We've been retired since 2002. Went on a circle self-tour of England. Liked it. Went to Southern Germany, Cz Rep., enjoyed greatly. Went on a circle self-tour of France, enjoyed greatly. Back to Bavaria, Cz Rep, Slov Rep, Hungary, Southern Poland--great time. Went back to France: western Provence, Dordogne/Lot, Bourdeaux area. We loved it. the most of all.
Wife now wants to go to Italy (she was there on whirlwind bus tour 40 years ago) to see Florence, skipping Rome.
I could simply go back to the Dordogne area for 2 weeks.
Any comments (other than about marital harmony) that would help us decide?

I say go to Florence and see Michelangelo's David.

It was one of the joys of my life.

A defining moment.

Florence and Tuscany. To whet your appetite:

http://tinyurl.com/59qqlw

Usually a hard decision.

But since you have been to France but not to Italy, I would encourage you to see something new.

Tuscany is much more than Florence - it is a region, a landscape, a style of living and extremely historically signifcant: the Etruscans, the Medici, Dante, Boccaccio..

See Florence, Pisa, Siena, Volterra, San Gimignano, Lucca, Populonia and, yes, make a trip to Rome - it is so close.

If I were you, I'd take this opportunity to go to Italy. Could you sneak in Venice? Not too far from Florence and maybe it will sink one day soon. Everybody should see Venice at least once.

I get the impression you prefer smaller towns. Neither Florence or Venice are very big, though they can get very crowded in high season. And, of course, there are lots of cute small towns in northern Italy.

If you want more help planning an itinerary in northern Italy, this forum is the place to get it.

Tell us a little more about your interests ie what did you both enjoy about the places you have already visited? This might help in making recommendations.