12 night Itinerary

Yes. Every time you change cities, you lose 1/2 a day: pack suitcase, check out of hotel, get to train station, train ride, get from train station to new hotel, check in, unpack, then explore. Therefore, with your itinerary, you have 1.5 days in each of Sorrento, Rome, Assisi, CT, Florence and Venice and a total of 6 hotel changes. With that kind of schedule, you can say that you have "been" to Italy, but you will not have really "seen" Italy. You will see more of the inside of taxis and trains then of the wonders of Italy. But it is up to you and the kind of trip you enjoy.

Of course your right, it would seem that I've never been to Italy before but this will be my 5th time. I just love it ALL!! This will be the first time for my cousins. She's excited and I just want to share everything I've seen with her, this will be her only trip to Italy........we just better BREATHE!!!
Thanks

I would just hate to take someone I like on a trip like this, because they wouldn't really get to know Italy. They can check quite a few boxes off their checklist, but not ever connect with the Italy we know and love. For example, why Sorrento? Is it simply to see Pompeii? If so, add those 2 days to Rome and see Pompeii as a day trip via train from Rome. Same with Assisi. If she has never been to Italy before, only spending 1.5 days in Rome is a terrible idea IMHO. On this I am speaking from personal experience. Last year I took my mother and 3 girlfriends to Positano for a week, where we rented an apartment and explored the Amalfi Coast. Had a fantastic time. We then spent the last 1.5 days in Rome, trying to see as much as possible because I wasn't sure if they would ever get back to Italy and I wanted them to see what I loved. My mother and at least 1 of the other girls ended up hating Rome, because it was crowded and we were rushing around. It was just too hectic and they never really connected with the city. So consider consolidating some of your stays and doing daytrips where possible. Unless you both REALLY like hiking, seeing CT as a daytrip from Florence is also possible if you are mainly going to see the scenery.

Only reason for Sorrento was that it was beautiful and to take the Amalfi coast bus ride. CT again the beauty but as far as day trips from Florence, would forgeting CT and going to San Gimignano be a better idea? Thanks for your suggestions.

Jo, As you've noted, the travel time between locations is not as simple as just the train times. Each change will require at least half a day. This is too much of a "blitz" Itinerary (IMO), and not something I'd suggest for a first time visitor to Italy. As ekc noted, you'll only have about 1.5 days in each place. However, it's your trip so if it works for you...... That is a very short time for the number of stops you've proposed. When is this trip taking place? I'd suggest skipping two of the destinations on your list (perhaps Sorrento and Assisi) and add a day trip or two. That would greatly simplify the transportation, and provide more "breathing room" to enjoy the places you'll be visiting. I haven't checked, but perhaps you could visit Assisi from Florence? Depending on when you'll be there, you could also consider travelling Venice > Florence > Cinque Terre > Rome. As you've probably found, Rome can be "intense" at times, so that would be a more gentle introduction to Italy for your Cugina. Good luck with your planning and happy travels!

Absolutely, dropping CT, adding one of those days to Rome or Venice and one day to Florence (and seeing CT as a daytrip from Florence) is a better idea. Keep in mind that you and your cousin (especially your cousin if she hasn't traveled to Europe much) will be jetlagged the first day or 2 of your trip. So riding the Amalfi Coast road in a bus would be difficult for me if it were early in the trip. But I suffer from motion sickness, so it would be especially difficult. Don't get me wrong, I love the AC - Positano is one of my favorite towns in Italy. But with a trip like yours, I wouldn't want to spent the 1.5 days there while giving the rest of the cities short shrift. Something else to consider - flying into Venice and out of (say) Rome. I find Venice to be a much better city in which to acclimate and get over the jetlag. Mainly due to the fact that you have walk everywhere and there are no cars/buses/scooters or bicycles. Also, flights out of Venice to the US often leave brutally early. Just a couple more thoughts! :-)

You're getting very good advice here. Only you can decide what will work for you, but your proposed itinerary would kill me. :-)

Jo, I understand your desire to show your cousins the diverse beauty of Italy but heed the advice that everyone is giving you. I would definitely eliminate a few places in the interest of a more enjoyable and relaxing trip. I agree with the advice to fly open jaw as this will save you from spending precious time back tracking. With 12 days, I would concentrate on Venice, Florence and Rome. I would spend 3 days in Venice, 4 days in Florence and 5 days in Rome. In my opinion, this would be a better pace. You can also incorporate some days trips from each of these "bases" if you desire. Like Ken said, I'm not sure about the feasibility of visiting Assisi as a day trip from Florence but if it's not feasible, then I would visit it en route to Rome from Florence and leave your luggage in the train station and visit for the day. I think the CT is too far out of the way and while I love the CT, I just don't think it's worth all the travel. It's your trip and you can certainly design it any way you'd like, but having been to Italy before, I would not enjoy changing hotels 6 times in 12 days. You will spend so much time in transit and so little time in each place and your itinerary would leave me wanting more & feeling frustrated that I didn't see more of each place.

Only you can decide if this will be too much for you and your cousin. The fast pace may be what you want. There was a time (in my 20s) when I would have done something like this and absolutely loved it even with the quick pace. On my first several trips to Europe, I spent only one or two nights in each location. I wanted to see as much variety as possible and I was fine with just getting a taste of a location. I don't regret those trips nor do I think the fast pace was a mistake for those trips. Now, I would never plan a trip like that. It would be too much and it is not what I enjoy now. I want to slow down and relax and I am more likely to spend a week or more in a single city. To scale it down just a bit, I'd either visit Sorrento or the CT (not both). If you've already bought a ticket to Naples, then cut out the CT and add an extra night to your first and last stops.

Thanks everyone,
I'm cutting out the CT and staying longer in Florence and Venice.

Jo: You do best to fly open jawed into Venice and out of Rome.
Not all Italian airports have good service to the U.S. I too agree that taking Italy slower is best. There's just too much culture, food, architecture and history that one's mind can take in at one time.

I don't see anywhere that you say when you'll be traveling. That can influence your choice of itinerary greatly, as Sorrento and the CT really need warmer sunny weather to be seen at their best.

I tend to prefer a mix of big city and village and if you take out CT you will only have the big city tour. If you are going in the summer there will be hordes of people and it will be hot, so if I were taking friends I would try to mix it up a bit. My favorite thing to do is stay outside of Florence in a great village (san G maybe) and take the train in for the day. No, you wont see it all, but there is a tradeoff, and it all depends on whether you want to show them some diversity. I love the sea as well, so to give up going to the Mediterranean... well, I would not even consider it. I can only go to so many museums, etc before I just need to relax with a glass of wine and enjoy the people I am traveling with. A trip of all cities is just way too hectic for me.

We will be traveling May 15th for the 12 nights in Italy. I'll have to look into changing lodging if flying into Venice and out of Rome would be better. I've haven't given any deposit money. Thanks for all the room for thought