Plan your perfect trip to Italy with these 5 incredible itineraries

03.09.2024 - 13:38 / lonelyplanet.com

Sep 3, 2024 • 12 min read

Whether it’s your first visit to Italy or you're returning for more, building the perfect itinerary means choosing iconic places you want to see and under-the-radar destinations you want to explore.

We’ve created five different Italian itineraries, ranging from 5- to 10-day trips, covering the top cities, idyllic islands and southern stretches. Have more time? Slow down and add days at various stops, or add multiple itineraries together to create the perfect two-week or even three-week adventure.

Allow at least 10 days
Distance: 930km (577 miles) 

From the haunting canals of Venice to Napoli backstreets, this classic tour provides a whistle-stop introduction to Italy's greatest hits. As you work your way down the boot you'll encounter Roman ruins, Renaissance masterpieces, baroque piazzas and mouth-watering regional cuisines in spades.

With its achingly photogenic canals, stunning palazzi (mansions) and slender black gondolas, Venice gets you in the mood. If must-see Piazza San Marco, with its mosaic-encrusted basilica, and Palazzo Ducale are too crowded, seek out exceptional art in Fondazione Querini Stampalia and Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Scour seafood stalls at Rialto Market, bar-hop along Fondamenta dei Ormesini and snack on cicchetti (Venetian tapas).

Next stop: Take a train from Venice to Bologna (1.5 to 2 hours).

Italy's culinary capital and home to Europe's oldest university, Bologna has a gloriously preserved medieval core. Some 20 towers loom over the red-brick centro, whose streets are lined with porticoes and crammed with delis, bars and trattorias. Check out the colossal Basilica di San Petronio, admire art in the Pinacoteca Nazionale, and chow down in the busy Quadrilatero district.

Next stop: Take a train from Bologna to Florence (40 mins).

Two days is not long in Florence, Italy's peerless Renaissance city, but it's enough for a breathless introduction to its signature sights: the Duomo, with its famous red-tiled dome; the Galleria degli Uffizi, home to one of the world's greatest art collections; and, of course, Michelangelo's muscular David in the Galleria dell'Accademia.

Next stop: Take a train from Florence to Pisa (1 hour).

Head west to Pisa to see if the Leaning Tower really does lean (spoiler: it does, a lot). The Torre Pendente is the star of a trio of medieval sights on Piazza dei Miracoli, an elegant grassy square 2km (1.2 miles) north of the train station. Alongside the Torre, you can applaud Pisa's pristine 12th-century Duomo and the stubby, cupcake-like Battistero. Squeeze in a walk along the city walls.

Next stop: Take a train from Pisa to Rome (3 hours).

The Eternal City where all roads lead, Rome has more than enough to keep you occupied for a