In 2010 we spent a month in the north of Italy, flying into and out of Milan. May/June was a delightful time of year to be there - warm sunny weather and less crowded than the high summer season. We returned in 2011 to visit Rome and Umbria, then continued north to Ferrara, Vicenza, Verona and Lake Como.

We found the train travel incredibly easy and could purchase tickets readily at all stations. There is absolutely no need for a car in any of the cities in which we stayed. In fact, a car would have been a nightmare. There are virtually no cars in the old cities of Siena and Lucca and, naturally, in Venice. Florence is abuzz with cars and motor-bikes and the thought of having one of our own was quite frightening and completely unnecessary.

All places on the Ligurian Coast are readily accessible by train and the five towns of the Cinque Terre have no cars at all.

Finding accommodation was not a problem. We had pre-booked at the Canon d'Oro in Siena and at the Casa si Nomo de Gesu, a charming old convent in a quieter area of Florence across the Arno, now offering excellent rooms. However, we noticed many places with vacancies and the tourist information offices had oodles of leaflets and brochures about most tempting places.

We were fortunate to have had some superb accommodation arranged for us - two of the Small Luxury Hotels chain - the Hotel Lungarno in Florence and the Hotel Liassidi in Venice. These were outstanding but, when we opted for less expensive places, they were easy to find and most pleasant. Our second hotel in Venice, Hotel San Simon ai due Sanali, was on a small piazza close to the Ponte Rialto but in a much quieter area, mainly frequented by locals.

Our travel to Trieste was easy from Venice. A train from the Santa Lucia station all the way to Trieste, really a neighbouring Italian city on the Adriatic, and from there we were able to journey into Slovenia for five brilliant days before another train journey back into Italy and all the way to Lucca.

In 2011 we travelled again to Italy, this time arriving in Rome where we spent one week before spending more time in Orvietto and Perugia in Umbria, followed by a stay in Vicenza. This was an ideal base for the Veneto as we enjoyed Verona from there as well. Again,perfect weather in May/June. We completed our Italian holiday with several idyllic days in Bellagio on Lake Como and two days in Como before leaving from Milan for home. Train travel is easy and a stress free way to get to any part of Italy. We prefer to stay for at least a few days in most places, if not longer, enabling us to really discover and enjoy each town and area along the way.