A week in Italy. Flying into Rome. Sample itineraries?

I like Positano. It’s a popular tourist destination (therefore touristy) because it appeals to many. But the same thing could be said of Venice, Cinque Terre, San Gimignano, Florence, and many others.

Your question is too broad, and you are not even specifying how long (how many nights) you will be on the ground in Italy. I suggest you look at the Rick Steves Tour section in this website to get an idea of the major Italian destinations he takes his tour groups too. Then you can start some research on those locations to get an idea of what you might like.. Rick Steves’ destinations are an excellent starting point for a first timer.

Welcome to the forum!
Will you fly in and OUT of Rome?
How many NIGHTs will you actually have? 6 nights means you’ve got 5 days for sightseeing
Just be careful that you don’t try to fit in too much or move around a lot as each location change eats up at least a half of a day

What are your interests?

Positano is a bit too far to try to fit along with Rome on such a short trip.

You could actually spend all your nights in Rome and not run out if things to see and do. I’d consider 3 full days in Rome the bare minimum stay. Which means 4 nights
If Florence is of interest- are you art lovers? You could travel straight to Florence by train on arrival, spend 2-3 nights there then return to Rome for remainder so all you Rome nights are at end and you are in your departure city.

You could stay the whole week in Rome and take a few day trips- Orvieto, Ostia Antica.

Have you traveled abroad before?

Anyway - we need a bit more info to really give you our best advice.

Get a good guide book, RS guides are terrific.

Here is a starting point
https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy

Apologies we are staying for 10 days! We are big foodies and want to avoid big crowds if that helps!

First trip to Italy?
How do you envision spending your days?

We are big foodies and my husband is into history as well. We are staying for 10 days and would like to avoid crowds if possible.

Ah 10 days- is that 10 NIGHTs or 9 NIGHTs? It makes a difference

Assuming you are flying to Italy from the US, your flight will be overnight, you will land in Rome sometime in the am.
Count your trip in nights in Italy from the day you land.
Your departure day doesn’t count as your flight home will likely be in early to mid morning

As far as crowds , just accept it as a fact of travel life. September is still a very busy crowded time and you will need to decide on itinerary and book lodging, venue admissions as soon as possible.

You can look at the "Itinerary" here https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/italy/rome-2024 for some inspiration/ideas on what to see/do.

The on;y way to avoid crowds is to stay in your room. Just accept the fact you will have company.

If you don't mind being a bit rushed, you could visit Rome, then head to Florence, and finish up in Venice. If possible, however, try to fly into Venice and back from Rome and fly home from there. It's much easier to fly into Venice than out of Venice.

All three are steeped in history, and there's no shortage of great food. At the end of the day, it just depends on your "druthers".

Personally, with only ten days, I'd opt for only two locations and do short day trips from those locations. That would mean less rush, rush, rush, and would also eliminate lost time relocating, which usually takes 3/4 of a day at a minimum.

As someone mentioned, there will be crowds even in Sept. as a result of the pent up demand since Covid. Once you decide on the cities, let us know and perhaps we can offer less crowded things to see and do.

All of Italy is a foodie wonderland, but Bologna is the food capital. Arrive in Rome and head straight for Bologna - 3 days. Do the food tour with Italian Days one of them. Next, head to Florence, 3 days. If the center of Renaissance art (and Tuscan food) isn’t enough of an incentive to go despite the likely crowds in Florence, then skip it (but really, don’t). North end of the Oltrarno river, on the other side of the Arno River from downtown Florence, is where I’ve always stayed - fewer crowds. Finish in Rome. We stayed in the Testaccio neighborhood, where the Roman slaughterhouse used to be. That’s made it more and more of a foodie hotspot, but still not as crowded as more central Rome.

Optional visit (or instead of Florence) could be Naples, birthplace of pizza. Pompeii is very close, if you’re interested.

Fly home from Rome, unless you were intending to fly into Rome out of another city. Go by train between cities, although flying within Italy is a possibility - Bologna airport was easy to use.

I would suggest Orvieto, Sienna and Rome with 10 days. I'm assuming you are flying in and out of Rome. When you arrive in Rome, take the train straight to Orvieto, spend 2-3 nights there, then to Sienna for 2-3 nights and back to Rome for the remainder. Sienna has wonderful Tuscan food, may be a bit touristy, but easy to walk away from. Orvieto is a lovely hill town, beautiful Duomo, not crowded when I was there.

When you return to Rome, consider staying a little away from the main crowds. We stayed in Aventino, which is right next to Testaccio area, which has wonderful local restaurants. Totally up your foody husbands alley, and very peaceful in Aventino. There are 3 churches there as well, that are lovely and uncrowded.