Luxury Italy Travel, Designed Around the Region You Have Dreamed Of

I spoke recently with someone who did not plan their trip with me. They jumped on someone else's itinerary, and by the time we talked it was too late to fix. They were flying into Rome, then making their way down to the Amalfi Coast, which is not even a direct train, it is a high-speed train to Naples plus a transfer and a ferry or car. Then back up to Florence. Then all the way back down to Rome to fly home. All in eight days.

On a trip that long, there was no reason to double back to Rome. You fly home out of Florence or Milan and save an entire day. But nobody planned the flights properly, so they lost it.

That is not a trip. That is a series of transfers with Italy visible through the window. They will spend their limited time in transit instead of in the places they came to see. That is what bad planning costs you, and it is time you never get back.

The other mistake is timing. Summer is not the only time to visit the Amalfi Coast, and the Amalfi Coast is far from the only place worth being in summer. Cinque Terre, the deep south toward Sicily, and countless other regions reward travelers who think beyond the obvious season and the obvious stop.

The Mistake That Wastes Your Trip

I have been many times, and I have planned some of my most detailed itineraries here.

My advice is simple, and it is the opposite of what most people do: choose the region you have dreamed of most, and see it properly. You will return to Italy. It is not a one-time trip, not unless you have a month or two to give it.

Florence is where my heart lives.

But the Italy most people miss is what keeps me coming back.