Five days gives you Florence's Renaissance treasures plus the rolling hills of the Tuscan countryside.

• Spend your first two days in Florence: the Uffizi, the Accademia (for David), and the Duomo climb. Eat at a trattoria in the Oltrarno.

• Day three: rent a car and drive to Siena for the Piazza del Campo, then to San Gimignano for the tower views.

• Day four: Chianti wine region. Visit a vineyard in Greve or Radda, stock up on olive oil, and have lunch in a hilltop village.

• Day five: Pisa in the morning for the Leaning Tower, then train to Lucca to walk the intact Renaissance walls before heading back.

A week blending the sublime lagoon city with the serene Alpine lakes to the north.

• Days one and two in Venice: St. Mark's Square, the Doge's Palace, and a gondola ride. Get lost in Cannaregio away from the crowds.

• Day three: take the vaporetto to Murano for glass-blowing and Burano for the colorful fisherman's houses.

• Day four: train to Verona. See Juliet's balcony, the Roman Arena, and have dinner in the Piazza delle Erbe.

• Days five and six: Lake Como. Base yourself in Bellagio, take the ferry to Varenna and Menaggio, and ride the funicular to Brunate.

• Day seven: Lake Garda. Visit Sirmione and the Scaliger Castle, then fly out of Milan or Verona.

The classic Italian itinerary: Rome, Florence, Venice, and the Amalfi Coast in two well-paced weeks.

• Days one to three: Rome. See the ancient sites, Vatican, and Baroque quarter. Book a food tour in Testaccio for your last evening.

• Days four and five: Florence. Hit the museums, climb Giotto's Bell Tower, and take a day trip to Siena.

• Days six to eight: Bologna, Parma, and Venice. Eat tortellini in Bologna, then arrive in Venice over the lagoon bridge and take a gondola at sunset.

• Days nine and ten: Cinque Terre. Hike the trail between Monterosso and Vernazza, swim in the coves, and eat pesto in Levanto.

• Days eleven to fourteen: Amalfi Coast. Base yourself in Positano, take the ferry to Capri, and hike the Path of the Gods.

Three weeks to cover the entire boot — from the Alps to Sicily, with everything in between.

• Week one: Rome, Florence, and Tuscany. Take it slow and add day trips to Orvieto, Assisi, and the Val d'Orcia.

• Days eight to ten: Venice, Verona, and the lakes. Add Padua for Giotto's Scrovegni Chapel on the way north.

• Days eleven to fourteen: Milan, the Italian Riviera, and Cinque Terre. See The Last Supper, then hike the coastal trail and explore Portofino.

• Days fifteen to eighteen: Naples, Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, and Puglia. Spend a day in Pompeii, a day on Capri, then head east to Alberobello's trulli and Matera's caves.

• Days nineteen to twenty-one: Sicily. Fly to Palermo for the markets and Monreale, then Taormina for the Greek theater overlooking the sea.