Advice on trip to Florence and Rome

Go to Pompei.

4 nights just south of Florence and 10 nights in Rome....I am thinking
of taking the highspeed train one day to Naples and trying to see as
much as we can of the Amalfi Coast. Taking the latest train back to
Rome on same day.

Kathy, the Amalfi Coast is a loooong day and fairly long way from Rome (Naples is not on the Amalfi) and there's much, much more to see in the Naples/Amalfi area than one can begin to manage in a single day. With 10 nights devoted to Rome, I'd seriously consider using at least 3-4 of those nights for a stay further south, closer to or on the coast itself. Along with Ravello, there's Capri, Positano, Pompeii, Heculaneum, the excellent archeological museum in Naples and umpty other things in the region to keep you occupied.

Really, I think devoting more than a day will provide a richer, less hectic experience than trying to cram too much into too little? I dearly love Rome and could easily spend many weeks there but if you've a strong desire to "see as much as we can of the Amalfi Coast", then it would be worthwhile to divvy up your 10 days.

What time of year will you be taking this trip and what are your group's ages and interests?

I'm going to assume from your other post that you're locked in to a week in Rome and flying home from there. I agree with the other Kathy completely and would strongly encourage you to spend a few days in/near the Amalfi coast in order to truly enjoy it. I spent 4 nights in Praiano in May, my first trip to that area, and it was spectacular. You won't regret spending a few nights there. Rome admittedly has enough to occupy weeks & months of time, but 10 nights would be too much for me if I had 14 nights total. Ravello alone occupied one of my favorite afternoons of our trip. It will probably take you longer to get to & from that area as well as around to what you want to see there than you think it will so don't shortchange yourself. Hiring a private driver for one day of exploring the coast and spending another day exploring whichever town you pick would be my suggestion. Buon viaggio!

I love Rome, but I think 10 days in Rome as a "home base" is interesting. Rome is a great base for Ostia Antica or Hadrian's Villa, but it is really just too far for the Amalfi Coast.

I would break up those 10 days. 4-5 in Rome and 4-5 south - maybe in Sorrento.

I agree with spending 3-4 days in Napoli and the Amalfi Coast. Sorrento makes an ideal base for visiting this delightful area.
For a tour, use this operator recommended by Rick Steves.

https://www.sharedtours.com

If you still have scheduling flexibility, I suggest going to Sorrento ( or your choice of Amalfi coast town) directly from Florence and spend 2-4 nights and then end in Rome

I would not want to do a one day trip from Rome, drive the Amalfi Coast and return to Rome. It may be logistically possible, but I suspect you may feel like 'road kill' the next day.

We did 4 nights in Sorrento & LOVED it. We did a day trip van tour to the Amalfi coast which was perfect. Took the train to Herculaneum instead of Pompeii and it was incredible- we used the RS Italy book to guide us thru, it was so amazing. Don't miss the skeleton bodies at the end. Herculaneum was ruined by the same volcano that ruined Pompeii, but it's small, much less crowded, and still so amazing. We had the best pizza of our 3 weeks in Italy after seeing Herculaneum walking back to catch the train. PM me if you want any details. Def spend time in Florence - take some day trips to some Tuscan towns (we used WalkAboutFlorence), time in Rome for the Vatican, Coloseum/Forum, Pantheon - but Sorrento is a whole new side of Italy not to be missed.

The fastest way to get to the Amalfi Coast from Rome is the 2-hour fast train to Salerno at 7.35. There's another train at 7.57 that takes 2.5 hours. From Salerno you can take a bus or ferry (if the ferries are operating - you don't say when you are going) to one or more of the towns. The ferry's probably faster. The bus ride is over an hour. From Amalfi town, you have to take a bus up to Ravello. Trust me, I've driven the coast road, you do not want to drive it in a van ever and you don't want to drive it in any vehicle during tourist season.

Thank you so much to everyone. So now I think 4 nights just south of Florence near Grassina already booked where we will rent 2 cars, tour Tuscany and visit Florence
then 3 nights in Rome when my daughter will have to fly back to Boston
3 nights perhaps in Sorrento or another town, any recommendations?
then 4 nights back in Rome where we will all fly home to different parts of the world. Trip includes my 81 year old mother and my children in late 20's.

Any more thoughts I would love. Thank you
Kathy