kkuncewi

We are heading to Italy in September. Plans to see: Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre and Venice over 2 weeks with another couple. We have an additional 5 days to play with after the other couple heads home. The question is, stay in Italy and perhaps visit Lake Como, Milan or the Dolomites? Or hop on a flight and see another city in a different country? Hoping this is the first of more visits to Europe but would love some input. Open to all suggestions as it’s my first trip to Europe and my husband was last there over 40 years ago.

TDudette

How about the Amalfi Coast? Umbria?

Or, from Cinque Terre, head,along the Italian coast and over to Menton or Nice France?

StuDudley

Never hop on a plane to go elsewhere while there are still plenty of A+ sites nearby. Which is the case with Italy.

Visit some wonderful Tuscany countryside!!

See attached

Stu Dudley

whitehall

Discounted airlines are plentiful and cheap in Europe. As Stu suggested, Italy is full of A+ places that are easy to reach: Dolomites, Lakes, Amalfi Coast, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Umbria, Puglia, Sicily and Sardinia, among others. We have enjoyed al of them, and If you click on the link to our name, you will find trip reports we have done on some of these locations. We also have hopped to other countries multiple times from Rome or Milan, going to such places as Barcelona, Paris, Nice, Munich, and more. Depends, of course, on your interests and passion. Easy to do lots in Europe in a small amount of time.

Traveler_Nick

The answer depends on your interests. It's a two or at most four hour flight to any place in Europe. London,Berlin,Paris,Barcelona etc.

If you're flying home from London or Paris it might even be easier. Fly into Rome home from?

hetismij2

Please don't hop on a plane if you don't have to. If you want to visit another country look at train options first. But Italy is a big country with plenty to see and do. You may appreciate just a few down days relaxing and enjoying the countryside as Stu suggests rather than more cities and museums.
A lot depends on where you are flying home from.
If you have your return tickets already remember if you do a transfer in somewhere like London you must have completed the first leg of the flight t qualify for the second leg. Flying to London earlier and dropping the first part of your return flight means no return flight.

bilboburgler

Since you have not gone to Puglia or Sicilia you have missed out a lot of Italia. Keep going

dreamon

Another vote to stay in Italy. There is just so much to see and do within a short train ride from the places you've already selected that it would be a shame to skip off to another country. To make the most of those 5 days, I'd stay in the north.

shelemm

I do not have a vote of whether you should stay in Italy or not or take a train/plane or not. I have done slow travel (staying in one country/region/micro-region) as well as hopped on that plane to visit another country. There is no one way to travel. I say go with your instinct. It is plenty easy these days to go to another country if you so desire, and five day would be a good amount of time to visit somewhere else. Going from Venice to the Amalfi Coast or Sicily is no easier than crossing a border.

IIUC, adding more days to the beginning and middle of your itinerary are not an option....

Also, don't overlook visiting Hadrian's Villa and Villa d'Este when in Rome.