I lived in Umbria, so I acknowledge I'm completely basised here. Consider doing an agritourism stay in Umbria or the eastern hills of Tuscany. Beautiful place. Easy base to hit multiple towns as day trips--including some places off the (American) tourist track. Orvietto, Asissi, Cortona, and Gubbio and just a few of those.

Rome above the other cities. Tuscany above all.

Venice
Florence

Do Rome another time.

Did Florence (didn't love); and Sienna (liked a lot) and really enjoyed Tuscan hill towns. Highlight of my Italy trip many years ago and the place I'd most want to go back to is Cinque Terre. I'm not much of a city person, however, and haven't been to Venice, Rome, Almalfi coast, or Lake District so can't speak to those.

I would do Rome (Ostia Antica outside Rome has ruins that, IMO, are just as good if not better than Pompeii), then base myself in Florence and do Florence and a few small towns in Tuscany (Siena, Pisa, San Giminiano, Lucca) and do Venice last.

Anonymous wrote:If you're only going for spring break, I am assuming you have about a week?
Given that timeframe, I would fly into Rome and spend 2-3 days there. Then take the train to Florence. Do a day trip to Siena.
the train is nice because it's not nearly the hassle of flying, you arrive in the downtown area (vs outskirts) and get to see the scenery.

I'm the Siena PP. I like this plan.

If you're only going for spring break, I am assuming you have about a week?
Given that timeframe, I would fly into Rome and spend 2-3 days there. Then take the train to Florence. Do a day trip to Siena.
the train is nice because it's not nearly the hassle of flying, you arrive in the downtown area (vs outskirts) and get to see the scenery.

I think for kids Rome and Pompeii are a must. I *love* Florence, but I don't think kids would enjoy them as much. Venice would be good, too, but maybe just a full day if you can manage it.

Somewhat similar to the PP, I spent 6 weeks living in Siena in Tuscany. Took the train to Florence (multiple times) and to Venice for a long weekend. Spent a night or two in Rome before flying out.

My favorites are:

Rome
small hill towns in Tuscany
Lake District (we went to Lake Garda)
The kids loved Venice, but it's really packed w/ tourists if you go in the summer, which is not so enjoyable IMO.

We lived in Rome for 3 weeks in an apartment with our kids. We took 2 overnights to Florence and Naples on the train. We took buses and the tube. No taxis. We saw everything and it was awesome.

Rome (obviously) is a must-see. Give yourself at least 3-4 days there, so you can see everything properly without rushing - it's worth it. Beyond that, what kinds of things does your family like to do/see on vacation? If you're going with kids, I'm guessing you'll have about 8 days? Will you have a rental car?

I would do Rome + 1 other major city (probably Florence/Venice) with 1-2 short day trips from the second city. I'd also recommend looking into EasyJet for transportation between major cities; it's pretty cheap and if you don't want to drive and/or don't feel comfortable taking the train (and associated logistics), it's an easy alternative. Flights are pretty short too.

If your kids are old enough to appreciate art, I'd go to Florence. If you had a car, you could go from there to Pisa (to see the tower) to Cinque Terre quite easily. I went this summer and thought they were stunning - it's a gorgeous hike (or train/boat ride, if you prefer) between the towns. If you plan on 3-4 days in Rome and 3 days in Tuscany/Liguria, plus travel time, that should fill up 8 days at a reasonable pace. You could still do a variation on this itinerary if you didn't have a car; I traveled by train in Italy this summer and it went very well. They're accustomed to tourists, so they make it easy even if you don't speak Italian. If you're not as interested in Pisa/Cinque Terre, you could also go south to Naples and Pompeii (I'd budget a full day for Pompeii - haven't been to Naples so I'm not sure what there is to see there.)

If you bypass Florence, you could do Venice instead. I personally found it to be overrated, but it's obviously a famous (and cool) place. And they have great food! From there, you could do a short trip to Padua, Verona (which is beautiful), and/or the islands of Murano (do a tour of a glass blowing factory) and Burano (famous for lace.)

In any case, you can't go wrong with a trip to Italy. Good luck!

We're going in Summer for two weeks and only doing Northern Italy.

Venice and Florence because you have to, will never get tired of them

Bologna/Parma/Emilia Romagna because we're semi-foodies and prefer less touristy but still beautiful cities and towns

The Dolomites because we're hikers and love the mountains

Lake Garda because it looks beautiful, relaxing, and our kid loves the water.

Bergamo because it's on the way to the airport in Milan

Skipping Milan because already been there and it wasn't Italian enough

Tuscany, Cinque Terre, and Southern Italy are a separate trip or trips...

We are planning a trip for spring break 2017. It's incredible how many different cities and places there are to see.
What are your favorite things to see and do?

Thank you!