Two Weeks Italy Itinerary

We had many travel plans cancelled in 2020 due to coronavirus. Luckily it was possible for us to travel to neighbouring country Italy for our two week summer holidays. 

Our Route:

We started in the Dolomites, then spent some time on Lake Garda before continuing south to Tuscany.

Bolzano

After hiking in St Anton am Arlberg in Austria, we crossed the border into Italy with a first stop in Reschensee. 

We spent the night in Bolzano and had the most amazing dinner at Franziskanerstuben where we had a lovely spaghetti frutti di mare and guinea fowl. 

Bear in mind that Bolzano city center is a car free place and you would need to park at one of the park houses and walk to your hotel. 

The next morning, we drove towards Seiser Alm where we took the cable car up to Compatsch for our first hike in the Dolomites to see Sassolungo. 

Cortina d’Ampezzo

This famous winter ski resort was our home for 4 nights as we continued to explore the Dolomites. 

Click here for all the amazing places we went to during our time in Cortina, namely the Tre Cime hike. 

A restaurant we loved was Il Vizietto di Cortina. Restaurant Ariston Bar served the most incredible spaghetti with white meat sauce and black truffles – like bolognese with beef but without tomatoes, instead with cream. 

Venice

Venice needs no introduction. Having been there twice, I was excited to introduce the city of canals for the first time to the kids. I also wanted to go to Burano for the first time. 

Unfortunately for us, the weather forecast showed it would rain and it sure did. We decided to give it a go anyway. Big mistake. 

Parking in Venice was not cheap. EUR 6 per hour or a day parking for above 30 Euros (I can’t remember – no wonder not a lot of cars were queuing for this park house) at Piazzale Roma.  

We headed towards the canal in the rain and asked for tickets to Burano. We were advised to take the day pass for EUR 20 per adult. I soon realised we had not seen anything but had already spent over EUR 70. 

We got into the water taxi that stopped in Murano. We shouldn’t have gotten off the boat where we did. We spent the next hour and a half in an ice cream shop and a restaurant to get shelter from the rain, where I unfortunately had the worst lunch ever (too much squid ink and the squid was cold). 

Unfortunately we missed the boat to Burano by one minute. As it was still pouring, we decided to head back to Piazzale Roma and head straight to Lake Garda. 

Thankfully, the rain stopped on our way back and I was able to convince the boys to walk around and cross some bridges nearby with gelato as their reward.

I then managed to convince them to take another boat ride to see the Rialto Bridge and St Mark’s square. 

They were tired by then and we only made it as far as Rialto Bridge and a short walk to McDonald’s for some french fries. There were a lot of people out and about in Venice. 

Lesson I have learnt is to not attempt anywhere outdoors when it is raining heavily.
Skip it. Have a better Plan B. 

Verona

There was so much to love about the UNESCO Heritage City of Verona, particularly made famous by Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. 

We parked at Piazza Cittadella which was the closest we could get to the Arena, an ancient Roman amphitheater built in the first century.

From there, we walked through its beautifully paved high street towards Piazza delle Erbe and made a right turn to visit Juliet’s House. 

We then said hello to Dante’s statue on the way to Romeo’s house. We continued onwards to the Adige River for a view of the Ponte Pietra and Castel San Pietro before stopping for drinks. 

Sirmione

I have so much love for Sirmione. I couldn’t be happier that we had an apartment right in the old town for 3 nights from which we were able to take a short stroll to swim in Lake Garda and explore the little peninsula. 

I would highly recommend staying inside Sirmione rather than visiting it as a day trip. Parking was not allowed inside the old town, but they have this amazing electric cars/parking system for people staying there which was convenient. This also means that if you are visiting just for a day trip, you have to get there early as the better/closer parking spots fill up very quickly. 

It also means you can enjoy the sunrise and sunset without the usual day’s crowd. 

We were in fact turned away from even entering the strip leading to the old town coming back from Verona one afternoon as the public parking spots were all filled up. Showing the police our Grifo parking pass was the only way we could get in.  

Heading into the old town of Sirmione for the first time, we were all incredibly impressed by the beautiful castle at the entrance with a moat around it. 

The shops, gelaterias and restaurants in the old town made it incredibly lively and a lot of fun to be in. 

We walked all the way up to Grotte di Catullo at one end of Sirmione to explore this archaeological site one morning. 

The boys had a lot of fun here. We could see a lot of people heading down to Jamaica Beach but decided to head back indoors for a respite from the heat. 

Our beach of choice was Spiaggia del Prete. The castle in the background of the picture below is a different castle to the main castle in the previous picture above.

Restaurants to recommend are San Lorenzo and Il Girasole. 

Mantua

Italy’s capital culture of 2016, Mantua was a quick and easy first stop as we drove down from Sirmione to Florence. 

This UNESCO world heritage site is surrounded by artificial lakes created during the 12th century as the city’s defense system. 

Modena

Known for its car industry as the factories of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, etc. are situated here, you might also have heard of Modena for their world famous balsamic vinegar. 

We headed straight to see the UNESCO heritage sites of Piazza Grande, the Cathedral and Torre della Ghirlandina. 

Parking here was easy. There were blue spots all over the city for cheap. 

Florence

Considered by many academics to be the birthplace of Renaissance, the UNESCO capital city of Tuscany was our home base for 4 nights while we explored the region. 

Highlights:

Our first sight of the Florence Cathedral as the sun was setting on our way to dinner was an unforgettable moment. We later spent more time there for ice cream after dinner, also during the next evenings. 

Ponte Vecchio, a medieval stone bridge with shops built onto it was wonderful to visit at night as we listened to some live music by some Jazz baskers there. 

I loved Piazza della Signoria with Palazzo Vecchio, Neptune’s Fountain and the Gucci Garden in its surroundings. The kids preferred Piazza della Reppublica for the carousel rides. 

The 1.2kg T-bone steak “bistecca alla fiorentina” at Trattoria dall’Oste was a major highlight for us. The meat was fantastic. I loved the spinach as a side dish while the kids were happy with their seafood risotto, burger and fries. We also tried the carpaccio with truffles as a starter. 

Parking was always an issue here as the historic center was only accessible for cars with special permits. We parked once at Parking Railway Station 16, another time at Parcheggio Sant’Ambrogio and once along Via della Mattonaia. 

For a view of Florence, drive up to Piazzale Michelangelo. 

We stayed in a cabin with two bedrooms and two bathrooms at a campsite called Firenze Camping in Town for 4 nights as our base to explore Tuscany. 

San Gimignano

Known as the Town of Fine Towers, this UNESCO walled medieval hill-town was a true highlight. 

Parking was particularly an issue here as it was flooded with tourists. We circled back to P2 which was the best parking spot (closest to one of the entrance gates and did not require any climbing) and luckily got a spot. 

A quick walk past the Romanesque and Gothic architecture buildings soon led us to both Piazza della Cisterna and Piazza Duomo. 

At the main square Piazza della Cisterna, look out for Gelateria Dondoli which boasts their previous Gelato World Champion wins at their front entrance. 

Volterra

Believed to have been continuously inhabited as a city since at least the end of the 8th century BC, this walled mountaintop town has a charm of its own. 

With very little tourists in sight compared to San Gimignano, it was a short walk from the indoor parking to the main square, Piazza dei Priori. 

Walk a little further and you will come across the Roman Theatre. 

We explored one of the shops and learnt about the alabaster of Volterra, a special stone mined from the hills of this Tuscan countryside since ancient times. As we were on a road trip and had space in our car, we bought an alabaster cube lamp and some other kitchenware for our home. 

Siena

Another UNESCO World heritage site, you may have heard of Siena due to the popular traditional medieval horse race – Palio, held twice a year, around Piazza del Campo, its shell-shaped town square. 

Parking was again an issue here but we found an indoor one very close to the city. 

Highlights:

Siena Cathedral (Duomo) is a Romanesque-Gothic architecture masterpiece that is not to be missed. The marble mosaic floor of the cathedral is among the most elaborate in Italy.

The Baptistry of St. John just behind the Siena Cathedral is another beautiful building not to be missed. 

Montalcino

We headed south to Montalcino to reconvene with a family that we had met in Sirmione. Their son and our boys became good friends quickly as they had fun throwing stones together into Lake Garda. 

Sadly there isn’t much to say about Montalcino personally for me and I would give this place a skip. 

The only thing worth mentioning is that we saw many of the beautiful cypress trees so distinctly associated with this region. 

Pisa

I guess the Leaning Tower of Pisa needs no introduction. 

We managed to find street parking on Via Piave on our way to Parcheggio Via Piave. 

Lucca

Home of the famous Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini, Lucca’s intact Renaissance-era city walls caught our sight as we drove into the city. 

History buffs will be interested to know that Julius Caesar, Pompey and Crassus reaffirmed their political alliance at the Lucca Conference in 56 BC.

We had an unmemorable lunch there before visiting the St Martin Cathedral. 

A quick walk around town and more food souvenir shopping, we went on to our next stop. 

Pistoia

Pistoia seemed like a dead town to us. I wonder how different it would be if it wasn’t for coronavirus. 

It did however have a beautiful octagonal baptistery and a beautiful cathedral. 

Montepulciano

Sitting high on a 605 meter limestone ridge, this medieval and Renaissance hill town is probably my favourite. 

It didn’t have as many tourists, yet had so much to offer.

It was quite a climb to get to Piazza Grande but the shops lining the streets were wonderful including the gallery of glass artist Massimo Cruciani. 

Arezzo

We headed straight for Piazza Grande and had a delicious seafood lunch with a gorgeous backdrop. 

The streets of Arezzo were incredibly empty.

Parma

Famous worldwide for its ham, Parma is Italy’s capital of culture for the year 2020. 

I was impressed by Parma. I had not expected much. 

Parcheggio Toschi is a great place to park as it was a quick stride into the city from there. 

We had breakfast at a cafe right next to the Baptistery and later paid a visit to the cathedral. The interior was truly beautiful, one of the best we had seen. 

A short stroll onwards to Piazza Garibaldi and we headed to our next stop. 

Milan

The capital of Lombardy and the second most populated Italian city after Rome, this fashion capital of the world clearly has money flowing through it. 

Parking was a major nightmare but somehow we drove into the city and parked very close to the Duomo, near Cordusio metro station. 

After grabbing lunch, we walked to the Duomo and then said goodbye to Italy. 

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We spent the next two nights in Brissago along Lago Maggiore in Switzerland but crossed over to the border Italian town of Cannobio (which we had previously visited) for dinner one night. 

Cannobio

I always loved Cannobio for its spacious lakefront promenade (unlike in Brissago, Switzerland). We took a stroll down the main street and settled for dinner at one of its many restaurants. 

As before when we visited during Easter, this time too it felt like the entire Swiss German population had descended upon Cannobio. 

I thought the gelato we had was the least best so far in Italy. 

Two Weeks in Italy – My Impressions

This was certainly an amazing trip with many highlights throughout. 

If you love mountains, the Dolomites are a must visit. They now have a special place in my heart. 

Hiking in high altitude turned out not to be a problem at all with the kids. 

It was warm even above 2500m and wearing a t-shirt and shorts were fine. Beware though, as the weather can change quickly, it is important to have warm clothes with you. 

Sirmione was a true highlight. I would love to come back someday. The vibe is wonderful. The restaurants were good. The gelaterias were probably the best we came across on this trip.

Heading south to Tuscany, San Gimignano and Montepulciano may be some of my favourites. Florence is of course, an amazing city. 

We had truly long days. Particularly in Tuscany, we would be out and about for 12-13 hours each day, driving from one place to another. I would bring chocolate milk for each kid for the first stop telling them that they’ve now been fueled with energy so they could walk despite the heat. At a second stop, we would have lunch or drinks. At a third stop there would usually be an ice cream stop. You get the idea. 

Have I mentioned the heat? It was around 38 Celsius in the afternoons. Even at 9.30 pm at night in Florence it was still 30 Celsius. Yet somehow, we managed to walk about 9 km each day on average whilst in Tuscany. Most days we’d have gelato twice. 

We visited many churches and cathedrals on this trip. The boys always enjoyed them. I found it annoying entering any establishment as we would always have to wear the mask.

We did have pool time twice in Florence which the kids absolutely loved. Swimming two afternoons in Lake Garda and later on in the Verzasca Valley and Lago Maggiore were other water highlights. 

Sadly for us, the boys were still haunted by their food poisoning episode from our time in India which they were convinced was due to the pizzas they had had for dinner. They did not once have pizza in the two weeks we were in Italy. 

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If you have any questions regarding the places we have visited, in our two weeks Italy itinerary trip, please leave a comment below. Otherwise, feel free to share with family and friends to plan your own two week trip in Italy!