Italy had been on our list for years, but it kept getting pushed off. So this year, for Mark’s birthday, we decided to make it official - no take backs! When we finally started planning this trip, I knew I didn’t want to spend the entire time hopping between cities. If we were going to Northern Italy, we wanted a little bit of everything: city, mountains and loads of delicious cuisine.

So we built a 10-day itinerary that started in Venice, took us on a road trip through the Dolomites, and ended with a few days eating our way through Bologna and Florence.

It ended up being one of those trips where we loved almost everywhere we went — but also learned pretty quickly what we’d change some things up if we did it again. We underestimated how much time we’d want in Val Gardena, discovered a few places we liked more than the Instagram-famous stops, and added a Verona pit stop that immediately made us want to plan another trip.

Below is our actual itinerary: where we stayed, what we hiked, where we ate, what was worth it, and the things I’d do differently next time.

At a Glance: Our Northern Italy Itinerary

Rental car: Venice Airport → Bologna Airport
Train: Bologna → Florence
Biggest mistake: Only one night in Ortisei
Favorite surprise: Resciesa
Would we do it again? Absolutely… but I’d make it longer!

Days 1–2: Venice
Days 3–4: Cortina d’Ampezzo + Eastern Dolomites
Day 5: Ortisei + Val Gardena
Day 6: Verona + Bologna
Day 7: Bologna → Florence
Days 8–9: Florence
Day 10: Fly home

Days 01–02: Venice

We landed in Venice around 6pm, and instead of taking the fastest route into town, we hopped on the Alilaguna water bus from the airport. This ended up being one of my favorite decisions of the trip.

The ride took roughly 45 minutes to reach Rialto, but after spending the entire day traveling, watching Venice slowly come into view from the water as the sun went down felt less like transportation and more like the official beginning of the trip.

We checked into Hotel Bartolomeo, a small hotel tucked between Rialto and Piazza San Marco. The location was ideal for a short stay because we could walk almost everywhere we wanted to go.

And I have to admit: after hearing people say over and over again that Venice was overrated, I was prepared to be a little underwhelmed. I wasn't one bit.

Yes, Venice is busy. Yes, there are areas where you'll be surrounded by tourists. But there is also something undeniably magical about wandering through the maze of narrow streets, crossing tiny bridges and realizing that you have absolutely no idea where you are.

Our first night, we walked to Antico Dolo for dinner where we had one of the best burrata salads of my life before wandering back through the canals.

The next morning, we set out without much of an agenda. We made our way toward Piazza San Marco, saw the Bridge of Sighs and explored Doge's Palace before wandering over to Libreria Acqua Alta, the famous bookstore where books are stacked inside boats, bathtubs and other containers designed to protect them when Venice floods.

We decided to spend the afternoon taking a water bus over to Murano, where the people on the island specialize in hand-blown glass objects. It’s a great place to pick up some souvenirs. We grabbed a couple beautiful, lightweight espresso glasses and some ornaments for my family.

That evening, we had dinner at El Magazen, - this was quite possibly our favorite meal of the trip. Every dish was based on traditional Venetian cuisine, but with a modern twist. I am still dreaming about the fried sardines and the beautiful tiramisu.

Where We Stayed in Venice

Hotel Bartolomeo
Calle dell'Orso 5494, Venice

For us, the biggest selling point was location. With only two nights in Venice, being able to walk almost everywhere was much more important than having a fancy hotel. That said, this hotel was clean and comfortable. The only downside was the fact that the walls were insanely thing (we could hear our neighbors TV like it was inside our room) and there is a bar on the street below. Luckily, the crowds only seem to hang around until midnight, so it wasn’t the end of the world.

What we did in Venice

Piazza San Marco + St. Mark's Basilica
Doge's Palace + Bridge of Sighs
Libreria Acqua Alta
Wandered the canals with absolutely no agenda
Day trip to Murano where they specialize in hand-blown glass objects (great souvenir opportunity!)
Ate gelato, drank wine + generally embraced being tourists

Where we ate

Antico Dolo — our first dinner in Italy and a great introduction to Venice.
El Magazen — another standout dinner that I'd absolutely recommend reserving ahead of time.
Gelatoteca Suso — because obviously there was going to be gelato.

Would I change anything?

Two nights felt right for a first visit. If we had another day, then I’d add some more quintessenital sites like Caffé Florian, Scala Cantorini del Bovolo or even a gondola ride rather than trying to squeeze one into our only full day.

Days 03–04: Cortina d’Ampezzo

On Monday morning, we took the Alilaguna back to Venice Airport, picked up our rental car and officially started the road-trip portion of our trip.

It doesn't take long before the landscape begins to change. Cities give way to smaller towns, mountains start appearing on the horizon, and eventually those mountains become the enormous limestone peaks we'd come all this way to see. A few hours later, we arrived in Cortina d'Ampezzo.

We stayed at Hotel Aquila, right in the center of town. After checking in, we could walk out the front door for coffee, dinner or a stroll around Cortina—and the mountain views from our room were pretty incredible.

But we didn't spend much time in the room. We dropped our bags and headed almost immediately toward Cinque Torri.

visiting Cinque Torri

Cinque Torri was one of those places I added to our itinerary because we had a few free hours on our arrival day. I figured we'd ride the chairlift up, look around for a little while, maybe grab a drink and head back into town. Instead, it became one of my favorite experiences of the entire trip.

The weather was looking a little questionable when we arrived, but that ended up being half of what made it so memorable. Moody light moved across the landscape, ominous clouds wrapped themselves around the surrounding peaks, and the mountains seemed to disappear and reappear every few minutes.

At one point, we watched a huge flock of sheep being herded across the hillside in the valley below. Between that, the clouds and the enormous rock towers surrounding us, the whole experience felt slightly surreal.

Cinque Torri also has an incredible amount of history. The area served as an important position during World War I, and today you can wander between reconstructed trenches, bunkers and other remnants of the fighting that took place throughout these mountains.

We took the Seggiovia Cinque Torri chairlift up and spent as much time as we could wandering the trails, exploring the bunkers and staring in awe at the 360º views that surrounded us.

If you visit later in the day like we did, make sure you check the current operating schedule for the chairlift. Missing the last ride doesn't mean you're stranded, but it does mean you're hiking back down.

Day 04: Cadini di Misurina + Tre Cime

The next morning started painfully early. We left Cortina around 5:30am and drove toward Rifugio Auronzo, where we'd reserved an early parking entry for Tre Cime.

Our first destination wasn't Tre Cime itself, though. We headed in the opposite direction toward the Cadini di Misurina viewpoint for sunrise.

Cadini is one of those places that looks almost unreal in photographs. Jagged peaks stack on top of one another until they seem to disappear into the horizon, and the viewpoint puts you directly in front of all of it. It's also extremely popular.

Cadini and Tre Cime are probably two of the most recognizable places in the Dolomites, and later in the day they can start to feel a little like Disneyland. Going early didn't mean we had the landscape completely to ourselves, but it made the experience dramatically more enjoyable.

After Cadini, we headed back toward Rifugio Auronzo for some pastries and capaccinos at the hut and started exploring Tre Cime di Lavaredo. Tre Cime is famous for the three enormous peaks that dominate the landscape, but the full loop gives you constantly changing perspectives of them and plenty of opportunities to stop at rifugios along the way.

We chose not to hike the entire loop, but instead, hike out to Rugio Locatelli, where we grabbed some snacks and took in the views from our table. Wspent most of the morning hiking before eventually heading back toward Cortina. And after a pre-sunrise wake-up and a morning in the mountains, we quickly realized that our ambitious list of afternoon activities was exactly that: ambitious.

Instead of trying to squeeze in another big adventure, we stopped at Lago di Landro and the nearby Tre Cime vista point and honestly, it was exactly what we needed.

If You Have More Time Around Cortina…

There is an almost ridiculous amount to see around Cortina, so if you have an additional day—or somehow still have functioning legs after Tre Cime—you have plenty of options.

Lago di Braies — probably the most famous lake in the Dolomites. Beautiful, but expect crowds.
Lago di Dobbiaco — an easy scenic lake stop that doesn't require another huge hiking day.
Lago di Limides — a relatively short hike with huge mountain scenery.
Passo Giau — an incredible option if you want dramatic landscapes without committing to another major hike.
Lagazuoi — mountain scenery, hiking and fascinating World War I history.
Lago di Sorapis — save this one for a day when you actually have time and energy for another hike.

Would I Change Anything?

It was tempting during the planning process to fill every open hour because there are so many incredible places within driving distance of Cortina. In reality, waking up before sunrise, hiking for hours and then trying to squeeze in two more lakes isn't necessarily how you want to experience the Dolomites.

Pick the places you care about most and leave some room for weather, long lunches, scenic pullouts and simply being tired.

Day 05: Cortina to Ortisei

The next morning, we packed up and started driving west toward Ortisei and Val Gardena. If you're following a similar itinerary, don't treat this like a boring transfer day. The drive itself is part of the experience.

We wound our way through mountain passes with enormous peaks appearing around practically every corner. This is one of those drives where your estimated arrival time becomes increasingly meaningless because you're constantly tempted to pull over.

When we eventually arrived in Ortisei, one thing became apparent almost immediately: this was much busier than Cortina. Ortisei is larger, there are people everywhere, and parking can initially look a little intimidating. Don't panic.

There are several parking options depending on what you're planning to do, including Parking Centrale, parking near the Seceda lift, and parking near the Seiser Alm lift.

We ultimately parked near Seceda. The lot was completely full when we arrived, but we managed to get in line and eventually found a spot. People are constantly coming and going, so a little patience goes a long way.

Our first destination, however, wasn't Seceda. It was Resciesa.

Resciesa wasn't originally one of the places I built this trip around. Ironically, it may have been my favorite stop in the Dolomites.

We walked through Ortisei to the Resciesa funicular, rode it up the mountain and then hiked roughly a mile toward Resciesa Hut. Compared with some of the other places we'd visited, everything immediately felt calmer.

It definitely wasn't empty, but it was manageable. We weren't fighting through crowds or trying to get the same photograph as everyone else. We could just walk, take in the views and enjoy being there.

When we reached the hut, we immediately were seated at the best tables in the house at the same time as another sweet couple from Hawaii who was visiting with their baby. We sat outside with food and drinks surrounded by some of the best views of our entire trip and had some lovely conversation with our neighbors. It was exactly the kind of experience I'd imagined when I started planning a trip to the Dolomites, and it came from a place that hadn't initially been on my must-see list.

There's probably a lesson in there somewhere…

The Instagram-famous places are famous for a reason. I had plenty of them on my itinerary too. But some of our favorite moments happened when we stopped chasing the places we'd already seen a hundred times online.

After Resciesa, we made our way back through Ortisei and took the gondolas up to Seceda.

Let's get this out of the way first: Seceda is beautiful. That ridgeline is every bit as dramatic in person as it looks in photographs. But I also think this is one place where Instagram can set slightly unrealistic expectations.

As of 2026, of the landscape is rightfully protected and roped off, meaning visitors are limited to designated trails and viewpoints. That's a good thing! The amount of foot traffic this area receives is insane. But it also means you shouldn't arrive expecting to wander out onto every ridgeline or recreate every photograph you've seen online.

The lift is also extremely expensive, especially if you're visiting multiple lift-accessed areas during your trip. If you have more time than we did, I'd consider taking the Col Raiser lift and hiking toward Seceda instead. This was on my original itinerary and I wish we had the time to do it. Depending on your pace and exact route, I'd give yourself roughly two hours to hike up and another two hours to return.

One thing I would repeat is our timing. We went to Seceda around 3pm, and it felt noticeably quieter and more relaxed than what we'd seen earlier in the day. Just make sure you check the current lift schedule before heading up. Missing the last gondola down turns your scenic afternoon into a much longer hike than you probably planned.

That night, we stayed nearby in Santa Cristina at Smart Hotel Saslong and ended up having dinner at Pizzeria Da Peppi. It wasn't one of the restaurants I'd meticulously researched before the trip. It was just nearby and sounded good. It ended up being a sleeper hit.

Would I Change Anything?

I'd spend at least two nights here.

One night around Ortisei and Val Gardena was our biggest planning mistake of the entire trip.

With another day, I would have added Alpe di Siusi, explored more around Sassolungo or Passo Gardena, or simply slowed everything down and spent more time hiking between huts.

If you're recreating this itinerary, take the extra night from me. You'll use it.

Day 06: Ortisei to Verona to Bologna

The next morning, we said goodbye to the Dolomites and started making our way south toward Bologna. But we weren't quite ready to drive straight there.

We decided to break up the trip with a few hours in Verona, which was supposed to be nothing more than a convenient lunch stop. That lasted approximately five minutes. We grabbed focaccia sandwiches, wandered through the historic center and found a spot along the river to sit and eat. And almost immediately decided our next Italy trip needed to include more time here.

If you only have a few hours like we did, you can wander through Piazza delle Erbe, see the Arena di Verona, cross Ponte Pietra and take in quite a bit of the historic center on foot.

But if I were rebuilding this itinerary with a couple of extra days, Verona would get a night. Eventually, we reluctantly got back in the car and continued toward Bologna.

visiting Bologna: Come Hungry…

Once we reached Bologna, we drove to the airport, returned our rental car and took a cab into the city. And just like that, the road-trip portion of our trip was over. The eating portion, however, was very much not.

We checked into Hotel Metropolitan, which gave us a central base for exploring Bologna on foot. This hotel was probably the nicest on our trip, which is why it was so unfortunate we were only staying there one night!

Bologna is a city built for wandering and eating. Its seemingly endless porticos make simply walking around part of the experience, while markets, cafés, bars and restaurants seem to appear around every corner.

We explored the historic center, wandered through the markets, saw the Fountain of Neptune and visited Biblioteca Salaborsa, where you can see archaeological ruins beneath the library. If you have more time, you can also make your way up to the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca, connected to the city by Bologna's famous portico.

But the real highlight for us was dinner. We ate at Ahimè, they were mentioned in the Michelin Guide and it ended up being one of the best meals of the entire trip.

If you're someone who plans vacations at least partially around where you're going to eat, Bologna deserves a place on your itinerary for sure.

Would I Change Anything?

I'd give Bologna more time if food is a major priority.

We got a taste of the city, but Bologna could easily fill another day or two—especially if you want time for San Luca, markets, long meals and absolutely no reason to rush anywhere.

Day 07-09: Florence

We spent the next morning exploring a little more of Bologna before trading our rental car for Italy's much easier form of city-to-city transportation: the train.

From Bologna Centrale, we took the train to Firenze Santa Maria Novella and arrived in Florence that afternoon. From there, we grabbed a cab and checked into Residenza Maglioni al Battistero, right in the historic center, dropped our bags and headed back out.

Our first dinner in Florence was at Babae, officially kicking off the final, and significantly less outdoorsy, chapter of our trip. Babae is also somewhat famous for having one of the “wine windows” you can find dotted around Florence. These tiny openings (buchette del vino) date back centuries, when Florentine families used them to sell wine from their palaces directly to people on the street. Many are still scattered around Florence today and a handful have been brought back to life, meaning yes, you can literally walk up to a tiny window in a wall and be handed a glass of wine.

After several days of waking up before sunrise, hiking through the Dolomites and driving across Northern Italy, Florence felt like a completely different vacation. Our days revolved around art, architecture, walking and deciding what we were going to eat next.

We visited the Galleria dell'Accademia to see Michelangelo's David, explored the Duomo complex, and climbed to the top of Brunelleschi's Dome. And yes, after hiking around the Dolomites all week, we somehow still voluntarily climbed 463 steps to the top. The view was worth it.

We also visited the Uffizi Gallery, wandered across Ponte Vecchio, explored the historic streets and generally let ourselves slow down.

For lunch one day, we grabbed sandwiches from Panini Toscani, and another evening we went all-in on bistecca Fiorentina at Regina Bistecca. We really never had a bad meal on this trip.

By this point in the trip, there wasn't much of an itinerary left to optimize. We were tired, very well fed and mostly happy to wander. Which, after ten days of moving around Italy, felt like exactly the right way to finish.

Would I Recommend This Northern Italy + Dolomites Itinerary?

Absolutely. But if I could rebuild this exact trip tomorrow, I'd make it longer and maybe keep it more focused, as hard as that is.

I'd keep two nights in Venice, spend two nights in Cortina, increase Ortisei to at least two nights and then continue onto Bologna and Florence.

Ten days gave us an incredible introduction to Northern Italy. But twelve would have given us just enough breathing room to stop feeling like we constantly had to choose between one beautiful place and another.

But that's also probably the best problem you can have on a European vacation.

A Northern Italy + Dolomites Road Trip: Our 10-Day Itinerary