shortened trip to Italy
 

We are thinking of flying Transat ( J class )( we love it ) from Montreal to Milan, 2-3 days in Milan, train to Venice, 3-4 days there, train to Florence, 3 days there and then out of Rome after another 2 days there. Does this sound too rushed?
We have been to Rome before for about 9 days end enjoyed it a lot. It had a side trip to Florence by bus and we saw virtually nothing except David, so we need to spend some time there for sure. We think by train between the cities would be good.
Is this reasonable? ( and thank you folks )
Dave

No it does not sound too rushed.

Yes, it is reasonable to take trains between the cities.

So, how much time do you have in Italy--10 or 12 nites?

The itinerary looks good. Is there enough to do in Milan to fill 3 days? Perhaps some place else instead of Milan?

I see again and again that people say there's nothing to do in Milan. Were they expecting a quaint village? A walled medieval hill town? It's a large city, stylish and classy, but it's not quaint. It has a bit of the air of a northern European city, but with the glamour of Italy.

Milan is a great and vibrant city, and there's lots to do there. We spent four or five days there a few years ago and had to skip some things we would have liked to do. It's definitely not just the Duomo and the Last Supper. There are some beautiful and very ancient churches; there is a large castle (Castello Sforzesco) right in the center of the city, with several museums inside its walls. One of Europe's great museums, the Brera Gallery, is in Milan. There are many great concerts, and, of course, opera at La Scala. The Naviglio Grande (Great Canal) has lots of trendy restaurants and bars along its banks, and you can ride in a canal boat. There are some truly wonderful restaurants, serving exciting food above and beyond the usual pasta and grilled meat.

I have a feeling that most of the people who suggest that tourists skip Milan have spent less than a day there themselves, so have no idea what the city offers.

<< I see again and again that people say there's nothing to do in Milan. >>

You have to be seeing this is other places since no one on this thread said there is nothing to do in Milan. I'm not sure why you made this statement.

bvlenci: thanks for the tips on Milan. I too have heard that Milan is not as alluring as Italy's other big cities, and you have piqued my interest.

adrienne: this thread only has a few posts. I don't think it's a fair example of what gets printed and posted and discussed about Milan.

To the OP: bifOO, it sounds like a great trip to me, and trains between cities would, I think, work best.

Your itinerary looks appealing to me. One of the nice things about your itinerary is that if it turns out you actually don't take a shine to one or more of these locations then you have no trouble whatsoever doing something else. They are all extremely well connected by train to other places that are very different in character. So you have options.

If you enjoy museums it is indeed worthwhile to read up on what Milan offers in that regard (my personal favorite is the Ambrosiana) and also what exhibitions are going on in Milan during the time you will be there. Milan attracts some wonderful shows.

Looks reasonable but I would tend to cut a day out of Milan and add to Florence so you can see one or two of the Tuscan hill towns on a day trip. But then I'm not a huge fan of Milan.

Thank you all ! Still looking at alternatives, I am glad to see what has been written about Milan as I know and knew not a lot, I was only thinking La Scala and the Duomo with all it's spires. So this is all good.

I like Milan a lot but I love Florence, so I would suggest taking a day from Milan and giving it to Florence. If you happen to see everything you want to see in Florence and have any time left, you can choose from a long list of possible day trips using public trans (Fiesole, Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, Lucca, Certaldo, Arezzo, Montecatini Terme, etc.) or take a driving tour one day into Chianti. Bologna is another day-trip option, but you could instead stop there on the way from Venice to Florence.

The itinerary looks OK to me. Just a note about Milan: It is an interesting city that's worth your time.

Btw: if you hope to see The Last Supper, look into booking a tour well in advance.