Has anyone been to Italy and can recommend which top cities to see? We only have about 10 days and want to know what to skip out on. We were thinking Florence, Rome, Venice and Milan? Are those all worth spending a couple days in.

You'll likely find that a couple days isn't enough for Rome but for Venice it is. Can't speak for the other two though. The other place I wish we would have gone is Cinque Terre.

Pompeii is a must. San Marino. Ostia, just outside Rome good for a beach day

I have a absolute great walk through Rome if you want as well. Great book to read is Rick Steves, i think his name is, worth every penny. Contact me through here and if you want to talk more and I'll PM you.

That's too much for 10 days. Skip Milano for sure. Pick Florence if you love art, Rome if you love history, Venice if you love unique disappearing things. Also Venice and Florence are close and Rome is a day to get to. Pompeii is amazing but will add another day of travel to get there.

Skip Milan

Florence, Rome, and Naples were our favorites... for cities...

I did Florence and Rome in 10 days, and it was not enough! I loved them both. I agree with the others and skip Milan, you will have such limited time in each city. If you have time, I would do Pompeii, it was amazing, but a full day out of your Rome time, so you have to really think about what you want to do. Enjoy your trip! It's so beautiful there, I can't wait to go back

We also skipped Milan; the only attraction we would've gone for was The Last Supper. We really enjoyed Salerno, both because it's a nice seaside town, but also it was a great jumping off point to see Pompeii & Paestum. I also second the Rick Steves recommendation; his Italy book is great but there are also audio tour guides on his website that you can install on an mp3 player rather than pay to rent the guides at the sites. Cinque Terre is amazing if you're outdoorsy & like a good hike.

Out of your list I would only ever go to Venice again. Florence and Rome were dirty and there are a lot of thieves. I really wish I had gone to Naples.

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Venice, Florence, Rome, maybe a Tuscan hill town like San Gimignano, and we loved our 4 day stay in Sorrento, with easy visits to Pompeii, the Amalfi coast, and Capri. I've not been to Milan but friends have told me they wouldn't go again.

4 days Rome (with Naples/Pompeii as a day-trip), 3 days Florence/Tuscany, and 3 days Cinque Terre stopping to see Lucca on the way. Fly home from Pisa. Skip Milan and save Venice for another trip. Do buy Rick Steve's' book Europe Through the Back Door. It will pay for itself 100-fold in savings & really sound tips that maximize your time & experience. There are petty thieves everywhere and Rick's book will teach you how to stay secure while travelling. The Express train from Rome to Florence takes less than two hours. Do Rome first because it's wonderful & amazing, but also exhausting & nerve-wracking. Your vacation will relax significantly once you leave Rome.

I'm finding the comments about Rome interesting. I found it chaotic and dirty too and was ready to leave when I was there. Eight years later though it's one of the first cities that comes to mind (out of a three month, 13 country tour) that I really want to go back to!!

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We visited Rome, Venice and Florence; so incredibly amazing, but I wish I had visited Tuscany!
Florence is beautiful and quaint. I can't remember if it was our first stop in Italy or not, but regardless, we were winging it with each city and not always booking hotels/hostels ahead of time. We had arrived sometime in May when there was a huge festival going on and there were no hostel/hotels available. We ended up sleeping the night in the park. (I can laugh about it now!)

If you drive from Florence to Rome, you can visit Pisa along the way. Rome has so much history that I loved it there. You can visit Vatican City while in Rome as well. IMHO Venice, Florence, Rome are must sees. Make sure you taste the gelato!

Rome is just... amazing. There are no words!!

We spent 10 days in Italy... 4 days in Cinque Terre (stay in Monterosso that way you won't need to lug a backpack/luggage up any hills after getting off the train... And when you visit the other towns bring your bathing suit so you can swim) we then drove to Pisa (not much in Pisa other than the tower/church) and onto Florence - same day. Loved Florence!!! We then went to Rome and from Rome did a day trip to Capri on our own. Took the bullet train from Rome to Naples and then a taxi to the ferry. Need to see the blue grotto in Capri and pay the $10 euro to go in. We were there in sept so it wasn't that busy but heard it can be a bit of a wait - but worth it!!! I would skip Venice Milan and Naples. Would have liked to go to Tuscany but only had 10 days. We also rented a car as my husband wanted to drive the autostrada... It let us be not be dependant/constrained by the train times but you don't need to.... The train system is great!!

Rome 3 days, Florence 2 days + 1 day at Sienna or San Gimignano (just to get a taste), Venice 3 days is a good itinerary.

we went to piza for just a stopover on our way somewhere else. Just to see the leaning tower and have lunch. Was pretty cool. Good hot dog (if that is what it was)

Venice (and Padova), Florence (plus Sienna, Pisa and St.Giminniano), Rome, Naples with some islands (Capri is the closest one), Amalfi cost - all must see. And while in Rome don't miss Vatican!! It is one of the best museums in the world!

I'm going in July and my plan is to fly into Venice (2 days), Cinque Terre/Monterosso (2 days), Florence (5 days), and Rome (5 days). I'll be flying out of Rome and doing all travel between cities by train. Haven't planned the side trips yet so this thread is really helpful.

Skip Milan. Do Rome, Florence, cinque Terre is a must and Venice was neat to see too!

In July it would be not a bad experience to go to Lidos around Venice for some beaches. They are not 'Caribbean' but worth trying
. In Venice - Murano island is a great place to visit (their glass is world famous)

Milano as well as Genova and some famous lakes are worth a separate visit. Love Italy!

Florence!!!

Didn't go to Milan, but Florence, Rome and Venice are musts. While in Rome, you should also take a train trip to Pompeii. You could spend a night in Sorrento and maybe drive the Amalfi Coast road, though that is a lot to pack into ten days.

Don't miss Capri, Sorrento, and the lost city of Pompeii

I did the above mentioned list in 2 days

A must see is Venice and Rome. I didn't make it to Florence but I was told the only thing there is the leaning tower of Pisa. Amalfi coast was awesome.

Didn't go to Milan. But loved Venice, Rome and I think we could have enjoyed Florence if we hadn't gone to museums (wasn't my thing). Wish we would have gone to Cinque Terre or Tuscany instead of the stupid museums. I agree that Amalfi coast is a must too!! We went to Sorrento and loved it. Would try for Positano maybe next time....

Sorrento, Amalfi coast, Positano& Ravello
Make sure you get into the Tuscany countryside, you won't regret it!

Skip Milan. I split about 10 day in the other 3 and had a fabulous time.

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Recently spent 2 weeks in Italy. Would recommend: Sorrento; Positano; Pompeii; Florence; Rome; Venice and Lake Como.

Loved Taromina (Sicily), quiet and peaceful. Florence (Statue of David), Rome, Venice, and The Amalfi Coast (Positano, Sorrento, Capri, & Pompeii). I can't speak to the rest.

Rome, Florence, Venice and a day trip to Lake Como

How far is it from Rome to Positano ?

4-5 hours by car aprox

I'm also planning a 14 days trip to Italy on August. My plan was 4 nights Rome ( including a day trip to Pompeii ), 3 nights
Florence ( and half day in Pisa ), 3 night Cinque Terre ( because we love the beach ),2 nights Genoa, and 2 nights in Venice ( with Murado as part of a day trip). I found out from reviews that Milan is more towards shopping so I cross it out of my list. I'm really interested in the Amalfi coast but not sure which city to cross out if I have to add the Amalfi coast . Does anyone have any suggestions? We'll be travelling by trains on all cities and would appreciate the best route possible.

Am I the only person on Earth who did not like Venice? It was July -- hot ,VERY crowded, and the gondola ride was meh. Saw Carmen at the outdoor opera in Verona coliseum -- amazing and fun! Stayed at a villa near Sienna. Loved Rome. Make sure to book ahead and get a good tour guide for the Vatican! It made all the difference. At the Colosseum we just chose someone who was outside the entrance and it was very disappointing.

I hear you Cathleen! :)) And ppl there (I mean locals) are soooo rude! The attitude is kind of `get lost, we are soo tired of you tourists being here` The other thing I didn`t like while there was that the tips were included in the bill. Always. With pretty much lack of service. But it is one of those place that must bee seen. Considering that there is a thread of losing this city at all...

I didn't like Venice either. Good to see once and cross it off your bucket list. I would never waste time or money going back to Venice

Elaine, we took the train from Rome to Salerno and on the way there met a couple of Italians who were quite shocked by the fact that we are going to Salerno for vacation (I didn`t want to discuss our plans much so we just said we are going there for vacation). When we were leaving the train they helped us with our luggage and almost said `good bye`to us for ever. So I must say once we left the train we were quite scared...
We were going to Positano from there and there were 2 choices: take the bus or taxi. Taxi were way too much we wanted to spend so we waited for the bus. The ride was unbelievable! Look at all those pictures online with narrow roads and cliffs! You will experience each one of them! I have to say that the road from Sorrento to Positano is not that sacring/picturesque. So, we took the bus till Amalfi where we made a transfer to even smaller local bus and finally go to Positano. It was quite an adventure, but something to remember. For sure!