Hi Everyone, How about this for planning...my DH and I are thinking about going to Italy. Maybe this year or next. My questions are 1. Having never been to Italy,should we start with Rome? Stay there and explore this city. 2.When is the best time to go. I don't think summer would be good for me...too hot. Thanks you so much for your help as always. ptm

I think it'd be easier to "start" with Venice...

Italy is quite diverse. Do you like cities or countryside? How long are you going for? Do you want to drive or not? What are your main interests?

Rome is fabulous and a week there would be a good starting point for Italy. The best time for Rome is late April/early May or late September/early October for weather that is mild but not too hot.

As you can see already you will get a lot of different opinions here!

Thanks again everyone! We usually like to stay for a week or so. We love exploring cities and all they have to offer. No, we won't be driving, we prefer to take the subway and buses etc. If we did decide to go in late June is it too warm???? Would we survive without air conditioning??? Thanks again, we love all the info we can get. Ptm

In late June I would do Venice and maybe some day trips in the Veneto region although I could easily spend a week in Venice.

Late June would be way too hot for me in Rome. Even if your hotel is air conditioned I found Rome heat stiffling when walking around and the heat dampened my desire for sightseeing. Many restaurants and museums don't have air conditioning. Churches would be cooler because of the thick stone and high ceilings.

Right now it's 86 degrees in Rome (6:30 pm) although the humidity is low. It's the same temp and humidity where I live and I would not want to be walking around much in the daytime in this heat.

Sometimes it helps to start with airfare searches. Different times of year and different cities will affect your price. Definitely fly open-jaw, into one city and home from the other.

We went in early May and it was perfect-- warm, but not hot, and not many tourists yet. We flew to Rome, trained to Florence, then Venice, then Santa Margherita Ligure, then Nice. Flew home from Nice. Used United FF miles round-trip.

For a week only , I agree with Rome ( maybe a day trip to Orvieto).
Early May is much better time than later in the spring or summer .

We prefer to do May in Italy. It's warm but not hellishly hot, much less crowded than the summer - so fewer lines and long waits, still some hotel discounts availalble - and the days are nice and long for those romantic strolls through fountained piazzas after dinner.

If the only time you can travel is June I wouldn't start with Rome. As others say it will be hot and with the crowds added to that it will be pretty miserable. It is a beautiful city but until I went in the winter I didn't appreciate it. My previous 2 visits were during the height of summer w/102 degree heat and I hated it. Areas near the ocean will be cooler and less crowded. Spring or Fall would be perfect for Rome.

Thank you for the great advice! I think we will follow everyone's advice and plan our trip for early May or maybe October. Now I will research flights etc....Thanks again. Talk soon....ptm

Well, I am from Italy and I think that the only time I would not visit Rome is in August, but not because it's too much hot, but because there are too many tourists. yeah, it's true there are always a lot of tourists there but in August is too much! Plus, I give you a suggestion: I know that in this period Naples is very well known because of the garbage but believe me, it's worth going there anyway, even if only for the PIZZA! (and all the other wonderful meals and sweets there!)
Ciao e buon viaggio!!!