Are we planning too many things in 14 days

I think this is a great pace. The only alternative suggestion would be possibly staying the whole time of your Tuscany leg in Florence and day tripping to Tuscan hilltowns, as opposed to driving. That way you could just use the train the whole time. You can’t drive the car in Florence and I certainly wouldn’t advise driving in Rome your first time in Italy. You could take a day trip tour from Florence by Tours by Roberto or some other company. Just a suggestion....

Since you've never driven in Italy, please read this and download their e book

https://www.italybeyondtheobvious.com/dont-mess-with-ztl-zones

You will also need an IDP which is a translation of your license. It's available at AAA cost is $25.

The pace sounds OK - MAYBE - but the way you have listed your travel dates doesn't really make it clear - it would be a lot easier to offer input if you get more specific about your arrival and departure dates.

You say you will be in Italy "September 21 though Oct 3rd". What exactly does that mean? Does that mean you fly from home (presumably North America, but maybe not - that too is worth mentioning) on 9/21, or you arrive in Italy sometime on 9/21, or (hopefully) you actually arrive in Italy the day before (on 9/20), and starting 9/21 you have the full day? Same for your return.

To get a real sense of your pace, I suggest you list specific dates for your arrival, departure, and itinerary. Because...

It's one thing if you are leaving home on 9/21 and flying back on 10/3 (because that would probably mean you actually have only 10 full days to play with). It's another thing entirely if you arrive in Italy on 9/20 and fly home on 10/4 (because then you would have 13 full days). That may sound like it's splitting hairs, but either way, that's not really a long trip (in fact, it's pretty short). And on a short trip, the difference between having 10 days to play with and 13 days is quite significant.

So...what are the specific dates for all this (and where are you coming from)?

I, too, am confused about your proposed timing in Florence and Tuscany.

If you are spending 2 nights in Venice, you do not have 2 days there. You have one full day plus some hours on the day you arrive, when you may well be severely sleep-deprived and jetlagged. You may be luckier, but it is all I can do to remain vertical and awake on my arrival day. I would want at least 3 nights in Venice.

Similarly, you are not in Italy "through Oct 3rd". If your flight departs at 3:45 PM you'll need to be at the airport no later than 1:45 PM, right? Or possibly earlier if the flight is not to an EU destination. So that morning you must get up, pack, have breakfast and possibly also some sort of lunch, and then travel to the airport. How much sightseeing time does that leave on your last day?

So I count this as 11 full days (12 nights)--and that's assuming September 21 is the day you arrive in Italy rather than the day you depart from the US. During that time you plan to stay in six different hotels, so that's five hotel changes. Those are more time-consuming than you probably expect. Your in-transit stop with the car may not be so bad, but otherwise I figure it's a minimum of a half-day gone every time you switch cities and hotels, so changing hotels five times turns your 11-day trip into a 9-day trip.

I think you have too many locations for 11 days. Those are world-class destinations deserving of more than blitz visits.

I have been to Italy several times and would prefer not to drive in that country. The trains are everywhere and not expensive. I recommend that if you want to drive through Tuscany that you rent a care in Florence, return it to Florence or perhaps a place like Orvieto.

I think 2 days in Venice is minimal, but with two nights, you may have one full day and a fraction of another. That is not enough to see Venice.

One day in Florence is almost criminal. I recommend minimum of three full days there. Where do you wish to drive in Tuscany? Sienna, Lucca, Pisa? Map out our plan. You can do Sienna in one day, don't try to do all three in one day.

Three days in Rome is still not enough, but since your flight leaves from Naples, I guess you probably can't change you plans.

Are you going to drop off your car at the Rome airport. You don't want to drive in the city.

So this is your itinerary, yes?:

Sept. 21 - Arrive Venice, sleep Venice
Sept. 22 - Venice, sleep Venice
Sept. 23 - Travel to Florence, sleep Florence
Sept. 24 - Florence, sleep Florence
Sept. 25 - Travel to somewhere in Tuscany, sleep in Tuscany
Sept. 26 - Travel to Rome, sleep in Rome
Sept. 27 - Rome, sleep in Rome
Sept. 28 - Rome, sleep in Rome
Sept. 29 - Travel to Amalfi, sleep in Amalfi
Sept. 30 - Amalfi, sleep in Amalfi
Oct. 1 - Amalfi, sleep in Amalfi
Oct. 2 - Travel to Naples, sleep in Naples
Oct. 3 - Leave Naples

I think you need to work on your days from Sept. 21 until you arrive in Rome. Try to consolidate Florence with Tuscany, by staying in just one place and either making a day trip to Florence or a day trip to a town in Tuscany.

I would say your schedule is ambitious. However, if you think that this may be your only visit to Italy then go for it. However, I think this is a fast pace and you are not giving yourself enough time in Venice and Florence.

Have a great trip!

I do not understand giving Amalfi more time than Rome.
Two nights= 1 day.

We are too are planning a trip to these areas at the same time but still in planning stages and will stay for at least 14 days in Italy. I've looked into planning all on my own as well as through a travel site such as Trip Masters, etc. Wondering if you used a travel site or other? We will be flying out of New Orleans.

Hi SueRN and welcome to the forums -
It would be best if you started a new thread with your questions? It can become confusing to discuss 2 different trips in the same thread. :O)

I am pretty sure most posters - those not taking tours, anyway - are organizing their trips on their own mostly with help from forums like this one plus good guidebooks. The more information you can provide about your trip - who is traveling, ages, what time of year, your interests, etc - the better people can help you develop a plan to suit YOU. Every traveler and every trip is a little different!

When you ask yourself — and others - this question, I think you already suspect the answer is “yes, it is too much.”

You have 12 nights in-country. I recommend keeping it to no more than 4 places to lay your head, 3 is a better pace. Venice deserves at least 3 nights especially since you’ll be jet-lagged. Rome needs 4 nights so you will have 3 full days there. That’s a week, leaving you 5 nights.

Since you already have a flight out of Naples, skip Florence and greater Tuscany and head south, giving yourself a nice stay on the Amalfi Coast. Lots to do there and plenty of time to get back to Naples for your flight without a one-night stay in Naples. You could also make Rome 5 nights and the AC 4 nights.

No car needed for this more laid back itinerary,

Are your plans to stay on the Almalfi Coast? Or Sorrento? If Sorrento, I'd spend the last night there instead of Naples. We did that a few years back for a 1 pm flight to Frankfurt. We ended up using a car service, and we were concerned with traffic because of a Holiday weekend traffic so got to the airport way, way early. Other wise there is a bus I believe that can take you direct to the airport. If staying on the Almalfi Coast, that might logistically not work.

By the way, we spent 2 nights/1 1/2 days in Rome and 5 nights in Sorento and that was perfect for us. With Venice, Florence and Rome, 3-4 night on Amalfi coast or Sorrento is a great way to end a face paced vacation after the intensity of Italy cities.

Another suggestion to avoid a rental car for two days, take the train from Florence to Orvieto and spend the night, then train to Rome the following day. (for us, 24 hours in Orvieto was perfect). You can book train tickets in advance for cheaper fares, or decide to wing to and pay a little more for the flexibility, depending on whether you want more Florence or Orvieto or are ready to move on. (we decided to wing it)

We all have our own travel styles and preferences. I think your plan involves too much moving from one lodging to another during too few nights. Every time you move hotels (or apartments) you have to figure you’ll lose a half day, with some considerable hassle. This involves not just the transit time itself, but also packing up, checking out, getting to the station, finding and waiting for your train, getting from station to lodging, checking in and settling in, all while carrying your baggage. My preference would be to drop something, maybe leaving for a future trip the Amalfi Coast and Naples. Then you could visit in a more complete and leisurely way all the rest, Venice, Florence/Tuscany, and Rome. Maybe visit Orvieto for another small town feel. Or, better yet, extend your trip by a few days, if that’s a possibility.