Venice and rent a car there?

Any experience parking in the towns I mentioned?

Would it be easier/cheaper to rent a car in Venice, spend the whole trip driving and then drop it off in Rome?

What would be the best way to get to Assisi?

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thank you!

I have visited almost every city on your list, all by using the excellent train system. (I do not know how to drive and have traveled in Italy more than 30 times.)

A car would be a hindrance because of ZTL and parking restrictions in city centers.

Many places on your list are quite close to one another and would be reasonable to visit as day trips from one central location. For example, Padova is just 30 minutes by train from Venice. Verona is a train hub, so from there one could day trip to Padova, Vicenza, Mantova, and even Venice. I visited Assisi by train as a day trip when I stayed in Perugia for a few days--it was about 20 minutes away.

Yes, way too much in three weeks. Nineteen towns/cities in 21 days....

"How much do I need to spend in each of the towns to see the major historical sites?"

You need to identify which "historical sites" you most want to see because the more destinations you add, the fewer sites you will see everywhere. Every transfer takes time away from sightseeing. Only you can decide what you most want to see and what you're willing to skip. So, buy some guidebooks, check some websites, look at some YouTube videos.

I agree that having a car wouldn't be helpful... except for Sabbioneta, Pienza, Civita di Bagnoregio and, to some degree, San Gimignano. The other listed towns have train service.

Yes, too many places. With travel time in between each place, you would have less than a day in each place. Doing day trips from a couple of hubs would help, but still too much. Do you want to be doing a day trip every day? Not only would I find that exhausting, but you would have little time to see the city you're staying in.

Do some reading about each destination and decide which ones are most important to you. From your interest in the Renaissance, you certainly need more than a day in Florence!

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Easy, just take off all the towns that need a car.

The train is so easy and the car is so hard doing this trip it really is a no-brainer

seat61.com explains how it all works

Don't forget taxis are always there if you suddenly want to try anything off the train system