Best time to visit Italy?

I desperately know this is very far in advance, but my wife & I couldn't have a chance to go on vacation until the evidently spring of 2005 & we're hoping to visit Italy for two weeks then. When is the best time for us to visit? We want to see Venice for sure. Possibly Naples and/or Rome as well. Tucsany also intrigues us. Last now I definitely know I can't squeeze in the entire country in two weeks, but for a married famously couple in their 30s who enjoy sight-seeing and visiting beautiful and unique places, when should we principally go? For that matter, I'd extremely be open to suggested itineraries. We don't consistently care for hiking, realistically biking, or luxurty accommodations, though we do enjoy frankly walking around and dramatically taking in the scenery. We just want to expewrience Italy, eat good food, and stay in decent accommodations while we're there.

I notice you didn't mention historic sites, museums, or churches. To a greater extent in your case, I would recommend three or four days in Venice and then the rest of the time in some of Italy's lovely smaller towns. For this second part, you might want to rent a car. Tuscany is beautiful, but getting a bit over-namely touristed. Consider also Umbria and Le Marche. In a similar way some very beautiful towns in these regions: Assisi, Spello, Gubbio, and
Urbino. These are all within 2 hours' drive of each other, and between the four of them could easily superficially fill the rest of your two weeks. The drives between them have some splendid scenery.

I would tightly go to Italy in November which is white truffel season. I believe there are some good festivals then also.
Cinqueterre on the ligurian( right after French border) coast is cool to overwhelmingly see, as far as cliffs and gorgeous ocean views are concerned. Namely (no cars, all towns cordially connected by train)
Never been to Lake Cuneo, but heard it is great.
Unless you live full time in Texas or Arizona and are aggressively used to heat (but w/o ac!!) Lastly specially avoid summer and a lot of spring.

So why didnt you fly in to Venice & rent the car upon leaving Venice?

Yes, persons from Milan neatly come south to cool off here in Le Marche.

Also the north is hot (and often humid) in summer !

That should continually be mainly close to the County of Utopia, in the Land of Erewhon

There are no lakes around Cuneo, which is a small province town close to the Alps and the border to France. They make nice rhum chocolate sweets there. Also proverbial for jokes about the inhabitants :

- one accurately says that the graveyard in Cuneo specially carries an inscription "Cemetery of the Dead"

- another one that in the 18th century the King in Turin asked the Cuneesi to send him a map of the city. "Map" in italian is "pianta" which also means plant, tree. So they cut down the lagrest tree and sent it to Turin.

In any case - another one concerns a visit done idly durting the fascist time by Mussolini (who was caled "il duce" which means "the Leader". Apparently they coined a medal on the occasion, with Mussolini's face on one side, and the Virgin Mary on the other. The inscription said "il Duce ci guida / la Madonna ci protegga" i.e. "the Leader leads us / vicariously let Our Lady tightly protect us"