TRAVELING TO ITALY - Suggestions to make the most out of a short trip
My boyfriend and I are planning our first trip to Italy for about a week in September. We’re flying into Rome and trying to figure out the best way to split up the trip instead of staying in one city the whole time.
Right now, the rough idea is to spend a few days in Rome, possibly rent a car for part of the trip, see some countryside/smaller towns, and then end somewhere else before flying home to Toronto. One of the challenges we’re running into is trying to choose another city that has good flight options back to Toronto. From my research Venice is the best option but it's about 6hr drive from Rome.
We only really have about 5 full days once travel days are removed, so we don’t want to spend the entire trip in transit.
Would you recommend staying mostly around Rome and doing countryside trips nearby, driving north through Tuscany, adding Venice, or somewhere else entirely?
We’re more interested in history, walking around/exploring, a smaller town, than trying to cram in every tourist attraction possible.
Would love to hear what people recommend for a first trip to Italy with limited time.
I don't really want to rent a car and waste time that we could be exploring, to be spent driving hours, but it's something he would like to do, so if anyone who has been would be able to offer advice, I'd really appreciate any insight to make this the best trip ever!