From Milan to Palermo: Ideas for a Whistlestop Jaunt to Italy

Hop on the train and get ready to view. There are many possibilities for making your way up through Italy.

Palermo

Palermo, the capital of Sicily, is on the north side of the island and consists of more than a million people in and around the city. There are churches, theatres, palaces and museums enough for a prolonged stay, but this is surely a whistlestop tour. “Godfather” fans should see Teatro Massimo where the final scenes were shot (on film). Catacombs, outdoor markets and beaches rank right up there. Eat the local cuisine.

Naples

Naples is a 10-and-a-half-hour ferry ride from Palermo or a long train ride on land. It’s just under a million in population and has everything Italy. Eat the pizza, according to Italian travel sites. There are daily city tours hitting the highlights that include the Duomo. The Bay of Naples offers quite a vista on this tour, too. An 8-hour day tour of Pompeii may be a good use of time here. You can find day tours with affordable prices — lunch included.

Rome

The Eternal City, is a living history thousands of years old. The Vatican and St. Peter’s Basilica are places to visit. The Coliseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill are must not miss places when in Rome. Musement’s skip-the-line tours are really helpful here. Drink the cappuccino and eat the great food offered. In fact, it is not surprising that you wouldn’t want to leave!

Florence

Rome to Florence on the train does not take long. Stop in Pisa and see the Leaning Tower on the way. Walking tours are fun in Florence because everything is fairly close together. The Ponte Vecchio is almost impossible to miss. The Medici Palace has the Uffizi Gallery with stellar, world-famous works of art. Again, there’s a host of tours for attractions outside of Florence that are well worth taking, including part of Cinque Terre.

Milan

If there’s time, hit Venice before Milan, but Milan has a lot to offer. There’s almost no point in going unless you can see the mural, The Last Supper, although there are many other attractions. A guided visit from Musement gives you an English-speaking skip-the-line tour to see the mural at the 500-year-old Santa Maria delle Grazie convent. It’s busy since the restoration.

Indeed, it’s a great time to see as much of Italy as possible.