When planning a trip to Italy the mistake most people make is trying to see too much in a short period of time. They over look many of the great sites by rushing from city to city. Here is a sample 10 – 11 day itinerary, assuming that you are flying over night to Italy.

This route includes major cities and some of the great destinations in Italy. The focus is on northern Italy. This itinerary assumes you will be traveling by plane, train and bus.

Day 1--Fly overnight to Rome. (If you are able to fly to Florence this is even better.)

Day 2--Travel to Florence. Spend the afternoon visiting the Duomo. Take the public bus to the Piazza Michelangelo for the sunset view of Florence. Over night in Florence.

Day 3—-Florence and Pisa. Spend the morning at the Uffizi Gallery viewing some of the world’s greatest art. Take the train to Pisa in the afternoon. Return to Florence and over night in Florence.

Day 4—-Travel to Venice (this is about a 3 hour train ride). Take a vaporetto down the Grand Canal, sitting up front if possible to enjoy the best view. Visit San Marco’s and wander the streets of the city. Over night in Venice.

Day 5—-Spend the day in Venice. Visiting the many churches, Jewish ghetto, and perhaps the islands of Murano and Burano. Over night in Venice.

Day 6—-Travel to Assisi (this is a 5 – 6 hour train ride with a change). Begin your time with a visit to San Damiano Chapel where St. Francis received his calling to rebuild Christ's Church. Over night in Assisi.

Day 7-—Spend the day in Assisi. That afternoon travel to Rome (this is about a 2 hour train ride). Overnight in Rome.

Day 8—-Tour ancient Rome.* Overnight in Rome.

Day 9—-Spend the day at the Vatican Museum and St. Peter’s. Over night in Rome.

Day 10—-Return back home.

Day 11--Optional. If staying an extra day in Rome go to the Christian Catacombs, Fosse Ardeatine, or Ostia Antica.

*--If you only have one or two days in Rome hop on one of the tour buses that allow you to get on and off all day long. The recorded commentary isn’t perfect, but you will cover a lot of ground with good information in a short period of time. We used the Vaitcan’s OpenBus because of its 24 hour ticket policy. On our last trip to Rome we took an evening tour, riding on the upper, open air level of the bus making a complete round of the major sites. The next day we hopped onto the first bus of the morning and enjoyed the day visiting new and favorite sights. There are other bus lines available.