Itinerary advice? Aug 29-Sep 8: Arrive MXP Depart VCE
Hi!! My husband and I are in the midst of planning a late summer trip to Italy. Looking for itinerary feedback :)
I, personally, have travelled throughout a lot of Spain (studied abroad a few years back), and have also visited France, Canada, and Morocco. As a couple, most of our trips are fast-paced, more adventurous/outdoors focused (hiking, kayaking, off-roading, wandering villages/towns). Our honeymoon was a trip to Alaska with a lot of hiking and exploring the beautiful coastal-mountain towns. Photography is a passion for me, so beautiful scenery, picturesque villages, and expansive landscapes are kind of my jam.
Option 1: Cinque Terre > Florence > Lake Garda > Venice
Arrive to Milan 08/29/26 approx. 1320 > transfer to Milano Centrale, then travel to Cinque Terre (depart 1555/arrive 1905 or 1755/2105)
08/29 to 09/01: Cinque Terre — Base Vernazza
— Hike Sentiero Azzurro from Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare
— Explore some of the different villages
— Via dell’Amore
09/01 > Travel to Florence (depart 0900/ arrive 1130)
09/01 to 09/04: Florence — Base near Santa Maria Novella
— Thinking of taking a cooking class during our time in Florence
— Cathedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, Ponte Vecchio, Piazza Della Signoria
— Leather markets
— Uffizi Gallery (maybe).
— Day trip to Chianti Region (for some landscape photography opportunities and wine tasting
09/04 > Travel to Lake Garda via Verona (depart 0830/ arrive 1100?)
09/04 to 09/06: Lake Garda — Base Desenzano del Garda
— Boat tour
— Explore Desenzano and Sirmione
09/06 > Travel to Venice (depart 0850/arrive 1100)
09/06 to 09/08: Venice — Base Cannaregio
— Day trip to Murano/Burano
— Rialto Bridge
— St. Mark’s Square
— Gondola ride?
09/08 Depart Venice 0940
While we enjoy history, a touch of museums, these are not a priority for us. We would much rather spend our time exploring side-streets, markets, hiking, taking a cooking class, seeing the country-side and coast, and the canals of Venice. We LOVE food, but neither of us are wine aficionados, especially not my husband (a tasting or two, and taking a bottle or two home would be plenty — I think we would possibly enjoy olive oil tastings more? lol).
Unfortunately, my spouse does not get a lot of annual leave, so we are unable to extend our trip to add additional days. With the understanding we are unable to ADD days to our trip, would you shift the time spent in any location around? Should we skip Lago di Garda? Or is there another place that would provide similar opportunities that could be a day trip rather than another base? Any advice on can’t miss/skip activities, places/areas to stay, and must eat foods or places in each area?
Thank you for any and all advice and feedback!