I am going to Italy this fall. Can people give me some ideas of what NOT TO MISS. What do I really HAVE TO SEE? Tours? Places? Sites? What are your best memories from Italy? Thanks.

Rome (Forum, Colosseum, etc.), Vatican, Pompeii, & Venice. Always wear comfy shoes and (here is the best advice) always schedule reservations for musuems well in advance by calling or using websites before you go (you will skips long long lines). And yes -- Fodors actually does have some of the numbers in their guides.

Italy is very dense with places to see, explore, admire, experience,etc. You really need to buy or borrow from library a travel guide and begin there. We can help you fine tune it on here, but to tell you what not to miss would involve a very long thread, to say the least. Are you interested in art, history, countryside, off the beaten path, cities, music, wineries, antiquities,etc.? Unless you're going for a very long time, you will have to make choices and to some extent, compromises; you can't see it all, so you need to read a bit and decide what's important to you.

Good question. I am interested in the history. That is the coolest thing for me. I hope to see all the traditional tourist things and anything that is historic.

Pompeii was interesting but Florence (Firenze to Italy) is the foundation of Rennaissance and modern art and architecture and probably hub of the the best food in the country. Also the most visited, so the reservations for museums is very good advice.If you really want ancient villas, mosaics, artistic and anthrolpological relics, and Greek and Roman temples in a nutshell, visit Sicily. It is a jewel box of ancient architecture and culture and better preserved than anything you will see in Greece and anywhere in Italy combined temple and museum wise!
Italy=Eat, walk, eat, walk! ETC!

Agree, Venice, Florence, Rome. Is time on your side? If so, then further south to Pompei, Herac., Naples. If not, you can get somewhat of a taste of Pompei near Rome at Ostia Antica.

Venice is particularly important if you are a student of urban environment. Imagine a city with no wheels: No cars, no bikes, no roller blades, NO SCOOTERS. It takes a few days before you stop looking both ways for traffic.

Traveling with a purpose provides focus, as Grandmere points out. Fasinated by temples? Then see Pasetum, Selinunte, Agrigento, Segesta. Leonardo? Then crack the books and find out where his best stuff is. Michelangelo? His monumental works are in different places, Florence, Rome, etc., chase them down. Assume you will return, impossible to do it all. Never stay less than 2 nights in one spot or you will spend more time on logistics than fun.

Assuming you want to do the usual "first time in Italy let's get to see the main stuff" trips, your not-to-miss places would be Rome, Pompei/Amalfi, Siena, Florence, and Venice.

The "experts" say it takes a minimum of six weeks to see all of Italy. I've been there for a total of four weeks, and I'm not even close!
I would suggest you start doing some research in travel books, etc., and discover the places that you think you'd like to visit. Then, come back with questions!
It would take pages to answer each of your questions!

6 weeks perhaps, minus Sicily. Sicily itself takes at least 2 weeks to see "all" of it. I spent 15 days there and still was unable to see "everything" (places like Cefalu', Catania, and the Aeolians were left out).

We just spent 9 days in Italy on our honeymoon. I would agree that you have to see Venice and Rome. FLorence I went to, but I found it more artsy than historical...and I prefer historical sights to art galleries. We also stayed in Assisi in Umbria and it was wonderful...we cant wait to go back to Umbria!

I've been to Italy twice, the first time to Venice and the 2nd to Sicily. I'm very partial to island trips so Sicily was my 1st fairly long trip to Italy. Venice was the tail end of a Greece trip. Still haven't seen Rome & Florence. It depends on your interests- if you want beaches there are places that are known for that. It depends on the time of year. Are you more partial to city or country trips, or a combination of both?

VENICE !!

For a history buff, I would consider a "must visit" to be the Scavi underground guided tour at St. Peter's in Rome/Vatican. It is essential to book in advance and this site or any detailed guidebook will give you the directions.In the time it takes to descend ten steps you travel 2000 years.