Italy Recommendations

[Alfisti]

I have been to Rome, Florence, Milan and Venice .... and Monza and the Alfa Romeo Museum

I think you can slip Milan and do Tuscany/amalfi coast but man, your biggest issue is gonna be crowds, will be a total shit show.

[Bonk!]

We've been to Italy a bunch, but as "get away from it all" trips which means touring through Tuscany in a big Mercedes! If you do go to cities, the best tip I can give is to buy tickets to anywhere you want to go in advance. Lines can be massive and pre-purchasing can get you right through. Also, budget in traffic tickets. You may not even know you got something, but lo' and behold something comes from the rental car agency with $400 ticket. Has happened every trip. If you'd like our favorite getaway in Tuscany let me know.

Looks like you've gotten some excellent feedback so far, but saw some notes that I wanted to expand on given that I've been to Europe more times than I can count at this point:

- When it comes to exchanging dollars for euros, check with your local bank and/or AAA office. They'll often charge a small fee, if anything at all, to convert; just double check the exchange rate first. Getting money out of the ATM while you're overseas is fine, but depending on what bank you end up using over there exchange rates and multiple transaction fees, etc. will more than likely not be nearly as efficient.

- Don't pay Verizon (if that's your carrier) for Travelpass...it's shit. They'll tell you that your plan there will mimic your plan here (unlimited, etc.) but they cap data at 500MB per day which is awful. You'll end up burning through that data quicker than you think at the most importune time; especially if you'll be using your phone to navigate. Instead buy/activate one of these SIMs before you leave the states (it's good for 30 days after you activate):
https://smile.amazon.com/PrePaid-des...C98&sr=8-3

What you'll do (if you have a fairly new iPhone) is convert your current SIM to an eSIM. Then pop the Three physical SIM in and all of your iMessages, etc. will work just like they do here. If you need to make calls back to the US, just use FaceTime audio, or Google Voice, etc. Very simple and seemless.

If you end up changing your mind about destination and want a more chill/picturesque/beachy experience in that region, I've been to ~15 Greek islands at this point and can fill in the blanks if you choose to explore there instead

[ramman434]

Wife & I did 4 weeks in Europe about 5.5 years ago & went in September. Here was our Italy schedule with about 3 nights in each:
Rome - (only 2 nights, coliseum was cool, but the city itself was super dirty. Did not like)
Florence - Our Favorite. We had an airbnb directly across the street from the museum that houses the David statue and were a 5 min walk to the Duermo. Gorgeous city, very laid back.
While in Florence we did a day trip to Cinque Terre (walking tour, was $90/person in '15 & included a delicious lunch and snacks) and hiked on the pathway through all the mountain top vineyards to each small town. The views were an amazing experience.

Our last stop was Venice: We went by train & stopped in Maranello at Ferrari for the day for me. We did not go to the factory, but to Enzo's actual house & original factory that had just been changed into a museum. It was a 10 min walk from the train station. Totally worth it.

Venice was beautiful and unique. We enjoyed it, and got to know our way around by just walking/exploring. I highly recommend taking the ferry over to Murano to check out the glass blowing shops. It was amazing.

We were in Italy for 9 days total & cannot wait to go back one day

[Tommy-G]

Rome pics

[Tommy-G]

Florence and the car pics are from Monaco but had to add some cars

[BMW F22]

You could also fly in Florence, spend a few days there, a few days in rural Tuscany (outside of Florence), wrap your trip up in Rome and fly home from there. Or you could do the reverse.

Just be aware of driving in Rome and Florence. Rome was a bit crazy but I managed. Florence was easier to drive but the ZTL zones were a pain in the ass! Hard to really explore Tuscany without a car though, so you’ll need one.

[King Rudi]

Speak with your hands or else the natives can't hear you.

[Alfisti]

I really, really liked Rome, then again I also really liked Athens. There just seemed to be something on every dang corner, Florence felt small quickly, one day would be plenty but Rome is massive, so much to see if you like a walk.

[AustinZ4]

As you are going in May, Amalfi Coast may be good (meaning not overcrowded). I would check on the Italian vacation schedule to ensure you won't be visiting during their big vacations. I would recommend Cinque Terre, absolutely.

Como was an amazing little town and there is a boat to go to Bellagio from there twice a day. After that, the island of Sardinia has a city called Olbia. Great place, lots of routes around to beaches. And there is a train to Cagliari which has a huge old Roman presence still to it in the island fortifications.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by AustinZ4

As you are going in May, Amalfi Coast may be good (meaning not overcrowded). I would check on the Italian vacation schedule to ensure you won't be visiting during their big vacations. I would recommend Cinque Terre, absolutely.

Como was an amazing little town and there is a boat to go to Bellagio from there twice a day. After that, the island of Sardinia has a city called Olbia. Great place, lots of routes around to beaches. And there is a train to Cagliari which has a huge old Roman presence still to it in the island fortifications.

Agree with this. We went to Amalfi Coast end of April 2019 and the weather was perfect! Had a good number of people but not crowded. Can’t even imagine what it’s like in Summer.

[rbhjr01462]

Went to Italy the last 2 weeks of May (did a few days in Rome and day trip to Tuscany) but the main reason was to go to Positano. Weather was perfect (not hot but comfortable) and not too crowded. It's a great place to decompress and just sit on the balcony watching the sunset with a glass of wine. Food can be a little pricey. If you like a lot of 'action' Positano is not for you, but to relax, have some nice meals, maybe take a day trip to the island of Capri, sit on the beach it fits the bill.
On our day trip to Tuscany we went to an organic farm that was a few miles outside of San Gimignano and had lunch. The landscape in that area was so picturesque, and their organic olive oil/food was fantastic, I would like to return to that area again.
Every meal in Italy (Rome/Florence/Naples/Positano) was good - no meal there disappointed. Even going to the supermarket (Conad) the products we bought were all great quality too.
If you go, have a great time, but don't rent a car - the roads are generally incredibly twisting and narrow in Amalfi. Driving in Rome seems like it too would be a bit stressful with all the scooters and cars weaving all over the streets. We left the driving to the professionals.

[chassis]

JP10

Please rank order these three words for the trip to Italy:

Sea
Mountains
City(ies)

I have been there a number of times.

[Cyn-BMW]

The Lake Como area is one of the most beautiful places on earth. You could spend days exploring the lake in a boat taxi and the town is small enough to see by foot. Lugano, Switzerland is about 30 minutes away. Venice and Verona are about 3 hours away. There’s a coliseum in Verona. It’s my favorite place in italy.