A friend recently put the call out to the world of Facebook, asking for top tips for a last minute jaunt around Italy. It got me reminiscing, and given I put the list together for her, I thought we might as well share our 15 day itinerary for Italy here.
This is roughly the plan we followed for just over two weeks in Italy, but you probably could do longer given there’s so many awesome places to visit. If you can squeeze another week in, I reckon you won’t regret it.
We had a multi-country Eurail pass for our trip and would recommend you do the same just for Italy, as the train was a great way to get around. Our trip was actually split in two by 10 days in the Greek islands and Athens, but you could as easily leave that for afterwards….or another trip if you can’t spare the time right now. (And no, that wasn’t a humble brag).
Milan – 1 night
Milan was our starting spot, makes sense being in the North. While it’s the fashion capital of Italy, for us it was perfect for a quick stop off. Milan called for a look around town, dinner out and a look at Duomo di Milano.
Venice – 3 nights
It wouldn’t be a trip to Italy without a stay in Venice. Having been a couple of times now, I would definitely recommend staying on the island if you can. Alternatively, do what we did this time around, staying on the Lido. (It’s a slightly cheaper option than Venice, but still provides the authentic Venice feel you’re after). While you could honestly get lost exploring the streets of Venice for weeks and weeks, limit yourself to just one day if you can and spend the other full day visiting the under-rated outlying islands that are Burano and Murano. If you could add another day here in Venice just to wander and shop a little more, I’d do it.
Cinque Terre – 1 night
From Venice we high-tailed it to La Spezia. While it was the cheaper option to staying within Cinque Terre itself, we would absolutely recommend paying the extra if you can and stay in one of the five towns. These towns are Monterrosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore, Monterosso al Mare. La Spezia really didn’t have that much going for it, other than proximity to Cinque Terre.
Unfortunately we picked the most average of days for our visit to Cinque Terre. The weather was rubbish and at the time it was the practice (because of past events) to enforce an evacuation of tourists when floods threatened. If you get a good day, you could quite easily spend one full-day travelling by train between the towns and visiting each, or a couple of days to walk the coastline.
Pisa – stop over
It’s cheesy but you have to have ‘that’ photo by the Leaning Tower of Pisa (although, I’m not posting ours here). We’re not sure if there’s much going on in Pisa, other than the tower that draws the tourists to the town. Although, you might be surprised to see the main tower, stands alongside some other beautiful pieces of architecture, which are also worth checking out.
Florence – 3 nights
Florence is nothing short of beautiful. We spent just one and a half days visiting the galleries and walking central Florence, going from one leather shop to the next. We spent our second full day on a group tour to Tuscany (groan, to the group part), stopping off at San Gimignano, Sienna, Monteriggioni and experienced a Chianti wine tasting at one of the region’s estates. Try and avoid a group tour, but would recommend checking Tuscany out!
Rome – 4 nights
Rome has history like nowhere else, but even if you’re not into looking at old stuff, you could spend days exploring Rome and not get bored. Our highlights included the Forum, gelato, the Colleseum, Trevi Fountain, gelato, Spanish Steps, tiramasu in Trastevere, Villa Borghese, gelato and Aperitivo! You probably will need three full days here, just to get through the food.
Sorrento, Amalfi and Capri – 3 nights
Because we weren’t on a big budget (think private rooms in hostels) we chose to stay in Sorrento, as a cheaper option to the pricey Amalfi Coast. Sorrento is hardly slumming it though, and so we spent the evenings strolling the town, checking out the water views and eating delicious food and finishing off each day with a gelato, ‘cos that’s how we roll.
On day one, we took the bus to the town of Amalfi. Don’t ever take the bus. I repeat, do not take the bus. The road is horrendous and you’re way better off spending the money on the ferry and having more time to east delicious bowls of pasta and drink bottles of Peroni. We then sensibly took a ferry to Positano for a late afternoon drink and aperitivo, before taking the bus back to Sorrento in the evening. Suckers for punishment.
The second day we took a ferry from Sorrento and spent the day exploring the classy island of Capri. You’ll never meet another island quite like Capri, so make the most of it. Take a stroll around the coast, window shop at the designer stores, eat Cannoli and drink lemonade.
And that’s about a wrap for our 15 day itinerary of Italy. Note, we also stayed in Naples for one night, a flying visit on our way south to Sorrento, but wouldn’t recommend as found it dirty and scary. We did eat at the worlds oldest pizzeria…apparently.
If you’re wondering how you’re going to fit it all in, just to throw a spanner in the works, on a previous trip I went to Sicily and loved the small, but beautiful island. I wouldn’t say no if you get the opportunity to go. Plus, I just came across this piece from Culture Trip, and reckon these 12 towns are also worth checking out. I think I can feel another Italian trip coming on!