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Italy itineraries - Rome and the Venice, Florence, Rome circuit

Use these routes as flexible frameworks rather than schedules carved in stone. The Rome plans show how to shape one or three days in the capital, while the nine-day route links Venice, Emilia-Romagna, Florence, Tuscany and Rome with a practical sequence of rail journeys.

Rome in one day

A single day in Rome is a fast-moving tour from the Baroque centre to the ancient city. Start early, wear genuinely comfortable shoes and protect a little time for simply wandering: the city makes more sense when the planned sights are joined by its streets and piazzas.

Itinerary

Rome in 1 day - from Piazza Navona to the Trevi Fountain

  1. 01Begin near Piazza Navona at Sant'Eustachio il Caffè, aiming for its 7:30 a.m. opening. Before the streets fill, see the painted ceiling at Sant'Ignazio and the Old Master collection in the princely Palazzo Doria Pamphilj.
  2. 02Continue north to the Pantheon, then step into San Luigi dei Francesi to see Caravaggio's earliest major commissions. Just before lunch, return to Piazza Navona and its Bernini fountains.
  3. 03Leave the piazza by Via della Cuccagna and walk toward Campo de' Fiori, whose open-air food market makes a natural lunch stop. Continue west for two more blocks to the Tiber and then follow Via Giulia, the Renaissance street commissioned by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century. Its run of about 10 blocks includes palazzos and ivy-covered antique shops.
  4. 04Use the bus stop near the Tiber to reach the Vatican. See St. Peter's Basilica and spend about two hours in the Musei Vaticani, including the Sistine Chapel. The middle of the day can be a slightly quieter moment for the museums, and an online reservation costs an extra €5 service fee but can save substantial waiting time.
  5. 05From the Ottaviano stop, take the Metro to Colosseo. Enter the Colosseum, then follow Via dei Fori Imperiali into the Roman Forum. Walk along the ancient Via Sacra, and stay long enough to see the Forum close at sunset and its floodlights take over.
  6. 06Pass around the Vittoriano monument, often nicknamed the wedding cake, to reach the Campidoglio on Capitoline Hill. Visit the Musei Capitolini for ancient Roman art and look over the Forum from the Tabularium. The terrace beside the museum café points toward St. Peter's; without a museum ticket, the top of Via Monte Tarpeo gives another dramatic Forum view.
  7. 07After dinner, take a taxi or make the long passeggiata toward the Trevi Fountain. It is especially atmospheric at night. Toss a coin over your shoulder before moving on, as generations of visitors have done.

Rome in three days

Three days let Rome breathe. Give one day to the ancient centre, one to the Vatican and the Baroque heart of town, and one to the Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese and Trastevere. You will see more than on a single rush through the city and still have room for neighbourhood meals and evening walks.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Ancient Rome

  1. 01Make the Colosseum the first stop and aim for its 8:30 a.m. opening. Advance tickets are useful here, especially when the city is busy.
  2. 02Use the rest of the morning and afternoon for the Roman Forum and the Musei Capitolini. The sights are close together, but their archaeological layers and collections can easily fill a full day.
  3. 03A guided visit to the Forum can make the ruined temples, columns and basilicas easier to read. Finish with a classic Roman dinner in Monti, close to the ancient sights.
Itinerary

Day 2 - The Vatican and Piazza Navona

  1. 01Cross into the Vatican City area and give the Musei Vaticani a full visit, including Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel. Reserve online in advance; the official booking adds a €5 fee, but the time saved is valuable. A guided museum visit commonly lasts about two hours.
  2. 02Make time for St. Peter's Basilica as well as the museums, then stop for lunch in Prati. The neighbourhood is close enough to keep the day moving without turning the Vatican into a hurried photo stop.
  3. 03Cross the Tiber in the afternoon for Piazza Navona and its sculpture-filled setting. Continue to the Pantheon, then settle near Campo de' Fiori for an outdoor dinner. The surrounding bars give the evening a natural second act.
Itinerary

Day 3 - Piazza di Spagna, Villa Borghese and Trastevere

  1. 01Start with breakfast near the Trevi Fountain, then window-shop along Via Condotti and the surrounding streets as you approach the Spanish Steps.
  2. 02From Piazza di Spagna, walk into Villa Borghese. Use the park for a slower afternoon and its viewpoints if you have had enough museums, or reserve time for the Galleria Borghese if you want another concentrated art collection.
  3. 03Spend the final evening in Trastevere. Have dinner there, then wander the cobbled lanes and medieval houses while stopping at a few bars for a relaxed last night in Rome.
Itinerary

An extra day - Ostia Antica or a slower Rome

  1. 01For an archaeological escape, take the train from Porta San Paolo to Ostia Antica. Services leave every 15 minutes and the ride takes about 35 minutes. Explore the remarkably preserved ancient port at your own pace and stop for lunch in town.
  2. 02Other day-trip choices include the villas of Tivoli, the small villages of the Castelli Romani and the whimsical gardens of Bomarzo.
  3. 03If you would rather remain in the city, use the extra time for churches such as Sant'Ignazio and San Clemente, palaces such as Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, or less familiar museums including MAXXI and MACRO.
  4. 04Another city-based afternoon can follow the ancient Via Appia Antica and its atmospheric catacombs, combining Roman history with a change from the central streets.

Nine days - Venice, Florence, Rome and highlights in between

This nine-day circuit is a working outline that can be adjusted around your interests and the amount of time you have. It begins in Venice, adds Ferrara and Bologna, uses Florence as a base for Lucca and Pisa, and finishes with two full days in Rome before departure.

Itinerary

Day 1 - Venice arrival

  1. 01Land at Venice Marco Polo Airport and continue to Venice by Alilaguna boat or bus. Check into your hotel, then spend the first afternoon getting deliberately lost among the canals before dinner.
Itinerary

Day 2 - Venice from Giudecca to the Zattere

  1. 01Photographers should rise before dawn for a vaporetto to Giudecca. Walk along the long Fondamenta while early light warms Palladio's Redentore and opens wide canal views. Stop for coffee at a proper Italian bar before the main sightseeing begins.
  2. 02Work through the Basilica di San Marco, Palazzo Ducale and Galleria dell'Accademia. Save time for Piazza San Marco itself: the approach through the city builds toward the sudden scale of the square.
  3. 03At lunch, try sarde in saor, the Venetian sweet-and-sour sardine dish prepared with onions and raisins. Continue to the fish market at the foot of the Rialto Bridge, then watch the sunset from the Zattere.
  4. 04End the day at a bar on Campo San Luca or Campo Santa Margherita, where students and families gather in the open space and the absence of cars becomes part of the pleasure.
Itinerary

Day 3 - Ferrara and Bologna

  1. 01Take the train to Ferrara, about 90 minutes away. Visit the Castello Estense and the Duomo, then stop for lunch before exploring the cobblestone streets.
  2. 02Continue by train to Bologna, a journey of less than an hour. Check into your hotel and walk to Piazza Maggiore before dinner, taking in the bustle and architectural details around the Fontana del Nettuno.
  3. 03Leave the evening open for Bologna's nightlife, one of the rewards of adding the city rather than treating it as a station between Venice and Florence.
Itinerary

Day 4 - Bologna to Florence

  1. 01Use the morning for Bologna's churches and piazzas. Walk beneath the porticoes, look up at the medieval towers and browse the tempting delis.
  2. 02After lunch, take the short train journey to Florence. The timing leaves room to check in, take an afternoon siesta and join the evening passeggiata through the city.
Itinerary

Day 5 - Florence's great art and views

  1. 01Begin at the Uffizi Gallery. Among the works to seek out are Botticelli's Primavera and Birth of Venus, Raphael's Madonna of the Goldfinch and Caravaggio's Bacchus.
  2. 02Walk to Piazza del Duomo and see Brunelleschi's extraordinary dome. If you have a reservation, climb it for the city view, then pause for a simple trattoria lunch.
  3. 03Give the afternoon either to more art or to the climb up to Piazzale Michelangelo for its outlook over Florence. Finish with bistecca alla Fiorentina, the traditional grilled T-bone served with olive oil.
Itinerary

Day 6 - Lucca and Pisa

  1. 01After breakfast, take the train to Lucca, about 90 minutes away. See the Romanesque Duomo and walk along the medieval city walls before stopping for lunch at a trattoria.
  2. 02Continue to Pisa by train, a journey of about 30 minutes. Spend the afternoon in the Campo dei Miracoli with the Leaning Tower, the Duomo and the Battistero.
  3. 03Walk down toward the Arno and have dinner at one of the inexpensive local restaurants in Pisa's everyday city centre rather than ending the visit at the monument complex.
Itinerary

Day 7 - Florence to Rome

  1. 01Take a high-speed train to Rome. The journey takes about 90 minutes from Florence or three hours from Pisa, so plan the departure point around where you finish Day 6.
  2. 02After checking into your hotel, rest briefly, then walk through Piazza Navona, Campo de' Fiori and the Trevi Fountain. The fountain is at its best in the evening.
  3. 03Stop for a stand-up aperitivo at an unpretentious local bar. Campari and soda is a classic choice, followed by dinner at one of Rome's popular local pizzerias.
Itinerary

Day 8 - Vatican, the ancient city and Piazza di Spagna

  1. 01Start at the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, where Michelangelo's frescoes provide the focus. Continue to St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square.
  2. 02Have lunch near the Pantheon, then visit the Pantheon itself before moving to the Colosseum. From there, use Via dei Fori Imperiali to look down over the Roman Forum.
  3. 03End at Piazza di Spagna, on foot or by taxi from the Colosseum, and browse its stylish boutiques before dinner.
Itinerary

Day 9 - Rome and departure

  1. 01Travel by taxi to Roma Termini and take the train onward to Fiumicino Airport.
  2. 02For most travelers, the airport train from Termini is preferable to a taxi ride, making the station the final practical link in the circuit.
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Choose the Rome plan that matches your time, then use the nine-day circuit as a framework you can slow down, shorten or reshape around the places you most want to experience.