First Italy trip

Two weeks means 14 days? Leave Monday, fly home Sunday? That's 14 nights, probably one in the air (from North America?).

So 13 nights in Italy:

Venice (3 nights)
Train to Florence
Florence (4 nights) - day trip to Siena, Cinque Terre
Train to Amalfi
Amalfi Coast (3 nights)
Train back to Rome
Rome (3 nights)

Fly home

This is doable, but you kill some days with long train days. You can decide whether you want to extend Rome by a night and take it from somewhere else. A few extra nights would slow it down and make it more relaxing.

Not counting the days that you are flying how many days do yo have?
If you have 14 days I would cut out the Amalfi Coast on this one an save it for another trip it is hard to get to.

Fly into Rome
Rome 4 nights
Bus or Train to Siena
Siena 2 nights
Bus or train to Florence
Florence 5 nights (day trip to Cinque Terre)
Train to Venice
Venice 3 nights
Fly out of Venice

I like Andrews plan, but would modify it to skip CT as you are going to the Amalfi Coast. With your limited time one 'coastal' town is all you really have time for. Add a day to Rome.

How old are the kids? Old enough to follow you through train stations etc., or do they need herding? Obviously the younger they are the slower they go.

Good choice to start in Venice and end in Rome

To start, count how many nights you have in Italy. Subract 1. That's the number of days. The same principle works for each destination - the number of nights in a place minus 1 equals the number of days to sightsee and have fun. That's because you lose about 1/2 day each time you move (what with packing, getting to the train station, etc etc) and then you have to reorient yourselves in the new town - get your bearings, figure out how to use local transportation (each town is different) and so on.

Next, on a 2 week trip, you will need to do laundry. Some folks wash things out by hand every night or two. Some allow 3 hours for a laundromat, some pay a lot for laundry service to their hotel. The less you bring, the faster you can pack and unpack each time you move (and presumably the lighter your bags are), but the more often you have do laundry. If you are going between June and September, it's going to be hot. That can mean taking a shower and putting on fresh clothes between daytime sightseeing and evening plans. Along the same lines, you will probably need to do some shopping for essentials - toiletries, replacing things that get lost or left behind, maybe just snacks. Do not underestimate how long it can take to shop when products are packaged differently and everything's in a foreign language.

If you can fly out of Naples, the Amalfi Coast is a reasonable choice. If you have to go back to Rome, then you are trying to see too much in too little time.

I also like Andrews basic plan, but with the following changes.

1. Don’t do Cinque Terra, just Amalfi
2. I’d give up a Venice night and put an extra one for Rome.

Definitely try to fly into Venice, stay a night there and then the next evening train it to Florence. You could then fly out of Rome...just an idea. Amalfi is definitely beautiful - however, you could try visiting Cinque Terre which is much closer and just as fascinating.

And reverse Jazz. Far easier to fly into Venice and out of Rome as you originally indicated. Get a map, put some pins in it so you get a feel for logistics. Second hit your public library and check out guide books and especially travel DVDs. Remember when changing location you will lose most of that day checking in and out of hotels, travel, train stations, and orientation to new location. And with two weeks, you need to plan a couple of down days, blank days that allows you to catch up or adjust your schedule.

When are you planning to travel? Several of the places you mentioned are slammed during high season, especially August.

Totally agree with Lulu. Add a day to Rome and skip CT.

I'd keep the 3 nights in Venice, your arrival day is probably going to be in a jet lagged state.

Keep in mind your transfer from Florence to the Amalfi Coast will consume 41/2-5 hours. So skip the Cinque Terra.