First trip to Italy!

The tourist facilities in the Cinque Terre don't open until a bit later in the year.

Into Venice (Venezia) and out of Roma is a good plan. Yes, book your lodging in advance especially for those two. Venezia is a great place to get over jet lag. Although you like a fast pace, give yourselves AT LEAST 3 nights there (4 is better). The Cinque Terre and Amalfi Coast are probably not great choices in March. The former will wake up around Easter, and the Amalfi Coast is iffy still in March. Capri is not worth the time needed to travel there. You can spend your time in more beautiful places. (FWIW we went to Procida island in the Bay of Naples last Easter and it was cold and rainy.)

Florence (Firenze) certainly a great choice for a few days, rain or shine. Lots to see in museums!

Suggested itinerary:

Venezia - 3 nights/2 full days to see the sights

Firenze - 3 nights/2.5 days to see the sights if you arrive nice and early from Venezia

Tuscan town such as Montalcino - 3 nights - You'll need a car. Spend the days driving to other beautiful hill towns or maybe take a guided wine tour if that interests you.

Roma - 5 nights/4 full days to see the sights

I would not worry too much about the Easter "rush" in Roma. Just get your reservations ASAP and plan accordingly. St. Peter's Basilica will close early on Saturday to get the church ready for Easter services. In fact, I would book all of your lodgings in advance, and if you can commit to a schedule, you can save a lot of money by buying train tickets on the high-speed trains in advance.

Liz,

As Laurel mentioned, the Cinque Terre will probably not be the best choice at that time of year, especially as weather may be cold and rainy. Although the usual season opening there is about 1 April there may be a few places open in March, especially if you're there towards the end of March. If you decide to spend a day or two there, you'll first need to decide which of the five towns you want to stay in. Monterosso would probably be the best choice as it's the largest of the five and therefore has the greatest number of hotels, restaurants and other tourist amenities.

I agree that flying into Venice and out of Rome would be the best method (that's the usual recommendation here on the forum).

Since this is your first trip to Italy, it would be a good idea to pack along a copy of the Italy guidebook (the 2016 edition will be available soon), as that provides lots of good information on sightseeing, bypassing ticket lines, days that various sights are closed, hotels, transportation, etc.

Definitely fly into Venice and out of Rome. Venice airport transit is not that easy – you would not want to fly out of Venice. You could fill multiple trips with just Rome and what's north or Rome. Italy is an expensive destination, I recommend booking every night's hotel. Rome is a five night city on a first visit, and Venice is good for four if it's your arrival city. I would spend the remainder in Florence and do a day trip to Siena or other nearby smaller city in Tuscany. My wife and I took a bus tour to Siena and San Gimignano on our 1999 honeymoon from Florence. Lucca is a very nice town, too. We had three night in Venice to start our 2007 trip that started there – and I really wish we had had another night. You could do three nights in Venice and four in Rome to open up some nights for a stay in a smaller city, but I guarantee you will wish you had more in Rome and Venice! It will likely be cold and damp that time of year, so skip Cinque Terre on this trip. A city I have never visited but would like to is Orvieto, which is in Umbria. Also, Assisi is one I would want to see on a return visit. Also on our 2007 trip we spent three nights in Sorrento, visiting Capri and Pompeii. It was not enough time – do you see a theme emerging here? No matter what, you will wish you had more time in each location. Be prepared to spend a pile of money, but it will be worth it and you will want to return.

Keep in mind that some opening/closing times are still on winter schedules in March, so it may take you longer in each place to see what you want to see. I have gone to many cities in Tuscany by public transportation (usually bus), but if you want to venture out into the countryside, a car would be a benefit.

Agree with into Venice, out of Rome, avoiding Cinque Terre. 14 nights?

1-3 Venice
4-7 Florence
8-10 Sorrento or Ravello (Amalfi Coast)
11-14 Rome

Work your way from the outside in. Book air, then lodging. You want an array of hotels to choose from, so book now with a cancellation clause or buy trip insurance (which is what we did). Book trains in December to save a lot of money--only downside is that there would be no flexibility in changing your train, but that didn't bother us--the savings were worth the gamble. I know it's your first time in Italy, but a B&B or apartment in either Florence or Rome could be somewhat less expensive and a lot more fun & assimilating.

We were in Florence and the Amalfi Coast in March of this year. Florence was windy, occasional rain, 40-55 F, but when the sun came out it was glorious. In Amalfi, 50-60 F and very nice. More stuff open the later in March you're there. We lunched at a restaurant on the water on March 12 and it was their first day open for the season. Bottom line is that weather didn't matter that much to us--we were there! Bring an ultra-light down jacket that folds up into its own pocket so it's easier to pack, a fleece, hat & gloves, buy a scarf in Florence and you're good to go.

Make it a point to see attractions during the week, because there are few tourists. On the weekend it gets very crowded, just like it would in high season.

Planning is a lot of fun. Enjoy!

I agree with those that say fly into Venice, stay at least 3 nights, and out of Rome (stay at least 3 nights). Skip Cinque Terre this time, and Amalfi is too far out of the way, IMO, for only 2 weeks. I would stay in Florence and visit the Tuscany area, lovely smaller towns.

just spent a couple of weeks in the Cinque Terre and Lucca areas, had a blast and the hiking was great if you like to get off the beaten path a bit. I wanted to add this website that proved to be very helpful for our time in Italy http://www.seat61.com/Italy-trains.htm#.VktBVcuFM5t I had not traveled by train before in Italy and dont live in a metro area in the US so my train travel skills were very limited. This website was very helpful and for the Cinque Terre/Pisa/Lucca areas train travel was a breeze. You probably need a car to go up to the Dolomites or if you want to kick around Tuscany villages and similar places. I drove a car in northern italy in early 2000 and it was pretty effortless but I avoided the big ciites. I truly appreciated the trains, give this site a peek for information. dj

I advise avoiding Rome during the week preceding Easter. We were there for a few days one year, at that time. Mobs! It would be easy enough to structure your trip so as to be there other than at the immediate holiday time.

I'm a great believer in booking accommodations in advance. The period around Easter is a school vacation time in many countries. Parents take their kids on trips. That time we were in Rome near Easter, we saw scads of what appeared to be secondary school groups be led by people addressing them in languages other than Italian. Also, people of northern Europe go south all through the winter, so the Big Three, Venice, Florence, and Rome always have plenty of tourists.

I would suggest devoting your time to regional areas of the Veneto and Tuscany rather than heading to the Amalfi Coast in March. Something like this ...
Day 1-3 Venice
Day 4-5 Padova (with excursion to Verona)
Day 6-7 Florence
Day 8-10 Tuscan countryside (with rental car) - Lucca, Pisa, San Gimignano, Siena, Chianti
Day 11-14 Rome

Thanks for all the great advice! Now off to book some plane tickets! Ciao!!