We are 4 people visiting europe for the first time, starting with italy. This is the itinerary i created based on my research, please provide your suggestion. I dont think i will visit italy again after this.

Here’s your complete 16.5-day itinerary, with extra time in Naples and smooth transitions through the Amalfi Coast, Rome, Florence, Venice, and Milan. This plan prioritizes a comfortable pace, beautiful destinations, and minimal backtracking.

Days 1–5: Naples & Amalfi Coast (Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri, Positano, Amalfi, Ravello)

Day 1: Arrival in Naples (Midday)

• Activities: Spend the afternoon exploring Naples. Walk through Spaccanapoli, visit Naples Cathedral, and explore the Naples National Archaeological Museum.
• Stay: Naples

Day 2: Naples (Full Day)

• Activities: Morning visit to Castel dell’Ovo for views over the Bay of Naples. Continue to Quartieri Spagnoli and Galleria Umberto I. In the afternoon, enjoy a Neapolitan food tour or explore local neighborhoods like Chiaia.
• Stay: Naples

Day 3: Pompeii & Sorrento

• Activities: Take an early train to Pompeii for a guided tour of the ancient ruins. In the afternoon, take the train to Sorrento (approx. 30 minutes).
• Stay: Sorrento

Day 4: Capri (Day Trip)

• Activities: Take a ferry from Sorrento to Capri. Explore the Blue Grotto (if open), Anacapri, Gardens of Augustus, and Marina Grande.
• Stay: Sorrento

Day 5: Positano, Amalfi & Ravello

• Activities: Start with a visit to Positano for cliffside views and beaches. Move on to Amalfi to see the Amalfi Cathedral and local cafes. Continue up to Ravello for beautiful garden views at Villa Rufolo and Villa Cimbrone.
• Stay: Sorrento

Days 6–8: Rome

Day 6: Travel to Rome & Ancient Rome

• Travel: Take an early train from Sorrento to Rome (approx. 2 hours).
• Activities: Begin with Rome’s ancient sites — the Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill.
• Stay: Rome

Day 7: Vatican City

• Activities: Visit the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. In the evening, explore Trastevere’s charming streets.
• Stay: Rome

Day 8: Rome City Highlights

• Activities: Discover the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and Villa Borghese. Free time for shopping or exploring.
• Stay: Rome

Days 9–11: Florence, Pisa, Siena

Day 9: Florence

• Travel: Early morning train to Florence (approx. 1.5 hours).
• Activities: Explore Florence Cathedral (Duomo), Uffizi Gallery, Ponte Vecchio, and Accademia Gallery (home of Michelangelo's David).
• Stay: Florence

Day 10: Pisa & Florence

• Activities: Half-day trip to Pisa to visit the Leaning Tower and Pisa Cathedral. Return to Florence for more sightseeing or relaxing.
• Stay: Florence

Day 11: Siena (Day Trip)

• Activities: Full-day trip to Siena. Visit Piazza del Campo, Siena Cathedral, and Torre del Mangia.
• Stay: Florence

Days 12–14: Venice (including islands)

Day 12: Travel to Venice

• Travel: Morning train to Venice (approx. 2 hours).
• Activities: Visit St. Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace, and Rialto Bridge. Take a gondola ride to enjoy Venice’s canals.
• Stay: Venice

Day 13: Murano, Burano, & Torcello (Day Trip)

• Activities: Explore the islands of Murano (glassmaking), Burano (colorful houses and lace shops), and Torcello (historic basilica).
• Stay: Venice

Day 14: Hidden Venice & Unique Sights

• Activities: Discover hidden canals, the Jewish Ghetto, Libreria Acqua Alta bookstore, or Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute.
• Stay: Venice

Days 15–17: Milan & Lake Como

Day 15: Travel to Milan & Explore Milan

• Travel: Morning train to Milan (approx. 2.5 hours).
• Activities: Visit the Duomo di Milano, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and Sforza Castle.
• Stay: Milan

Day 16: Lake Como (Day Trip)

• Activities: Day trip to Lake Como. Visit Bellagio and Varenna, known for charming towns, beautiful lake views, and scenic gardens.
• Stay: Milan

Day 17: Milan (Departure Day)

• Activities: Optional visit to Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper (book in advance) or free time for last-minute shopping and sightseeing before departure.

This feels like such a dumb question, but I can’t get it out of my head.

Context: I know very little Italian. I can say hello, goodbye, ask if someone speaks English, explain that I don’t speak a lot of Italian, and order some meals.

Question: Is it weird to start with “buongiorno” and then go into English if I need to? And then sprinkle in a “grazie” when appropriate? Will I look like a try-hard?

I want to genuinely put forth an effort to speak Italian because I want to respect the people who live here, but I just don’t know that much!

Hi everyone,

My family and I are visiting Lake Como over Christmas and staying in Como town. We were wondering if anyone had any recommendations for restaurants for Christmas lunch please?

Thank you!

My family and I (4 people) are visiting Rome tomorrow and I haven't figured out how to get to our hotel in Fornaci. I know there are ticket machines at the airport but we're gonna have to change trains and I'm not sure how it works with validation. And in the app it says I need to fill in every family member's name and email if I want to buy a ticket for all of us. Nearest train station is Roma S Pietro.

Flying in and out of Rome in early July, Week 2 have a horse riding holiday in Tuscany and have non refundable accommodation booked in Florence for 3 days prior in week 1.

I have refundable hotel booked in Rome for first 4 days but now have cold feet. My teen is autistic and it was a stretch (but as a history geek was worth it and has to be done sometime).

Looking for suggestions without too much travelling. Will be using train don’t want to hire a car.

This is a post A level exam holiday treat so drop and flop is also an option, with say a spa done here scenic.

Or stay outskirts of Rome with optional trips in if easy transport?

Hi! I am looking at going to the Dolomites for around a week or 2 in mid-late January and was wondering which places are must sees while i’m there. I love to hike as well so any hikes that can be done during winter I would love to know about.

Never been to Italy, thought it might be cool to witness Jubilee that only happens once 25 years or something. But I also read that it’s going to be really really crowded. I have no idea how bad is it going to be. Can I have analogue to paint a picture?

I am currently planning my hiking trip for late March / early April 2025 - the first leg will probably cover a section in Umbria, starting in Assisi. For the second week, I would love to explore Sicily, as I've never been before. I love long, strenuous hikes so I'm planning to cover quite a bit of ground during the day, but I do not have a car and will have to rely on public transport. Which towns (or areas) in Sicily would you recommend as a base from where I could do several day hikes? Considering that I'd be there for a week, I would probably stay in two main areas, and then maybe add a few nights in Palermo at the end just to see the city.

Alternatively, I could also work with local taxis to do inn-to-inn hiking and have my luggage transferred each day, but that would require a bit more planning. If you have any tips there for continuous hikes, let me know as well!

Would love to get some thoughts or tips!

I'm thinking about visiting Florence somewhere between the 16th and the 22nd of December, for 4 days. I've never been to Italy, and would love to have the time to do a full trip around Italy but right now I can only go for 4 days and Florence is probably my first option. I will most likely fly to Bologna and then travel to Florence by train. I wonder how crowded it usually is during December, and how the weather is. I am from South Europe, regarding that I am not expecting a huge diference. I have the option to go around Easter next year but I guess it will be even more expensive... I would like to know your opinion.

Airbnb host requests cleaning fee upon checking in to be paid in cash which is more than the cash we have remained. I forgot to bring the physical debit card with me to Italy this time, so my only bet is the digital wallet now.

Edit: I also just tried using my credit card for cash advance (never used it before) and it asked for my pin. I have never known there’s a pin for my credit card. So it didn’t work, either.

We ate at pizza at a restaurant that doesn't just serve pizza, and we were given oil on the side and told to drizzle it on. It had red pepper flakes in it, but also very finely diced green and red fresh (not dried) peppers in it. The oil itself might have been Calabrian chili because it was that darker color Calabrian chili oil is but I can't be sure because the peppers could have given it that color.

As for why I didn't ask them, we were the only English speaking people in the place and while I speak a little Italian there was too much of a language barrier for the information to be conveyed.

Anyways it was amazing haha

Hi,

I've booked flights to Milan for my partners 40th birthday in March next year. I'm now looking for accommodation and a bit overwhelmed by the amount of options available.

I have mobility issues and will be bringing my mobility scooter with me. I'd like to stay in a nice hotel near the main tourist sites (duomo etc.) to limit the distance I have to scoot. Ideally a more "traditional" style than a modern soulless type place.

Could anyone give me personal recommendations please?

Thanks.

I am planning to take this intercity train from Ventimiglia to milano centrale in end december 2024, but I realised there is no such train currently on trenitalia app from 15 december 2024. Some say need to wait for train schedule to be out, but I realise tickets for some italian intercity trains from 15 december 2024 have already been out and available for sale. So I am not sure is it that IC631/IC745 don't operate in winter from 15 december 2024, or I really need to wait longer for IC631/IC745 to be available for sale for winter dates from 15 december 2024. Anybody know which is the case? Or anyone knows if in the past winter, 2023 and before, does IC631/IC745 operate as per normal?

PS: Would anyone recommend taking the Ventimiglia/Cuneo/Torino/milan route instead? I know both this route and IC631/IC745 route are scenic, just that former is Alps scenic route, while latter is coastal scenic route.

We are visiting Rome the end of November and I hear you’re unable to go near many sites (trevi fountain or colosseum). Are they still open for tours?

Also, anyone know of some Christmas markets or places to go see during that time?

I live in the US but also have EU citizenship in France. I've only been to Italy once to go to Milan, Cinque Terre, and Florence. I took 2 1/2 weeks off of work to travel, but I am also a digital nomad and would like to travel all around Italy for 2-3ish months. So far, I have:

November 9-14: Venice
November 14-18: Rome - maybe day trips to Pompeii and Herculaneum
November 18-22: Naples
November 22-28: Sicily

I don't know where to go from here. I will have to work remotely for the entire month of December, but I have weekends and weekdays free.

I considered going to Sardinia from November 28 to December 6, but I wonder if this is overkill. I don't mind the cold or rain, but I do wonder if this is the best place to visit at this time post-Sicily or if I should head back North or even to the East Coast after Sicily.

At some point, I also wanted to go to the Dolomites, maybe closer to ski season, and I really want to stay in Torino, maybe check out Bologna.

I'm really open to anything! I love everything. Literally. I love nature, hiking, but also bars, beaches, museums, art, history. I just want to experience the world!

Ideally, I like to travel only on Fridays or weekends so I'd prefer to stay in each place 4-5 days or even a full week.

Hi,

My wife and I are hoping to visit Italy on a trip to Europe this June. Of all our possible destinations, we want to devote the most time to Italy. We are thinking two cities and are divided between Rome and Florence or Rome and Naples.

However, we are open to suggestions. From what I've read, people have recommended Florence over Naples.

If we were to spend 6-7 days in Italy, how many days should we invest in spending in Florence vs Rome?

Thank you!

We are looking for suggestions as to locations in Italy to call our base home for 2-3 months.

Moderate temp(+10 and above) as we need to escape the Canadian winter

Good transportation(train) to do weekend trips

Not a small town.

Speaking Italian is not an issue

I’m looking to book a multi city itinerary on ITA from dubai to FCO to JFK with a 26 hour layover in between to see Rome.

Would ITA hold my bags until my flight to JFK while I stay in Rome for a night? I checked the website and didn’t see any policies for this situation.

Thanks!

I've seen a lot about the inspectors bullying people into fines, even those with validated tickets. I have heard they will take documents and hold them till the fine is paid.

I would never give them any documentation of mine but in case we ever come accross them how is the best way to deal with it?

Does anyone have any suggestions on a good company to do the parmiaggiano Reggiano tour in the Parma region? I will be visiting the area at the end of March next year and I would love to do this activity with my family. I contacted one company and they wanted like 1K Euros which I thought it was ridiculous. Is this your really that costly?

Anything helps, thanks!

Friends in their 40s, one has a dog.

I'm planning an Italy trip for late March of next year for 4 20-year-olds M. A week into the trip we're leaving Rome heading to Pompei & we're thinking of spending the night in Naples. However, we do not know if we should stay in Naples or go more towards the coast.

The Coast

We all want to hike the Path of the Gods and head into Praino instead of Positano to avoid the tourist crowds and overpricing. We're all hikers, so this is a main plus for us; however, it is out of the way for the rest of our travels, where we are thinking of places like Bologna or Matera. (Suggestions are appreciated) - we want a less touristy trip

Naples

Like Praino, we'd only stay for 2 days before continuing our travels. We do not know much about Naples nor have done a lot of research however It's easily accessible than a more coastal place like Praino.

The Summary

In sum, I'd appreciate a suggestion on what should be done. We're spending a total of 2 weeks in Italy with the first in Rome and these plans would be the start of the second week of 2 days before continuing the rest of our travels. As we're backpacking we do not want to be too tired.

Thank you

I was prepared for good food in Bologna, but the food was just incredible! Maybe because I just came from Venice, where the scenery was incredible, but the food left much to be desired. Bologna, being the food capital of Italy, was high on my list of places to visit.

Day 1: Took the train from Venice to Bologna. Didnt realize the highspeed was underground, so the exit to ground level seemed for ever. Walked to our airbnb, and then headed for dinner at Trattoria da Me, which I made a reso a couple weeks earlier. Food and service was really good, had the cheese icecream appetizer with crescentina, gnocchi gratin with porcini, tagliatelle with ragu, iberian pluma, veal tongue, and mascarpone crema dessert. All very good. Would have made another reso except my parents wanted something else.

Day 2:

Had a cappuccino and bomboloni at Hangout Cafe, just near our place. Grabbed some fresh fruits at Mercato delle Erbe. Went to Palazzo Poggi, which i really enjoyed. and cheap admission too. The collection of maps was my favourite. I'm into historic science navigation and architecture. The obstetrics room was something else.

Had lunch at Sfoglina Rina. Lined up for 10 minutes and we were in. Had the green tagliatelle with ribiola cream, potato and spinach gnocchi, and black passatelli.

Picked up some prosciutto and pesto Genovese from Salumeria Simoni, and then some gnocchi from Sfogline for later.

Found a run club, NUR (Not Normal Run) which was awesome. Every Wed at 7pm. I think the run leader owns Pescheria Scampo, was pretty novel meetig up for a run outside a seafood restaurant. Had a post run dinner of octopus and rice, was delicious. Finished off with gelato (crema, nicciola) at Vero Gelateria, which might be my favorite in Bologna.

Day 3: Caught the ~9am regional train to Ravenna. Easy to buy from kiosk, just validate it using the machine nearby, and go to the correct platform. Booked the church tickets on the train, and just selected the 5min windows for the masoleum. Its a small city, and was very easy to walk from the train station to the main sites. The mosaics were incredible, especially in the masoleum, baptistery, and San Vitale.

Lunch was at Osteria Passatelli, thanks to a reddit recco, and was the best pizza of the trip so far. Just perfect sausage truffle pizza, tagliatelle ragu, and an octopus primi. Caught the 5pm-ish train back. Was never rushed and had plenty of time to wander.

Dinner was at Antica Osteria Romagnola, where we ordered the mortadella starters, lasagna, and the suckling pig. Even though we got the 2x portion, it was too much for the three of us and we asked for a box to go.

Day 4: Had to work off all those meals to make room for more, so we walked up to San Luca. Be sure to stop at Bar Billi. It was a holiday Nov 1, so this place was packed. Impressive to watch the staff serve so many espressos so quickly. The church and view is nice, but the portico walk is the highlight.

Lunch at Trattoria Amedeo, stumbled upon this place, barely a word of English spoken. Ordered bolognese cutlet (huge, so much cheese), seafood pasta (generous toppings and delicious), tortellini in broth. Good valued food.

Wandering around the Centro some more, checked the sette chiese and San Petronio. Wanted to go to teatro anatomical, but it was closed today. Wasnt sure where to eat dinner, so we just went back to Sfogline Rina as we liked it. Ordered the lasanga, tortellini in parm and egg sauce, and tortelli special. All delicious.

Day 5: Checked out at 9am, went to Cafe Montebello for coffee while we waiting for the train. Arrived at station 40minute beforehand, and headed down to the highspeed platforms. i booked the tickets a month ago for a big discount, but no flexibility.

TLDR: Bologna is amazing, food is great, its a place to live, not visit.

Next stop, Florence for three days! Any recommendations for food and sights?

Planning for: Duomo Bell Tower and Dome Accademia Gallery possible daytrip to Siena Galileo museum (more into science than arts, hence not Uffuzi)

Thanks!

Does anyone know if, after the 12:00 noon Sunday Mass at the Basilica di San Marco in Venice, the staff clears the basilica of all people? Or, would it be possible to attend the Mass and then just remain in the basilica until it opens to tourists at 2:00pm? I have not found this addressed directly anywhere online.

Hi! We will be in sorrento in about 10 days, and we were wondering if there are any good options for food tours in the city. There was one highly rated tour that is on break until next year, the other I have found have mixed reviews. Are there any that anyone is aware of that may be worth checking out? Thanks in advance!

Greetings

Well thought I would give my high level view of my first trip out of the country and it was to Italy.

I got tickets for my family and I about 10 months out from when we wanted to go. They were $700 per round trip.

Once we had that, each month we socked away money for something. First it was saving up for the hotels. Next came saving for transportation and finally for food and sightseeing. This allowed us to be motivated to do this because we had tickets already lol.

We were unable to get tickets to the Vatican so we had to pay a tourist company which drove the cost from $20 a ticket to the hundreds. But we were not going without seeing the Vatican. For the colosseum we had no problem and took the underground tour which was amazing. Both were guided tours. We felt like they were pretty cool. We did the same in Pompeii as well. With all the tours we agree we wouldn’t do guided again. We would rather do an Audi tour or something so we could have time to explore more.

The first week we spent in Naples, Sorrento and Amalfi. Honestly I know this will be unpopular but Amalfi was a waste of time for us as it looks nothing like the pictures and is just packed with tourist shops and people. We would rather have spent our time in Positano or the likes. Naples and Sorrento were nice but again just would not have need sad if we skipped them.

Then we rented a car and drove through the countryside where we stayed in small towns like Orvieto. This was when we started to enjoy our trip. These small towns without the tourists were amazing! We stayed on a farm and a castle and Airbnb while sipping wine and eating with locals.

Next was Florence to catch a Ludovico Einaudi concert and I would pay just to fly there and see him again. Florence of course was also packed. We found Naples and Florence to be rather dirty as well.

Time was amazing. Just way too many people. The Vatican shuffles 30k people a day through there so there is 0 time to really enjoy anything. I’m not saying it wasn’t cool but trying to stare up and Michelangelo’s painting was frustrating. You simply can’t move in there. People coughing and sneezing and hacking and yabbering was too much. Have to see it but stinks it is just way overcrowded.

As for the travel itself there was not one point any of us didn’t feel safe. My wife and daughter consistently ventured out on their own. Never felt like we were going to get pickpocketed or something on the trains and always felt safe. We found the trains and buses to be quite easy to figure out.

It’s impossible to find a good salad

Finally, the golf cart tours we took we loved. Personal tours learning about history was incredible.

We spent maybe $309 cash. We got a card that didn’t charge us for using it overseas.

We had two credit cards hacked while over there. My CC company declined both charges and I shut the cards off when we arrived home.

Driving and renting a car is easy and not as bad as I read everywhere.

If you have questions please reach out I am happy to answer them.

If I had to do it again I would skip Amalfi and Naples. I would rent a car and spend more time in the countryside exploring the hidden gems a but understand the need to see the big attractions.

Anyhow, appreciate all the advice we got here. It’s a wonderful community and helped us a lot. It wasn’t our only source though and having multiple sources is a great thing.

Ciao

Hello I will be flying into FCO on Monday morning to go on a cruise from Civitavecchia Port. I will have a large suitcase and don’t want to lug it around on a train and transfer etc. I’ve been looking at Uber black compared to the private transportation services and they cost about the same. Would love your suggestions and experiences. Thank you in advance!

Hello,

I’ll be spending a week in Naples for the Christmas holidays. I’d love to know if you have any recommendations or must-see places. I’m very fond of Italian culture and especially enjoy visiting museums. I also love hiking and being in nature. Thank you in advance for your help!

As the title says, my mother is visiting from the US, and yesterday night she tripped over her suitcase hitting a wall unit and has broken 2 vertebra.

This is my first post so apologies if I’ve posted this incorrectly.

Apparently she has very bad arthritis and the doctor is indicating she may not be able to walk again. At the moment she cannot feel her legs and has limited function in her hands. If I had known things were this bad before the fall I would have suggested she not travel.

I am looking for what will happen next. She does not have travel insurance, which is not ideal but what’s done is done.

She does not speak Italian and while most of the doctors do, the nurses do not. She’s scared and it doesn’t seem like we can be there with her but I don’t know. My husband (Italian) is saying no, so hes probably right but maybe there is another resource for her?

I guess technically she’s still at the pronto soccorso and she is waiting for an MRI today. We will know more after the results from that.

I’m overwhelmed and I’m just looking for some advice in what will happen next.

Im going to Turin for christmas. Should i stay new years eve in Turin or go somewhere else in Italy?