Self-Launched Best of Italy: Rome to the Lakes, Venice & Tuscany

Land at Fiumicino and take the Leonardo Express train into Termini (~£12) or the regional FL1 to Trastevere (~£7) if your hostel is on the west bank. Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse around Trastevere or Monti (£22–30/night dorm or basic private). In the late afternoon walk to the Basilica di Santa Maria in Cosmedin to see the Mouth of Truth from outside (free; the portico is open in daylight) and wander the medieval lanes of Trastevere. Self-made evening: pizza al taglio and a beer on Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere (~£12).

🚌Leonardo Express train Fiumicino–Termini ~£12, or FL1 regional ~£7

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse, Trastevere/Monti (£22–30)

• →Leonardo Express airport transfer
• →Trastevere evening wander
• →Basilica Santa Maria in Cosmedin exterior
• →Pizza al taglio dinner

Book the Vatican Museums + Sistine Chapel skip-the-line entry on the official Musei Vaticani site or GetYourGuide (~£25–35; book weeks ahead). Go at 8am opening to beat the crush, then walk into St Peter's Basilica (free, small queue) to see Michelangelo's Pietà. After lunch take Metro B to Colosseum and use a self-booked combined Colosseum/Forum/Palatine ticket (~£18 direct from CoopCulture, ~£30 with a small-group guide via GetYourGuide). Finish with gelato near Piazza Navona and a cheap trattoria dinner in Monti (~£15).

🚌Metro A/B single tickets ~£1.30 each

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse, Trastevere/Monti (£22–30)

• →Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel (self-booked skip-the-line)
• →St Peter's Basilica
• →Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
• →Piazza Navona
• →Circus Maximus viewpoint

Take an early Frecciarossa/Italo high-speed train Rome–Naples (~£25–40, 1h10) and store bags at Napoli Centrale, then the Circumvesuviana local train to Pompeii Scavi (~£3). Buy the Pompeii entry direct (~£16) or join a 2-hour small-group guided walk via GetYourGuide (~£30) for context. Return to Naples, then Circumvesuviana to Sorrento (~£4.50, 1h). Check into a guesthouse or hostel in Sorrento (£25–35). Evening: limoncello and a cheap pizza in the old town (~£13).

🚌Rome–Naples high-speed ~£25–40; Circumvesuviana Naples–Pompeii–Sorrento ~£8 total

🛏Guesthouse/hostel, Sorrento (£25–35)

• →High-speed train to Naples
• →Pompeii archaeological site
• →Circumvesuviana local train
• →Sorrento old town evening

Buy a return ferry ticket Sorrento–Capri at the port (~£28–35 return, 20 min; faster and cheaper than the Naples crossing). On arrival take the little funicular up to Capri town (~£2), walk Via Camerelle and the Gardens of Augustus (~£2), and hike the Path of the Gods-style coastal trail toward the Faraglioni viewpoints if you want a free alternative to the Blue Grotto boat (~£18). Pack a picnic from a Sorrento deli to dodge island prices. Last ferry back mid-evening, then dinner in Sorrento (~£13).

🚌Sorrento–Capri return ferry ~£28–35; funicular ~£2

🛏Guesthouse/hostel, Sorrento (£25–35)

• →Return ferry to Capri
• →Funicular to Capri town
• →Gardens of Augustus & Faraglioni viewpoints
• →Optional Blue Grotto boat
• →Coastal walking path

Long travel day: Circumvesuviana to Naples (~£4.50), high-speed train Naples–Roma Termini (~£20), then regional train Roma–Foligno and the local line up to Assisi (~£14 total, ~4.5h). Alternatively book a direct FlixBus or BlaBlaCar for less faff. Check into a guesthouse inside the walls (£22–28) — Assisi is tiny and quiet at night once the day-trippers leave. Visit the Basilica of St Francis (free, modest dress) and its Giotto frescoes in the late afternoon, then stroll the cobbled lanes and artisan shops with a plate of strangozzi pasta (~£12).

🚌Naples–Assisi regional/Intercity rail ~£35–40 total, 4.5h

🛏Guesthouse inside the walls, Assisi (£22–28)

• →Circumvesuviana + regional rail connections
• →Basilica of St Francis and Giotto frescoes
• →Assisi old town and artisan shops
• →Optional Monte Cassino stop en route

Train Assisi–Foligno–Florence–Verona (~£30, 4h with one change). Drop bags at Verona Porta Nuova lockers and walk into the centro storico to see the Roman Arena and Piazza Brà (exterior free; opera tickets ~£25 if you're lucky). Optional 20-minute train to Lake Garda's Peschiera del Garda for a quick swim (~£3). Continue on a regional train Verona–Venezia Mestre (~£10, 1h15). Stay in Mestre rather than central Venice to keep costs sane (£22–30 dorm/guesthouse). Evening: aperitivo spritz and cicchetti (~£12).

🚌Assisi–Verona–Venezia Mestre regional rail ~£40 total

🛏Hostel/guesthouse, Venezia Mestre (£22–30)

• →Verona Roman Arena & Piazza Brà
• →Optional Lake Garda swim at Peschiera
• →Verona–Venice regional train
• →Spritz and cicchetti

Buy a 24-hour ACTV vaporetto pass (~£18) — it also covers the islands. Ride Line 2 down the Grand Canal to San Marco, view the Bridge of Sighs and Doge's Palace from outside (Doge's Palace entry ~£25 if you want it; St Mark's Basilica free with a £3 booking slot — book the skip-the-line online). Take Line 12 to Burano for the colourful fishermen's houses and lunch there (~£12). Return for a self-guided wander of Cannaregio, a bacaro spritz (~£3) and dinner (~£14). Note: a glassblowing demo on Murano is free at several furnaces but pushy on sales — a working-furnace tour via GetYourGuide (~£20) is the honest version.

🚌ACTV 24h vaporetto pass ~£18; Mestre–Venice train ~£1.50 each way

🛏Hostel/guesthouse, Venezia Mestre (£22–30)

• →24h vaporetto pass
• →Grand Canal & San Marco
• →Bridge of Sighs and Doge's Palace
• →St Mark's Basilica (pre-booked slot)
• →Burano island
• →Cannaregio bacaro crawl

Regional train Venezia Mestre–Milano Centrale (~£22, 2h40). Half-day in Milan: the Duomo exterior, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and La Scala from the piazza are all free; the Duomo rooftop terraces (~£12) are worth the climb. Then regional train Milano–Stresa on Lake Maggiore (~£8, 1h). Check into a family guesthouse or hostel in Stresa (£25–32). Sunset walk along the lakefront promenade with a grocery-store picnic dinner (~£10) — Lake Maggiore is far cheaper than Como or Venice.

🚌Venice–Milan regional ~£22; Milan–Stresa regional ~£8

🛏Guesthouse/hostel, Stresa (£25–32)

• →Duomo di Milano and optional rooftop terraces
• →Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II
• →La Scala exterior
• →Stresa lakefront promenade

Morning: take the Navigazione Lago Maggiore public boat from Stresa to Isola Bella (~£6 each way) and pay the palace-and-gardens entry (~£16) — the Borromeo gardens are the genuine highlight of the lake. Early afternoon, train Stresa–Milano–Como San Giovanni (~£10, 1h40) for a lakeside stroll and the free Villa Olmo waterfront walk, optionally the Como–Brunate funicular (~£6) for the view. Train back to Stresa (~£10). Dinner at a simple osteria (~£14). For the Villa Toscanini-style hosted dinner, look up small agriturismi and family osterias around Stresa on Airbnb Experiences or Eatwith (~£35–45) — far more personal and no coach party.

🚌Stresa–Isola Bella boat ~£12 return; Stresa–Como rail ~£20 return

🛏Guesthouse/hostel, Stresa (£25–32)

• →Public boat to Isola Bella
• →Palazzo Borromeo and terraced gardens
• →Como lakeside and Villa Olmo waterfront
• →Optional Brunate funicular
• →Optional Eatwith/Airbnb Experiences hosted dinner

Long rail day: Stresa–Milano–Genova/La Spezia–Pisa (~£28, 4h). Break the journey at Pisa San Rossore — the Leaning Tower and Piazza dei Miracoli are a 10-minute walk and free to view from outside (climb the tower ~£20 if you pre-book). Continue Pisa–Firenze Santa Maria Novella regional (~£8, 1h). Stay in a hostel or budget guesthouse around Santa Croce or near the station (£25–33). Evening: a lampredotto sandwich from a street stall (~£5) and a walk to Ponte Vecchio after dark.

🚌Stresa–Pisa rail ~£28; Pisa–Florence regional ~£8

🛏Hostel/guesthouse, Florence (£25–33)

• →Piazza dei Miracoli and Leaning Tower
• →Optional tower climb
• →Ponte Vecchio at night
• →Lampredotto street food

Pre-book the Uffizi Gallery skip-the-line (~£25 direct or via GetYourGuide; buy the Firenze Card only if you'll do 3+ state museums). Walk Piazza della Signoria, the Duomo exterior, and cross the Arno to the Oltrarno for a self-guided Medici-and-Renaissance wander (free audio guide apps work well here). Late afternoon climb or bus to Piazzale Michelangelo for the skyline at sunset (free). Dinner in Santo Spirito (~£14) — the Oltrarno is where Florentines actually eat.

🚌City bus tickets ~£1.50 each

🛏Hostel/guesthouse, Florence (£25–33)

• →Uffizi Gallery (pre-booked)
• →Piazza della Signoria and Duomo exterior
• →Oltrarno and Santo Spirito wander
• →Piazzale Michelangelo sunset

Bus 130 or a regional train plus local bus from Florence to San Gimignano (~£7, 1h30) — the towers and 13th-century walls, Piazza del Duomo and the medieval lanes are free to explore; climb the Torre Grossa (~£8) for the best view in Tuscany. If you want the wine-and-vineyard feel of the tour's Tuscan evening, a small-group Chianti wine tour from Florence via GetYourGuide runs ~£45–60; otherwise buy a bottle from a San Gimignano enoteca (~£10). Late afternoon bus back to Florence, then high-speed train Firenze–Roma Termini (~£25, 1h35). Final night in a hostel near Termini (£22–30).

🚌Florence–San Gimignano bus ~£14 return; Florence–Rome high-speed ~£25

🛏Hostel near Termini, Rome (£22–30)

• →San Gimignano towers and Piazza del Duomo
• →Torre Grossa climb
• →Optional Chianti wine tour via GetYourGuide
• →Optional Florence American Cemetery stop

Slow breakfast, a last espresso at a standing bar (~£1), and one more wander — the Pantheon (book the free timed slot) or a morning market run for picnic supplies. Take the Leonardo Express or FL1 back to Fiumicino (~£7–12) in good time for your flight. If you have a late flight, stash bags at Termini (~£5) and use the day for anything you missed.

🚌Leonardo Express or FL1 to Fiumicino ~£7–12

🛏—

• →Pantheon free timed entry
• →Local market shopping
• →Airport train transfer