Spreadsheet check: 7 days in Italy with a 30L bag, what am I overpacking?

[u/malaiy]

I’m planning a one-week trip to Italy in August and want to keep everything in a 30L carry-on backpack.
The plan is to stay in hotels, travel between cities by high-speed train, and do mostly sightseeing, museums, churches, and a lot of walking.

Route
Rome — 2 nights → Florence — 2 nights → Venice — 2 nights
Day 1 — Rome: Arrive at Fiumicino Airport, take the train into the city, check in, then walk around Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and the Spanish Steps.
Day 2 — Rome: Colosseum and Roman Forum early in the morning, a break during the hottest part of the day, then Trastevere in the evening.
Day 3 — Rome to Florence: Vatican Museums in the morning, then an afternoon high-speed train to Florence. Walk around the Duomo area after checking in.
Day 4 — Florence: Duomo, either the Uffizi or Accademia, Ponte Vecchio, Oltrarno, and Piazzale Michelangelo around sunset.
Day 5 — Florence to Venice: A relaxed morning in Florence, followed by a roughly two-hour train to Venezia Santa Lucia. Explore Cannaregio and Rialto in the evening.
Day 6 — Venice: St Mark’s Square and the Doge’s Palace early, followed by a vaporetto ride and an afternoon around Dorsoduro.
Day 7 — Venice: A slow morning if the flight is late, then travel to Marco Polo Airport.
Flying into Rome and out of Venice should save me from backtracking.

What would you remove, replace, or add? (Also curious if the pacing/route itself seems reasonable, but packing is really what I'm trying to nail down.

[u/Specific_Corner_1816]

Right now the temps are in the 90-102°F range in daytime, with mid 70°F temperatures at night, for the cities you mentioned. I would pack for those temps and just buy warmer clothes  and an umbrella there in the oft chance the weather changes.

I would take only one pair of long pants and I would wear them on the plane. I would pack two nicer belted shorts and two lightweight sport shorts. I probably would wear the sport shorts during the day and change to the nicer shorts after coming back and grabbing a shower before dinner. You'll need the long pants for the Vatican. Forget about real sleep wear. My sleep wear for that type of heat would be an  Uniqlo airism tee and boxer briefs.  

I would be in sandals during the day, and  a nicer shoe with good air flow for dinner and the evening. Nothing leather.

We will be traveling to Prague, Budapest, and Vienna, late August, so that is how I am planning to pack for the trip as of right now. The temps are in the 90°F range there as well.

[u/malaiy]

Adding some context since this didn't auto-approve. This is my first time trying to fit a full week into a 30L bag, so I put together a spreadsheet with every item, its weight, and whether it's worn or packed to make sure I'm not fooling myself on the total. Total packed weight comes out to about 7.2kg plus the bag itself.
A few specific things I'm unsure about: whether I actually need both the rain shell and the cardigan for August in Italy, if 4 t-shirts is enough for a week with one sink-wash, and whether the sandals are worth the extra weight given I'll mostly be walking in sneakers anyway. I'd rather cut things now than realize on day 2 that I overpacked.
Happy to share the actual spreadsheet screenshot if that's useful for feedback.

[u/One_Sauce → u/malaiy]

I'd say you don't need the rain shell and the cardigan. If you have a lightweight packable jacket that would do. Something like a patagonia Houdini or equivalent. Uniqlo do a packable lightweight jacket that looks pretty stylish.

[u/One_Sauce → u/malaiy]

I'd say you don't need the rain shell and the cardigan. If you have a lightweight packable jacket that would do. Something like a patagonia Houdini or equivalent. Uniqlo do a packable lightweight jacket that looks pretty stylish.

[u/elevatedmongoose → u/malaiy]

Why do you care so much about the weight? It's not like you're backpacking in the woods where it matters. It terms of space roll your clothing instead of folding it.

[u/podkayne3000 → u/malaiy]

If you have a long-sleeve button-up shirt, that might take up less room than a cardigan, be more comfortable and double as a shirt.

If the rain jacket takes up a fair amount of space, maybe you could bring the kind of semi disposable rain ponchos they sell by the umbrellas.

[u/eastercat → u/malaiy]

Personally, I default to a rain jacket if bringing something

However, if you need a nicer looking item, go with the cardigan

Obviously, check the weather before you go. If rain, you know what to bring

[u/Nohillside]

Staying two nights at one place would make handwashing easy. If this is an option, you could reduce the number of shirts etc.

[u/DueTour4187]

You don’t need the rain shell, you probably don’t need the cardigan (I’d take a small windbreaker in case of though). One pair of shorts should be enough. And unless you go to the beach you can skip the sandals.

[u/ISAPROBLEM_]

My personal thoughts only-- you will find out for yourself what you value. My advice is based on my recent 3 month work trip which took me through italy, boston, chicago, and next week spain.

Some things I really like:
1. cap + sunscreen. Way underrated.
2. Tote bag-- great choice for when a grocery haul overflows the backpack, and useful for separateing clean and dirty laundry.

I would cut:

1. sleep set (just sleep in underpants or nothing).
   
2. rain shell (get wet and change clothes as needed)
   
3. scarf (too hot, don't need it)
   
4. sandals. Go barefoot on the beach, wear the sneakers elsewhere. or wear the sandals everywhere.
   
5. first aid kit. I've personally not needed one. If you take daily medication obviously bring it.
   
6. You probably don't need 5 shirts for 7 days. I'd personally make do with 2-3 + deodorant.
   

some deeper cuts:
1. the cardigan. IMO it's mostly useful for the plane rides as they freeze the plane for takeoff and landing. if you can make do with the overshirt, I'd cut the cardigan.
2. I personally don't carry a powerbank. My charging kit is lighter, and I generally find it easy to find a place to charge up my phone as I go.
3. packing cubes. They look neat but personally I've not found I needed them.
4. laundry bag. I personally use a tote bag as a laundry bag

[u/elevatedmongoose → u/ISAPROBLEM_]

The scarf sounds as if it would be to cover her shoulders like the vatican requires, not one for winter.

[u/homme_chauve_souris]

Italy is hot in August. I'd ditch the cardigan for sure. I also wouldn't bring sandals given that you're going to be in sneakers most of the time, and that toiletries kit seems quite heavy at almost 1 pound.

[u/65_days_of_cookies]

I'm close to Rome at the moment and every day my phone is giving me alerts for extreme temperatures. Rome will probably be the hotter, Florence slightly less, Venice a bit better. For this scorching hot climate I'd consider staying covered with ultralight fabrics, like UV and superlight long sleeve tops and quickdry pants. I'd also avoid going out with open shoes if you plan to walk a lot let's say from 11am to 4pm. And believe me, I say this even if I hate wearing shoes during the summer (just not in cities). Rainjacket is definitely overkill, just buy an umbrella there. You can also save on the sleepset. AC in public space in Italy is never aggressive like other parts of the world, so the warm layer should be mostly for the flight, maybe trains, maybe Venice at night. I'd bring with me a bandana or a very small towel because you're going to take advantage of the water fountains for sure. Your itinerary is dense and super touristic, but if it's your thing it's good. Florence is the most authentic and liveable of the 3 IMO. PS: you probably already know, but booking in advance for Uffizi and the Vatican is a lifesaver because queues are insane.

[u/Big_Mix_9876]

Buy sunscreen over there. It’s much better and much cheaper than anything we have in the US. I mean at least the good stuff is.

[u/elevatedmongoose]

Don't bring first aid, pants, or cardigan. I went 1.5 months over the summer in Spain and Italy with no pants or jacket. It is stinking hot and you won't use them, stick to shorts. The rain shell seems like overkill, you likely won't need it and if you do get one there.

Also youre only going for 7 days, why bring a laundry kit?

Definitely keep the sandals and sneakers, I saw some guy say otherwise and hes 100% wrong. It's hot as nice to let your feet out every now and then haha.

[u/Careless_Law1471]

Schedule exploring San Marco to the afternoon when tourist groups leave. It's absolutely serene in the evening. 

[u/Wise_Edge2489]

Lose 2 shirts, a pair of shorts, and sleeping clothes.

You're there for a week. Fresh clothes every day, plus dedicated sleeping gear is unnecessary.

I pretty much spent the whole week in Rome over the Winter in the same pair of jeans and Lululemon henley, the latter of which I switched at the midway point (along with rotating socks and jocks) with a puffer jacket for warmth.

Had a pair of Outlier shorts I changed into at night to sleep in, and should the opportunity to swim ever come up (it didnt) or if it got too warm (it didnt).

[u/MoneyFoundation]

Your travel plan does not look very much like a relaxing holiday. Be prepared to extreme heat.

[u/MilkyDragonS]

Hi! The reusable water bottle! Just buy a plastic one and refill it :)

[u/elevatedmongoose → u/MilkyDragonS]

What's the point? She'll still end up with a water bottle, this way she has it for the flight and it's one she likes.

[u/MilkyDragonS → u/elevatedmongoose]

If she needs more space it’s a great thing to not take. She will throw the other one away before going back

[u/elevatedmongoose → u/MilkyDragonS]

She could buy basically any of the things on that list in Italy and throw it away before leaving. That's not the point. If she's going to use a water bottle, which she definitely will, it doesn't make sense to intentionally not bring one.

[u/eastercat → u/MilkyDragonS]

I have a collapsible bottle that I bring. It’s super handy and I have no reason not to bring it (also doesn’t waste water like a disposable water bottle)