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Both of the guidebooks I've looked at suggest starting in Milan and traveling through Verona and Dolomites to get to Venice, then swing down to Florence. I won't be seeing Florence or Tuscany, so I was wondering if there were any particular reasons why I shouldn't go from Venice to Milan.

My total trip length for Northern Italy is about 10-15 days (haven't solidified my schedule yet) and I plan to begin the trip in mid-October. I thought if I started in Venice, I would have a better chance of avoiding acqua alta (floods) as I have read they happen most often in November and December -- as opposed to having it start at the end of the trip, which would be into November or late October. However, I don't know if the reason why the guidebooks suggest doing so is because it is cheaper to fly into Milan instead.

My next destination from Italy is the Czech Republic.

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    I've added the Venice tag because the crux of the matter seems really to be the chances of acqua alta in mid October vs late October or the first few days of November.
    – Kate Gregory
    Commented Aug 20, 2013 at 0:58
  • How are you gonna get into Czech Republic? If you are going overland it makes sense going from Milan to Venice.
    – Geeo
    Commented Aug 20, 2013 at 7:55

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I don't think there is any reason why you shouldn't start your visit in Venice and come to Milan later on. I suppose your explanation about flights is sound and reasonable, although there are plenty of flights to Venezia Tessera as well as to Verona airport.

Normally, Milano is not considered worth visiting for more than one day, although there are monuments and museums here as well. If you can spare 10-15 days to visit Northern Italy, then you should be able to have at least a couple of days in Milan (a bit on the expensive side as far as hotels are concerned...), at least 4 in Verona if you plan to visit Lake Garda as well, then the rest for Venezia, but you shouldn't miss Padua and the Brenta Riviera with the various Palladio villas, Treviso and perhaps Asolo or Bassano del Grappa.

"Acqua alta" may be a problem, but it is not all that frequent in early November, and quite often the weather is still pleasant. Enjoy your visit, whichever direction you will travel.

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  • My goal in visiting Italy is to see art (Renaissance, Baroque, etc.) as this is what I studied, and to enjoy the outdoors (Dolomites and the Lakes). Do you think Milan should be skipped or left as a day trip at most? And what else do you suggest not missing in Northern Italy?
    – MarkE
    Commented Aug 20, 2013 at 4:28
  • Absolutely not skipped, on the contrary! What I meant is that people normally don't realize how many interesting things there are here to visit, and just have a quick look at it. Here you should visit Brera Museum, da Vinci's Last Supper (to be booked early in advance), Poldi Pezzoli Museum, Sforza Castle (with a Michelangelo's Pietà), St Ambrose's Church, the Duomo, and little jewels like St Satiro's Church (if you studied art, it is a masterpiece of perspective). If you wish, I'll think of other things and get back to you with suggestions.
    – Paola
    Commented Aug 20, 2013 at 7:34
  • If you don't mind, I would appreciate any other suggestions! It can be anything in Northern Italy.
    – MarkE
    Commented Aug 20, 2013 at 9:49
  • @MarkE. I haven't forgotten that I should write something more about what to see, I just haven't had time to do it yet, but I'll try my best to provide you with suggestions.
    – Paola
    Commented Aug 23, 2013 at 22:37

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