I've been purusing itineraries posted by others and have seen the helpful comments and feedback, so I figure I'll post mine and see what everyone thinks!

Dates right now are still up in the air, and we dont have a limit on the number of days we're spending. I was thinking between 4 and 5 weeks, beginning mid-July. It will be myself and a friend, both female and in our early 20's. We'll be doing all our travelling by train. Here's our rough plan so far:

Fly into Milan from Vancouver.
2-3 nights in Milan.

1 night in Verona

3 nights in Lake Garda (Im a little unsure about how this portion will work. Still researching).

3 nights in Venice.

1-2 nights in Bologna. (Depending on our timing, we may cut this out entirely).

3 nights in the Cinque Terre, staying in Levanto.

4 nights in Florence, with day trip to Pisa.

Possibly 2-3 nights in Siena. (this was on the recommendation of a friend, though I've not researched it yet).

4 nights in Rome

2 nights in Naples, with a day trip to Pompeii.

3 nights on the Amalfi Coast, probably staying in Sorrento.

Train back to Rome, stay one night, fly back to Vancouver.

I am also very interested in seeing Assisi for a day, but I'm not sure whether it's better to do it as a day trip from one of the cities (and which city is best), or stop for a few hours as we travel between two destinations.

Any advice/criticism you have will be much appreciated!

If you want to visit the Amalfi Coast, why wouldn't you stay on the Amalfi Coast (Positano, Praiano, Amalfi, Ravello) rather than Sorrento?

It thought people stayed in Sorrento to give them easier access to Naples and Pompeii as well as the AC, but if you are visiting Naples separately, why wouldn't you want to stay on the AC? It's just as easy to take a boat to Capri from Positano (or Amalfi) as it is from Sorrento.

What is the interest in Milan and Verona? Are you flying into Milan because it's cheaper?

I would add more time in Tuscany - Siena, Montepulciano, Orvieto, and you could also add a couple more nights to Rome. There is SO much to see there that a week wouldn't be enough.

It would make more sense to visit the Cinque Terre right after you go to Milan, as it's closer to Milan than to Bologna. Then from the Cinque Terra you can head east, Lake Garda, Venice, etc.

You have a lot of stops, but then if you have 4-5 weeks, it's more doable.

Many people will suggest that you spend less time in Milan; compared to other Italian cities, there's not a huge amount to see. We visited Milan for the first time this fall, and both my husband and I were surprised by how much we liked Milan! Non-touristy, with interesting, smaller museums and an interesting castle complex. Many great places to sit outside and have drinks or a meal and people-watch. But maybe limit your time there to 2 nights.

Consider getting a rental car for your time in Siena and other parts of rural Tuscany; it will be much easier to get around by car.

I also love Bologna; it's a fun, non-touristy small city with Europe's (maybe the world's, I can't remember) oldest university. Unless you're going to Verona for the opera, consider choosing Bologna over Verona.

On the Rome end of your trip, I'm not sure how the train lines run, but consider going straight from Siena to Naples, so that you have all of your Rome days together at the end of your trip.

Enjoy!

Thanks very much for the quick responses!

I thought that Sorrento would be alright to stay in because it is close enough for day trips, but seems a lot cheaper than staying in either Amalfi or Positano (we're looking at hostel dorms at 30 euros per night and under). Plus the Amalfi Coast section here on Fodor's said that Sorrento was a nice hub to stay in. Although, if I can track down relatively cheap accomodation in one of these towns, which would you recommend? And do you think then that I should skip Sorrento all together, or make time for both it and a town on the coast?

I have no particular interest in Verona, but I read that Lake Garda is accessed via Verona, so if we're passing through anyway, we may as well stay a night and see what is there.

As for Milan, I have heard many people say that it is not worth staying even one night, that everything can be seen in an afternoon. However, as Lexma points out, I've also heard the exact opposite as well. Part of my reasoning is that we'd like a day to recover from jet lag (I can never sleep on planes) before we get into the real sight-seeing. Though I agree that perhaps 2 nights is better than 3.

And the decision to fly into Milan was because we could start our trip in the north and work our way down rather than doubling back too much (though I realise we're doing that as well). But no flights are booked yet, so any other suggestions are welcome!

A rental car would be convenient, no doubt, but neither my friend nor I drive, so I'm afraid it's out of the question.

Yes, moving Rome to the end seems a much smarter thing to do!

Any suggestions on Assisi?

Thanks so much again for all your input!

Looking at your itinerary you seem to be doubling back on yourself.

Lake Garda is in between Milan and Verona.

You can loop past Assisi on your way from Florence / Siena to Rome.

You may want to stop by Pisa on your way to the CT.

Depending on your love of the Renasanse you may want to spend one less night there if you are staying for two or three in Sienna, put that night elsewhere.

Personally I would move the 2 nights in Naples to Soerrento. Make a day trip to Naples for the Archeology musuem. I would also do a day trip over to Capri.

It will be a wonderful vacation, but remember you'll be loosing time to travel and checking in and out of hotels.

Yes, you're doubling back - I'd rethink that.

I'd also head to the beach destinations at the beginning of the trip and plan to be gone from them by August 1. Ever seen an Italian beach in August? Not a pretty sight IMO.

An italian or spanish beach is August is a good chance for a book like the ones of Where's Wally ? ...but instead of Wally, you have to search for an open place in the sand

The suggestion to flip your schedule is a very good one, so you're flying into Rome and out of Milan.

Given that you have no particular interest in Verona, I'd cut that out and add the time elsewhere; Venice, IMHO.

Try to juggle things so you have more stays of more than 3 nights - the in and out of hotels thing will get very old after a while. Try for more nights in Rome, and possibly Florence, as well. I agree that you should visit Pisa on your way to the Cinque Terre.

I agree that you could visit Assisi in between Florence and Siena. Check the train/bus schedules, though, to make sure there are routes from Florence, to Assisi, then on to Siena.

Siena is a great city; I love to sit at a cafe (there's a good wine bar, plus a lot of overpriced cafe/restaurants) on the Campo and people-watch. But since driving isn't an option, it will be not so easy to get from Siena to other beautiful smaller towns and villages in the area. Consider making the effort, though. If you do a search here, there is plenty of advice on getting between Siena and San Gimignano, etc. by bus.

Other than perhaps cost issues, what would be the benefit of flying into Rome and out of Milan as opposed to vice versa?

I would rather leave Rome to the end as a personal preference. I spent a week in Italy last year, and managed to spend a couple of nights each in Rome, Florence and Venice. Rome happened to be the first place I stayed, and everywhere after that kind of paled in comparisson, if you see what I mean. The first church I ever entered was St. Peters, and there was no living up to that again! As such, I think it would be nice to leave Rome to the end of the trip for that reason.

It may seem kind of strange, I know, but unless there are very good logistical reasons for reversing the itinerary, I may just leave it how it is.

As for crowded beaches, I was on the beach in Barcelona for 5 days in August last year, and didn't mind it so much. It makes for some interesting people watching, thats for sure. Im hoping that Italy will be no worse.

Okay, thank you everyone for the helpful suggestions! I have revised my itinerary (somewhat) and I think it works okay for the first half, though I'm still trying to sort through the Amalfi Coast/Naples area. Here is my updated version. Again, any criticism is more than welcome!

Fly into Milan: 2 nights.

Stay in Levanto/see Cinque Terre: 3 nights.

Train to Desenzano then bus to Riva del Garda: 3 nights.

Venice: 3 nights

Bologna: 2 nights

Florence: 4 nights, with day trips to Pisa and San Gimignano.

Assisi: 1 night.

Siena: 2 nights.

This is where I get slightly confused. I want to see the Amalfi coast, but on other threads here, Naples has got rave reviews. I'm hoping for 4 or 5 nights in this area. Would 2 in Naples and 3 in Amalfi make sense? I want to do a day-trip to Pompeii, which shouldnt be difficult from Naples, though i may not have enough time to see the city itself then. And would 3 nights in Amalfi be sufficient to see both Positano and Ravello as well? And is Sorrento worth a day-trip, or should I bypass it all together? (Would it perhaps be worth starting a different thread on this subject?)

Anyway, my trip would conclude with 4 nights in Rome, then the flight home.

I chose to keep the Pisa trip from Florence rather than Cinque Terra, because according to my guide, the commute is about the same from each place. Plus, I've already spent 2 nights in Florence last year, so I dont mind spending more time away from there.

Thank you again for all the advice, please keep it coming!

Becks,

I think your plan is shaping up well. Since you are not traveling from CT to Florence, seeing Pisa from Florence is OK.

I would stay 2 nights in Naples. I only had 1 night there mainly to see the Arch Museo and do a second visit to Pompeii. Would have loved more. Personally, I would not stay in Sorrento. I've passed through several times and it has never appealed to me.

If you are going to see the Amalfi Coast - stay on the Amalfi Coast. Sorrento is on the Bay of Naples and has nice views of the bay and Vesuvius, but it's not on the Amalfi Coast.

2 nts in Naples and 3 on the coast would be a nice mix. It's enough to visit Positano, Amalfi and Ravello.

Buon viaggio!