12 days total. Rome sorrento Pulgia or Ischia?

How many nights do you have in Italy?

Do you plan to fly into Rome and out from Naples or some other place?

If you are flying in/out of Rome, then suggest you do all your time in Rome at the end ( simplifies the logistics of being where you need to be and save one unneeded move)

Based on the limited info provided, your plans appear 'aggressive'

If flying in and out of Rome, per the above you should head somewhere from the airport by train, stay in Rome last. Fiumicino Aeroporto to Napoli Centrale takes two hours with a change downtown. If your Sorrento hotel is withing a short walk from the station, you can take one of the local trains downstairs at Garibaldi. If not, with high Sorrento taxi fares, I suggest you get a quote from Sorrentocars for a transfer to the hotel.

There is a lot you can do there, and down on the Amalfi Coast. For more beach time, you could stop at Sperlonga on the way back to Rome:

http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/sperlonga.html

IME Puglia is a challenge because of distance.

Southern Italy is going to be quite hot at that time of year, especially southern Puglia. I spent close to a week there in 2015, based in Lecce (lovely city), and it was very, very hot. Lecce's average high for July is about 93F, which may actually understate the current situation. It will help, of course, if you're traveling around in your own air conditioned rental car. I was using public transportation.

If you head over to Puglia, stop in Matera for at least a day.

I was planning on round trip from Rome. I had wanted to start In Rome for 2 reasons - it will be earlier (end June rather than July) and hopefully even a little less hot .. as well as it’s all sightseeing so we want to start that way and end relaxed.

Karen, the issue is your last night in Italy. If you don't mind returning to Rome a day early (with a few more visits in Rome ... ), there's no problem. But you have named a number of distant places. You can't even sleep in Sorrento (the closest mentioned "southern" place unless your flight the next day is after 3 or 4 PM. Even then, there is some risk. And the price for missing your flight is over $1,000 per person, certainly.

You might wish to check whether your hotel options are within walking distance of a beach, and whether the beach is pebble or sand. Sorrento has only one tiny beach, in an unattractive and inconvenient location. But at least it has trucked-in sand. It sounds like you need to do more basic research to see which locations really suit your personal idea of a relaxing vacation. Are the teens content to sit on a beach? Will they want to try five different beaches in six days? Will they have phone data?

I would add (echoing some others) that even in the last week of May, we CHERISHED the fierce air conditioning of our luxury hotel.

Summer is summer. This past year Europe had several major heatwaves including one in June. It was 100F. Got cooler (somewhat) for most of July but then another major heatwave. So trying to plan on weather differences for that short time frame is useless. If you were traveling over a couple months that would make sense, but not a couple weeks in June/July.

Therefore, best to put all your Rome time at the end so you don't have to check in/out an extra time and will be in Rome night before your flight.

For that amount of time I wouldn't bother going to Puglia. It's wonderful but a) you really need a car for that region while you don't for Sorrento/Amalfi/Ischia and b) the beaches there were just as crowded. I would base in Sorrento and do day trips - Positano/Amalfi/Ravello by boat and/or bus; Capri; Ischia; Pompeii/Naples by train. While the pubic beach in Sorrento is not great everything else is. I've been to Ischia but wasn't looking to do beach time so can't comment on the beaches - I do remember walking by some on the way to the castle and they looked OK. I've read that beaches in towns around the island are better. If you wanted to split your time and beach time was important you could do most of the time in Sorrento and then move to Ischia for a couple days and find a beach location.

Here's my photos of that region - Ischia is at the end - https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/p266655284

Another option would be to base in a smaller town on the Amalfi Coast. None of the beaches are really fabulous (like Caribbean beaches) - it's more the spectacular views - but I believe some towns are better than others. I still think Sorrento is a good bet for ease of day trips to Capri, Ischia and Naples/Pompeii but there are other towns with better beaches.

I have heard good things about Ischia and it certainly makes the most sense with Rome and Sorrento. On the Amalfi Coast, we stayed in Minori for a few days. There is actually a small sandy beach there..Agree that Puglia deserves more time, if you want to visit several places. I spent 10 days ythere and could have stayed longer.

We loved Puglia but it ranged from very warm to hot in mid October.

Thanks everyone ..
isabel your pictures are amazing and it’s exactly what I am looking for! For all- we don’t mind the heat- we like in Boston where we have extreme climate all the time!

Does anyone have any places they loved to stay at in sorrento .. or ISCHIA..?

Such great info!

And as far as the itinerary, my plan was to always sleep in Rome the night before we leave.

Karen, the reason so many posters are telling you to go south first is because your arrival day is usually wasted. You'll better utilize your time, having more FULL days per location. Here's what I'd do...

Day 1 Arrive Rome. Allow 2-3 hours for passport/immigration. Taxi to Rome Termini. With 4 of you it will be less expensive than the Leonardo Express. Train to Napoli Centrale 1hr17min. Circumvesuvian (located downstairs of Naples station) to Sorrento. 1Hr15m.

4 Nights Sorrento. Can only recommend this hotel, Since we usually stay at my daughters home north of Naples. http://www.booking.com/Share-3huZLd

Great staff, wonderful food, shuttle into town.

Day 5 Day trip enroute to Ischia. Ferry to Capri, 30 min. Luggage storage by the ferry terminal.
Head up to Anacapri on arrival. You teens will enjoy the chair lift up to Monte Solaro. There are some nice walks up here. Then walk back down to Capri town for your ferry to Ischia, 50 min.

4 nights Ischia. With 4 of you, and your wish for beaches, try this apartment. We stayed in their 1 bedroom a year ago. http://www.booking.com/Share-o3TCGaW

Day 9 Ferry, Ischia-Naples Molo Beverello 1hr.
Taxi to Napoli Centrale. There's a fixed rate fare to the station, with 4, it will be about the same fare as the Alibus. Train to Rome. Edit:
https://www.napoliunplugged.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Tariffe_taxi_2017.pdf

4 nights Rome. If this is your first trip to Rome, I'd utilize a hotel. While we usually stay in apartments, we do like this hotel. http://www.booking.com/Share-VutAfv

Hope this helps.

Edit. Here are 2 apartments in central areas.

http://www.booking.com/Share-eEq5yD

http://www.booking.com/Share-MRlbjk

We've stayed in the first, friends in the second.