14 days in italy in mid April

deb,

I'd suggest re-arranging the order of visits to Venice > Florence > Monterosso > Sorrento > Rome, as it's more efficient. Note that for the trip to Sorrento, you'll have to use the Circumvesuviana from Naples to Sorrento. It has a bit of a "reputation", so watch your bags closely.

Regarding your last question, my preference would be to stay in Monterosso; other opinions may differ. At that time of year, it should be fairly quiet in Monterosso and therefore a pleasant visit without crowds (the "official" start of the season in the C.T. is usually April 1st). Hopefully the weather will be good.

I agree with Ken about rearranging the order. I would also consider cutting out one of the destinations. You have a lot of travel time built in by going to the Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast. I'd drop one of them, probably the CT, especially since the weather can be very unpredictable and if it's not good, then you won't enjoy the time. If you add a day to Florence you can use it for a day trip to Siena.

Remember that you lose most of a day each time you re-locate. I would even suggest thinking about dropping two of your locations and just hit the 'big three' - doing 4 nights Venice, 4 nights Florence and the rest in Rome. Or you could do more days in Florence and day trip to the CT as a long day trip. I was just in Florence and noticed a few companies offering such day trips.
I definitely understand the wish to hit as many places as you can, but my experience with that type of trip is that I enjoy it much less when I spend so much traveling from place to place and less time just enjoying 'being there'.

Have you looked at average weather in mid-April for those locations? Monterosso in mid-April could be a bit iffy. If it's raining (and it rains a lot in April), the CT are hard to enjoy. I like the idea of doing them as a day trip from Florence if the weather is cooperating.

Same concern with Sorrento, although it's not an easy daytrip from Rome.

I like to mix some small towns in between the big cities. If you decide against staying on the coast, then Orvieto and Chiusi are examples of easy stops on the main Florence-Rome train line that would give you another, different experience.

and pisa is a fine day trip on the train from florence

Whether to drop Sorrento depends on what you want to do there. You can visit places like Pompeii, Herculaneum and Naples even if the weather isn't great. My visit there was in February and I had a mix of weather - rain one day, sunshine the next. Even then, I found the evenings in Sorrento quite romantic, all the shops were open and there were some excellent restaurants.

Agreeing with Chani again. As for the pace of the trip, it's your 14 days and if you want a sampler for a special trip like this, do it. If some sights are open at night, plan to do those then, extending your days a little. You will have a great time because it's a great occasion. Congratulations!

I also suggest that you drop two destinations and just stick to three. Otherwise, you will be spending a lot of time in transit. There are enough interesting things to see with Venice-Florence-Roma to keep you very busy. By concentrating on the "big 3" you would even have time for day trips by train or bus. For example, a 1.5 train ride from Florence to Pisa would allow you to visit the Field of Miracles with the Tower. Orvieto is a 75 minute train ride from Roma and is a very interesting place to explore.

Sometimes less is more and the Italians have a famous saying, "Il dolce far' niente." This means the sweetness of doing nothing. Keep in mind that sitting in an outdoor cafe sipping an espresso is a legitimate travel activity.

Buon viaggio,

Thank you all for your help. I have changed our itinerary as follows
Venice 3 ngts
Florence 4 ngts with side trips to Pisa and Siena
Sorrento 3 ngts
Rome 4 ngts

Any side trips we can take from Rome?

Can we drive through Tuscany while in Florence?

Deb,

Orvieto is a fantastic side trip from Rome. While there, do eat at Trattoria La Palomba, Via Cipriano Menente, 16. The restaurant is known for its pasta all’ascaro, also known as truffle carbonara. It is HEAVENLY with fresh truffle grated on top at the table.

You can drive throughout Tuscany using Florence (also in Tuscany) as a home base, but the only thing I'd worry about is where to pick up and park your car with the numerous limited traffic zones (ZTL) in Florence. The ZTL violations are not the best pieces of mail to receive more than a year after your trip.

If you drive from Florence to Pisa, you'll get a taste of driving through the Tuscan countryside. I suggest adding a stop in nearby Lucca, as the main sights of Pisa can be seen in a couple of hours. Do pay attention to the ZTL issue, as mentioned above. Roberto, who knows more than any other poster about Florence, pointed us at some garages which cost just 20 euro/day and were close to where we were staying. They were also outside the ZTL's. If your lodgings can't provide better parking than that, I'm sure he'll assist you in zeroing in on some that are convenient for you.

From Rome (many years ago) we visited Hadrian's Villa ... magnificent fountains and architecture. We rentals but I understand public transportation is also available.

Here are a few suggestions for day trips from Roma:
1. Ostia Antica: it is on the coast, reachable by train from Roma, and has everything Pompeii has AND shade with a sea breeze.
2. Villa di Este inTivoli: it is a bus ride away and very close to Hadrian's Villa. It is has a huge palazzo with a large hillside landscaped water fountain area.

Try the porchetta Romana (whole roast pig packed in salt and rosemary) in Roma and eat copious amounts of gelato everywhere in Italy.

Buon viaggio,

Good revisions. Rome can easily occupy your days, but Orvieto would be my choice for a day trip.