Considering both next September to celebrate husband's 60th birthday.
Have been to Paris but not Provence; to Venice, Florence, Rome but not Milan or the lakes. We both love the water and boats, art, architecture, food, history, culture. Food seems to be important to him for this trip. He loved the food in Florence, but especially in Paris. He liked Venice and Florence overall, Rome not so much, and loved Paris.
Any suggestions?

How about Nice, the French Riviera and inland Provence? For the latter it's better to have a rental car. Is that a problem? You don't need a car for the Cote d'Azur. This area is wonderful for all your interests.

Milan does not compare to Paris (or, in my mind, to Nice). Other cities famed for good food are Lyon and Bologna. And we're hearing a lot lately about the food in the Piedmont. But that would probably be another driving option.

You could do a trip to the French Riviera and the Italian Riviera. Lots and lots of water and boats as well as your other interests.

I'm just throwing out ideas. We don't know how long you have and whether you want to drive.

Congratusually works best to fly into Paris do a round robin
have donethis a bunch.My fav Paris www.beaune.com Geneva
Interlaken Simplon Pass Stresa/Milan Portofino/SML my fav
www.metropole.it a bit of the www.cinqueterre.com SanRemo Nice
Provence Paris www.seat61.com train best way to do this.
www.booking.com great hotels along the way.www.lecalendal.com
Arles also one of my favs.

Happy Planning!

You might consider flying in and out of Milan and visiting both Provence and the Italian Lakes. They're reasonably close with good transportation options between them all.

If food is important to your husband, then I would not pick Lago di Como. And while Lago di Como is one of the most scenic spots in Europe, it is rather thin when it comes to compelling architecture, history, culture -- it is mainly a tourist destination.

I live in Italy but I've been in Paris in September and it is often a truly lovely time to be there (dry-ish weather, some relief from summer's tourist mobs).

If your husband didn't like Rome, perhaps he's not so keen on the loose-living of Mediterranean cultures. You have such a long time to think about this, consider combining Paris with some other great foodie destinations -- perhaps either Belgium (Antwerp or the coast) or San Sebastian in Spain.

I'll weigh in on this as I went to both areas this year. I was in Italy (4th trip) this summer for Bologna, Cinque Terre, Lake Como (5 nights) & Milan (2 nights). I thought Lake Como was stunning. While I stayed at a lakeside hotel in Tremezzo, Varenna was my favorite, far surpassing Bellagio IMHO. I so enjoyed visiting the villages, hiking, the villas and their gardens. Food was good but I didn't dine anywhere I'd say I simply must go back. Not alot of cultural things to do. Simply being there is what Lake Como is all about. This was also my first visit to Milan. I must say it just didn't "speak" to me as Rome hasn't spoken to me on 2 previous trips. Now..... Paris speaks to me. I'm simply saying this as your husband & I may be on the same wavelength. I was in Paris for a week in November. (11th trip). I find the city simply stimulating for the senses, taste buds, culture, arts, shopping, etc. While I didn't get down to Provence in November, I've been 5 or 6 times & LOVE Provence. There is so much to see and do there. On my stays, I simply run out of time to visit all the wonderful towns & stunning villages. Food is great. September will be nice. I would highly recommend a stay somewhere in the St Remy area and a couple of nights as well in Cassis to enjoy the sea & the calanques. There's a wonderful hotel there I just love on the cliffs with infinity pool. It's where Winston Churhill often stayed & painted during his retirement. So, I would have to vote for Paris/Provence.

Thanks, Mimar and qwovadis. We'd probably have 11 or 12 days total. I'm not much of a driver, and he would prefer to do as little driving as possible. Had to cancel a planned trip to Paris and Provence in 2010(we had a rental car for Provence) when he fell ill(thank goodness for trip insurance). We've talked about going to the lakes region for several years. Just wanted to make sure the food was good there. I like the idea of the Cote d' Azur, too, and will check that out.

Our responses must have crossed. Thanks, Jim, zeppole and Dee Dee, for your input and suggestions.

If you are not keen on driving, give some serious consideration to some destinations in Belgium or San Sebastian, Spain. Others may disagree, but I think Provence might be better with a car --and it falls far short of what San Sebastian is when it comes to food.

San Sebastian is an exceptionally beautiful place.