lmd49

First trip to Italy. My flight lands October 25th and I plan to travel by train sleeping in the following towns: Venice 3 nights, Verona 2, Florence 5, Siena 3, Orvieto 2, Rome 5. Each of these towns holds something(s) I am interested in. Would also take a couple of day trips (Bologna, Pompeii). This itinerary seems logical to me, but would appreciate some feedback from folks who are far better traveled than I. FWIW, I am a 74 y/o f solo traveler.

mjs

Just a few comments. I do not like to move about as much as you are doing. I would spend more nights in Venice and take the train for a day trip to Verona. Tuscany is also a large area and driving would allow you to see much more than just sticking to major cities/towns. Bologna may be seen by train as a day trip from
Florence . Orvieto for 2 nights seems fine on the way to Rome. 5 nights for Rome seems fine except if you take a day to go to Pompeii in which case so might add a day from your time in Tuscany to Rome

SusanP

It is a lot of moving, but since you have something you want in each place, and if you don't have a problem handling your own luggage and getting on and off trains, it's not too bad. Good to have those five-night stops.

The suggestion to do Verona as a day trip from Venice (and adding those two nights to Venice) might be something to think about, since three days is not a lot for Venice, especially since it's your first stop and you lose part of the first day getting checked in, etc, and dealing with jet lag. That way, even with one day for the day trip to Verona, it gives you another day in Venice.

I don't know what your budget is like, but if you decide you would like to use one of the Siena days to see a little more of Tuscany with a private driver, hillandroads.com is excellent, and they are based right in Siena. If you know where you want to go, they can tell you if it's feasible. Or, you can tell them your interests and they will suggest an itinerary.

Pompeii will be a very long day trip from Rome.

Holly_uncasdewar

I would take 1 night off Verona and spend it in Bologna.

greytop13

I agree with making Verona a day trip from Venice. If you want to spend a night in Bologna, you could do it on the way to Florence. Venice to Bologna is 1.5 hours by train. Train from Bologna to Florence is a little over 30 minutes. Since it's your first time in Tuscany I'd suggest visiting a hill town outside of Siena such as San Gimignano, Pienza or Montepulciano. You could make that a day trip from Siena or, depending on how you're getting from Siena to Orvieto, stop at one of the latter two on the way. As was said by others, save Pompeii for another trip. If you're into ancient ruins look into visiting Ostia Antica while in Rome.

janisj

Lots good suggestions above for you to think about. One change I would 100% make is adding 1, or even better 2, nights to Venice. Three nights only gives you 2 full days for Venice which is a shame plus you may be dealing with jet lag. Getting in to the city from the airport is time consuming and the first day after a long haul flight is pretty much just 'clear the fog/get acclimated' and not doing any real sight seeing.

If you opt to do Verona as a day trip from Venice I might even stretch it to 6 nights. Which would give you three full days IN Venice, one day in Verona plus your arrival 'non day'.