2 weeks Italy Trip - Florence, Milan,Venice,Ravello,Rome

Generally, it's cheaper in Italy to buy individual train tickets. You can save a lot if you're willing to commit to a specific train and buy the tickets early. You can check prices for both advance purchases (as far out as early June, probably) and last-minute purchases on the Trenitalia website. You'll need to use the Italian city names: Milano, Firenze, Venezia, Roma, Napoli. The cheapest tickets are non-changeable and non-refundable.

I would not go to Venice for just one day, especially when it means spending 6 hours on a train and additional time (1-1/2 hours plus waiting time??) on two (?) buses to get to the next stop in Ravello. Check on the bus schedules carefully to be sure there will be something running when you arrive in Salerno so late; it may not work out for you.

I love Venice, but one day there in July just means marching shoulder to shoulder with the throngs of other tourists, because you'll have no time to get off the beaten path and see Venice at its best.

I'd definitely skip Milan and apply that day to Venice. If you're not willing to skip Milan, I'd apply the Venice day to Rome or Florence.

To find out train information, go to TrenItalia.com or use their app and you can check schedules and fares. You must enter the Italian spelling of towns and cities: Fiumicino, Roma Termini, Firenze S. M. Novella, Milano Centrale, Venezia S. Lucia. Buying tickets early is when you can get the lowest fares but if you miss your train, your ticket is worthless. Train fares in Italy are very reasonable and a rail pass is not advised.

One quirky thing about checking schedules. Entering the time you’d like to schedule, you have to adjust it for the time zone in which you are using the website or app. So if you want a train at 9AM, enter 3AM if on the east coast, 2AM in the central time zone, etc.

EDIT: If using a PC, you don't have to adjust for time zones. Using iPad or iPhone, you do. Don't know about the Android side of life...

Philip, what you describe is not what I'm seeing on the Trenitalia website. If I change the time to "08", it shows me trains after 8 AM. I'm using a desktop computer; I suppose it may be different for those using tablets or smartphones.

There is a problem, though, in that the website opens up with a default of the current day and time at the user's origin. For those of us in the US, that time is long in the past in Italy, so the site will return a bunch of itineraries for which you cannot buy tickets, because the trains left hours earlier. You have to remember to change the time and/or date to get information that matches your travel plans.

I would consider staying in Rome on the night of your arrival, rather than hassling with a train trip to Florence. You could recover from your overnight flight and get the lay of the land in Rome.

I disagree. Staying the first night in Rome means adding yet another hotel change. If you go straight to Florence, you'll wake up in Florence.

I'd skip Milan and go to Venice from Florence. I assume you mean train from Venice to Salerno. Ravello may be a beautiful place to stay, but it isn't convenient for sight-seeing. From Salerno, you'll take a bus to Amalfi, where you'll then wait for the bus up to Ravello. You will be dependent on the bus to get to/from Ravello every day, then the bus or ferry to/from Amalfi. Also there's no convenient way to visit Pompeii from Ravello. Bus to Amalfi, then bus or ferry to Salerno, then train to Pompeii, then about a mile walk or short taxi ride. There may not be ferries from Amalfi to Capri, which would mean either bus or ferry to ??? and then ferry to Capri. Both day trips sound like 2-3 hours travel time each way. You'd do much better to stay in Sorrento - direct ferry service to Capri, direct local train service to Pompeii, and direct buses to Amalfi.

Hey! acraven, you are absolutely right. On my tablet or iPhone, I have to adjust for time zone, not on my PC. Huh??

That's weird, Philip; I hope I can remember that little quirk the next time I'm in Italy with my tablet!