Italy in two weeks, by train

Why this route

Most first Italy trips die by ambition. Seven cities in two weeks sounds rich and lives like a luggage relay, so this one holds at five stops and lets Rome keep four nights. The order runs south to north, Amalfi up to the Dolomites, which means no doubling back and every leg short enough for a morning train.

It is all rail. Not as a gimmick: these five sit on lines that actually connect, and a train into Florence beats returning a rental car in Florence by about an hour of your life. The two mountain nights at the end are the part people skip and then regret. Keep them.

The stops, and why each one

1. 1

   Amalfi CoastCampania · 3 nights

   Breaks the journey somewhere worth the detour. Known for Path of the Gods and Positano.

   • Path of the Gods The cliff path from Bomerano down to Positano, looking out over the whole coast. Walk it downhill in the morning, in shoes you trust, and take more water than seems reasonable. The bus back up is part of the plan.
   • Positano The postcard town: houses stacked down a cleft to a small grey beach. Everything is steps, so pack light and stay one night rather than day-tripping in and out. The boat to the next cove is cheaper than a sunbed.
2. 2

   RomeLazio · 4 nights

   Picked for the culture and food you asked for. Known for Pantheon and Trastevere dinner.

   • Pantheon A working temple turned church, and the oldest roof of its kind still standing. Stand under the hole in the dome and wait for rain if you can: the floor is built to drain it. Free, quick, and best early before the square fills.
   • Trastevere dinner The old riverside quarter, ivy and cobbles, where Romans eat when they are not entertaining anybody. Cross after dark, pick a street away from the main square, and order whatever is chalked up rather than printed.
3. 3

   FlorenceTuscany · 3 nights

   Picked for the culture and food you asked for. Known for Uffizi and Mercato Centrale.

   • Uffizi The Medici family's collection, hung in the offices they built for running Tuscany. Botticelli and Caravaggio are the reason for the queue. Book ahead or you will spend your morning in it, and go for two hours rather than five: nobody sees it all and everybody tries.
   • Mercato Centrale The city's food market: butchers and cheesemongers below, a rowdy hall of stalls above. Lunch here beats lunch anywhere near the Duomo, and it is the one place in Florence where the tourists and the locals are eating the same thing.
4. 4

   VeniceVeneto · 2 nights

   Picked for the culture and food you asked for. Known for Cannaregio bacari and Torcello.

   • Cannaregio bacari The northern quarter, where Venetians actually live, and the bacari are its wine bars. The drill is a small glass and a plate of cicchetti standing up, then on to the next one. Two streets back from the water the prices halve.
   • Torcello The island Venice started on, now a handful of buildings, a cathedral with a wall of gold mosaic, and grass. Half an hour by boat and almost empty, which is the whole point after a day in San Marco.
5. 5

   DolomitesAlto Adige · 2 nights

   Breaks the journey somewhere worth the detour. Known for Tre Cime loop and Alpe di Siusi.

   • Tre Cime loop Three limestone towers with a well-made path all the way round them. Anticlockwise puts the best face in front of you for longest, and the far side has a hut for lunch. Snow lingers late here, so ask before you commit early in the season.
   • Alpe di Siusi Europe's largest high meadow: hay barns, cows, and the Sciliar rising out of the grass behind them. Cars are kept out for most of the day, which is exactly why it is worth the cable car.

Day by day

One card per night. Unplanned days say so, because a printed lie about a museum helps nobody.

1. D1Amalfi Coast
   • Arrive and settle in
   • Path of the Gods
   • 15 min across town · bus, tram or a short taxi
   • Positano
2. D2Amalfi Coast
   • Boat day. Take one along the coast to Amalfi town and the cathedral steps, then the next cove for a swim before the afternoon crowd.
3. D3Amalfi Coast
   • Ravello, up the hill, for the gardens and the quietest view on this coast. Buses are steep and slow, so go early and stay for lunch.
4. D4Rome
   • Train from Amalfi Coast · about 3h10
   • Pantheon and Trastevere dinner · A short walk apart, so they share the same half of the day
5. D5Rome
   • The ancient half: the Forum and the Palatine in the morning, then coffee standing at a bar like everybody else does.
6. D6Rome
   • The Vatican, if you want it, and it is a whole day rather than a morning. Otherwise cross to Testaccio for the food market and the least touristed lunch in Rome.
7. D7Rome
   • A wandering day. Campo de' Fiori early, the Jewish Quarter for artichokes, and whichever church you walked past and meant to go back to.
8. D8Florence
   • Train from Rome · about 3h10
   • Uffizi and Mercato Centrale · A short walk apart, so they share the same half of the day
9. D9Florence
   • Cross the river. Santo Spirito is where Florence eats and drinks without an audience, and the climb to Piazzale Michelangelo pays at dusk.
10. D10Florence
    • Out of town: a train to Siena, or a slow morning at the Bargello, which has the sculpture everybody misses while queueing for the Uffizi.
11. D11Venice
    • Train from Florence · about 2h50
    • Cannaregio bacari
    • 30 min across town · bus, tram or a short taxi
    • Torcello
12. D12Venice
    • Get lost on purpose in Dorsoduro, then take the cheap vaporetto down the Grand Canal at the hour the light goes gold.
13. D13Dolomites
    • Train from Venice · about 1h50
    • Tre Cime loop
    • Alpe di Siusi
14. D14Dolomites
    • A hut lunch after a walk you choose that morning from the weather. This is the one stop where the plan should be decided at breakfast.

Getting around

• Train to Rome · 3h10 · 171 mi
• Train to Florence · 3h10 · 175 mi
• Train to Venice · 2h50 · 154 mi
• Train to Dolomites · 1h50 · 86 mi

Paperwork: Schengen applies to most visitors. Check your own passport's rules before you book anything.

What it costs, honestly

Expect somewhere between €3,041 and €4,293. These are estimates from typical rates, not quotes, and they move with the season.

Excludes travel insurance, bag fees and shopping. Excludes getting to Amalfi Coast: that depends on where you start. How these figures are estimated

Worth knowing

• Trains between the cities run often; the long legs are worth booking a few weeks ahead, the short ones you can buy on the day.
• The big museums in Rome and Florence sell timed entry. Decide early which two or three you care about and reserve those, then leave the rest of the plan loose.
• The Amalfi stretch is buses and ferries once you are there. Pack light enough to carry your bag up steps, because there will be steps.
• Spring and early autumn carry this route. August works, but the cities are hot and half of Italy is also on holiday.

Questions people ask

Is two weeks enough for Italy?

For this Italy, yes. It is enough for five places done properly. It is not enough for those five plus Sicily plus the lakes, and pretending otherwise is how trips turn into transfers.

Do I need a car?

No, and for the cities a car is a liability. The one place a car earns its keep is the Dolomites; you can also reach the towns there by rail and bus, just with less freedom on the high roads.

Can I run it in reverse?

Yes. North to south works the same. Start in the mountains, end with the coast, and the legs stay the same length.