When to go
The season of a trip to northern Italy depends on specific goals and weather preferences. In my opinion, though, Italy is always beautiful.

Winter .
It’s pretty dank and wet. You can walk around with hot coffee, and it’s the best time to visit museums.

Spring
March is an unpredictable month in terms of weather, but that doesn’t stop you from enjoying excursions. There is a major plus – great prices.

In April the prices are still reasonable. Walks are a pleasure. However, if the trip falls during Easter week, expect an influx of tourists.

May is a gorgeous month, it’s already warm, but not yet the summer heat. Prices are going up a bit. There are more and more tourists.

Summer
Temperatures in Milan in July can reach 40 degrees. The prices are high. There are a lot of vacationers. Some establishments don’t work because it’s the beginning of the vacation season. But a beach holiday on the Venetian Riviera will be perfect.

Autumn
The 1st half of September is still hot, the 2nd half is comfortable. Prices are still quite high. Although in the 2nd half there are already fewer people and prices go down.

In October, it gets colder and it may drizzle. Plane tickets and hotels will cost quite a bit. For hiking, locals don’t highly recommend October.

November is rainy and foggy. Wear warm clothes, grab umbrellas and head out to explore museums, galleries and other attractions.

Milan

Day 1: Fly to Milan or Bergamo. There are buses from Bergamo airport to the center of Milan, the trip takes about 1 hour. From Milan airport it is faster to get by train.

Milan is the fashion capital, a business center, a living monument to architecture and history. Everyone wants to see the majestic Duomo and the ancient Sforza Castle. Check out the Antique Market along the Naviglio Grande Canal. Every last Sunday of the month, you’ll find clothing, furnishings and design objects of all kinds.

Soul of the city – La Scala Theater. The social life of the Milanese of the XVIII century flowed in the halls of La Scala. Nowadays it remains the most respectable opera house of Europe and tickets for the premiere are sold out in a moment and cost several hundred Euros. You can venture into La Scala and Italian opera for €10. On the day of the performance at 13:00 come to the theater box office and sign up on the special list. By 17:00 you have to come back and buy your ticket. And at 20:00 the performance begins.

Italy is a country of soccer. So it’s impossible not to check out the San Siro Stadium. Locals call the stadium “the voice of the city”. Exactly here every week you can loudly sing and shout in support of your favorite team.

Day 2: Early in the morning we rent a car or take a train and go to Lake Garda. I highly recommend Sirmione. It’s not far from the highway, cozy and colorful, there is a spa beach with thermal springs.

A 10-minute drive away is Gardaland amusement park and aqua park. Gardaland themed amusement park is an Italian Disneyland. The park covers an area of 500 thousand square meters.

You can go further in Riva del Garda; nearby there is an amusement park and the province of Trento with stunning mountain scenery. If you go by train from Milan you can get to Desenzano, also a very nice place with Roman architecture and beaches, a great place for youth entertainment and partying. You can stay here until the evening and not stay overnight. In 30-40 minutes we get to Verona, there we walk and spend the night.

Day 3. To see Verona it is enough to spend 1-2 days actively. Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore is an important historical monument of the city and a religious place. Castelvecchio Castle – a building with seven watchtowers is built of red brick and has an ascetic appearance.

It is impossible to see the city without visiting the main square. In Verona it is Piazza delle Erbe. After the main square it is worth seeing the Cathedral which was built in Verona in the 12th century.

The most romantic part of Verona is Juliet’s house. According to legend, this is where Juliet from Shakespeare’s tragedy lived. It is believed that lovers should kiss on this balcony to keep their love forever. You can also make a wish and rub Juliet’s breasts, then it will definitely come true.

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General Information

Bologna – Rimini – San Marino – Montepulciano – Pienza – Pitigliano – Elba Island – Cinque Terre – Pisa

Day 1: Bologna

After arrival do not waste time, go to the city to walk in the historical center. Explore the streets with many interesting sights and monuments. Among them are arcades along the houses, towers, cathedrals, palaces and restaurants, where you must try the traditional dishes of Emilia-Romagna.

Be sure to visit the University of Bologna – the oldest university in Europe, first lectures were held here in 1088 The main building of the University, Palazzo Poggia, is open to visitors. Look at the frescoes and sculptures, the library, and the wooden anatomy theater.

Days 1-5. Rimini

Rimini is a resort on the Adriatic Sea with 15 kilometers of beach. Most of the beaches are paid, but there are a few free. On a paid beach rental set of two chairs and an umbrella will cost about 20 € per day.

Conditions for a beach holiday in Rimini are excellent: soft sand, water heats up to 25 degrees in the summer, developed infrastructure with changing rooms and showers on the beaches. Apart from the beach you can also visit the city itself, where there are many architectural monuments.

Day 5. San Marino

In the morning of the fifth day, go to San Marino. Take SS72 highway. The trip will take about 30 minutes.

San Marino is a state surrounded on all sides by Italian territory. It consists of nine fortress towns. All the major attractions are within walking distance.

Through the territory of San Marino tourists and travelers take a train, from which you can enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the mini-state and its attractions.

Day 6. Transfer to Montepulciano

You will drive to Montepulciano through the Tuscany region. There are only 170 kilometers between the two cities, so don’t spare time for stops to see small villages, vineyards, fields and fortresses. The main thing is not to get carried away and get to Montepulciano by evening.

Days 7-8. Montepulciano

Montepulciano is a beautiful city set among the picturesque valleys of the Tuscan region. The main street of the city, via di Gracciano nel Corso, is pedestrian. There are souvenir stores, restaurants and wine cellars, some of which offer free wine tastings.

Day 8. Pienza

Pienza is a Renaissance town listed as a UNESCO heritage site. It takes about two hours to walk around it. The streets of the city are drenched in flowers and cozy cafes beckon with their aromas. In Pienza, try pecorino cheese from sheep’s milk – it is one of the best kinds of cheese in Italy, besides, it pairs perfectly with the local red wines.

After seeing Pienza, go to Pitigliano. The trip will take about an hour and a half without stopping.

Days 8-10. Pitigliano

Pitigliano is called the tufa city because of the many buildings and caves carved out of tufa. Pitigliano rises 315 meters above sea level. The narrow streets and secluded caves create a feeling of peace and tranquility. Surrounded by medieval walls, this ancient town offers travelers cozy stores, artisan workshops and historical sites.

Days 10-12. Elba Island.

Portoferraio is the island’s capital, which you’ll take a ferry to. In the city you can visit the museum-villa San Martino, the former residence of Napoleon, where household items, weapons, family heirlooms and other valuables are preserved. Address: Localita San Martino, 57037 Portoferraio LI.

Days 12-15. Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is a national park consisting of five heritage villages: Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. You can travel between them by car, train or on foot. The travel time between villages varies from 20 minutes to 1.5 hours.

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Option 1. Rome.

If you have the opportunity to see only one city in Italy, then let it be Rome, the great, multifaceted, both noisy and cozy, recognizable and not fully known. Going here for 2-3 days, if you are going for the first time to both the city and the country, is not a good idea. A week is the amount of time that can be considered adequate.

When planning your days in the city, please allow enough time to see not only the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, and to be overwhelmed by the beauty and number of tourists, but also to get to know the other, residential, quiet, but no less beautiful Rome. Here in this post I talk in detail about one of these neighborhoods.

Option 2. Bologna and the surrounding area.

Bologna is a benchmark, one might say, Italian city. Not small, not large, beautiful, colorful, instantly identifiable as Italy, interesting, with wonderful museums, restaurants and stores. In addition, Bologna is a major railway hub, so it’s easy to get to neighboring cities from here.

Option 3. Rome, Florence, Milan.

These three cities are famous, beautiful, and conveniently connected by rail. Spend 3-4 days in Rome, from there go to Florence for 2-3 days, and from there, again by train, a few days to Milan. This way you can compare Italy north and central, see many of the country’s major architectural masterpieces, and get an idea of the different types of cuisine and wine.

Option 4. Venice, Trieste, Verona, and Lake Garda.

Venice deserves at least 4-5 days of your schedule. I’ve been to the city many times at a variety of times, coming in for a day as well as two, three or more days, so I can tell you for sure that the only thing you’ll have time for in a day is to hate the city, which doesn’t deserve it at all. Venice has a hard time – it can’t live without tourists and it doesn’t like them at the same time. About why you can not come to Venice for a day, I told in this article.

Option 5. Naples, Sorrento, Amalfi, Capri.

I wrote about Rome above. Four days in this city is probably the minimum. From Rome, it’s an hour by train to Naples, which will be a great contrast to the Italian capital. Don’t be intimidated by this city – I was totally enthralled by its beauty and chaotic nature. For the rest of the trip you’ll probably need a car – the way is down the coast, towards Amalfi, where the railroads are not really there, and the bus service leaves much to be desired. It would be more comfortable with a car. I was in this part of Italy without a car: I took a train to Salerno, and then a bus to Amalfi, where I took the boat to Positano, Sorrento, Capri.

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