A week in Italy is not enough to do it justice — but it is enough to see why people keep returning. Here is the itinerary that maximises actual experience over box-ticking.
The Structural Choice
One week forces a choice: depth in one region, or breadth across multiple cities. The “Rome + Florence + Venice in 7 days” itinerary is the most commonly taken and the least satisfying — all three cities deserve more time than a frantic day-and-a-half allows. The better option: pick one primary city as a base (Rome for the south, Florence for the centre, Bologna or Venice for the north) and make day trips to secondary locations rather than packing and unpacking three times. This recommendation will be unpopular with people who want to check three cities, but the experience of each is dramatically better.
Rome as Base (Days 1-7)
Day 1: The ancient city — Colosseum (pre-book, at opening time to beat crowds), Roman Forum, Palatine Hill (combined ticket). Day 2: Vatican — St. Peter’s Basilica (free, no ticket, arrive early), Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel (pre-book, essential). Day 3: Day trip to Pompeii (2h40 by regional train from Roma Termini to Pompeii Scavi station — worth the day entirely). Day 4: The baroque and Christian city — Pantheon (free, join queue early), Piazza Navona, Campo de’ Fiori, Trastevere neighbourhood for dinner. Day 5: Day trip to Orvieto (1h15 by train from Roma Termini) — a hilltop cathedral city, extraordinary Duomo facade, Etruscan underground tunnels. Day 6: Borghese Gallery (essential pre-booking, 2-hour timed entry) and Villa Borghese park, Parioli neighbourhood. Day 7: Ostia Antica (Rome’s Pompeii, 30 min by metro, far fewer crowds) and farewell dinner.
What to Eat
Roman food is specific and does not translate well to “Italian food” as a category. Cacio e pepe (pasta with pecorino and black pepper — three ingredients, technically demanding), amatriciana (guanciale, tomato, pecorino), carbonara (guanciale, egg yolk, pecorino, black pepper — no cream, never cream), and supplì (fried rice balls with mozzarella centre). Pizza al taglio (by the slice from bakeries) for lunch. Gelato: one scoop, no cone, artisanal gelaterie only (if the colours are vivid and artificial, walk past).
