Italy in 10 Days: Rome, Florence and Venice From a Video

This 10-day itinerary for Italy follows Our Big Italian Adventure's first-timer plan: three days in Rome for an orientation walk, ancient Rome and the Vatican, three days in Florence with a day trip into Tuscany, then Venice, St. Mark's and the lagoon islands of Murano and Burano. Every stop below comes from the creators' video, with timestamp links so you can watch each moment.

Italy 10-day itinerary at a glance

The source is First Time in Italy? Here's the 10-Day Plan We'd Give a Friend by Our Big Italian Adventure, a couple who have traveled in and lived in Italy. The video runs about 27 minutes and was published in January 2026.

Before the first day, the creators set a few ground rules:

1. Fly into Rome and out of Venice, so you never double back.
2. Take trains. The three cities are linked by high-speed rail, with stations in the middle of each city.
3. Book the main attractions as soon as you know your dates.
4. Wear comfortable shoes. You will walk a lot.
5. Travel light. A carry-on plus a personal item is ideal for cobblestones, train racks and Venice's bridges.
6. Accept that you can't see it all.

Days 1-3: Rome

Day 1: Get oriented

You will be tired, so this is the day to get oriented. Drop your bags at the hotel or in a luggage locker (the creators mention the Bounce and LuggageHero apps), then follow their one-direction walk of about two hours:

• The Spanish Steps, built in the 1720s, with Bernini's Barcaccia fountain at the base.
• The Trevi Fountain, about a 9-minute walk. Access to the fountain level is restricted between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., and the creators say a small fee to get down to it starts in February 2026. For the coin toss, come before 9 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
• The Pantheon, from the outside for now.
• Piazza Navona, shaped by the ancient stadium beneath it, with Bernini's Four Rivers Fountain.
• Largo di Torre Argentina, where Julius Caesar was assassinated, now home to Rome's cat sanctuary.
• The Vittoriano, with free lower levels or a glass elevator to the top for about €10.

For dinner, skip the places packed at 6 p.m.: avoid menus with food photos, menus in five languages and waiters outside pulling you in. Wander down a side street instead, and start with an aperitivo like the locals.

Day 2: Ancient Rome and Trastevere

Today is ancient Rome day: the Colosseum, the Forum and Palatine Hill, all on one ticket. The creators recommend a small-group tour or private guide, because without someone to explain the context, the Forum can look like little more than fallen columns. Underground access needs a specific ticket, and the first entry slot is cooler and quieter. Bring sun protection and a refillable bottle for Rome's public drinking fountains.

Eat lunch a few blocks from the Colosseum, then cross the river to Trastevere for an aperitivo, dinner in a trattoria and gelato at Fatamorgana or Otaleg.

Day 3: The Vatican

Start early at the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel, which need a timed ticket. Book the earliest slot so you can look at the art instead of being moved along, and give the ceiling plenty of time (photos are not allowed). St. Peter's Basilica is free, but there is security and no skip-the-line ticket, so arrive early. In the afternoon, go inside the Pantheon or, for art lovers, see the Borghese Gallery with a timed ticket. Our Rome 3-day itinerary covers the city at more depth.

Days 4-6: Florence and a Tuscany day trip

Day 4: The Duomo, Ponte Vecchio and the Oltrarno

Take an early high-speed train, Trenitalia or Italo, for about an hour and a half to Firenze Santa Maria Novella. Florence is compact, so you may be able to walk to your hotel.

• The Duomo. The cathedral is free, but there is a line, security and a strict dress code: no bare shoulders, midriffs or shorts. Climb the dome (book ahead) or Giotto's bell tower, and don't miss the Opera del Duomo Museum, with Ghiberti's baptistery doors and an exhibit on how Brunelleschi built the dome.
• Piazza della Signoria. The David here is a replica; the real one comes tomorrow.
• Schiacciata for lunch. All'Antico Vinaio is the most famous, but I Fratellini and Pino's have shorter lines.
• Ponte Vecchio. Fun to browse and lovely at sunset, but crowded, and pickpockets operate there.
• Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens. Across the river in the Oltrarno. The garden is open every day; the palace is closed on Mondays.
• A wine window. Before dinner, find one in the Santo Spirito neighborhood, where wine is still passed through a small hole in the wall.

Day 5: Accademia, Santa Croce and the Uffizi

Book the earliest Accademia slot for Michelangelo's David, then walk to Santa Croce, with the tombs and memorials of Michelangelo, Galileo and Machiavelli, and the leather school behind it. For lunch, the creators suggest Vini e Vecchi Sapori near the Uffizi (reserve, it is small).

In the afternoon, the Uffizi has over a hundred rooms, so go with a plan. In about two hours you can see their eight must-see works, including Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera, Caravaggio's Medusa, Titian's Venus of Urbino and Leonardo's Annunciation. Book a timed entry online. After a gelato break, watch sunset from Piazzale Michelangelo, then eat in the Oltrarno at one of their favorites, Trattoria La Casalinga or Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco. Our Florence 3-day itinerary adds more of the city.

Day 6: Siena, San Gimignano or Chianti

Option one is Siena and/or San Gimignano, each about an hour by bus. Option two is a Chianti wine tour with tastings and a long lunch; here the creators say it is worth paying a driver or tour company to handle the logistics.

Days 7-10: Venice and the lagoon islands

Day 7: Arrive by train and ride the Grand Canal

Take an early train, about two hours from Florence, to beat the day-trippers (a quick stop in Verona is possible if you will trade Venice time for it). Get off at Venezia Santa Lucia, not the mainland station. Then:

• Vaporetto line 1 down the Grand Canal, ideally with the Rick Steves audio tour playing as you pass each building.
• Skip St. Mark's Square for now and head to the Accademia Bridge, the only wooden bridge across the Grand Canal.
• Rialto Bridge, the old commercial center, where pickpockets are active.
• Get lost. The creators call wandering the side streets the best activity in Venice. Find a quiet square and order a cappuccino.

A gondola ride is a great first-time treat but can be expensive: the creators quote fixed rates for 30 minutes, with €110 at night for a group of up to five. The budget alternative is a traghetto, a gondola ferry across the Grand Canal for €2.

Day 8: St. Mark's Basilica and the Doge's Palace

St. Mark's Basilica looks unlike other Italian churches, with onion-shaped domes and gold mosaics that reflect its Byzantine ties. Next door, take your time at the Doge's Palace: the golden staircase, works by Titian and Tintoretto, the Doge's apartments, the torture chambers and the Bridge of Sighs. A special ticket adds the prisons where Casanova was held before he escaped.

Day 9: Murano and Burano

Take a vaporetto to Murano for glassblowing. If you are buying, walk away from the dock first, because prices improve. Then continue to Burano for lace and brightly painted houses, which legend says helped fishermen find home in the fog. Tours bundle these islands with Torcello, but the creators say the vaporetto is just as easy, more flexible and much cheaper.

Day 10: Getting to the airport

Decide the night before. The ACTV or ATVO bus from near the train station takes about 20 to 30 minutes, the Alilaguna water bus is scenic but likely over an hour, and a water taxi is fastest at about €130 to €200, best split among a group.

What the creators recommend

• Book first or earliest slots for the Colosseum, Vatican Museums, Accademia and Uffizi.
• Hire a guide for ancient Rome, ideally a small group or private tour.
• Eat away from the big sights and start dinner with an aperitivo.
• Climb the Duomo dome or Giotto's bell tower, and see the Opera del Duomo Museum.
• Pick Siena, San Gimignano or Chianti for your Tuscany day rather than Pisa.
• Ride vaporetto line 1 on arrival in Venice, and visit the islands on your own.

What the creators say to skip

• Restaurants with picture menus and touts, especially near the Colosseum and in the historic center at 6 p.m.
• A Pisa day trip just for the photo. In their opinion, Siena and San Gimignano are more authentic.
• Assuming a standard Colosseum ticket covers the underground. It doesn't.
• Buying glass at the Murano dock. Prices drop farther in.

Trains, bookings and what to check

The rail legs and the Rome-in, Venice-out flights make this a textbook multi-city route; our guide to routing a trip through several cities explains how open-jaw flights work. For the timed tickets, our guide to what needs booking in advance helps you put them in order.

Check before you go. The Trevi Fountain access rules, gondola and water taxi prices, opening days and ticket types can change after filming. Confirm them on official sites before you book.

Make the route your own

The creators built this for a first trip at a steady pace, and our Venice 2-day itinerary shows another way to spend your time there. With children along, our three days in Rome with kids swaps long walks for taxis and park breaks, and the Rome example plan shows that family version as a finished, AI-generated day-by-day plan that Vidtrip built from Happy to Wander's video. To add the south, the Amalfi Coast route gives three to four days to the coastal towns, Ravello and the Path of the Gods. Heading north instead, our week in Switzerland runs from Lucerne and Interlaken to Zermatt.

If you are on a tighter budget or traveling in a different month, you can turn this same video into a plan for your own dates, budget and pace on Vidtrip, with each stop linked to its moment in the video.