Hi LoveItaly, since you have flown into Milan before, maybe you can help me with this..I have been looking at flights from San Francisco to Milan that leave in the afternoon, arriving Milan also in the afternoon, to try to minimize jet lag. However, the flights that leave/arrive in the morning are typically less expensive. Where do you fly from (east/west coast) and what is your experience with flight times? Any input you have, or better ideas, would be hugely appreciated!

Hi daisy, I fly out of SFO also. Flying to Milan has always been an early morning flight. Flying to Venice has been a flight departing SFO late afternoon.

Pros and cons both ways. In a way arriving morning has its advantages. By the time you get to the hotel the room is ready. Take a shower, go to lunch, walk around in the fresh air (well actually Milan's air is not always that fresh) but anyway moving, around, being excited about being in Italy. Maybe an hour nap or rest late afternoon, but no more than that. A nice dinner, another hot shower and a good nights sleep and the next morning always felt wonderful.

Arriving at the Venice airport in the afternoon by the time I get to the city I go to I am tired. A hot shower and than dinner. No chance to get a long walk etc. I sort of "pass out" rather than sleep that night, LOL. So normally a bit tired the next day..nothing serious but don't feel perky so to speak.

And another thing. If the flight leaves afternoon (KLM leaves about 4:00pm from SFO) by the time I get on the plane I sort of feel tired, waiting around the house to go to the airport etc. A morning flight for some reason seems easier to me..get up early and leave the house.

One thing I do daisy is have my bag and my carryone packed and by the front door ahead off time. If I am say flying on a Tuesday everything is by the front door in the entry before I go to bed Sunday evening. Double check that I have all documents, financial items etc. I always take small bathroom products (buy more if I need them while on the trip). I have everything that I need in the carryon as I have duplicate items, brush,comb, etc. No having to remember to put items in the carryon at the last moment as have duplicate items in the bathroom. Also put my coat (if taking one) with the luggage too.

daisy, personally if you can get a less expensive ticket for a morning flight that is what I would buy.

You must be so excited. I always think the first visit to Italy is the most fun of all!! Oh, one other thing about a morning flight. You will be flying over the alps. The alps are so beautiful with the sun shining on them in the morning.

LoveItaly--thank you for all of your advise-I love SFO's new international terminal. Where are you from that you fly out of SFO? We live in Sonoma County.
As for am I so excited...just because
Italy is the superduper-grand supremo-
BigMacDaddy-coolest destination in all of Europe with so much to see and do-
I've been planning this trip for years-
and they even have gelato-that kind of excited???
Nay, just another day \:D/

Our first family trip to Italy in June 2004 with teens went like this: Rome: 4 nights; Sorrento: 2 nights (in order to see Pompeii); Florence: 3 nights; Siena: 1 night; Venice: 3 nights.

The entire family voted Rome as our #1 favorite experience in Italy.

Since we're from California and have seen plenty of great coastlines already, while the amalfi coast area is beautiful, we could have skipped it and been perfectly satisifed.

However there would have been mutiny with my teens if we had skipped Pompeii which they loved. (It's quite troublesome to plan to include Pompeii as you pretty much need to stay in naples or sorrento, which I found rather inconvenient, but anyway the teens thought it was worth it, if it had been up to me I would have skipped Pompeii, sorrento, the whole amalfi coast!

anyway Venice was our #2 family favorite. A very unique city.

florence we would have been happy skipping. NOw please understand we saw Rome first, and Florence is after all more museums and more churches, so after Rome we weren't so amazed by Florence. Just our personal opinions, there will be plenty of florence fans on this web-site.

1 night in Siena? My family put up with that for me. for me, it was unforgettable, I fell n love with Siena (and with the chianti region, where we had a half-day private tour)...I plan to return to the chainti region/Tuscany/Siena someday for a whole week!

So hope this helps, one family's reactions!

I like your plan that went like this:
Rome: 4 nights
Florence: 3 nights
Venice: 3 nights
Milan? I didn't see it so don't have a vote for Milan.

Loved our perfectly located hotel in rome, Hotel Nazionale a Montecitorio on Piazza MOntecitorio. Don't confuse it with 2 hotels with similar names. This is the one on the tiny piazza, Piazzaa Montecitorio. It's a very short walk to the pantheon and walking distance to lots of great sites. Great neighborhood.

Have fun!

Oh, take your Rick STeves restaurant recommendations for Rome with you, and don't eat anywhere else! The only bad food we had in Rome was when we tried to pick places without using his book! (And wouldn't you know the bad food in Rome costs MORE than the good food!