1st trip to Italy

I would suggest returning to Rome the night before your flight. Returning the morning of the flight leaves you no options if there's a surprise – train strike, late train, etc.

Sherry is correct. If your flight is at noon then you need to be in the airport no later than 10am and closer to 9. You don't have the time to come from the Amalfi Coast. You might consider stating in Sorento (maybe fly to Naples) and home from Rome. That would make a more efficient use of travel time.

PS. Just reread and realize that you are talking about next April/May. Have you booked your flights?

'Reasonable', yes, but it is short. Our first trip to Italy a few years ago was 10 nights, and to me that was too short! But you take what you can get, and it will be unforgettable regardless.

So you've booked in & out of Rome Fiumicino, but be forewarned it is huge and not very time-efficient for non-Italian speakers--take my word from experience! Thus, as stated above it's advisable you stay in Rome the night before departure.

As far as itinerary goes, if you have your heart set on Rome, then do it to the max. Stay near either Campo de' Fiori or even Trastevere to get a local flavor, and utilize the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus schedule to get around the city and over to the Vatican. Personally it's kind of a shame you're missing my favorite city, Florence, but there's always next time, and with your guided day trip to Tuscany, you'll get a little taste of it.

RE: the Amalfi Coast, for the beautiful vistas either Sorrento or Positano should be fine. We are finishing an upcoming trip in March by staying 5 nights in Salerno, which is centrally located & lends to day trips to Amalfi, Naples, Pompeii, Paestum without much trouble at all. The key is not to be on the road too much.

This could be a problem if you stay 4 nights in Rome (I'm assuming that your Tuscany day trip will take all day & finishes up back in Rome), then down to Sorrento or Positano the next morning will take a good 3 hours depending on your mode of transport (multiple trains, or bus/hydrofoil). So that would mean only 2 nights there, then you'd have to backtrack to Rome for one night for your flight home the next morning.

Unless...you start on the Amalfi Coast for nights 1-3, travel to Rome on day 4, do the Tuscany day trip on either day 5 or 6, and still have that 7th full day in Rome--your last day should be soaking it all in. Only problem with that scenario is the last thing a jet-lagged person wants after an overseas flight, even if the arrival is 9:30 in the morning, is another 3 hours on the road. But them's the breaks! Like I said, you'll enjoy it no matter what.

To get to Rome from Sorrento, you will first take the circumvesuviana train to Naples. This take about 70 minutes. I researched this ahead of time because I had a train from Naples to Orvieto at 10:30 and figured I would need to take the 8:51 train at the latest to be on time. Well luckily I was ready early and got on the prior train, WHICH LEFT 20 MINUTES LATE. There were several people on the train that missed their train to Rome as a result.

Then once you get to Naples you need to get to the train station upstairs and find your platform (binario). It is not a small train station. It's gonna take about 1 hour 10 minutes to Rome on the fastest train.

THEN you'll need the Leonardo express train to the airport. I believe that takes about 40 minutes. I'm not positive since one time I took a cab and another time I took a bus.

I don't know how well you do in stressful situations, but this would have me tearing out my hair at a minimum.

BTW, Pompeii is a very easy half day trip from Sorrento, and you should also go to Naples to see the archeological museum.

Leave Rome for last. Since you arrive in the morning, you have more than enough time to go straight to either Tuscany or Naples area (depending on which you want to visit first). Then you spend the last 3 or 4 nights in Rome.
You have only 8 nights on the ground however. You need to spend at least 3 nights in Rome (better if 4). I would spend the rest in another place only.
Also Tuscany is 3 hours from Rome. I would do Pompeii as a day trip from Rome.

Absolutely, I'd stay near the airport the night before your flight home from Rome to eliminate any chance of an unexpected transport complication. You can't take a train directly to Fiumicino from the Sorrentine Coast, and the Circumvesuviana you must take from Sorrento to Naples doesn't start running until 6:00 AM.

And I think you're shorting Rome: there is a LOT to see there. I'd consider taking the advice to go directly to Sorrento from the airport, spending days 4/24 -4/27 there (doing Pompeii and Positano as day trips) and then returning to Rome later in the day on 4/27. Spend nights 4/27-5/1 in Rome.

This schedule would give you 2 partial and 2 full days in the Sorrentine/Amalfi area, and 4 full days in Rome. Personally? I'd leave Tuscany for another trip, because of the distance, and to give yourself more time in Rome.

Thank you all for the helpful feedback! I think we are going to go straight to Sorento or Positano, do Pompeii as a day trip, then spend our last 4 nights in Rome.

You can see Pompeii either on your way to Sorrento, or on your way back to Rome. There is a place to store luggage there. Plan about 2-4 hours for Pompeii. Getting to Positano is a breeze taking the bus to Amalfi (bus stop is very close to the Sorrento train station), and also very scenic and inexpensive.

I am not at all an expert, we are only a few days in Rome now, but airbnb is so good here we got a very nice apartment near the Via del Corso in the very centre and our land lady is great. In The Vatican and Colossiem you reall need a guide, we also had a guide in Florence but most things were closed so we are going back.
Hope this helps

You don't need to stay near the airport if you leave from Rome. Strikes are publicized in advance, if there is one scheduled for your departure date, reserve a taxi the night before your flight (I do this often, never had a no-show).