First Time in Italy (end of April) - Itinerary Help!

Yes, save the Amalfi coast. Once you determine how many days you wish to allot for Venice and Rome, you can see if you can fit one more place in. You will have to account for departing and returning from Milan, which eats a little time. Le Cinque Terre is similar to the Amalfi coast in that it features dramatic coastal scenery, but it is pretty crowded these days, and if it's rainy, forget it. It's also out of the way, so my suggestion is to look at other smaller towns that you might include between Rome and Venice, or between those places and Milan, or look at a stopover in the lakes region. Enjoy!

For other readers this is an example where an open jaw ticket into Venice and home from Rome could have helped a tight schedule and saved money.

Obviously, arrive in Milan and take the train to Venice. I would consider subbing C Terre for the Amalfi Coast. It is not the same but a lot of similarity. From there on to Rome and back to Milan. Depending on how you schedule you might slip in a day in Florence on the way to Rome. You are correct that Naples and the Amalfi Coast are much further south and the complicates the return to Milan.

Consider Milan - Venice - Rome - Cinque Terre or Lake Como - Milan.

I put CT / Como at the end as I like to front load the sightseeing have a relaxing vacation from my vacation at the end, but you could do it in opposite order.

I think this itinerary connects quite nicely by train.

Yeah agree with the others.
Hope you got a great rate on the airfare cause it doesn't make much sense to fly into and out of Milan if your interests are Rome, Venice and Amalfi Coast
Not meaning to poke fun though ; even with a perfect open jaw ticket landing in Venice and flying out of Naples the amount of time you have really does not work well for those 3 locations. Amalfi Coast is a large area with multiple things to see ; you would want many nights there ; I would skip the Amalfi Coast in this case and stick with Rome / Venice assume you will need to spend your last night in Milan.

You could probably squeeze in either Florence or Cinque Terre if you want a coastal location for 2 nights ; but even that will start to get tight with needing to start and end in Milan.

I would just go to Venice and Rome given the number of days on your trip.

Your time is very limited to visit Italy, however there is an alternative--flying down to Rome and starting your trip there.
Alitalia flies into Rome for around $160 from Milan Malpensa.
They also fly from Milan Linate into Rome for $138 to $171 most days.
Spend 4 days in Rome and take the train up to Florence for 3 days. Then spend the remaining days in Venice--giving yourself enough time to get back to Malpensa for your Sunday flight.

So many first time travelers intending to spend much of their time in the South choose Milan for the nonstop flights and slightly lower airfares. Backtracking takes time and money.

First, whatever you chose to do, you'll love it. It's important to know what kind of a traveler you are when choosing where to go. Do you want to see more cities or relax and do more within just a few places? To me, it's more important to know what I want to experience in each place before I decide what to include on my itinerary.

Food for thought:
Venice, by taking the fast train, is 3 hours from Milan. Spend 2 full days there, then make your way south.

Florence is worth stopping in for at least one overnight. I was only there for 2 full days and would have loved being there longer.
It's easy to spend a lot of time in Rome as there is so much to do. I loved it, but believe it or not, it was my second least favorite part of Italy. (Still loved it - but since I'm ranking my favorites... ;) Milan was my least favorite.
I wouldn't spend much time in Milan at all - it's... fine. There are so many more spectacular places in Italy, and since you're on a tight schedule, fly in to Milan and go straight to Venice.

I would do something like:
Milan 19
2.5 hour train to Venice 20, 21, (I love Italy but honestly saw everything I wanted to see and do in 2 days in Venice)
3.5 hour train to Rome 22, 23, 24, 25
3.5 hour train to Amalfi Coast 26, 27
Cheap flight back to Milan 28
Milan 29 departure
OR (and it's an extremely long day and not the cheapest) a 13.5 hour tour of the Amalfi Coast from Rome skipping a couple of nights on the coast

I'm still amazed at the number of people who like the Cinque Terre. It is so touched now that the appeal imo is gone from the little Italian villages. It's tourist central.

Whilst very rushed, what you describe is possible ... as long as you are aware of the pitfalls of this style of travel.

April
19. Arrive Milan. Train (2hr25min) to Venice (2)
20. Venice
21. Early train (2hr05min) to Florence (1)
22. Late train (1hr32min) to Rome (3)
23. Rome
24. Rome
25. Train (1hr08min) to Naples, then transfer to Sorrento or Positano (3)
26. Day to Capri
27. Day to Pompeii
28. Fly from Naples to Milan (1)
29. Depart Milan

the Amalfi Coast as well but I think that's too far of distance to travel in such a short time.

You are correct.

With only a very short 10 day time frame, I would also suggest leaving the Amalfi Coast for another visit. While it might be feasible, it will require more travel time as transit isn't as easy in that area. The Cinque Terre is not entirely the same but it fits better with the circumstances in this case.

What time does your flight arrive on 19 April? There are lots of ways you could arrange this trip, and this is one suggestion....

• Apr. 18 - D1 - Flight to MXP
• Apr. 19 - D2 / N1 - Arrive MXP, train to Cinque Terre (it's a good place to recover from jet lag for a few days) - I'd suggest staying in Monterosso, as it has the best choice of accommodations).
• Apr. 20 - D3 / N2 - C.T.
• Apr. 21 - D4 / N3 - C.T.
• Apr. 22 - D5 / N1 - Train to Roma Termini (about 4 hours or so)
• Apr. 23 - D6 / N2 - Rome
• Apr. 24 - D7 / N3 - Rome
• Apr. 25 - D8 / N1 - Train to either Venice or Florence (Florence offers some good day trip possibilities such as Lucca or Siena).
• Apr. 26 - D9 / N2 - V or F
• Apr. 27 - D10 / N3 - V or F
• Apr. 28 - D11 / N1 - Train back to Milan
• Apr. 29 - D12 - Flight home

I would highly recommend packing along a copy of the Rick Steves Italy 2018 guidebook, as there's an enormous amount of information there that will help your trip go smoothly. One of the things you'll have to get up to speed on is the format used for meals, with Primi, Secondi, Contorni, Dolci, etc.

As this is your first trip to Italy, there are a few potentially expensive caveats to be aware of when using trains and other public transit. If you need more information on that, post another note. You'll also need to know the specific stations you'll be using in Italian when buying tickets.

Have you researched things like how to travel from MXP to Milano Centrale? Have you been to Europe before? If not, you'll need to consider things like Plug Adaptors, travel with smartphones, obtaining cash, etc. Are you planning to wear Money Belts? Have you checked the expiry date on your Passports?

Have you got any hotels booked? I'd suggest doing that as soon as you finalize your Itinerary. The group here can offer suggestions on each of the locations you plan on staying.

Just a quick reply. I love Venice, and think two full days (three at most) is fine. It's going to be packed with tourists. You might consider taking a day trip to Murano - it's about an hour boat ride and is a beautiful and is a lovely little town (where Murano glass is made).

Cinque Terre is beautiful, but if you can make down to Amalfi, I'd do it. It's gorgeous. I stayed in Sorrento for 5 nights and took day trips to Capri, Positano, Amalfi and Raffaello (the later three are all in the same direction). The bus up to Amalfi is breathtaking.

Italy is beautiful and whatever you decide to do will be lovely! If the country speaks to you, you'll be sure to return. I've been here four times and am I'm currently living here!

Just a quick reply. I love Venice, and think two full days (three at most) is fine. It's going to be packed with tourists. You might consider taking a day trip to Murano - it's about an hour boat ride and is a beautiful and is a lovely little town (where Murano glass is made).

Cinque Terre is beautiful, but if you can make down to Amalfi, I'd do it. It's gorgeous. I stayed in Sorrento for 5 nights and took day trips to Capri, Positano, Amalfi and Raffaello (the later three are all in the same direction). The bus up to Amalfi is breathtaking.

Italy is beautiful and whatever you decide to do will be lovely! If the country speaks to you, you'll be sure to return. I've been here four times and am I'm currently living here!

Just a quick reply. I love Venice, and think two full days (three at most) is fine. It's going to be packed with tourists. You might consider taking a day trip to Murano - it's about an hour boat ride and is a beautiful and is a lovely little town (where Murano glass is made).

Cinque Terre is beautiful, but if you can make down to Amalfi, I'd do it. It's gorgeous. I stayed in Sorrento for 5 nights and took day trips to Capri, Positano, Amalfi and Raffaello (the later three are all in the same direction). The bus up to Amalfi is breathtaking.

Italy is beautiful and whatever you decide to do will be lovely! If the country speaks to you, you'll be sure to return. I've been here four times and am I'm currently living here!