10 Days in Italy: A Complete Itinerary for First Timers

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How Much Can You See With 10 Days?

The first thing we need to do as we get into exactly how to plan your itinerary is set expectations about what is possible with 10 days. 

Italy is a big, big country, and 10 days is barely enough time to scratch the surface. 10 days is a great start to exploring Italy, but you’re going to have to pick and choose what to focus on.

I mean, I (Matt here!) have spent a full two and a half months in Italy over the past several years (including a five day stay in Rome in the spring of 2024), and I STILL haven’t made it to all the places I want to make it to (though I’ve made a good dent in my list now – Dolomites in the summer of 2025, here we come!). 

We’d urge you to resist the temptation to continuously add places to your itinerary until you’re scooting around Italy like a madman (or madwoman), changing cities every day and sprinting between museums. 

We’ve been there. Trust us. 

We completely understand the temptation, have fallen victim to it many times, and are here to tell you that your trip will be much more relaxing, rewarding, and memorable if you spend more time in fewer places.

10 days is enough time to see some of the main highlights (like Rome and Venice), connect with locals and see their cities and countries through a different lens, eat some great food and drink some excellent wine (duh), and get a taste for what makes Italy special (and to populate your list for places you want to go on your return trip!). 

We’ve also found time to visit some of our favorite underrated, less visited cities in Italy – namely Bologna (our favorite city in Italy) and Verona – along the way. 

How to Structure Your Itinerary

As we’ve traveled more and more over the past several years, we’ve come to realize that we have a strong perspective on how to approach a longer trip (10+ days). 

The first thing we want to say here is that you should dedicate at least 2-3 days to each of Italy’s big cities like Rome, Venice, Florence, or Milan. 

Trying to do any of those cities in a day is going to be mayhem, and you will inevitably be checked out and ready for a nap in the early afternoon as you’re heading to your next attraction. 

The reason that multiple days are better is to split up the main attractions. 

Take Rome, whose two main attractions are the Colosseum and the Vatican in our minds. Trying to do those two things on the same day is going to sap you of all of your energy, and you won’t be able to focus on whichever one comes second. 

Always always always split up those bigger attractions so that they fall on separate days when you can!

We also believe that it is almost always better to choose a home base for a longer period and do day trips from there rather than moving around every day or two.

In this case, with 10 days, we’d pick a maximum of three cities you want to use as a home base, and divide your time roughly equally between them. 

For your first trip to Italy, we think those three cities should be Rome, Florence, and Venice. 

Those three cities are great places to visit in their own right from a culture, history, and food perspective, but also are easily connected with Italy’s high speed train network. Plus, Florence in particular makes for a great home base for exploring multiple other places via day trip.

Where to Start and End Your Trip to Italy

The next thing to think about as you’re planning your trip is where you’re going to start and end your trip to Italy. 

The first thing to know is that, if you can, you should book an “open jaw” flight – a flight that arrives in one city and departs from another – to cut down on backtracking and extra travel time. 

If you follow the itinerary below as written, you’ll want to fly into Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO) and fly out of Venice’s Marco Polo Airport (VCE). 

Both are big international airports, but will likely require a connection if you’re coming from outside of Europe (usually that connection will be London, Amsterdam, Paris, or Frankfurt, but it depends on the airline). 

The other good international airports in Italy are in Milan, where there are actually two options, Malapensa (MXP) and Linate (LIN). 

How to Get Around Once You’re in Italy

After you’ve arrived in Italy, the next thing to talk through is getting around within Italy. 

The first thing we want to say is that you really, really don’t need to rent a car to do this trip. 

In fact, we’d advise against it if you’re following the itinerary below as written (or close to it) because the car is going to be more of a hindrance than help in the cities, which is where you’ll spend most of your time (doing day trips from your home base in each city).

The second thing to know is that Italy has a robust train network, and that’s what you should use to get between cities. 

You could fly between cities on this itinerary, but we highly recommend taking the train for a more pleasant and often more efficient journey.

We LOVE train travel (especially high speed train travel), and it is by far the most efficient way to connect the big cities. 

A few things to know about train travel in Italy: 

First, there are (essentially) two types of trains in Italy – high speed and regional – and they operate differently.

• High speed trains are more expensive, significantly faster, and less flexible. To save time since you’ve only got a limited amount of it in Italy, you’ll want to take the high speed trains between cities. You’ll want to book your ticket as far in advance as possible, which usually will save you some money, but will be less flexible. If you want the flexibility, you’ll have to be prepared to pay a little extra.
  
  
• Regional trains are slower, cheaper, and more flexible. They’re usually for connecting nearby smaller cities to each other (for example, there’s a regional train between Florence and Pisa). You can buy these tickets when you arrive at the station, and they’re more flexible. You need to make sure you validate them before boarding.

We’d take high speed trains between Rome and Florence, and between Florence and Venice. 

For some of the day trips from Florence, regional trains will do.

The website for booking trains directly is Trenitalia, and it’s actually fairly streamlined and user-friendly. They even have a (mostly) functional app!

The only hiccup is that you need to know the name of the train station in Italian (e.g. typing “Venice” doesn’t work – you have to type “Veneto,” which is just Venice in Italian). 

If you’re not comfortable with that, we’ve used Omio often to book trains around Europe, which is generally a far more streamlined experience (in English, no less).

Note that this is very much a classic Italy itinerary that is meant to help you figure out the best way to see the main highlights in Italy with ten days (according to, well, us, who have spent a lot of time in Italy over the past several years – more than two months in total!). 

Obviously, there is a LOT to see in Italy, and we have plenty of ideas on how to make changes to this itinerary. 

For example, you could do a southern Italy itinerary that focuses more on Naples and the Amalfi Coast after spending a few days in Rome, or a northern Italy itinerary that focuses on the Dolomites, Lake Como, and Milan. It all depends on what you’re looking for. 

You’ll find some of our ideas in the “with more time” section below, which you can use to make changes to your itinerary based on your specific style and needs. 

Days 1-3: Rome

Ah, Roma. Collectively we’ve spent quite a bit of time in Rome now. I (Matt here) have been to Rome five or six times (it’s hard to keep track at this point!), including a recent trip in the spring of 2024.

Alysha has been a similar number of times, including a six month stint living in Rome. 

We love Rome, and I love talking to people about Rome because many people use adjectives like “dirty” and “chaotic” to describe it, and they mean it in a negative way. 

And, to be honest, those adjectives are almost 100% deserved. But, for us, that’s part of the charm of Rome. We’re city people, and the sheer energy that you feel walking around Rome is similar to the energy you feel wandering around New York City, though significantly less overwhelming. 

There is a ton of history in Rome, and it’s a great place to learn about not only the Roman empire, which was centered in Rome, but also the modern state of Italy, which is one of the newest countries in Europe having only been unified in the 19th Century after centuries of being a collection of independent states with different laws, languages, and cultures.  

We also really like the food culture in Rome. Contrary to what you’d expect if you’re picturing the opulence of Ancient Rome, the ingredients used in modern Roman cuisine are much more modest.

The four Roman pastas – Carbonara, Amatriciana, Cacio e Pepe, and Alla Gricia – are all very rustic, as are the fried artichokes, supplì (fried rice balls similar to arancini), and pizza al taglio that make up the other main staples in Rome.

The only downside is that, depending on where you’re staying, you might need to take a taxi or bus from Termini Station to your hotel. 

If you’re coming from within Europe (especially on a budget airline), there’s a chance you’ll come into Ciampino Airport (CIA), which is far more limited in terms of ways to get to the city center, but takes about the same amount of time in the end if you take the Ciampino Airlink. 

Days 4-7: Florence + Day Trips to Bologna & Siena

Florence and Rome as the first two stops on this itinerary provide you a nice contrast, because we think they’re very different cities despite being only an hour and a half apart by high speed train. 

Rome is massive, sprawling, and chaotic. Florence is compact and busy, but doesn’t have the same “am I going to get run over by a scooter crossing the street” vibe that Rome does. It’s a much more organized, controlled chaos, if that makes sense. 

The main difference in our view is the fact that, starting in the 15th and 16th Centuries, Florence was one of the wealthiest cities in the world, and was on the forefront of the Renaissance (if not the movement’s birthplace). Contrast that with Rome, which has not been a terribly wealthy city in the past 1,000 years (if not more). 

The difference between Rome and Florence is kind of like the difference between the Colosseum and Roman Forum and the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica.

The first is a big important historical site, but it’s relatively modest in its decoration (as modest as a massive arena built a couple thousand years ago can be), the second is much more ornate and projects the obscene wealth that went into the commissioning of the various pieces of it.

The thing to keep in mind here is the fact that the relationship between wealth and art flows in that direction. Wealth brings the ability to commission the most famous artists in the world to create all the beautiful art you see in Florence today. 

The result of all the wealth that flowed into Florence is a more modern city than Rome is, with incredible architecture that features more ornate decorations than Rome. 

Plus, the collection of art in the city’s museums – the Uffizi Gallery and the Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze (home of Michaelangelo’s famous statue of David) – is second to none, and it’s a great place to learn about how the Renaissance fundamentally changed art forever.  

As we mentioned above, Florence is no less busy than Rome, but the compact nature of the city center means the same number of people are packed into a much smaller space. Walking through all corners of Florence’s city center feels sort of similar to Rome’s Centro Storico in terms of being packed wall-to-wall during peak hours.

However, there are charming corners to be found around Florence (like across the river in Oltrarno), especially in the early morning and later in the evening when the tour buses and day trippers have gone home. 

For your purposes, Frecciarossa (run by Trenitalia, the national rail company) and Italo (run by a private company) are essentially the same. Pick whichever one is best in terms of timing and prices. 

Days 8-10: Venice + Day Trip to Verona

We have somewhat mixed feelings about Venice, and contemplated completely skipping Venice in favor of Milan here in this itinerary. 

Venice is a city that has been plagued by overtourism for decades, and the reason why it matters is the simple fact that a city like Venice – which famously sits on a series of canals – is just not built to handle the sheer number of people that descend on it on a daily basis, year round. 

This is especially true when the cruise ships dock and flood the relatively small city center of Venice with thousands of tourists, which is a growing challenge facing the city because the infrastructure is just not built to handle it.  

However, after multiple conversations about it, we do think Venice is worth seeing once, especially if you’re able to spend a few days there to see it at its best – which is to say in the early mornings and evenings, when the city empties out and is a much more tranquil experience. 

If you’re going to include Venice, we’d make sure to include 2-3 days in the city to give yourself plenty of time to see the city, and, with three days, do a day trip to nearby Verona (one of our favorite cities in northern Italy). 

To be fair to Venice, the history here is equally fascinating to the other cities you’ve visited.

As we’ve covered already, Italy was a series of independent city states and republics until the 19th Century, and Venice was among the most prolific and powerful for the last 1,000 years or so (until it all fell apart at the end of the 18th Century). 

You’ll see that wealth, which came primarily from its prowess as a seafaring and merchant power, reflected in the architecture, like the famous bridges and the intricate beauty of St. Mark’s Basilica.

Venice is truly a beautiful city, between the Grand Canal snaking its way through the center and the gorgeous architecture, but it does require some finesse to see it without feeling overwhelmed by the crowds.  

What to Do in Venice

Here are some things that we think you definitely shouldn’t miss while you’re in Venice. 

Piazza San Marco and St. Mark’s Basilica

This basilica offers a different style than anything you’ve seen so far in Italy (assuming you’ve followed this itinerary) with its mosaics, facade, and stunning ornate interior.

Construction here began in the 11th Century, and by the 14th Century, Venice’s wealth had grown to a point where they decided to start replacing the less impressive pieces of the facade with things like expensive marble.

Then, during the 4th Crusade, they stole a bunch of stuff from Constantinople and brought it back to put in and around the church.

The church itself is free to enter, but you can skip the sometimes long lines by reserving a ticket and timeslot in advance for €6 (which you can do here). Given limited time, we’d highly suggest going that route (the lines can be LONG and this completely bypasses that line).

If you have the time and budget, it’s worth considering climbing the bell tower for €12, which gives you some nice views out over Venice and the lagoon. Best to book far in advance, because they do sell out and if you don’t get a ticket in advance, you’ll have to wait in the long line. 

The Doge’s Palace

The Doge of Venice was analogous to a Duke, meaning it was the person at the top of the food chain. The Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace) is, as you might have guessed, where the Doge lived and worked.

Today, it’s a public museum, and there has been significant resources put towards the restoration and renovation of the interior and exterior (pieces of the palace have burned down multiple times since its construction).

The architecture – which is in a style that is unique to Venice, Venetian Gothic – is worth the price of admission. It’s a weird mix of a bunch of different styles we’ve seen around Europe, and it’s very unique (and, of course, ornate).

Buy tickets in advance and reserve a timeslot on the official website (you can either buy a combo ticket that includes a bunch of the other public museums in Venice, or a ticket for just the Palazzo Ducale – which you choose depends on what else you want to see in Venice).

Heads up: it’s marginally cheaper if you buy a ticket 30+ days in advance of your visit.

We haven’t done it ourselves yet, but we’d do the Secret Itineraries guided tour of the palace, which will give you some of the history and context around the importance of the building and the Doge’s role in Venice. 

Ride Around on the Vaporetti

The public ferries in Venice – the Vaporetti (vaporetto is the singular version) – are both a very useful form of public transportation (we’re big fans of ferries as public transit, like the ferries in New York City!) and a tourist attraction in their own right because the best way to see Venice is from the water (we think).

This is an opportunity to do just that without the absurdly high prices of the gondola rides (which we’d skip).

You can basically do an entire tour of the Grand Canal – the main canal in Venice – on the #2 route for €7 or so, which is kind of cool. 

Head out to Burano and Murano

Venice is known for their handblown glass, and the best way to see it is by heading out to the islands to the north of Venice, Murano and Burano.

You can get their on your own by taking the normal vaporetti from this dock (they run roughly every 30 minutes during the day, and the ride takes 30 minutes or so to Murano, double that to Burano).

You have to go through Murano to get out to Burano, so you can pretty easily combine them into a nice half day trip.

Once you’re out there, there’s a lot of places to see traditional (ish) glass blowing, buy souvenirs, and wander a bit. Our top tip would be to make sure to take some time to get far away from the boat dock, because that will be the most crowded part of the island.  

See the Bridges

As a city full of canals, Venice has some pretty incredible bridges that are both functional and beautiful.

The most famous is Rialto Bridge (here on Google Maps), and it’s worth coming here around 7am to see it without the zoo of people that you’ll find here between 9am and 10pm or so.

Other bridges to seek out are Ponte dell’Accademia (here on Google Maps) and the Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs, here on Google Maps). There’s a good view of the Bridge of Sighs from this bridge a short walk south. 

A Day Trip to Verona

Verona is another city that we really love, and though it’s not exactly off the beaten path – plenty of tourists come to Verona – it’s certainly on a different level from places like Rome and Venice.

Getting to Verona from Venice is an easy 90 minute ride on the regional train line that leaves from Venice’s main train station (you’re going to Verona Porta Nuova).

Once you’re in Verona, we’d make sure not to miss the Arena di Verona (check their calendar to see if they have any outdoor concerts while you’re there!) and the Museo Archeologico al Teatro Romano (and it’s lovely theater and views out over Verona).

For the best views of Verona, head up to the viewpoint up at Castel San Pietro (here on Google Maps – the walk up through the narrow alleyways is also nice).

We have an entire guide to Verona that you should read for more, but our number one tip is DO NOT go to the Casa di Giulietta, which is the most overrated tourist attraction we’ve ever personally experienced.  

Where to Stay in Venice

The first decision you’ll need to make here is deciding whether or not to stay in Venice itself – meaning in the historic center of Venice along the canals – or in the more modern city on the shore, which is cheaper but requires a train journey to reach the part of Venice you want to visit. 

Because we think Venice is at its best when it has emptied out and all the day trippers have left, we think it really makes sense to pay the premium to stay along the canals here. 

The next decision you’ll need to make when deciding where to stay is going to be what neighborhood to base yourself in. Despite being on the water, it’s actually not as compact as you might expect (which makes the city all that much more impressive, we think).

Generally speaking, we like the southern end of the city, and think that the adjacent neighborhoods of San Polo (more central, equidistant between the train station and Piazza San Marco) and San Marco (which is the in the southern part of the city, near Piazza San Marco – which means it’s not going to be quiet or low key – but far from the train station). 

What to Do with More Time in Italy

If you have more time in Italy, here are the things we’d add (along with how much time you need to add them). 

We also have an in-depth guide to planning a 14 day Italy itinerary, if you happen to have two weeks to spend. There are even more ideas on what to do with more time there. 

More Time in Bologna (+1-2 Days)

If we’re being completely honest, we would completely skip Venice and spend that extra time in Bologna (or Milan, or Verona), but that’s partially because we’ve seen Venice already, and don’t feel a great need to see it again. 

Bologna is, hands down, our favorite city in Italy. 

Matt plays a lot of soccer at home in Portland and occasionally wears his Bologna FC jersey, and roughly every other time someone recognizes it and says something to the effect of “is that a… Bologna jersey?” 

That conversation usually evolves into some version of Matt telling the person that Bologna is his favorite city in Italy and, on occasion, meeting someone who has lived in Bologna and 100% agrees with that statement (almost always because of the food). 

Bologna is the best food city in Italy, mostly because the region it is the capital of – Emilia Romagna – is the birthplace of many of the Italian ingredients that you know and love.

Prosciutto di Parma, Parmesan-Reggiano, Balsamic Vinegar di Modena, lambrusco (a lovely sparkling red wine, traditionally a dry wine) all come from Emilia Romagna, which is the region immediately to the north of Tuscany. 

You could – and Matt has – spend the better part of a week eating and drinking your way through this part of central Italy, and it actually makes a great home base for exploring other parts of the country because almost every high speed train makes a stop in Bologna, which is at the crossroads of two main high speed rail lines running north-south through Italy. 

We love Bologna, and it’s certainly worth more than a day trip. If you have an extra day or two to spend in Bologna, eating and drinking your way through the youthful, vibrant city, you won’t regret it. 

To plan your extra time, use our guides to spending 2 days in Bologna, and our guide to where to stay in Bologna.

Milan (+1-3 Days)

Of the destinations we could have added to the main itinerary in place of Venice, Milan is a strong second contender for a couple of reasons. 

First, it’s yet another contrast from Rome (and Florence) in that Milan feels significantly more modern and cosmopolitan than those cities. 

There are multiple reasons for this, including but not limited to the wealth in northern Italy (Milan is the financial capital of Italy AND the home of all the Italian fashion brands), the fact that it was seen as sort of a backwater back in Roman times, and the fact that it doesn’t follow stereotypical Italian stereotypes (they swap out pasta for rice, which grows in a prolific fashion in the swampy areas outside of Milan).  

Second, the Duomo di Milano is worth visiting Milan for. It was constructed over hundreds and hundreds of years, which is why it’s sort of a mishmash of architectural styles (it started in the 14th Century and only finished in the mid-20th Century). 

Fun fact: Napoleon crowned himself king of Italy here (there’s a tapestry inside depicting the scene), and there’s a plaque that commemorates that that I saw, said “wait, Napoleon did what now?”, and found myself in a rabbit hole of the history of Napoleon for the next 12-18 months. 

Third, Milan’s airport (really, airports, because there are two main airports just outside of Milan) is the second best international airport in the country in terms of connections, so it’ll likely be an easier flight home. 

Anyway, the point is that Milan is a pretty fascinating city with a good food and drink scene – that features far more global cuisines than you’ll find in Rome, Florence, or Venice – and offers a slightly different look at the diverse history and cultures that you’ll find in Italy. 

We think 1-2 days is enough, and you can add another day to do a day trip to somewhere like Lake Como or Torino. 

Guess what? We have a bunch of guides to help you plan a short trip to Milan!

We have a guide to spending a day in Milan, which fits the main highlights (including the Last Supper) into one action-packed day. 

We also have an extended guide to 2 days in Milan, which is a similar itinerary at a more relaxed pace. 

Last but not least, we have a guide to choosing the best place to stay in Milan based on your particular style and budget, which will be helpful in deciding where to base yourself for your trip. 

Tuscany (+2-7 Days)

Florence, which you already have a nice chunk of time in, is the capital of Tuscany, and it’s worth tacking on anywhere from 3-7 extra days to explore the rest of the region.

A few years ago, Matt spent a week in Tuscany with his mom for her 60th birthday, and we both fell in love with the region (despite the fact that the wine in Tuscany is not our type, for the most part). However, the food and the vibe – that dolce vita – is definitely our thing. 

Tuscany is a relatively large swath of land that, unbeknownst to me until I was standing in Volterra looking at the coast, spans all the way past Pisa to Italy’s western coast. 

However, the part of Tuscany that you probably picture in your mind is the Val d’Orcia, which is just southeast of the city of Siena (also worth a visit) and is where you’ll find the towns of Montepulciano, Montalcino, and Pienza (our personal favorite of the three). 

If you’re interested in rolling hills (that are sometimes green, sometimes golden depending on the time of year), cypress trees, excellent red wine, and rustic, rich food, this is the place for you. 

On the eastern end of Tuscany, you’ll find the tower-filled town of San Gimignano and the hilltop town of Volterra (made famous by the Twilight saga) with its Etruscan roots and Roman ruins. 

Lucky for you, we have an entire guide dedicated to planning a Tuscany itinerary that you can use to figure out what to see with the number of days you have. 

Here’s an overview: 

• With 1-2 days, do Siena. 
• With 3-5 days, add the Val d’Orcia (and rent a car).
• With 6-7 days, add San Gimignano and Volterra 

Sicily (+7-14 Days)

Alysha’s dad’s side of the family immigrated to the United States from Sicily two generations back (so Alysha’s grandfather was born in Sicily), and Matt’s grandfather’s parents were also born in Sicily (here’s hoping we’re not distant relatives). 

We decided to spend a really nice chunk of time in Sicily a few years ago, and found ourselves marveling at two things. 

First, the sheer size of Sicily. Even with three weeks, we spent hours of our Sicily trip driving through towns and past beaches that, I’m certain, were beautiful and worth seeing. 

Second, the sheer amount of history in Sicily. There are innumerable ruins in Sicily, ranging from Greek to Phoenician to Roman to Norman. Combine that history with the beautiful landscapes and the towering mass of Mount Etna and you’ve got yourself a beautiful place to spend a week or two (or more, if you have it). 

Here’s our biggest tip for Sicily: we would strongly suggest limiting yourself to one part of the island if you have anything less than a week. 

If you only have a week, we’d spend it on the southeastern coast around Catania, Siracusa and Ortigia, and Taormina, with day trips inland to Noto and Mount Etna. 

Lucky for you, we have an entire guide dedicated to planning a week in Sicily, focused on that southeastern corner. We’d read that for more detail on how to plan a shorter trip.  

With two weeks or more, expand your trip to the rest of the island. Our favorite spots in Sicily were the Val di Noto, Agrigento, and Palermo, and we have a longer guide to planning your Sicily itinerary for a trip of 10-21 days. 

Cinque Terre (+2-4 Days)

Similar to Venice (and the Amalfi Coast), we have mixed feelings about the Cinque Terre (which means “five towns” in Italian because the area is a chain of five coastal towns just north of Spezia).

On one hand, it’s pretty obvious why people are drawn to this tiny slice of coastal paradise (and why it is a Unesco World Heritage Site). It’s beautiful and dramatic, with steep cliffs and narrow coastal walkways bringing you to towns set into the cliff sides with colorful houses and wonderful sea views. 

On the other hand, it’s also pretty obvious that the infrastructure here is really not meant to have thousands of people per day flooding each of the five towns that make up the Cinque Terre. 

This is another place that we’d only recommend if you have two or more days. Partially because it’s a pain to get to from anywhere in Italy (which means a day trip is probably off the table), partially because it’s a place that, like Venice, you need to have the early mornings and late evenings to truly appreciate, when all the day trippers have exited the towns and they’re (relatively) quiet and peaceful. 

On that 60th birthday trip with my mom a few years back, we picked up my brother and spent four days in Cinque Terre, and I think that’s probably the right amount of time to spend here. There are some great hikes, some great sunset viewpoints, and some good food and wine to be had.

Rather than cover it all here, we have separate guides to planning a Cinque Terre itinerary (including all the logistics), a guide to our favorite things to do in Cinque Terre (for first timers), and a guide to the best places to stay in Cinque Terre.  

We’d head over to those guides to plan a side trip to the Cinque Terre to add onto the main itinerary (and we’d do it between Florence and northern Italy – Milan is the easiest major city to reach Cinque Terre from). 

What to Do with Less Time in Italy

If you find yourself with less than 10 days, we’d strongly recommend reducing the amount of ground you plan on covering in Italy. 

With 8-9 days, we’d go ahead and cut some of the day trips from either Florence or Venice and focus instead on seeing the cities themselves. 

With 7 days, you have two options, and it depends on what you’re looking for out of your trip to Italy. 

Your first option is to follow our 7 day Italy itinerary, which is basically a more fast-paced, condensed version of this itinerary that has you visiting Rome, Florence, and Venice over the course of a week. 

Your second option would be to split your time between two cities, use them as a base for day trips, and move a little slower. You could do something like Rome and Florence (or Bologna) and cover a lot of ground in central Italy. 

With five or six days, we’d opt to split time between Rome and Florence, basically following the first chunk of this itinerary as written with three (ish) days in Rome and Florence.  

Anything less than five days? Spend your time in one city (we’d do either Rome, or Bologna as a wildcard) and use it as a base to do day trips from (you could do a day trip from Rome to Florence if you really wanted).