JUNE 2022
Italy is one of my favorite countries, which I try to visit as often as I can. Over the years I have seen my fair bit of Italy. Though there are still some locations on my bucket list, I think I can still comfortably write this blogpost that provides you with the best itineraries to discover all that Italy has to offer. Whether you have one, two or three weeks to spend, you will have the best time in Italy! I hope I can give you lots of inspiration to visit Italy with this blogpost, you can pic and mix from my dayplans.
1 week itineraries
If you are short on time I would recommend to decrease the travel distance, so I created my itineraries with that in mind. Italy’s large cities are very well connected by high speed trains, so you are still able to see a lot in a week if you want to.
Exploring the North:
The North of Italy has so much to offer, one week is too short, but you should be able to visit some highlights in one week.
Day 1: Milan has some showstopping sights, but is not my favorite city in Italy, I would recommend to book your tickets to the rooftop of the Duomo in advance and plan the rest of your day surrounding it. Navigli is a lovely area to have an apperitivo in the afternoon.
Day 2,3: Hire a car and make your way to Lake Como, make sure to stay at least one night so you can have an early morning exploring the cutest little town Bellagio. If the weather is lovely, spend a day at a Lido or take the ferry to explore other towns such as Varenna.
Day 3,4: Hand over your car in Florence and book a hotel with views of the Duomo, just like we did. If you love museums and history, Florence is a must. Everything in Florence is walkable, decreasing the amount of planning and increasing the amount of holiday feels.
Day 6,7: Venice might be at the other side of the country, but you can get there within 3 hours if you take the high speed train. Venice is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, but unfortunately everyone knows it is gorgeous, so the central area (between Rialto and San Marco) gets really crowded during the day. You should stay the night near the canals, so you can do the popular spots in the morning. If you venture away from the Grand Canal, you will find lovely restaurants which are more relaxed and cheap.
If you prefer nature to culture, I would advise to switch day 6,7 for two days at the countryside of Tuscany. Rent a room in an agriturismo to open your blinds in the morning to see the rolling hilltops with cipress trees!
Exploring the South (my favorite):
This is actually our honeymoon itinerary, in which we combined Italy and Greece. I loved exploring the Southern part of Italy and revisiting Rome.
Day 1&2: Start your trip in Italy’s capital Rome and spend at least two full days here breathing in the history. Of course you cannot visit Rome without visting the Colloseum, but you must also factor in some time to relax and eat in Trastevere. I have been to Rome four times, still can’t get enough of it and wrote a full blogpost on Rome, which you can find here.
Day 3,4,5: Rent a car and drive to the Amalfi Coast. This might be an unpopular opinion; Tuscany is really great, but Amalfi is better. Make sure to book your hotel and parking spot well in advance, because spots are limited and very popular in the high season. We based ourselves in seaside Positano and also visited lovely Ravello. Finding a parking spot can be tricky, so you can also travel between the villages by ferry.
Day 6,7: We drove to Puglia, stopped in Matera on our way and stayed the night in an authentic trullo. Puglia is becoming more popular each year, so this is the time to visit! The beaches in Puglia are great, the water is crystal clear and the restaurants are affordable. The perfect combination with the more boujie Amalfi coast. An alternative would be to spend your last nights in Capri instead of Puglia.
Exploring Venice & Dolomites:
Day 1,2: Start your travels in Venice. Venice is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, but unfortunately everyone knows it is gorgeous, so the central area (between Rialto and San Marco) gets really crowded during the day. You should stay the night near the canals, so you can do the popular spots in the morning. If you venture away from the Grand Canal, you will find lovely restaurants which are more relaxed and cheap.
Day 3,4: Rent a car and start heading for the Dolomites. Stay near Cortina D’ampezzo so you can do a hike to Tre Cime di Lavaredo.
Day 5,6,7: Book an affordable hotel in Bolzano. From Bolzano you can do many interesting dayhikes and round off your day in a specialty beer cafe in the cute city center. Alpe di Siusi is just around the corner from Bolzano, as well as Val di Funes. You want to skip Lago di Braies when visiting during the high season.
2 week itinerary
Even in two weeks you can combine most highlights of Italy.
Day 1,2: Start of your journey in Lake Como.
Day 3: Milan, with a visit to the Duomo as the absolute highlight.
Day 4,5: Portofino and Cinque Terre. I am one of the only people who didn’t love Cinque Terre, I found it harder to escape the crowds there than in Venice. I still included it in the itinerary, as I know many people want to see it. I much prefered relaxed Portofino, though it features less colorful houses. Rapallo is a good base if you want to do Portofino as well as Cinque Terre.
Day 6,7: Florence. Same recommendations as in one week itinerary.
Day 8,9: Tuscan countryside. Make sure to have a car, driving in Tuscany is one of the greatest things there is. We loved just driving around, stopping in little villages and droning through the cipress trees.
Day 10,11: Make sure to stop at Saturnia or Bagni San Filippo to enjoy the hotsprings on your way to Rome and spend two days learning all about the Roman history in the capital city.
Day 12,13,14: Amalfi coast or make your way up to Venice (takes 4 hours by train).
3 week itinerary
South itinerary including islands:
Similar to the two week itinerary until day 11. You might want to do an extra day in the Tuscan countryside.
Day 13,14: Napels & Pompeii. Napels is where pizza was born and it also features the colorfully tiled Santa Chiara monastry. From Napels you can do a daytrip to Pompeii, where Roman history has been beautifully preserved due to the volcanic eruption that took place in 79 AD.
Day 15,16: Visit the islanda Procida and Ischia from Napels. I must admit I have not been to these islands yet, but they are high on my bucket list. Currently, they are still relatively undiscovered and a good choice if you like your destinations a little more off the beaten path.
Day 17,18,19: Amalfi Coast: You cannot miss out on the Amalfi Coast, the tiling and lemon trees have the most beautiful backdrop with the Mediterrenean sea.
Day 20,21: Capri: Take the ferry to Capri and spend the night between the bougainvilleas in Anacapri.
You could also include Puglia after Amalfi, and do your swimming over there instead of at the islands, for example like this:
Itinerary with focus on Puglia:
Similar to the two week itinerary until day 14.
Day 15: Drive to Puglia and make a stop at Matera on your way there.
Day 16,17,18: Base yourself in Ostuni and visit Alberobello, Locorotondo and Pogliano a Mare.
Day 19,20,21: Base yourself in Otranto to explore the Southern part of Puglia, where you will find the best beaches.
