First trip to Italy!!!

I see that you like islands and the coast. How do you want to spend your time? on the beach, at historical sites (ancient or other)? in art museums? in archaeological museums? seeing pretty countryside? visiting wineries?

Sicily is huge. Covered well, it would take nearly all of your time, so I'd suggest leaving it for your second trip so this first one allows you to cover a bit more ground.

You could take one of Rick's tours (like for southern Italy) and then spend the rest of your time on the places you didn't go with the Tour. It's a great way to get a feel for the country and customs and language and food.

Great questions. My husband doesn't drink, and I drink casually. And although I am half Italian..... I don't drink wine! I know ha ha I make a bad Italian ;) Wineries are not big on the list for just that reason alone, although I am sure they are beautiful to experience. We love beaches, simple hiking, eating, driving, and discovering new territory. We would like to view some museums and architecture although we don't need to for each city.

Thanks Shawn, yes I have considered that however I feel like his tours cover a lot of ground in a quick time frame.

Most first time travelers will go to Venice, Florence and Rome as they are just such important cities. And they are worthy of 3 days, 4 days and 5 days respectively. Many travelers also like to spend time in the Tuscan countryside in cities like Siena, San Gimignano, Volterra and other hilltowns. Unfortunately your itinerary list is to many cities that are not on the peninsula and a little difficult to get to.
You might reconsider which cities you really need to see first. Then put the remaining cities in your original itinerary on a list for your second trip to the region.

You need to think in nights not days. If you arrive on the 20th and leave on the 8th you have 19 nights. Why not fly or take the high speed train to Naples on arrival in Rome? spend 2 nights in Naples then travel to Sorrento and spend 5 nights there. You can visit the Amalfi coast and Capri from there. Then travel to Matera and spend 2 nights. It's an amazing place. From Matera you can go to Puliga. So many wonderful places to see in Puglia Lecce, Ostuni, Martina Franco, Alberobello, Monopoli, Polignano a mare just to mention a few. Spend 6 nights in Puglia then take train back to Rome and spend the last three nights in Rome. I would leave Sicily and Sardinia for another trip. What ever you decide have fun and enjoy. Italy is a wonderful country with amazing food

Hey guys.. need suggestions on my itinerary. We are a young group of friends travel for the first time to Italy ( more interested in exploring the city & nightlife). We are not big fans of museums & architecture, would not like to spend the whole day like that.

Proposed Itinerary-

6th to 18th May

6/7: fly Into Milan.

8: Lake Camo day trip. Sleep Milan

9: early morning train to Venice.

1. Early morning train to Florence. Sleep Florence

2. Day trip to Siena (Tuscany), sleep Florence. (Wanted to do a wine tasting tour.. any suggestions)

3. Train to Cinque Terre via Pisa. Sleep CT

4. Afternoon train to Rome.

5. Full day Rome & Vatican tour. Sleep Rome (plan on taking the walk of Italy walking tour of Rome & Vatican- any suggestions)

6. Train to Sorrento. Amalfi Coast-Sleep Amalfi

7. Full day Amalfi

8. Ferry to Capri island.Sleep Capri

9. Flight back from Rome

Pls do share your suggestions.

I do understand that 1.5 days in Rome is too less (part of our group has already visited Rome & I’m personally not a big fan of art)

Thanks!

Damani, you need to start a new thread to get advice on your planned itinerary. It's going to be way too confusing to discuss two different trips in this thread.

It is amazing how short 20 days can seem. My husband and I have the same dates as you. (May 16 - June 7). It is also our first trip to Italy. We are flying into Venice for 2 nights, taking a 1 week bike tour from Parma to Verona, 4 nights in Florence, 4 nights in Rome, 6 nights in Sicily (Polermo and Cefalu) and plan to see some of the ruins by car for 1 day). We fly out of Polermo on June 7. At some point you have to limit the options and settle on a few key sites. For us it was Venice, Florence and Rome, small towns of Parma and Verona on the bike tour and a small snapshot of Sicily. We are packing light (with the RS backpack) and travelling by train. You can obtain excellent travel ideas through Rick's u-tube videos and his guide to Italy book. Happy Traveling. Have a great trip!!

Only you can decide. I have been to Italy six times without seeing Venice, Florence, or Rome. They will still be there when I get ready, but for now I am enjoying exploring the nature and small towns/villages of Italy.
Check flights on a website like skyscanner to see how you could go about incorporating Sicily or Sardinia--I would choose one or the other to incorporate into a trip with the Amalfi area and Puglia.
Are you planning to stay in Rome some?
I would allot about 5 days for the Amalfi coast and Capri, more if you wish to include Naples and Pompeii. I could easily then spend all of the rest of the time in Puglia and Basilicata, but as you research, the best plan for you will come into focus.