r/ItalyTravelAdvice

We are flying into Frankfurt, visiting Munich for 3 nights and then taking the train to Verona. We are flying out of Milan. I told the following itinerary to an Italian and they were horrified by my choices so I'm just wanting to know if I should rethink the whole thing... 😂😬

• 2 nights Verona
• 1 night Valpolicella at a winery
• 2 nights not locked in, was thinking Lake Garda/Iseo or a quiet winery agriturismo on Lake Moro
• 1 night Franciacorta at a winery
• 1 night Bergamo
• 1 night Clanezzo
• 3 nights Gavirate with friends

Dates from 13 to 27 June

Is TSA going to question my compound tirz and syringe? I’m scared they will confiscate it.

I know it’s tempting to fill every day with museums, restaurants, viewpoints, churches, day trips and “hidden gems”.

But Italy usually works better when the trip has some empty space.

A slow dinner, walking without a strict plan, stopping for coffee, finding a small bakery, sitting in a piazza, changing plans because a neighborhood feels nice.

Those moments often become more memorable than the 7th attraction of the day.

So my advice would be: book the things that really need booking, but don’t turn every day into a checklist.

Especially in cities like Rome, Naples, Florence, Bologna or Palermo, the atmosphere is a big part of the experience.

hope it helps!

I see constant comments of “you don’t need to carry your passport” all over here and r/italytravel - let me share an experience from today.

As a non-EU national (British) I have heeded advice to carry my passport in Italy and all other EU countries. Was on a train from Naples to Paestum this morning. Some time after Salerno, three Police officers enter the carriage.

One of them made a beeline for me, thrust out his hand and said “passport”. I handed it over, he flicked through it, another officer took a photo of it (they seemed to be doing some kind of check), and handed it back to me.

There were two other non-EU nationals on the train. They didn’t have passports, and were escorted off the train at the next station.

I’m not saying this will *always* happen, but I wanted to post this to counter the comments that it’s perfectly fine to leave in the hotel/carry a photocopy/have a photo on your phone/have your driving licence. They wanted the passport - and the actual physical document.

We are taking a trip in March to Italy. We have 6 full days, we are not including the day we land (nighttime) or day we leave (morning). We are debating whether to do Rome for 3, Florence 2, Venice 1, or have an extra day in Rome or Florence. Any thoughts?

I have been doing some homework as I will be visiting Italy next month. I learned some quirky things that you may get a fine if 1) you sit on Spanish steps in Rome; or 2) you eats in public side walks in Florence . Are there others ?

Not just “Rome, Florence, Venice” or the usual attractions. I mean the feeling, experience, food, place, or moment you hope to find when you come here.

What is it for you?

Does this sound like a lot for someone who’s never been to Italy but did research on the cities and doing solo in the fall? I booked it so can’t really change it anymore haha but would love anyone’s thoughts, opinion, and advice. Using domestic flights to get to each city by the way because I don’t want to have to move around my two suitcases and backpacks around. Would be way too difficult and stressful for me alone.

-Milan 2 days (1 day dedicated to a day trip to Lake Como)
-Florence 5 days (maybe a day trip to Bologna)
-Rome 3 days
-Taormina 4 days

Hi all,
For my honeymoon, I really want to go to Italy! It’ll be in August.
I definitely want to go to Rome and Pompei, where do you think is the best place to stay to do this?
I’ve been looking at Sorrento but how easy is it to get to those places from there?
My partner and I aren’t frequent travellers so the simpler the better really.
Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone! Planning a quick, high-impact family vacation to Italy this August. It’s my wife and I traveling with our two young-adult kids (21F and 18M). We know mid-August is peak heat and includes the Ferragosto holiday, so we’ve tailored this to keep logistics smooth (private transfers, evening trains, and skipping the gridlocked Amalfi Coast roads to stay in Sorrento instead).

We want a mix of bucket-list history, private boating, shopping, and beach relaxation. We are planning on booking all high-speed trains for the transfers between cities

Looking for any critiques on pace, tours, food spots, or logistics!

The Itinerary

• Day 1 (Aug 15) – Arrival in Naples/Travel to Sorrento
  • Land at NAP at 1:00 PM. Private van transfer straight to our hotel in Sorrento to beat the highway gridlock.
  • Late afternoon exploring Piazza Tasso.
  • Evening: Casual street eats/dinner and watching the traditional Ferragosto fireworks over the bay.
• Day 2 (Aug 16): Positano Boating, Shopping & Travel to Rome
  • Morning high-speed ferry to Positano.
  • 9:30 AM – 1:30 PM: Private 4-hour Gozzo boat cruise out of the Positano pier, swimming/snorkeling in coastal sea grottos.
  • Afternoon: Shopping in Positano
  • 4:30 PM ferry back to Sorrento to grab stored luggage.
  • Private van to Naples Centrale to catch a 7:30 PM train to Rome.
  • Late Night: Illuminated night walk to the Trevi Fountain when crowds are low.
• Day 3 (Aug 17): Ancient Rome & Cooking Class
  • Morning: Colosseum and Roman Forum
  • Afternoon: Museums and other sightseeing – open to ideas here
  • 5:00 PM: Hands-on family pasta and tiramisu making class
• Day 4 (Aug 18): Vatican, St. Peter's & Evening Rail to Venice
  • 8:00 AM: Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. Planning on doing the St. Peter's Dome Climb.
  • Afternoon: Lunch in Prati, walking the Spanish Steps.
  • 6:30 PM: Train to Venezia Santa Lucia.
• Day 5 (Aug 19): Historic Venice & Sunset Gondola
  • Morning: St. Mark’s Basilica and the Doge’s Palace.
  • Afternoon: Sightseeing – open to ideas here
  • 6:00 PM: Private sunset gondola ride
• Day 6 (Aug 20): Venice Lagoon & Lido Resort Beach
  • Late morning: Vaporetto over to Lido di Venezia
  • Afternoon: Pre-booked sun loungers at a beach club
  • Evening: Return to main Venice .
• Day 7 (Aug 21): Departure

A Few Specific Questions:

1. Day 2 Logistics: Is a 4:30 PM ferry from Positano back to Sorrento cutting it too close for a 7:30 PM train out of Naples Centrale? We have a private driver lined up from Sorrento to the station.
2. Lido di Venezia Beach: For those who have been to the Lido beach clubs in August, any specific recommendations on which one to book for a good mix of premium loungers and nearby bike rentals?
3. Skip the Line/Tours: I’ve seen conflicting information about this. Do we need to book 3^(rd) party skip the line entry for any of the sites? Are we better off with tours, or self-guided audio tours (or is this personal preference?
4. General: Does this seem like to compressed/rushed of a trip?  Any adjustments you would recommend?

Thanks in advance for any tips & advice!

 

Where can I purchase THC or CBD products in Italy? My husband and I are in Italy for our honeymoon. He suffers from extreme anxiety and on top of that has a ton of stomach problems. He believes the two are linked, and he uses marijuana at home to fix both issues. The problem is, we're from the USA where weed is completely legal, so he doesn't have a med card since he doesn't need it.

Now that we're in Italy, he's having tons of trouble. He can't sleep, hasn't eaten more than a few bites of food in 2 days, and when he tries to eat, he gets nauseous and throws up. He tried taking zofran too but that isn't helping. I'm thinking finding THC or CBD will help, but I can't figure out where we could get it. Any ideas? Or any other suggestions? Help!

Hi everyone! I’ll be traveling to Italy for the first time and had a quick question about transportation around FCO.

I fly into FCO on May 31 at 1:30pm and I’m staying one night in Fiumicino before my next flight out on June 1 at 7:30am. From what I understand, my hotel is only about a 10-minute drive from the airport.

I can’t seem to tell if there are buses/shuttles running into that town, so I’m planning to take a taxi. My biggest concern is getting one around 4:15am from Fiumicino to FCO. Are taxis usually easy to get that early?

FreeNow and WeTaxi are what I plan to use, let me know if there is any other platforms to use! I’m mostly worried about availability/reliability that early in the morning. Thanks in advance!

Hello!! We are planning to visit Italy on October 27-November 2 for my birthday. Since this will be our first time, is this a good time to visit in terms of weather and crowd? We want to visit Vatican City (museum and St. Peter's Basilica), Colosseum and shop for leather bag and shoes (local ones). I know November 1-2 are holidays so please suggest restaurants to go on these days.

Any recommendation and tips are greatly appreciated!

Hi! Looking for feedback on our Northern Italy itinerary. We’ll mainly be using trains/public transportation and trying to balance scenic nature spots with iconic cities/history while staying somewhat budget friendly.

Current route:

• Rome — 3 nights
- Colosseum/Roman Forum
- Vatican
- Pantheon/Trevi Fountain
- Catacombs

• Pisa — day stop only

• Rapallo / Portofino area — 2 nights
- Portofino
- Cinque Terre day trip possibility
- Coastal exploring

• Lake Como area (Bellano/Lierna side) — 3 nights
- Bellagio
- Varenna
- Nesso (must visit)
- Ferry rides and lake towns
- Relaxed scenic days

• Milan — 2 nights
- Exploring city/rest between travel days

• Bolzano (Dolomites base) — 2 nights
- Seceda
- Lago di Braies
- Scenic cable cars/mountain views

• Venice / Mestre area — 2 nights
- Venice canals/main sights
- Staying near Venice before flight home

Main questions:
- Is this route realistic with trains/public transportation?
- Is Bolzano a good Dolomites base without a car?
- Any hidden transportation issues with this route?
- Would you change any overnight stays or base towns?

Thank you!!

Hi everyone

My wife and I are flying into Naples mid October this year and this is the broad plan so far.

Sunday - land in Naples around 11am, spend the afternoon there then travel down to Pompeii where we will stay for 4 nights.

Monday - spend the whole day exploring Pompeii with a short guided tour then the rest by ourselves. Evening dinner in pompeii.

Tuesday - guided tour/hike path of the gods.

Wednesday - mount Vesuvius hike and Herculaneum visit

Thursday - fly back to UK early morning

Is there anything obviously stupid with that plan? Any must do or must not do?

At the moment we only have flights booked. So the world is out oyster

Ciao! I'm planning trip to Verona this August, and I would love to try some good white truffle dishes while I'm staying there. Any recommendation? Per favore!

My husband and I are flying into Milan around June 9 and out June 14 (flexible). We’ll be traveling with our 18-month-old daughter, and I’ll be entering my third trimester, so we’re looking for a slower, relaxing trip not a stressful itinerary.

I’ve always wanted to see Lake Como, but I’m wondering if it’s somewhere people recommend staying for several days or more of a day-trip type destination?

We’re looking for:
- relaxing experience
- beautiful 4-star or mid-luxury hotels
- easy logistics from Milan
- maybe golf nearby for my husband

Budget is around $500–800/night.

Would you spend most of the trip around Lake Como, pair it with somewhere else nearby, or choose another area in Northern Italy entirely?

Would love itinerary, town, and hotel recommendations thank you!!