Jessica

We are going to Italy for 12 days / 11 nights in January. We are landing in Milan and flying out of Rome. This is the first time for us in Italy. Our goal is to see the cities and the major sites. We are going to travel between the cities by train. What would you recommend as an itinerary? We were thinking 1 night in Milan, 3 nights Venice, 3 nights Florence and 4 nights in Rome. We are set on visiting these cities, so I guess my question is would you spend more or less time in any of these place?

Eye Spy

Great that you are going to Italy and that it's your first time. You are going to love it!<BR><BR>I presume you are arriving at Milan Malpensa.<BR><BR>Day 1(departure) into 2: arrive Milan Malpensa. Transfer to hotel. Relax, freshen up or simply go go go outside! Visit Duomo, Galleria. Walk around the streets. Go to via Montenapoleane and neighboring streets for the famous stores. Quiet evening dinner.<BR><BR>Day 3: if you are an art history lover (and I am very very partial to this but you can figure out what you interests you), visit Biblioteca Ambrosiana (not far from the Duomo), lunch at Peck right around the corner. Afternoon at the Brera art museum (superb collection) to where you can walk or take public transportation. If you are set on it, you will have reserved for the Cenacolo (Last Supper) at Santa Maria della Grazie but the tickets are sometimes hard to get for the next day and it's in the opposite direction from the Brera, so perhaps you may want to do Santa Maria della Grazie, Biblioteca Ambrosiana, lunch then Brera. The further in advance, the better for your tickets to the Cenacolo. You may also wish to visit other churches. A cute one is Santa Bibiana not far behind the Duomo and on the way to via Montenapoleone. In late afternoon (give or take having visited all of the above which is kind of rushed if you leave on Day 3), you may wish to either stay or leave Milan. Pick up stored baggage at your hotel (which they'll do for you even if you have checked out) and take train to Venice (2 hours).<BR><BR>Days 3 (or 4) / 5 / 6 (half day): Venice. You plan what you want. If I say anything, this posting will never end.<BR><BR>Days 6 (half day) /7/ part of 8 (half day): Florence. [You could also lengthen or shorten times in Milan or Venice or Florence but that's up to you).<BR><BR>Days 8 (evening) / 9 / 10 /11: Rome<BR><BR>Day 12: airport home.<BR><BR>Just an idea. What did you come up with? Personally, I try to plan in taking a train from one city to the other in the early or late afternoon depending. Why? Because this gives you another morning and a relaxed start to your train trip to the following city and you still arrive at a decent hour and in time for dinner. I suggest though Milan-Venice first. If you go down to Florence, you then have to go up to Venice and then down again which is a waste of time and makes no sense.<BR><BR>Naturally, you are visiting the classic cities but there are tons of others but never enough time: Parma, Lucca, Bologna, Padua, Verona, Brescia or Como, Siena. But you'll go again so it's not a problem. And eventually down to Campania to Naples / Positano / Amalfi /Reggio di Calabria and off to Sicily via Messina. <BR>

Jessica

Eyespy, <BR><BR>Thank you so much! Your thoughts are very insightful. I really appreciate hearing from experienced travelers such as yourself!<BR><BR>Jessica

BOB THE NAVIGATOR

Jessica, you seem to have a good plan, just made better by the excellent input above. I would merely add a day trip to Siena, by bus actually, from Florence. And, perhaps a 3 hour stop in Orvieto on the train ride to Rome. You have a good first trip to Italy here--it will not be your last. Good luck, and work on the hotels--you can do better.

elaine

Jessica<BR>My suggestions:eliminate the time in Milan, go straight on by plane or train to Venice. Milan has its treasures, but I think many people would agree that on a short trip and with so much else to see, it's not a first priority on a first trip to spend time in Milan.<BR>Next time.<BR><BR>So, push on to Venice, you will arrive tired of course, so don't count on doing much that first day. Allow the next two to three full days in Venice--that's your call. I LOVE Venice down to my toes, but you still have a lot to see. Take an evening train to Florence.<BR>Three days in Florence is good. I love Siena myself for a daytrip. Leave that for the second day if you do it to get your feet wet in Florence and see how much you like it. It is art and architecture heaven, good for food and shopping too, but the art isn't everyone's idea of spending all their time. Order advance tickets for the Uffizi and Accademia museums if you're going to go, to avoid even the possibility of waiting in very long lines.<BR><BR>Rome, the rest of the time you have left. You will just scratch the surface, I found Rome overwhelming in its treasures, pleasures, and its demands of time and energy. It is very large, spread out, and the distances among the sites/sights are time consuming if you walk or even take buses or the metro.<BR><BR>I have files on all of those cities; if you'd like to see any of them, email me.<BR><BR>good luck<BR><BR><BR>