Help from an experienced traveler to Italy please...What places are a "must see" in Italy?

Question

My husband and I will be going there for 7 days (not including air travel) but we don't know how to decide where in Italy we should go. I hear it's all beautiful, but it's a once in a lifetime trip for us so we want to make sure we see as much as we can or things we shouldn't miss. We've heard mixed reviews about Rome, so we don't know whether we should skip that and just go to Venice, Florence, etc. We want to make sure we experience as many different things there as we can. Any help from an experienced traveler is much appreciated!

Answer 1

We went to Venice, Florence, and Rome for 10 days on our honeymoon 2 months ago. She loved Venice and I loved Rome. Florence was magnificent as well. Venice is touristy during the day, but at night it is quiet, peaceful, and romantic. Definitely a must. Florence is great for art, food, and gelato. Rome has the ancient sites, the Vatican, and the crazy drivers. All 3 are special cities and very different from each other. If you only have 7 days, I would say do 2 days in Venice, 2 days in Florence, and 2 days in Rome, with the last being a day for travel. Take the trains as they zip around the country and renting a car is costly, especially with gas and parking.

Answer 2

venezia (venice)

firenza (florence)

roma (rome)

milano (milan)

sicilia (sicily)

naples (napoli)

when i go to italy im going to visit abruzzo, my town

Answer 3

Rome, while beautiful, is very much a "big city".  Florence is fantastic and a very managable size.  With the art, culture, food and countryside, that is where I would spend my 7 days.  Don't miss Giotto's Bell Tower, the Uffizi, the Bobelli Gardens, and the Duomo.  You can also see the David at the Acadamia.  

If in Florence, Sienna is just a few hours away, as is Pisa.  Fiesole (sp?) is a little town overlooking Florence that is worth the 15 minute bus ride to explore for an afternoon

Answer 4

Holy Mackeral, now that's hard!

Venice - a must, take in a show too if possible.

Rome - a must.

Florence - a must must.

Pizza - a must with potential to drop.  Only the wobbly tower there really.