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11 Night Italy Itinerary (Amalfi, Rome, Florence)

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Hi everyone! First time posting here and first time traveling to Italy. I thought I would share my itinerary and ask a few specific questions. My husband and I (mid-30s) are traveling at the end of September/October. We are staying in airbnbs in Amalfi, Rome, and Florence.

Amalfi: 4 nights
Day 1: Arrive in Rome, Train to Salerno (car service to airbnb)
Day 2: Explore Amalfi / relaxing day to acclimate to time change :)
Day 3: Ferry to Positano + maybe a hike or rent kayaks
Day 4: Ferry to Capri

Rome: 3 nights
Day 5: Private transfer tour: Amalfi > Ravello > Naples (mydaytrip.com) + Train to Rome
Day 6: Early morning Vatican tour
Day 7: Train to Tivoli (morning) + Colosseum tour (evening)

Florence: 4 nights
Day 8: Private transfer tour: Rome > Civita di Bagnoregio > Florence (mydaytrip.com)
Day 9: Tuscany Tour (Siena, Winery Lunch, San Gimignano)
Day 10: Oltrarno, Florence (Pitti Palace, Gardens, etc)
Day 11: Florence Duomo, Museums, etc

Day 12: Travel home

Now for the questions. I’ve been trying to plan the logistics of travel from city to city. Train is the obvious solution, but with the airbnb check-out / check-in times we are often left with a couple hours to kill. Plus getting to the train station might be a hassle where we are staying. I found out about mydaytrip.com that provides a private transfer with options to stop along the way for a chosen amount of time. Has anyone used this service? It seems to have good reviews.

I’m considering using them twice, and I hope these two towns are doable in 2-3 hours each.

Amalfi airbnb to Naples train station with a stop in Ravello.
Rome airbnb to Florence airbnb with a stop in Civita di Bagnoregio.

My understanding is that both of these towns are very small and might be appropriate to spend a few hours. This seems like a better option than trying to find a place to store luggage while we wait, but it is a little strange to think of our luggage sitting in the driver’s car without us. I’d love to hear if anyone has done this before.

My last question is about Tivoli. I’m considering taking the train one morning from Rome to visit on our own. I love gardens, and I saw some photos of Tivoli and added it to my plan. With only 3 nights in Rome maybe I’m crazy for leaving the city, but I’m not sure what else I’d really want to do in Rome that we don’t already have planned. Is Tivoli worth the hour ride over to spend half a day?

Sorry for the long post! I am no stranger to planning long trips with multiple legs, but Italy is completely new to us. I appreciate your feedback!

Posted by
7229 posts

I probably wouldn’t leave Rome with such a short stay there and have not been to Tivoli but it’s your trip and you like gardens!

Have you figured your transportation to Amalfi?
No trains on the AC
Take a fast train to Salerno then ferry to Amalfi would be how I would do it

I’d stop in Orvieto or Montepuciano or Pienza rather than Civita
Orvieto is easy -right on the train line

Have not used mydaytrip but hear good things

Ravello is easy to see on your own-would choose that over Positano
Then you could just ferry back to Salerno to catch a train to Rome

Posted by
11948 posts

Day 1: Arrive in Rome, Train to Amalfi Coast

In what town is your lodging? Salerno and Sorrento are the closest cities that have rail service. If you are staying in the town of Amalfi, you need at least one additional mode of transport to get there.

Day 12: Travel home

Are you flying out of Florence?

Posted by
8 posts

For clarity —
We are staying technically in Amalfi, but about a 20-30 min walk from the city center. Our airbnb host has offered to arrange a pickup from the train station at Salerno, so that might be what we do to get to our Airbnb. I haven’t decided yet though.

I did originally have Ravello in the plan to do on our own until I read about the bus situation with one of the roads being closed to the buses due to an accident last year. I’m not sure what the status will be by September, so that’s been a bit iffy. But I do need somewhere to kill a couple hours/keep luggage most likely since taking the train directly to Rome would make our arrival too early to check-in to our next stop.

We fly home from Florence — so that is actually another transport I’ll need to figure out (from airbnb to the airport)

Posted by
8 posts

I’d like to hear more about Orvieto. It was definitely on my consideration list, but leaned toward Civita for its small size since I’ll only want to stop for 2-3 hours.

Posted by
28247 posts

Orvieto is wonderful, but I agree that 2-3 hours would be a terribly short visit. It's a hill town but it has a lot of worthwhile sights. Civita di Bagnoregio is a dead village in a dramatic setting. They are extremely different destinations.

Although I'd much prefer to return to Orvieto, that's something that can be done pretty efficiently by train on a later trip if you return to Rome. Getting to Civita without a car is a hassle, though doable. If you want to see it and are willing to commit the extra money and time for a private transfer that includes it (direct train from Rome to Florence would be massively faster and a lot cheaper), this meets the standard of "a good opportunity".

Posted by
1204 posts

In regard to the luggage question, you might check out one of the left luggage services that can be accessed online, such as Stasher - they offer short-term storage in local businesses.

I've been preparing for a trip to Rome in the Fall, and I wonder whether you're allowing enough time to really experience the city - not tourist attractions, but just soaking it all in.

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