2 week itinerary, how much time near Amalfi coast?

I would use 'Day 4' for Pompeii rather than cram it in on the travel day to Rome

My sympathies for Day 15. Leaving Italy is sad enough, but doing it at o' dark early...ugh

Correct--Sorrento to Paestum would be way too much time in transit for me, so I'd go with Salerno, or even one of the Amalfi Coast villages close to Salerno. It's easy to visit Pompeii from there as well--you have a 15 minute walk from the train station but if that is a problem, then Pompeii itself will be a problem.

Well you’ve definitely got a whirlwind itinerary, but it sounds like you know it. I agree that you should just put Pompeii on its own day. That will make your life a lot easier. I’d also skip Paestum in favor of just about any other option with so little time. Capri, another day on the AC, or Naples are better options (and it looks like you have no time allotted to Naples itself.) Honestly, there is so much to see in that area, you are spoilt for choice and will invariably be forced to leave something out. I would try to give yourself some flexibility there.

I’d also nix a day trip to Siena, and point that time towards Venice. You literally only have one full day in Venice and you leave early the next morning. That’s not a fair shake to Venice or to you. Give yourselves a minute to breathe there.

Here’s my recommendations and notes in the activities:

Day 1: Arrive in Naples at 1pm, travel to Salerno
Day 2: Take the 30-minute train to Paestum to see the Greek ruins (I changed the order of the days. For a first jet lag day, I wouldn’t want to be on the windy road Amalfi Coast bus or on a ferry). Enjoy walking around Salerno afterwards, and be sure to participate in the evening passeggiata!
Day 3: Take the ferry to Positano and/or Amalfi.
Day 4: Take the bus to Amalfi to Ravello to see the villas & gardens
Day 5: Pompeii en route to Rome (stay in Rome)
Day 6-8: Rome (stay in Rome)
Day 9-11: Take the fast 1.5 hr. train to Florence (stay in Florence) Be sure to take a mini-van wine tour, day-trip to Siena or go someplace to a smaller village.
Day 12-14: Take the fast 2.25 hr train to Venice (stay in Venice). (If you don’t want to give Day 12 to Venice, I would recommend moving to Siena on Day 11, and spending Day 11-12 overnight in Siena. Personally, I love a combination of the larger and smaller towns.)
Day 15: Early flight out of Venice

I appreciate the responses. At least the itinerary is less aggressive than the RS book... I've been to Europe several times so I know what to expect. I'm handling all the travel stuff myself so my mom can relax (she loves trains and roadtrips).

Anyway, I think I'll put that extra night in the Sorrento/Salerno/Amalfi area as you guys suggest. That will definitely give us a lot of flexibility.

I have already budgeted for being spontaneous and modifying the schedule on the fly and getting a hotel 1-2 nights during the trip.

You might want to consider moving to an airport hotel for the early morning flight out of Venice. Much less stressful than having to worry about getting to the airport via vaparetto or water taxi to bus early in the morning. We stayed at the Best Western near the airport. Not even a 5 minute drive and they have a shuttle. Although that would only give you one night actually in Venice...

You have skipped Naples! It does not work to copy an organized tour itinerary for independent travel. Buses wait for tour groups and whisk them to the next stop, tickets have been purchased, guides hired, etc. Visit Pompeii from Sorrento; it is a very tiring but wonderful day.
Capri is beautiful if you get away from the crowds. We had to wait 45 minutes in the heat for the funicular to take us up to the town from the marina ferry docks in late September. However, we were staying there three nights. If you do go to Capri, get to Capri town then follow signs to hotels, walk from Giardini Agosto to Punta Tragara along pedestrian pathways. No crowds. Many good restaurants. Lovely.

My wife and I did a little like your schedule this last spring (2019).

We LOVED the day in Paestum (liesurly AM, so got there late - 10 or 11 AM? and left near 5 or 6?)
Because we wanted to go to Paestum we stayed in Salerno and took a boat to Positano for a day.

The biggest hassle w/ Salerno and seeing Pompeii is that the train station from Salerno is Pompei and you have to walk a bit to get to Pompeii. I think some people have taken the train all the way to Naples and then that the Circ.... back to to Pompeii. I wouldn't.

Thanks from fellow Minnesotans - Definitely choosing Salerno. Everywhere in Europe I flock to Roman ruins but good Greek ruins have eluded me. Pompeii should be fine, I'll just take a taxi if I have to.