First Trip To Italy! (14 nights)

Its going to be too early for Dolomites, lakes, and Cinque Terre. Dont break up Rome, save it all for just before you leave (and dont bother with a hotel near the airport as taxis will easily get you to the airport on time). Pick either Sorrento or Positano, so you reduce the number of hotel changes. Sorrento is the better choice for transportation to all the places you want to visit, or pick Positano if you are renting a car.

For 14 nights plan on NO MORE than 4-5 destinations/hotel changes.

Our Italy trip over Christmas and New Year's 2 years ago had a little different itinerary than yours, so I won't comment on San Marino, Dolomites, etc., but:

For Capri, which we did as a day trip from Sorrento, the Blue Grotto is only open when the water's calm enough to allow access. We didn't get to see it, so it's hit-and-miss depending on the conditions. Capri was still fun and interesting.

We had a rental car and enjoyed driving the Amalfi Coast ourselves, but it wasn't at the height of tourist season (and you won't be either), although having someone else do the driving & providing descriptions and suggestions would be more relaxing.

We'd been to Rome for a week, then visited other parts of Italy for 2 weeks, and returned to Rome by train the afternoon of our last day before departing. We had an earlier flight than you, so we stayed at the Airport Hilton, which was comfortable, and had a great dinner and breakfast there, and had a supremely easy departure the next morning, being essentially at the airport. We visited Ostia Antica earlier that afternoon, and they let us stash our luggage at the guard shack at the entrance while we visited the site. From Ostia Antica, the Airport Hilton was close.

If you don't have a flight at the crack of dawn, I could see the argument for spending a final night in downtown Rome, and heading to the airport the next morning. We'd had an apartment in the Trastevere neighborhood that first week, and taking the tram to the Roma Trastevere train station, then taking the direct train to the airport for our flight to Sicily, was a breeze, so that's another option. With our early flight to go home, however, staying at the Fiumicino Hilton was the only way to go! Have a great trip!

Your options are literally endless but I think you need to start with the basic itinerary and then fill in with day trips if you really feel the need or get bored with your location ( I have never experienced this myself).

Venice- 3 nights
Tuscany 4 nights with day trip into Florence
AC or Sorrento- 4 nights
Rome- 3 nights.
Keep in mind that 3 nights is only 2 full days. Since you are not so much into museums, I gave Rome and Venice only 3 nights and based you in Tuscany rather than staying in Florence itself.
From Venice, you can visit the islands of Murano, Burano, Torcello. Burano was our favorite. See Vesuvius or Herulaneum on your way to the AC.
I would not break up Rome either. Too much time wasted changing hotels. Take a cab to the airport for your flight home. No problem there.
Have fun!

Your options are literally endless but I think you need to start with the basic itinerary and then fill in with day trips if you really feel the need or get bored with your location ( I have never experienced this myself).

Venice- 3 nights
Tuscany 4 nights with day trip into Florence
AC or Sorrento- 4 nights
Rome- 3 nights.
Keep in mind that 3 nights is only 2 full days. Since you are not so much into museums, I gave Rome and Venice only 3 nights and based you in Tuscany rather than staying in Florence itself.
From Venice, you can visit the islands of Murano, Burano, Torcello. Burano was our favorite. See Vesuvius or Herulaneum on your way to the AC.
I would not break up Rome either. Too much time wasted changing hotels. Take a cab to the airport for your flight home. No problem there.
Have fun!

I see a touch of a kid in a candy store here. It happens so often to people on their first trip to Europe, and especially on their first trip to Italy.

I can only make a couple of comments to kick off and will have to save the rest for later.

Since you are watching Rick on a dish, can I ask where you will be coming to Europe from? Will you have jetlag issues in either direction?

There are only a couple of museums in Venice, and Venice is properly unique so I think you may be shortchanging it with such an incredibly short stay there.

This resort not near Lucca is miles (or kms) away from everything, especially Lucca and Florence. The address looks like Lucca, but Lucca is the larger area, not the city. The address is Via Giovanni Pascoli,Castelvecchio Pascoli, Barga, Lucca. So it is actually in Castelvecchio Pascoli, near Barga, in the part of Tuscany called Lucca. It is over 4 miles from Barga and the Barga-Calliano train station, over 37 miles from Pisa, nearly 25 miles from Lucca (the city) and over 65 miles from Florence.

They do provide a free shuttle. Only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Only to Barga. The shuttle from Pisa airport is €130; from Florence airport €170.

That could be an expensive free stay. Commuting to Florence won't take you 45 minutes.

I am confused - you say you don't do museums yet your longest stay is commuting to Florence. I love Florence as much as the next guy, but my goodness if there is one place in all of Italy that is wall to wall museums, Florence is the place. What do you intend on doing there? I hope it is Italian Renaissance.

Can you clarify the no museums bit please?

Thanks for all of your replies! To answer a few of your questions, and add a few more of our own...

We're departing Miami, FL 9:55 pm Friday night arriving Venice Saturday 2:45 pm, so we'll have the afternoon to deal with jet lag.
As far as museums go, we certainly want to see the major museums and sights, but don't need to visit every museum! We are more interested in spending time on the go taking in the beautiful scenic countryside, coastal areas, castles, a cathedral or two, get a taste for the small local towns, experience the great food and people.

Based on your comments, maybe we should only stay at the Renaissance Tuscany II Ciocco Resort & Spa for one night and one night in Florence. How long will it take to get to Florence from this hotel and what is the best way to get there?

Any tips regarding San Marino?

We had planned to rent a car most likely in Genoa for the drive down the coast through Cinque Terre to the Renaissance Tuscany II Ciocco Resort & Spa . Assume can drop car off at train station in Florence the next day?

So far it looks like we're spending the following overnight stays. Venice - 2, Bergamo - 1, Tuscany -1, Florence -2, Rome -3, Sorrento -1, Positano -3, Rome/near airport -1

Whoa! Too much, too quick! 8 hotels in 14 nights, you better hope your batteries are fresh Energizer Bunny. Why cant you stay in Florence for 3 nights and do Tuscany as a day trip? Why do you need to stay in both Sorrento AND Positano, instead of staying in one and day tripping to the other? And I still think you shouldn't break up Rome. Go directly from Florence/Tuscany to the Amalfi Coast, then to Rome as your last stop. With a 10:30 flight you can easily get to the airport from the middle of Rome in time for your flight, and you can truly enjoy that last evening.

Angela has just given you Very Good Advice. Take it. Do you really want to pack and unpack constantly and spend all of your time on a train? Stay in Florence the entire time designated to Tuscany. Take a one day day-trip. Enjoy your evenings in Florence's beautiful piazzas!

For "Amalfi" portion of the trip, stay in Sorrento, day-trip to Positano. Lots of transportation options in and out of Sorrento.

Don't split Rome. I know it SEEMS like you've got a lot of time, Please believe me when I say that every time you change locations and they're 2 hours away, you wil LOSE a half day of your vacation! You need to check out of hotel, get to train. Ride train. Arrive at new location. Taxi to new hotel.........and I've left out the part where you have to reorganize your luggage/belongings. Enjoy Italy -- that's what she's there for!

"We're departing Miami, FL 9:55 pm Friday night arriving Venice Saturday 2:45 pm, so we'll have the afternoon to deal with jet lag."

I think you are underestimating the effects of jetlag. You may also be overestimating the amount and quality of sleep you'll get on the flight. You'll be on the plane for 10 hours. You will probably finish dinner 2-3 hours into the flight and be woken (if you are indeed asleep) about 2 hours before landing. That's at best 6 hours to sleep.

You will spend your first afternoon going through passport control, baggage collection, getting to your hotel and then into your room.

You also need to factor into your itinerary the time it takes to change locations. It takes time to pack up, check out, get to the train station in time to buy tickets, locate your train and board. Then you have to get to your next hotel to drop your luggage before you start sightseeing. If you plan to take a train later in the day, you'll have to return to the hotel to pick up your luggage before going to the train station. It can easily take half an hour just to get to or from the station, more in traffic.

This is why everyone has said, "Slow down." No matter how much time you spend in Italy (or pretty much anywhere), you will never see it all. If you spend less time moving around, you will still have a great trip and probably enjoy it more. Don't try to go everywhere, strive to enjoy everywhere you go.

San Marino? A good way to check off another country if you are collecting countries - but it is pretty inconvenient to get to, especially on such a short trip where you are trying to see so much.

To put it in context, I have been going to Italy, often with my own car, every year for 10 years and from one to three times a year; San Marino has been on my list since the beginning, but I have never thought the extra 90 minutes drive each way was worth it.

We're making our first trip to Italy in November, for 17 nights. I agree with others about not moving around too much regarding overnights. We are a "mature" couple, and want to enjoy Italy at a reasonable leisurely pace. We're flying into Venice from LA, spending two nights there to recover and see the sights with a reasonably short walking radius. Then to Florence, spending six nights in a highly recommended B&B just south of the Arno River, near Boboli Gardens, with maybe a 30 minute walk to historic Florence. A day's visit to city center, and then day trips to surrounding areas, based on weather, relaxing in the evenings getting to know locals. Then 4 nights in Rome with a day trip to Pompeii. Flying from Rome to Venice, spending the balance of our time revisiting Venice, and surrounding areas. Then home from Venice. What we don't see this trip, we'll see the next time. Enjoy your trip.

Thanks again for all of your great insights! We just spent all day revising our 14 night Italy itinerary and still have some more refining to do. As of now we're taking all of your great advice and starting off with 2 nights in Venice (booked a hotel), 4 nights in Florence (planning on booking an apartment on airbnb.com 5 minutes walk from the train station in the heart of the city). Maybe a day trip to Tuscany or Cinque Terre while in Flornce? 3 nights in Rome and either 4 nights in Sorrento or Positano? One of these days will include a day trip to Capri. (One person actually told us to avoid Sorrento!)

We really want to end our vacation in a more leisurely and relaxing fashion on the Amalfi Coast and not in Rome where it will be more intense, but we are still concerned about getting to the Rome airport for a 10:35 am flight. Assume we should be at the airport to check in by 8:00am to be safe? Are you saying getting to the airport in Rome from Sorrento will be no problem? How long is that ride? If no issue, we could extend our stay in Rome to 4 nights.

Thanks again all!

To get to FCO from Sorrento you need about 50 minutes to get to Naples, switch trains to a fast train to Rome Termini 1 hour 10 minutes. Then switch to the Leonardo Express. This might be a stretch to make it to FCO by 8 am from Sorrento. But from the center of Rome you could leave your hotel about 7:30.

The local train from Sorrento to Naples takes an hour or more, and only runs every 30 minutes at best. I don't think it starts before around 6 a.m. Once you get to Naples, it will take a few minutes to get upstairs to the trains to Rome. There's a 6.10 a.m. train from Naples to Rome that arrives at Termini at 7.20. The Leonardo Express to the airport leaves at about 22 minutes and 52 minutes after the hour, if you arrive at Termini at 7.20, you'll have a 30-minute wait for the train and get to the airport around 8.30 a.m.

If you want to be at the airport by 8 a.m. (my recommendation), you will have to take the 7.22 Leonardo.

In other words, plan to spend your last night in Rome and allow enough time to get from your hotel to the train station.

Adjust
Your new plan looks much better. You will enjoy the trip much more

No way would I want to try to make a morning FCO flight from Naples, far far less even more from Sorrento.

I agree with Nigel about leaving from Sorrento for a morning flight. You would have to leave very early and there are just too many transfers involved in getting to the airport. How about heading from Florence to Sorrento and ending the trip in Rome? You will already be on the train. On the fast trains, it is 1:15 from Rome to Naples.

There are A LOT of opinions out there about Sorrento and the towns of the Amalfi coast. I loved Sorrento. It is gorgeous and easy to do day trips to the other areas (including Capri and Positano and Herculaneum). Sorrento is small enough to be able to easily get a feel for the town and walk around but big enough that it doesn't feel too congested. I toured that area in June so it was more crowded then when you will be travelling. And although Positano was beautiful, I felt it was uncomfortably congested with cars and people. I am sure it has to do with the logistics of the town streets. They are very narrow and Positano seems steeper than the other towns. I am sure it quiets down at night tough. I also loved Amalfi town and a lot of people will say they prefer Positano to Amalfi.

So in summary, you will get a lot of opinions and each town has its advantages/disadvantages. They are definitely all beautiful. But it sounds like you are planning day trips so I think Sorrento makes the most logistic sense.

Enjoy your trip! I know you will have an amazing time!