My spouse and I are planning a trip to Italy for 10 days. We were thinking of flying into Milan and going to Lake Como, Verona, Florence and hiking the Cinque Terre but given that we haven't been before, wanted to get some ideas...so, if you had 10 days to spend in Italy, what would you do?

If I'd never been to Italy before, I'd fly into Rome 4 days, Florence 2 days, and Venice 4 days. If I were a Renaissance nut, I'd change to 3 days Florence and 3 days Venice.<BR><BR>What time of the year are you going? That will make a difference.

Thanks for your response. We're planning to go in either July or August. While we want to do some sightseeing, we also want to be able to relax and enjoy each destination vs. spending most of our time traveling. Given that, what are your thoughts?

Rufus has given you the standard first timer itinerary. And it's a good one. You know best what you're interested in. You have the right number of places for 10 days, you have to decide what you want to see. You've left out Venice but you're getting very close to it. Is there a reason?

I've heard mixed things about Venice in the summer...<BR><BR>I'd still love to go so that destination is up for debate. Is Verona worth checking out?

Well, if you're going during the summer (HIGH season), then carefully consider if you want to tackle the crowds that you'll find in the &quot;big 3&quot; - Rome, Venice &amp; Florence. Obviously if you've never been to Italy before, then you still may want to put at least one of these destinations on your itinerary. I do think that focusing on the northern section of Italy is a good idea for that time of year.

Our first trip we drove but spent 2 days in Venice,one in Orvieto,3 in Rome,2 in Siena with a day trip to Florence and 2 in the Cinque Terra.This was a nice balance and we have since returned and spent more time in Venice ,Rome and Florence.In summer reservations are needed and crowds bigger but dont miss Venice.We also visited Como and Verona and they both have their charm.

Obviously everyone's taste is different, but I greatly prefer both Venice and Florence to Rome - they are both very easy to see on foot and have no underground system to mess around with, and I personally find Rome just too chaotic, dirty and unpleasant outside of the 'attractions' (before anybody jumps on me, I appreciate that Rome has many fans and what I say is just my opinion). If I were doing this trip, I would spend 4 nights in each of Venice and Florence, and consider taking a circuitous drive between them - Tuscany especially is beautiful. 4 nights in each of Venice and Florence will give you long enough to relax and soak up the atmosphere. (You could fly into Pisa and out of Venice). Nice though it is, I don't think Verona will add very much if you are seeing Florence. Lake Como is pretty, but compared to what else Italy has to offer, I would not particularly worry about going there during this trip at the expense of other places.

Why 10 days? and why does it have to be the summer? Are you teachers who have summer off? If you have a choice of days off go early fall and take a few more days.