flying into milan flying out of naples. staying in sorrento for 4 days

What month? Have you been there before? Are you open to driving or do you prefer public transport?
Read up on Piedmont, and Tuscany in addition to Dolomites, and consider Liguria if wanting only train travel. A guide book would be helpful, but adding a lot more detail to this post might help you focus.

When is this trip? In your other post you are talking about flying about March-April, 2025, flying into Zurich and then heading to Italy. Is this a different trip? The timing will make a big difference in the recommendations, especially for the Dolomites.

forgot dates, flying into milan april 3rd leaving from naples april 16th, got hotels in sorrento and naples already rest is open completely would like to see cinque terre, looked pretty cool. don't care about florence, not into museums more nature stuff

i ruled out switzerland this time. to much train travel, no car, my husband is a bad driver lol.

With those parameters, I would also consider Emilia Romagna for the ease of travel by train, but for nature via public transport, the Dolomites and Liguria would be perfect and plenty with your time frame. The coast is lovely in spring, but look into weather info for the mountains.

any hotel suggestions near dolomites, is their a train from milan airport to them, i notice alot don't have airport shuttles. how many days up north prefer not to stay in milan, then south to either genoa, for cinque terre, but i do have a tiny bit of walking issue, my back bothers me sometimes i need to sit. maybe rome and see the colosseum. trying not to live out of a suitcase or stuck walking with it either. thx Mary yes this is my first and only time to italy

Where exactly in the Dolomites have you decided on?
Are you going there to hike?

No - you won’t find many hotels with airport shuttles anywhere in Italy
Airports are served by trains.

I love the Dolomites, but I would not go there in early April. They will still be skiing on the mountains, and what is not covered in snow will be muddy, not green and beautiful.

If you are determined, it is a 5-hour train ride from MXP airport to Bolzano, where you change to a bus to reach the villages that are in the Dolomites (Bolzano is not). You would not want to do that upon your arrival day, after the long flight, but you don not want to spend a night in Milan either. You could go partway and overnight in between, someplace like Brescia, or one of the towns on Lago di Garda that is on the train line. Then up to the Dolomites, but then it would take time to get back to Milan for the southbound trains to Cinque Terre and Sorrento. And it will take you a long time to travel—-6 hours or more from Bolzano to Monterossa in the cinque Terre, then another 9 hours from there to Sorrento., with 2 transfers (one of them a bus from Naples).

You really do not have time to do all that and visit Cinque Terre too. If you want to see the Dolomites, then you should consider flying from Venice or Milan to Naples for your Sorrento time.

I will suggest an alternative, since you are interested in scenery and Cinque Terre. From MXP, take the airport shuttle to Stresa, a town on Lago Maggiore, just an hour a way. Spend 2 nights here.

https://www.safduemila.com/linee/alibus-malpensa-lago-maggiore/

Then take the train through Milan to Monterosso, using the 12:10 IC train that goes direct (5.5 hours total, including change time in Milan). Or stop overnight somewhere between Genoa and Monterosso.

After Cinque Terre, take the train to Naples from La Spezia, at the south end of the Cinque Terre. This si a long journey if you go all the way to Sorrento in one day. So spend a night in a small town close to Naples, such as Caserta with its beautiful palace. Even if you do not care to go inside, the gardens are lovely.

I did not count up the days but hopefully something like that will work in the time you have.

Hi peachesfm:
You stated you had some walking issues, didn't want to live out of a suitcase but didn't want to drag it around either.

With train travel, for many trains you need to be able to lift your bags onto the trains as well as possibly carrying the bag(s) up and down stairs. Consider if you are capable of this since much of your trip seems to involve possible train travel esp regional trains that have steps onto the train. Pack as light as possible.

Have you looked into tours? The tours would deal with all the travel headaches. There are many out there-just google Italy tours.

Whatever you decide-I hope you have a great trip! Love Italy.

thank you for all the replies, I have reconsidered my trip sooo flight tickets are arrive april 3rd in milan stay 2 days... choice 1 is train to lugano switzerland (skip dolomites) maybe if time lake como, take train to genoa or florence and stay in area 3 days visit cinque terre and etc. then rome for either day or 2 then sorrento 4 days taking boat tour to capri and blue grotto don't know who to book just yet booked hotel april 11th thru 15th hotel 15/16 for early flight back to states. my husband is very capable for luggage, it mainly me and my back and yes i can walk but need to take breaks here and there and load up on ibuprofen. i do know about cinque terre and stairs and walking for probably do a boat cruise and see 1 or 2 spots, i dont mind sitting on a bench while hubby goes to see a castle at top. my husband said maybe see the coliseum and pompeii. we will not be back to italy, our next trip will be london, paris and switzerland (lucerne) and go when better weather. if you also have ideas and hotels (250 night budget) or restaurants suggestions i would love that. I really appreciate your advice from this newbie. Mary

ok ladies, i still need some advice as of now
Arrive in Milan april 3rd 9am we are deciding if we should stay in milan, do day trips to lake como lugano or train to venice and do day trips have 3 to 4 days for this. need suggestions to stay and eat if you been here or where to avoid. someone did mention not to skip venice, i just don't know about crowds, is it worth a 1 time adventure.... skipping cinque terre and taking train to rome, I do know its 5 hours but its a rest for me.

rome 4 days no clue where to stay, eat, (i love seafood hubby more meat guy) but would like to be central and doing a golf cart tour for my walking. not interested in vatican

leaving rome by train to pompeii doing a tour (suggestions) leaving luggage in lockers, only doing a few hours then train, bus private uber to sorrento.
booked 4 days here already doing boat tour of coast going to ravello and amalfi, skipping positino. shopping, lunch another boat tour of capri and blue grotto. weather permitting.
last day booked hotel in naples as flight leaves at 6.15 am total trip 14 days 3 hotels. thank you guys i have spent hours and days reading stuff but your experience helps me alot. Mary

I stayed in Milan one night because I had a morning flight the next day. I was coming from Varenna at Lake Como. We arrived in Milan in the morning so we would have a chance to look around and I decided that I definitely didn’t need more than that one day there. I much prefer Lake Como. I have stayed there twice. I think it would be a great place to get over jet lag. My second time at Lake Como we did a day trip to Lugano. I prefer Lake Como. It’s more scenic to me and quieter. Of course if you want to go to Venice I would go directly there. Your flight arrives in the morning and the train doesn’t take too long. From there you can take a train to Rome.

thanks for all the in put.
we are now flying into milan, taking a private car to bellagio, staying 5 days, day trip to varenna, day trip to lugano swit, explore bellagio, and relax, then taking train to rome, staying 2.5 days, see colosseum, panethon, trevi fountain, doing a golf cart tour for part of it. then taking train or car to sorrento, staying 5 days, doing a capri boat tour, boat tour to amalfi and ravello, and day of relaxing, last day car to naples, spend night fly out next am early. 14 days total. hotels are booked now, just checking out tours etc, gona wait to book as alot won't let you for next april right now. thx everyone