14 Days in Italy: A Day-by-Day Itinerary

Two weeks in Italy are enough for Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan, with a base in each city and the Colosseum, the Uffizi, St. Mark’s Square and the Last Supper among the stops. Anyone driving between cities should know that historic centers have restricted traffic zones with fines, so the plan leaves the car out of the city centers.

At a glance

• Recommended length: 14 days
• Cities in the plan: Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan
• Rome in May: high of 74°F (23°C), six rainy days
• Rome in January: high of 54°F (12°C), eight rainy days
• Fine for entering a restricted traffic zone: €100 to €200 per passage

Is 14 days enough in Italy?

Fourteen days cover four cities in some depth: the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine in Rome, the Piazza del Duomo and the Uffizi in Florence, St. Mark’s Square and the Grand Canal in Venice, and the Last Supper and Duomo in Milan. Smaller towns and the lakes stay off the route.

With one more day, Venice gains the most. The lagoon islands of Murano, Burano and Torcello each have their own museum or church and make an easy full day.

With one day less, drop Milan’s Brera gallery or the second day in Venice.

When to plan 14 days in Italy

Rome’s sunshine grows from 4.3 hours a day in January to 7 hours in April, so the days are long enough to fit a museum and an outdoor walk. May is the driest of the five months with facts, at six rainy days, and the afternoons reach 74°F (23°C). January and February bring around eight rainy days each, so pack for wet streets and plan museums for the worst hours.

Where to stay in Italy for 14 days

For this plan, book a hotel or B&B in the historic center of each of the four cities, so each day starts on foot.

Getting around Italy in 14 days

Restricted traffic zones, called ZTLs, exist in about 300 Italian cities. Only residents and registered vehicles may drive in. Each entry is marked by a sign and watched by video, and the fine is generally between €100 and €200 per passage. Pisa, for example, sells temporary permits valid for 6, 12 or 24 hours. A rental car adds little in the four cities of this plan, so keep it for the road between them, or leave it out.

14 Days in Italy, day by day

Days 1 and 2: Colosseum and Roman Forum

Start with the ancient core of Rome. A 24-hour ticket covers one entry to the Colosseum (first and second order, without the arena) and one entry to the Roman Forum and Palatine. Spend the first day on the Colosseum and the second on the Roman Forum and Palatine.

Use the 24-hour validity: do the Colosseum late on day 1 and the Forum and Palatine early on day 2. If you only want the ruins, the Forum Pass SUPER covers the Roman Forum, Imperial Fora and Palatine, without the Colosseum.

Days 3 and 4: Vatican Museums and Trevi Fountain

Spend day 3 at the Vatican Museums, at Viale Vaticano, which include the Sistine Chapel. Day 4 goes to the Trevi Fountain, the most famous of the Roman fountains, and the streets around it.

Days 5 and 6: Piazza del Duomo and the Uffizi

Florence begins on the Piazza del Duomo, which holds the Cathedral, Brunelleschi’s Dome, Giotto’s Bell Tower, the Baptistery, the Crypt of Santa Reparata and the Opera del Duomo Museum. The Uffizi fills day 6.

The Uffizi Gallery occupies the first and second floors of a building put up between 1560 and 1580 to Giorgio Vasari’s design. Pick the Uffizi for the rainy hours of the trip, since it is entirely indoors.

Days 7 and 8: Palazzo Vecchio and Boboli Gardens

Palazzo Vecchio, also called Palazzo della Signoria, takes the morning of day 7. Its tower is 312 feet (95 m) high. The Boboli Gardens, directly behind Pitti Palace, suit the afternoon.

Choose a dry day for the gardens and swap them with the Palazzo if rain comes.

Days 9 and 10: St. Mark’s Square and the Rialto Bridge

In Venice, one ticket covers the Doge’s Palace, Museum Correr, the National Archaeological Museum and the Monumental Rooms of the Marciana Library. The public entrance to the Doge’s Palace is at Porta del Frumento, Piazzetta San Marco.

Visit the Gallerie dell’Accademia, at Campo della Carità in Dorsoduro, on day 10 as the indoor stop. Its home is the Carità complex, which includes a church, a scuola and a convent.

Days 11 and 12: Murano, Burano and Torcello

Murano has the Museo del Vetro at Fondamenta Giustinian 8. Burano has the Museo del Merletto at Piazza Galuppi 187, next to the Church of San Martino. Torcello’s small square holds the throne of Attila, the Museo di Torcello, the 14th-century Church of Santa Fosca and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta.

Do Murano and Burano on day 11 and give Torcello day 12, with a slow morning in Venice first. Keep day 12 as the spare day if weather turns.

Days 13 and 14: Milan, from the Last Supper to Brera

The Last Supper Museum is at Piazza di Santa Maria delle Grazie 2. The Duomo stands on Piazza del Duomo. La Scala’s box office is at Piazza della Scala. The Pinacoteca di Brera has 38 rooms around its courtyard of honour.

The Sforza Castle museums are closed on Mondays, so schedule the castle on another day. Use day 13 for the Last Supper and the Duomo, and day 14 for the Castle, Brera and La Scala.