Looking to go to Italy in Sept or Oct with my husband. We are in our mid/ late 20's. Looking for recommendations on things to see and places to go? Thinking 10- 14 days. TIA
Edit: considering adding santorini, mykonos, and Athens to our trip. Advice for greece is helpful too! Thanks!!

Debbie Leskiw
If you start in Greece, Santorini is a must! My absolute favourite place in Greece. We took an overnight ferry from Greece (can’t remember where we boarded) but landed in Brindisi, Italy. We then took an 8 hour train to Rome. The ferry was very economical as was the train and the countryside was spectacular by train. This was many years ago now, though, so not sure of current pricing. Capri is well worth the trip! Vatican City/ Sistene Chapel is amazing as well!

Italy is such a beautiful country. Each region offers something different. We spent three weeks and shared our time between Venice, Tuscany, Sorrento and Rome. Loved each place. There is no place else on Earth like Venice. Magical. During the days it is extremely busy. That is why we stayed right near San Marco. Then it was great to explore after everyone left. Tuscany is relatively inexpensive. Stunning countryside and medieval hill towns. A car really helps explore places like San Gimignano, Sienna...either stay in the countryside and go into Florence, or stay in Florence and make day trips to rural Tuscany. Galleries in Florence are some of the world’s best. And don’t forget the wine! Sorrento, south of Rome, on the Bay of Naples was comfortable and the scenery is amazing. Stay there or on Capri. Tour the Amalfi Coast. Visit Pompeii. Rome is one of the world’s great cities. So much to see. Colosseum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and fun streetside cafes. A tour of the Vatican museum and St Peters is well worth it, as is the Borghese Gallery for its sculptures. Friends raved about the hikes along Cinque Terre, if you are interested in stunning hikes along seaside cliffs, hiking from village to village. I recommend Rick Steve’s Italy tourbook. Lots of common sense information to help you decide on what you would like to see. No matter where you choose to go, I am sure you will enjoy immensely.

Ron totally agree with all of this.

Check out Alberobello and Locorotondo to stay in a Trullo. Montepulciano, San Gimignano and most of the rest of Tuscany have some amazing B&Bs and lots to see including a day trip to Florence. Gubbio is a beautiful place close to Assissi - we stayed in a gorgeous palace there. It's hard to go and not see ancient Rome for a couple of days. September and October are great months to be in Italy.

Definitely add Santorini - it is one of the most stunning places in the world. You can’t go wrong going there.
For Italy, make sure you stop in Venice. This is probably my favourite European city. You’re guaranteed to get lost but it’s totally worth it. Gondola rides, visits to Murano for the glass and Burano for lace. It’s an amazing city with amazing history.

Check out Cinque Terra. It’s very beautiful. Definitely Stay overnight if you have time but you can also do it in a daytrip from Florence.

Amalfi Coast is lovely.
Naples is an amazing city; perhaps a bit gritty, but incredible.
Island of Capri; swim in the Blue Grotto right after the tour boats depart. Most amazing swim of my life!

From Naples we took a tour to Pompeii and the Amalfi coast . Great tour.

I second Cinque Terre. We stayed overnight and were able to hike between the towns. Beautiful to see the olive trees and the different terrain along the hike. We rented a place through airbnb in Riomaggiore. Lots of steps to climb to get to the suite but a cute place to stay (look up Center Town listing in airbnb). Florence was amazing too.

Absolutely!!

You have to go stay at Capri for a few days!! We really enjoyed Florence and Venice as well, did not like Naples.

I'd probably recommend at least 3 days in Rome (Coliseum, Forum, Vatrican, Vatican Museum, Trevi Fountain, Parthenon, etc.), 3 days in Florence (uffizi gallery, the academy with Michaelangelo, day drive on the 222 into wine country), just one day in Venice, maybe 3 days in naples area (Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri). I liked Milan as well. Nice can be a nice addon if you have time. Highly recommend buying tickets ahead of time so you can skip big lines, florence even the day before usually works. Recommend Italo Treno for getting around too (although I think most trains work well). We also flew on a couple economy flights to get around as it was faster. I think Naples to Nice to Venice. Hope this helps!

Barrett mostly agree but I’d add a few nights in Venice I mean what if the weather is horrid the one day there and you miss out on a nice gondola ride !!

If that's your jam it's cool. I've done the gondola ride but personally prefer taking the waterboat one way and walking back.

Walking tours are great!!!! We did one in each city we went to, one of my favourite things we did. Also, Pompeii cannot be missed

Try the island of Sardinia, we stayed in Villasimus!