My daughter is a senior next year. She has a bit of the travel bug (like me) but hasn't had the opportunity to go out of country yet. She is borderline obsessed with Italy (very food oriented) and my wife and I are talking about a family vacation next summer for her graduation gift. None of us has been to Europe and figuring out where to go and what to see is a bit intimidating. While I would like to see some of the architecture, statues, art, etc.... I don't have an overwhelming desire to fight the crowds for a glimpse of the touristy stuff. Think our main focus would be seeing a part of the country, experiencing the culture & food and enjoying some nice (hopefully not overcrowded) beaches. Also, none of us speak Italian, though I would likely invest in one of those translator ear pieces.

Based on that, where would you recommend we focus our attention and why? When would be the best time (we would have late June to early Aug)? Would be open to switching hotel/vrbo/airbnb locations but would ideally prefer 1-2 "homebase" spots for the entire trip with the option for day trips (assuming that makes sense). Probably looking at 7-10 days.

Do yourself a favor and go over Thanksgiving. No crowds and temps in the 60's. They don't celebrate it obviously, so everything will be open. Hotels will be cheaper too. It may not work on your timeframe, but kick the tires on it.

If you want all the best of Italy, but don't care about the major tourist destinations (Rome, Florence, Vatican) go to Sicily.

It's a PITA to get there, but once you're there it's fantastic. Most areas are low crowds (except for Taormina - which still isn't as crowded as say Rome or Florence), the food is excellent, beautiful beaches, and there's are historic ruins to visit. Food is absolutely amazing, and has some unique things you won't find on the mainland.

My favorite place was Cefalu, but we drove all over the island. We also went to the Anna Tasca Lanza cooking school that was fabulous. I'll post the link to my trip report.

Happy to give more info, if you are interested.

https://texags.com/forums/54/topics/3355286

cadetjay02 said:

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Do yourself a favor and go over Thanksgiving. No crowds and temps in the 60's. They don't celebrate it obviously, so everything will be open. Hotels will be cheaper too. It may not work on your timeframe, but kick the tires on it.

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Thanksgiving likely isn't feasible but possibly Spring Break. Would that be more advantageous than summer?

I would also vote for Sicily as it checks all of your boxes. We just returned from there this week and went all over the island. Plenty of beaches, ruins, castles, and churches. Not to mention an active Volcano. Was a great trip and although it wasn't "empty", crowds were never an issue. A lot of people there rented cars and drove themselves around, but that idea made my wife anxious. So we went through an Italy specific travel company and had drivers between all the cities which made things really easy and care-free. Happy to share their info if you decide to go that route.

Im curious how travel to Europe next summer will be impacted by a World Cup in the US?

And we have our first twist...... Talking to the wife this morning and she insists that a 1st trip to Italy MUST include a stop in Rome. I absolutely don't wanna spend our entire time there. So, the question is how long do we need to spend in Rome to see all the standard touristy stuff? And does it make sense to head down to Sicily (or Sardinia) from there or would it make more sense to hear to a different area?

I've been to Rome twice (once just wife and me and the other time with four kids between 6-14). In my opinion Rome can be done in 2 days especially if it's not where you want to be.

chjoak said:

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And we have our first twist...... Talking to the wife this morning and she insists that a 1st trip to Italy MUST include a stop in Rome. I absolutely don't wanna spend our entire time there. So, the question is how long do we need to spend in Rome to see all the standard touristy stuff? And does it make sense to head down to Sicily (or Sardinia) from there or would it make more sense to stick around Tuscany?

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I think she's right, Rome is a must see. You can do it in two days but you will feel rushed and you will need time adjust to the travel. There's so much to see, I would recommend three with a half day for a private tour of the Vatican.

I can't speak for crowds at spring break, but the weather will be better than summer and I would guess less crowds.

Also, I've done 4 days in Rome both trips, I did not get bored either time and could probably be entertained for another day or 2 on top of that.

I'm doing 2 weeks in Italy in November. Staying in Sorrento, Rome, and Florence. I have started a thread (looking for ideas) and I will provide a good, post trip, report.

https://texags.com/forums/54/topics/3528935/replies/69851337

As a travel advisor one of my specialties is Italy. I agree with you there is absolutely a blend of history, food and seeing what the country has to offer. If you are not working with an advisor my contact info is in my bio. I spent 18 days in Italy last summer and wanted to leave you with a few of my pics.

I always recommend the Rick Steves books. We've have fantastic trips based on the recommendations and planning using them.

One thing to keep in mind is that the European school year starts and ends later than the US. If you go after school is out in the US, flights will be more expensive, but if you go in June before school is out in Europe, the crowds will not be as bad as in July and August.

Sounds like Puglia would be your best bet, if uncrowded beaches are a priority.

I can't recommend a beach since I haven't gone down to Southern Italy but I highly highly recommend seeing the countryside. We did both Tuscany and Umbria and preferred Umbria because it was less touristy.

Tell your Wife Rome isn't all it is cracked up to be - hyper touristy and expensive. My wife and I agreed it was our least favorite part of the trip and wouldn't go back if it weren't a major airport. Florence is much nicer in our opinion. We arrived in Rome around noon the day before we flew out and saw most of the major attractions walking around in an afternoon. Granted we didn't go to the Vatican or spend much time in any of the museums, but you can absolutely see Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Collesium, Pantheon, etc. in a day. I'd agree with the above that you can probably do it in two full days if you want to see everything.

My suggestions:


Fly into Rome. Direct flights from DFW land in the morning. Spend the day walking around and exploring to fight off Jetlag. Spend a night or two depending on how much you want to see.

Rent a car. Drive to Umbria (only a little over an hour from Rome). Stay at an Agritourismo somewhere between Perugia and Spoleto and do a cooking class (I recommend Antonelli). Get all the Tuscan countryside experience without the crazy prices or crowds, drink some wine, eat some great food.

OR:

Fly into Milan (also lots of flight options. If you go by way of JFK you can fly on Emirates A380 for a really unique experience.)
Spend a day or two in Como. Get a different kind of beach experience - Como was one of our favorite parts of our trip!

Rent a car or take the train to Florence. Spend at least two nights in Florence. It takes a full day to see the sights there.

Drive from Florence to Rome and spend a few nights in Tuscany or Umbria since they are along the way.

Fly out of Rome.

If you're only wanting to do two main bases for the trip, I'd recommend figuring out how to get to Florence and Umbria/Tuscany, as to us those were the best parts of Italy. We'll probably fly back into Rome on our next trip, but will rent a car and get out of the city asap.

Based on some of the suggestions above and some ideas I found elsewhere, I started leaning Rome/Naples/Amalfi but we are starting to lean heavily towards a Spring Break or possibly push to Thanksgiving 2026 (2025 wont work) for cooler temps, lighter crowds and hopefully cheaper rates. Either way the high temps during those dates look to be in the upper 60s so beach doesnt seem like a good option. With that time of year, I started leaning Rome/Tuscany and I wanna try to get in a pro soccer match (Sat or Sun) while in one of the major cities (probably Rome).

My current idea is to have the kids skip school Thur/Fri before the holiday so we would have a 9-10 days in Italy and 1-2 days back home to readjust before heading back to school. So.....

Thur - travel, checkin, wander around
Fri - Vatican, St Petes, something else?
Sat - Soccer game, something else?
Sun - head to next spot, checkin, wander around
.....
.....
Fri or Sat - fly home

That's where the plan currently sits mostly because I haven't figured out what's next. Im not opposed to going to more than 2 "base locations". I just dont want to feel rushed or overwhelmed. Maybe it won't be a big deal. Only time we've ever done a multi stop vacation was on a cruise.

Added note. My wife is freaked out about the idea of renting a car. Think she believes it would be weird driving anywhere other than the US. So until/unless she changes her mind we would likely be sticking to train/cab transportation.

Soccer schedules are released relatively late. I don't know if they move game dates late for television and to clear room for other competitions like in other European countries, so that's something to look out for. If you want to see the top level, then you should plan your weekend to fall in one of the cities with two Serie A clubs (Rome, Milan, Turin). Also, you should check to make sure that weekend is not set aside for international play.

As to renting a car, two words: zero deductible. Get a car through Auto Europe (a consolidator based in the US), pay for the zero deductible insurance waiver, and go for it. Are you comfortable driving a stick? If not, you'll need to rent a higher class of car but that should ensure you have Apple Car Play (great if you are an iPhone user). Buy an eSIM that provides data for Italy (international plans through your US carrier may provide the kind of data needed of you are using your phone for navigation and not relying on offline maps). I've driven in several European countries and, as long as you are not talking about one where they drive in the wrong side of the road, nor driving in big cities, it's the best way to see rural areas. Don't rent a car for your entire trip, but do pick one up for a few days if you want to see the hill towns of Tuscany.

When my wife and I went to Italy five years ago we rented a car when we left Rome. We drove around the hill towns in Tuscany and had a great time. I highly recommend exploring on your own. One of my favorite memories from our trip was getting a little lost in Tuscany.

I would strongly advise against driving in Rome. My 1st trip over we flew into Pisa from Paris. We rented a car in Pisa and used it for a few days to explore Tuscany. We dropped it off in Orvieto to take the train into Rome. The roads are Tuscany are cozy and you'll be distracted by the obnoxiously beautiful countryside, but it's worth it and not a big deal. Be aware of the small hill towns parking and restrictions on only resident vehicles in the interior of the town. The Rick Steves book was helpful on that and once you hit a couple towns you will know what signs to look for.

I was in Italy in March for 10 days and based myself in Florence to do some day trips. One of them was to Arezzo, and I loved it. I told myself that next time I'm back in Tuscany, I'm going to try and base there.

On a previous trip, I stayed in Chianciano Terme for a week and spent my time visiting different towns around Southern Tuscany. It's a great spot if you have a car, totally untouristy but close to many of the region's most famous towns. We'd come back to Chianciano at night and it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. I think we only saw one other group of foreigners the entire week, a couple from France.

I'll also say this about Rome. The first time I went there, I wasn't feeling it at all and had no desire to ever go back. On subsequent trips, I ended up going back through Rome (it was unavoidable), and now it's probably my favorite major city in Europe. There are so many interesting neighborhoods outside of the packed center.

As others have said, renting a car and driving around the Italian countryside is not an issue at all. I did just get a ticket in the mail 9 months after our trip for driving down the wrong street in Rome, so agreed that driving in the city isn't the best idea.
Tell your wife if you guys want to see Tuscany, you're really not going to get to explore much without a car. Just park on the outskirts of the hill towns and walk in and you won't have any issues.

If you're concerned about insurance, get a Chase Sapphire card and use it to pay for the car rental. It gives primary rental car insurance as a benefit of the card.

Might want to consider flying into Florence (or Milan), and getting a one way rental - Auto Europe suggested here is who we used - and immediately drive an hour or so out of town. You then have the flexibility to hit a number of places between there and Rome where you can drop off the car and not drive in the city - which I have only done once on a business trip and will never do again.

For rural Italy, I recommend checking out the Agritourismos….similar to our Air BB, but on working farms, vineyards, etc.. They are generally very friendly and less expensive than your typical US type hotels. Piombaia Winery outside of Montalcino is a good example plus they have a fantastic restaurant that specializes in Brunello Risotto. Lots to do from that base if you want to call it that and are willing to drive.

Stumbled across San Galgano the last time there - long story, but the sword in the stone is there…yes, that sword in the stone. Best food I have had in Italy was in the small cafe outside.

We went to Rome for 7 days and Florence for 3.
Trains from the airport into Rome are easy. You didn't need a car there as most of what you want to see is walking distance.
We took the train to Florence and got to view the countryside that way. Plus in Florence we did a fiat 500 tour. Got to drive the little car following a guide into the countryside and ended at a winery for a tasting. Super fun!
That would check boxes of seeing the countryside, getting driving in but not too much, and the food everywhere is awesome
You gotta decide do you just want to see things to say you saw them..... Or are you really wanting to take it all in.
So much to simply see in Rome that 2 days ain't enough... Let alone if you want to tour things.....Vatican, colloseum, roman forum, etc