Join A Secret Italy

What to Visit on a Ten Day Vacation in Italy

by Marlene
(RI, USA)

Simplicity is key

I would like to take a vacation of ten days in Italy this summer - which are the best places to visit during these ten days?

Maria's reply:
If you have ten days in Italy I would suggest one of three possible alternatives depending on your particular interests and tastes. They are...

Tens Days in Italy - Option 1

This option would involve visiting a few of the loveliest cities in Italy. In my opinion you need a minimum of three days in each city to really get to know them well. This would mean that in ten days, allowing for traveling time, you could comfortably visit three cities.

Which cities in Italy to visit? Have a look at my guide to the best cities in Italy for some ideas.

Personally I would exclude Milan completely and definitely include Venice. Three days in Venice would give you time to discover some of the little known corners of the city. Rome too is an absolute must, try one of these hotels if you do decide to visit.

The third city? That is up to you really but I would suggest either Florence or Turin. Florence is convenient being between Rome and Venice so making the logistics pretty easy but I would prefer Turin to Florence myself. I just feel Turin is a more "real" Italian city and it has easily as much to see as Florence.

With this option you don't need a car rental because the best way to travel between cities is by train and once you are in the cities you can easily explore by foot and by using public transport, in fact driving in most Italian cities is a nightmare and in Venice it is quite impossible unless your car floats really well.


Tens Days in Italy - Option 2

If, rather than a lot of museums, crowds and other tourist sights in big cities, you would like to discover the "real" Italy. An Italy where life is still lived according to the quotation of Leonardo da Vinci in the photo, then try this option...

Choose a region of Italy, preferably one not overrun with tourist and stay in a village or small town in the countryside while exploring by car and/or bicycle if you have the energy.

Three regions spring to mind, Piedmont, the Marche Region and of course the the Veneto.

In the Veneto or Piedmont you could easily include a few days in the main city of each region, namely Venice and Turin. In this way you get to experience the "real" Italy plus a few days in one of the great cities of Italy too.

The perfect base as far as the Veneto goes would be somewhere like Soave - click here for my guide to Soave. This is a lovely little town and it's perfectly located making it easy to explore the wine country, Verona and Venice, the dolomite mountains and Lake Garda too.

Why not Tuscany? Tuscany is a lovely region but it's becoming increasingly spoiled by tourism in my opinion .

Option 3 - Coastal Italy

With this option you could explore a coastal region of Italy, enjoying quaint seaside villages, good beaches and some of the best seafood on earth.

I would suggest you choose either the Ligurian coast and the Cinque Terre or else a trip to the magical island of Sardinia which has the best beaches in Europe.