How exciting!

What I would do is fly into Milan and out of Rome, using the excellent trains to get everywhere. Easy to buy train tickets on line from the US. Inexpensive even for first class. And so fast! Our trains in the US seem third world by comparison.

I like Milan for the Duomo, La Scala and shopping. But even more so, i would add in Milan just so that you can do a day trip to Lake Como or Lake Maggiore,both fabulous, just so stunning ... and giving you a peek to the Alps.

I would also go to Venice (not as dirty or as touristy as people say, very easy by train, and truly special), than Florence then Rome.

Confess I have not been to Pisa.

I think the "what do to" is pretty obvious, but if anything unique comes to mind I will pop back in. We loved our hotels in Rome (Hotel Russe) and Florence (the four seasons takes over a walled city block, with a garden in the center, heavenly), tho not so much Venice and Milan.

I don't have too much to offer but my SIL and BIL went to Pisa and weren't overly impressed. Based on their feedback I was glad I went to Florence instead.

I liked Florence but felt a day or two would be sufficient there for my needs (just personal preference). Pre-booking the museums (as you probably read on Tripadvisor) is a good idea.

I really loved Venice a lot.

My only travel tip for Rome if you're going to the Vatican - my tour guide told us that after you get to the Sistine chapel, they'll tell all the people NOT from cruise ships to go back out and re-line up for the church next door. He told us just pretend we are cruise ship passengers and tag along with the group going through the back way. We did that and avoided a HUGE lineup for the church.

If you do go to Venice (and I highly recommend it), I would suggest getting up and out on the streets at dawn at least one morning. To observe Venice come alive is magical. FWIW, my order of preference would be Venice, Florence and Pisa.

I will also say that my friend did a farmstay in Tuscany for a few days and she absolutely loved it! Just an idea for an unusual trip outside of Florence that's not to Pisa.

Agree about watching Venice come to life, one of the highlights of my stay there. In my case I had no choice -- instead of jet lag I had jet rage* and couldn't be around anyone so took a long walk my first morning there. I loved watching the garbage "truck" (boat), the grocery delivery boats, and the Venezians going to work.

* My husband's family is to a person terrified of heights, which I guess applies to plane windows? Anyway, so I was booked in a middle seat and spent the overnight flight squished in between my brother in law and a very thrashy stranger in teeny tiny Air France seats, took gravol, still didn't sleep, woke up the next morning with severe gravol + wine + espresso hangover and hatred for all things living.

This post was edited by robotropolis on Thu, Jan 8, 15 at 12:13

Don't waste your time in Pisa. It's dirty and the tower is the only thing it has going for it.

Get your International Driver's License and rent a car, totally worth it! Don't, however, think that you can drive in or park in Florence in one. Our car was taken to the Depositaria Comunale, or, the impound lot. Oooops!

Besides the obvious sights in Florence try day trips to Siena, Montepulciano, Spoleto (a personal favorite), Cortona (great shopping, Etruscan Museum). Lecchio is the home of "The Mall" with outlets of Armani, Tod's, Gucci, etc.

As mtnrdredux said, the trains are great for fast and comfortable travel. Do go to Venice. Go to the Peggy Guggenheim. Take a gondola ride (why not?).

When you go to restaurants, order the house wines (especially in small towns). It's cheaper and usually house made and delicious.

We stayed at the Villa Antica Torri di via Tournaboni (across the street from the Ferragamo Museum)and The Hotel degli Orafi in Florence (the "Room With a View" hotel and towers).

Have fun! Italy is a magical country.

We went to Florence and Venice a few years ago. I liked Venice more; DH liked Florence more. But we'd both love to go back to both of them! We had a driver for one day in Florence and he took us around Tuscany -- totally worth it if you can swing it. It was one of our best days of the whole trip.

I have a friend who went to Pisa from Florence and also said it was not worthwhile.

I didn't find Venice dirty at ALL. We were there in November, though, and I have heard that during the heat of summer, it can be smelly! I just loved walking all over Venice. The gondolas, the little shops, the art...just magical. Florence was more...edgy, maybe? But just as interesting to visit and just as beautiful, just in a different way.

My wife and I went to Italy several years ago about the same time you are planning. For us, the timing couldn't have been better. Everything green and in or coming into bloom. We did one day in a walled city, one day in Florence, 3 days hiking the Cinque Terra, 4 days exploring Tuscany in a rental car, 2 days in Venice, and a day in east central Italy. Florence was nice, but we enjoyed the other places so much more. Tied for first place for us, poking around vineyards and olive groves in Tuscany, hiking the Cinque Terra and Venice. We were in our late 50's and had no problems getting around. If you go to Venice, check out the off the beaten path things that aren't so crowded, Jewish ghetto, and do go to the little islands by ferry either early in the morning or late in the afternoon. Thats the golden time. My wife did a lot of on line research and we got tips from our daughters, both of which had lived or traveled in Italy. We saved quite a bit of money staying in either hostels (no they aren't all cheap and junky, some are as nice as your better hotels, just not as expensive) or Frattorias, small govt certified home stay places, like a little bed and breakfast (they have small official road signs everywhere on the roadways), eat in small family Trattorias whenever you can, and if you decide to rent a car, reserve one online in advance or you will pay a premium trying to get one when you are there. Get ready, you are going to have a fabulous time. Bring plenty of money if you like fancy hotels and restaurants. My daughter that lived there recommended one nice restaurant meal a day and eating on the cheap for breakfast and lunch. You can get a really nice pastry and coffee for about $5 bucks and a wonderful lunch for not much more if you look for a local deli and get a piece of bread, your favorite cut of meat and cheese and some olives or sun dried tomatoes and have a picnic lunch. This makes me want to go back. Actually, I think I will! Enjoy yourself.

If you wish to make Florence your base for 4 or 5 days, there are a number of day trips you may wish to consider (or 1/2 day if you include Prato).

Lucca is a small walled city worth exploring for its medieval architecture, and pedestrian friendly environment -- easily reached by train, and on the way to Viareggio. Siena is another option, with gorgeous architecture, art museum, and St. Catherine of Siena. You could perhaps combine a trip to Pisa, beautiful Campo di Miracoli with the baptistry, duomo, and tower (there are other gems of architecture in the city), with a stop at Pistoia, again beautiful architecture. There's also Bologna to the north, with its beautiful Duomo and piazza, and known as La Grassa for its famed food, and Arezzo to the south, with plenty to see including frescoes by Piero della Francesca. All are easily reached by train.

I also was going to suggest Lucca. It is not far from Florence and so worth the hour long train ride. You cannot go to Italy and not visit a couple medieval towns. I loved Colle de Val D'Elsa, Trevi, Pienza, Pitigliano, and Assisi. Could have skipped Norcia, although the Norcia Valley is wonderful. Siena is also quite amazing. You don't need to see every small town, just pick two or three.

After awhile you will have enough of cathedrals and even mind blowing art. Try to vary your itinerary. I'd give more time to Rome and less to Florence.

Take notes for your next visit to Italy. There is so much to see! If you ever have a chance to go truffle hunting with dogs in Pettino, be sure to do it. It was the highlight of my trip.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wild Foods in Italy

Obviously go see David. It is NOTHING like the photos you see of it. It is breathtaking.

The old roads are wonderful to walk around at night with the lighting. Just beautiful.

I also really liked Siena.

I am going to press my case again for flying into Milan so that you can see the Lake District. It is very lovely and very unlike the other parts of Italy you will see.

It is slightly more than an hour drive from Milan to Bellagio, the heart of Lake Como. Pack a picnic lunch, take a little boat tour (you will find them lined up), then have dinner with George Clooney (you won't find him lined up). Okay I admit I cannot actually guarantee the George Clooney part, but the Lake is nearly as pretty as George. To wit:

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A daytrip to Lake Como, a day or so in Milan. Take a tour at the top of the Duomo cathedral (you can walk on the rooftops, very cool), shop at the Galleries. Maybe even an opera at la Scala (they have supertitles if you like)

As far as train vs car... If you rent a car, you get to meander and discover, which is nice. A train is efficient and direct, so you can see more cities. I went back and looked at our itinerary, and our train travel was as follows; Milan to Venice, 2hr35, Venice to Florence, 2hr03 and Florence to Rome, 1hr30min. I simply bought the train tickets online before we left.

One word on the Vatican; if you book a tour guide there is no waiting in line.

I didn't read all the replies, but I agree w/ using a train. We did that when we went and that allowed us to spend as much time as we wanted in each location. We were there for around 3 weeks.

Absolutely go to Venice. It was my favorite of the places we visited. We did Venice, Milan, Florence and Rome. I really hated Florence. I thought the city was dirty and unpleasant, the restaurants were not as good as the other cities, and there was little to do there if you aren't really into art. We left after like a day and a half.

Venice was magical. Rome was my second favorite, then Milan. We went to Sunday mass in St. Peters Square at the vatican (I'm not religious) and it was a really nice experience. I would try to do that if you can time it.

Thank you everyone! mtnrdredux, your photos are gorgeous! So, I'll strike Pisa. I love to drive, but not keen on doing it alone in another country. If I was with a friend, then I would try it, but I'll stick to trains and buses.

Now to figure out how to fit everything in with the 4 days in Paris (becoming an annual visit). Keep 'em coming! Much appreciated!

Diane,

Oh, just to be clear, those aren't my photos! I went to Lake Como when I was a kid, when we went a few years ago we went to Lake Maggiore (a bit further). I just copied those photos from the internet to try to sway you!

BTW I find it funny so many people were anti Flo. Hmm. I like LakeComo/Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome all about equally.

I liked the day trip from Rome with all of the fountains. Wish I could be more articulate but I bet someone here knows!

Wherever you go, check into the walking tours. They give you an overview of the city and you often get to skip the long lines into museums and other sites. The downside is that you don't get to linger in the museums, but you do see the major sights and can decide if you want to go back later. I strongly endorse the "haunted" or "ghost" tours for something to do in the evening before dinner. These take you into forgotten corners of the city you would not otherwise see at a time when most of the crowds have dispersed. We went on several Viator tours in Venice and I can recommend them.

While I enjoyed Florence, I did suffer severe art overload there...probably because we were trying to fit in so many things. I think the Pitti Palace put me over the top.
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The best thing we did was to go see the David at night when there were no crowds at all.

I second adding Venice. It was by far my favorite and wasn't the least bit dirty...it is a most beautiful city to walk, esp since there is no vehicle traffic. Very different from Rome where they rode the scooters even on the sidewalks!

We did go to Lake Lugano which was nice, but given the short amount of time you'll have, if you do nothing but Florence and Venice, it will be plenty....

Regardless, you will have fabulous food. I don't think you can get a bad meal in Italy. And enjoy the wine. We polished off a full bottle of wine every night before dinner...we didn't get drunk, headaches or hung over. It was just delish and perfect and inexpensive.

I second Mtn's push for the Lake District if you have an extra day. Don't know how many days you're planning on touring though. I'd skip Pisa (we did) and do a day trip to Siena from Florence instead. I wasn't that impressed with Milan. Loved Rome and Florence (Uffizi. Accademia Gallery for David and more).

We toured for three weeks. One of my favorite cities was Lucerne. It's about 5 hours from Florence, and is on the way to Paris, where you don't want to miss the Musee d'Orsay.

Have a great trip!

I recommend the Bargello musuem in Florence -- maybe as a respite the day after the Uffizzi -- for the Donatello statues among other things. The art from the Duomo is in a (manageable) musuem next door and also contains important works including a Michaelangelo Pieta' and a Donatello Magdalene. For the Uffizzi, I would decide which periods are of the most interest to you, and concentrate on those rooms rather than try to see everything. Their early Renaissance paintings are magnificent.

I also recommend going to see Michelangelo's David. It is breathtaking and as someone said, any picture you may have seen does not do it justice. If you want an amazing view of Florence (which is gorgeous from above), visit the Church of San Miniato al Monte. You get sweeping views of the city below. You can then walk through the San Nicolo quarter and across the Ponte Vecchio (try to ignore the jewelry hawkers and imagine the Medici family crossing in their private bridge). Like others, I was not blown away by Florence. I think I was there at a bad time and not long enough. Remember that many museums are closed on Sunday.

I highly recommend hiring a guide for the Vatican Museums. We used My Rome Guides and a guide named Antonella. She was beyond amazing.

I agree with Mtn re the Lake Como area. My very first trip to Italy was to Lake Como. We actually were in Switzerland skiing and this was a side trip. It was the only place we visited in Italy on this particular trip and oh boy was I enchanted. I could have just stayed.

Ditto what dedtired just said about hiring a guide for the Vatican. I'd highly recommend doing that especially if you're on your own. The guides are so knowledgeable and you will waste valuable time standing in line rather than booking a guided tour ahead of time. They give you a very knowledgeable run-down of all the history of the special places.

Hey, look at this, i think it just came out from the NYT! Number 1!

I don't think I'd give it number 1, but it is a very nice city, easy and cheap to fly into even from the US, perfect gateway to Lake Como and Venice.

And the Duomo, you see in the photo? You can literally climb the rooftops of it. Very cool.

Here is a link that might be useful: NYTimes travel

thanks, I did see the NYT article (my beloved home town is #3!).

Thank you everyone. I'm adding Milan to the trip. I'm now circling on landing in Rome, train to Florence, train to Milan, train to Paris, depart from Paris.

Thanks again, you all are great!

Sounds wonderful, wish we had rail service like that!

Have a super trip and be sure to update us and post photos when you come back!

Late to the party, but I second the recommendation for Lucca, an easy day trip for Florence. And if you do the Lake District consider Maggiore over Como, equally gorgeous I think, less busy. Two days is enough in Florence if you're not a huge art/gallery/museum type. Otherwise you could spend a week and not see everything.

Driving from the Lake District east through the Dolomites towards Venice is a sensational drive, but that might be for a longer trip.

And if by chance you can't eat gluten - Italy (surprisingly) is paradise for celiacs!

Enjoy your trip, April is a great time to go.

If you get to Siena, I have an acquaintance whose sister teaches a cooking class there. She is an accomplished chef and the classes are taught in English.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ecco la Cucina