10 days in Italy

" we won't have another opportunity ' Yes you will. For this trip, I suggest dropping the CT region.

Day 1 - Depart US Night 1 - In flight Day 2 - Arrive VCE - Go to hotel. Walk around, explore. Night 2 - Sleep in Venice Day 3 - Visit Venice Night 3 - Sleep in Venice Day 4 - Day trip to Murano, Burano, Torcello via boat. (or day trip to Padua, via train). Night 4 - Sleep in Venice Day 5 - Early train from Venice to Florence (2 hrs travel) Start exploring Florence. Night 5 - Sleep in Florence Day 6 - Visit Florence all day Night 6 - Sleep in Florence Day 7 - Day trip to Siena (or to Pisa+Lucca) from Florence Night 7 - Sleep in Florence Day 8 - Early train from Florence to Rome (90 min travel). Start exploring Rome Night 8 - Sleep in Rome Day 9 - Rome visit Night 9 - Sleep in Rome Day 10 - Rome visit Night 10 - Sleep in Rome Day 11 - Morning taxi (or train) to airport (30 min travel). Depart to US.
Night 11 - Arrive home, sleep in your own bed. Can't fit the Cinque Terre in 10 days, sorry!.

Agree with above posters V-F-R is pretty much a straight line.

Roberto has given you a wonderful itinerary. Don't try to squeeze in anything more, or you'll be sorry. Even as it is, you will be quite exhausted. Don't underestimate the sensory overload of these cities, with their hundreds/thousands of years of history and art. Have you heard of Stendhal Syndrome http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stendhal_syndrome? It happened in Florence, but could just as easily have happened in the other two. Do get Rick Steves Italy, ASAP, so you can start further planning of how you will spend your very limited time in each place.

I've never actually experienced the real physical symptoms of Stendhal's syndrome, but I have reached the point in Rome and Florence where I felt I couldn't bear to see one more church interior or spend anymore time inside museums. I realized I do have a limit on how much I can absorb, and the crowds in Europe's most famous museums and other extremely popular sites do wear me down. Using an audio guide or my iPod with some soft music helps. But mostly, over time I've come to increasingly appreciate Rick's strategy of focusing on the highlights and setting a museum strategy in advance, rather than roaming from gallery to gallery as I normally do when visiting only one museum near home for several hours. My limit in Europe is no more than 2 hours and walk out not regretting what I may have missed - knowing that I can find a way to return on a future trip if it means that much. I also now alternate days of museum visits with days of outdoor activities, in an effort to avoid overload and mental exhaustion.

You may not have another chance to return to Italy BUT you will want to have the best trip you can. I agree with the previous posters. Drop CT. It looks lovely but I will most likely never go. However, I can live with that given the time I have gotten to spend in other places. Enjoy!

Pamela
RS has a Venice-Florence-Rome Best of Italy tour. You can look at the detailed itinerary on this website and get an idea of what is do-able day by day.

Last time in the Uffizi I discovered the perfect solution for the crowds (and inane comments, and tour guide fables, etc). I had some Palestrina on my iPod before the trip, and found that spending time with amazing Renaissance art while listening to great music from the same era was perfect. It brought a real sense of calm to the museum. I really kept forgetting about the crowds. Highly recommended, and it should help with an Stendahl syndrome issues...