Help for a first timer

Welcome Paige!

We'll need a bit more info:

Who is "we"?
Have you traveled abroad before?
Are you willing to rent a car if needed for Tuscany portion?

Tuscany is huge- I assume you mean Florence and maybe a hill town or 2?

How many NIGHTS do you have on the ground in Italy?
Counting your trip in NIGHTS makes for a clearer picture of your itinerary.

It looks like you have 13 nights? Is that correct?

All is not lost- there are ways to avoid a split/1 night stay in Rome due to your RT flight. Have you checked to see if changeable?

What time do you arrive in Rome?
Many suggest heading straight to one of your destinations other than Rome. In your case I would say head to Florence. (train from FCO and/or Termini- we'll help you with that if needed)

So Florence needs 2-3 nights- add 1 night for every day trip. If your plan is to spend time in the countryside a car is really necessary but there are towns you can easily visit from Florence- Siena for example.

A 4 night stay really means 3.5 days in that location. Each move eats up at least a half day. Takes time to checkout, get to train, ride train, find lodgings, check in, get oriented.

Without knowing more this is what I would suggest:

Florence 4 nights- day trip to Siena- if you arrive here from Rome- your first day is shot
Fast train all the way to Salerno
From Salerno take ferry, bus or private driver to Amalfi
Amalfi 4 nights- it takes so long to get there give it the time you need! 1 day for Capri, 1 day for Positano and 1 day for Ravello
Ferry/bus or driver back to Salerno to catch fast train to Rome
Rome 5 nights
Fly home

You could add or subtract Florence- Rome depending on your interests. We never tire of Rome and it would take dozens of trips to see it all :)

You didn't mention Pompeii- is that any interest to you?

Your itinerary is a very frequent topic here. Use the search function and read, read, read.
To Search- click the white stripes in upper left hand menu ( on device).
Be sure to filter by TYPE- Travel Forum and DATE- 1 year, 2 years etc

Also note May 1 is a holiday in Italy- it won't affect too much but something to be aware of.
April 25 is also a holiday but it's not clear if you are flying on 4/25 or arriving on 4/25. Still won't affect too much,

ETA: Here is a post from just this am about Blue Grotto. I'd skip but it's your choice. Yes it is weather dependent.

Reconsider the Blue Grotto on Capri too. If there's anything on the
island that could be classed as a tourist trap, that's the one. Enough
other folks who have done it would also advise choosing other things
to do.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g488299-d195537-Reviews-Blue_Grotto-Anacapri_Island_of_Capri_Province_of_Naples_Campania.html

Flying in/out of Rome will be fine. Just a bit more traveling back and forth. We recommend Hotel Tiber in Fiumicino for accommodations before you fly home - hotel shuttle to the airport or easy taxi ride. Folks on this forum also recommend the Hilton (I think?) as it is right at the airport.

For first timers to Italy, the usual itinerary is Rome-Florence-Venice and that is pretty easy to do by train. You've got a good amount of time to do that without rushing, maybe 3 nights in Venice, 4 nights Florence, 6 nights Rome? As others have said, make sure you plan for a day of travel between each and you should be fine.

You can do a day-trip to Pompeii from Rome if you are interested in that, or do a short overnight trip to Naples or Sorrento (we really liked Sorrento this spring). Agreeing with previous poster about the Blue Grotto and Capri. It's definitely weather-dependent, and we were not wowed by Capri itself. It's very cool from the water so we would recommend taking the boat tour around the island, if you really want to go there.

We were also underwhelmed by the Amalfi. Again, maybe better by water and in the summer when it's beach weather? We did a day tour by van (Mondo Tours). It was fun, but not quite sure what all the fuss is about.

Simple advice - read Rick's guide and come back with questions

Regarding the Blue Grotto, rough water might keep you from going in on your one Capri day (as it did me), but if you don’t at least try, you’ll definitely not see it. As far as it supposedly being a rip-off tourist trap, it’s certainly a geological wonder, you can’t get in on your own, and I imagine that there’s nothing like it where you live. If you don’t see it on your Italy trip, you’ll miss it, and that would seem to be a shame to be so close, but then deliberately choose to ignore the chance to experience it, because someone else thinks nobody should bother.

Regarding Rome, and potentially flying in and out from different places, you got a great airfare deal, so don’t second-guess your round trip flights. It’s not like you’re having to backtrack two days, or thousands of miles to get back to Rome. One option (which we did eleven years ago), would be to start in Rome (we had a full week), see the other parts of Italy in your plans, then get back to Rome the afernoon before your flight home. We visited Ostia Antica, Rome’s answer to ancient Pompeii that day, then caught a taxi to the nearby Hilton at the Rome airport. We had a very early flight leaving Rome, so being steps away from the terminal was extremely convenient, and worked well for our round trip return.

Alternatively, you’d probably be considering flying to Rome and catching the first train to Amalfi or Tuscany, then looping back to Rome for the final days. Depending on your flight times, I’d still suggest starting off in Rome, then coming back for your flight home just to make your flight the next morning.

First of all thank you so much for all who responded. You were very thoughtful, kind and extremely informative.

Christine, I wanted to answer your questions even though you gave a ton of great info.

The "we" is my husband and myself--in our 50's.
We have both traveled abroad but that experience was limited and we did not plan the trip.
I definitely feel comfortable renting a car and driving until I get to Sorrento or below. I have driven in many major cities with no issue. And I've had people say, it's no big deal, just do it and read so much about how especially Amalfi is a nightmare and don't think of attempting it. We want the freedom to go, stop, see where we want to but don't want to be stupid either.
Tuscany--yes, Florence was my choice. I really wanted to stay in an agriturismo but wonder if that's too far off the beaten path and making things more difficult for myself.
Yes, 13 nights. Due to great deal, no flight changes.
Arrive in Rome @ 9:10am on 26th.

The itinerary days sound very doable to me. I would be good with Pompeii for a day.
I will also use the search feature and read as much as I can. Like I said, I was getting overwhelmed by all the information and trying to find the best way to answer the questions of my trip.

Thank you to all the others who gave their tips. All noted and welcomed. I really appreciate the encouragement about my flight and how I have not made things horrible for myself by going in and out of the same airport.

Oh! I would never drive to Sorrento or Amalfi. Just the countryside in Tuscany if needed. If you stay in in agriturismo a car will be necessary. Driving in Tuscany is delightful! BUT you don't have to - there are tours that will take you to a few hill towns/wine tasting etc. ToursbyRoberto.com gets high marks- he books up fast.

Arriving at 9:10 is good- you've got that whole day to get Florence if that is what you choose to do. I wouldn't head south- for a couple of reasons- it's a more complicated/longer trip and doing the Amalfi portion mid-trip is a nice break between the 2 cities.

There is actually direct fast train from FCO to Florence at 1:53- might make for a wait depending on what time you actually arrive, time needed to get thru passport control etc. Otherwise it's just as easy to take Leonardo Express to Termini and hop on fast train to Florence there. Not advisable to purchase that train ticket in advance...just in case. Wait til you are AT FCO then use the Trenitalia app to book your fast train.

Since you do want to visit Pompeii I might reconsider staying in Amalfi. It's a bit more difficult to get to Pompeii from Amalfi.
Sorrento is lovely and your transportation options are better there. Capri is a shorter ferry ride, Pompeii can be done on your way but if you are coming from Florence I'd give Pompeii its own day.
Sorrento has so many great restaurants, fun window shopping and just wandering, beautiful views, etc.
Take a look at Mondo Guides- www.sharedtours.com- they offer day trips along AC that are very affordable, A few hours in Positano was enough for us!
If you decide on Sorrento then you would take fast train from Florence to Naples then the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento. Don't be put off by all the negative remarks about that train- it's just a commuter train. Or you can pay a private driver maybe 150 euros? to pick you up at Napoli Centrale and drop you in Sorrento.

That leg could look like this- 4 nights
Train from Florence- arrival to Sorrento- just enjoy the town
Day trip to Pompeii
Day trip to Capri
Day trip along AC perhaps with Mondo Guides.
Your evenings are for enjoying Sorrento- don't miss the sunset there!

Keep reading and asking questions. We don't usually bite.
Make a list of the sites that'll need advance booking- Colosseum, Vatican, Borghese, Uffizi etc and stay on top of those calendars.

End of April-early May should be a great time to go. We were there at that time in 2019 and 2022- had beautiful weather.

Thank you this is so helpful. I am not shy about research and staying on top of things, but wow there is so much to choose from.

I am diving deep into the forums now. I may come back for questions. I think having someone say train here, car here, etc is taking some of that overwhelming feeling out.

Train here, there and everywhere!
Strategic use of car only as needed.

Planning should be fun. ;)

We spent 11 days in Sorrento in April so I'll comment on that region. Transportation is challenging in the area so I highly recommend you determine your priorities so you don't waste days in traffic or ferries. We used Mondo Tours for a day trip to the Amalfi Coast and enjoyed it, however, of a 9 hour tour, 4.5 were spent in the car getting from place to place. We did a 2nd day trip to the AC ourselves via a ferry from Sorrento to Amalfi and then a bus to Minori. We then walked the path of the Lemons to Maiori and then a bus back to Amalfi. No regrets, but we much preferred our day in Capri with it's spectacular views. We didn't do the Blue Grotto, but that was skipped because my wife tends to get seasick in small rocking boats. Even without the Grotto we had a full day.

By far, my favourite days were spent visiting the Vesuvius explosion sites in Pompeii (2 days), Oplontis (couple of hours), Herculaneum (1 day) and the Archeological Museum in Naples plus a walking tour of Naples (1 day). Capri was next and the Amalfi Coast ran a distant third in enjoyment. The AC is beautiful, and if your goal is incredible views and slow, aimless wandering then it may be for you. But for our go, go, go style of travel, the Amalfi Coast was a disappointment. I wouldn't recommend more than an hour in Positano; you look at the views from above, you look at the views from below, and then you move on. Ravello was my favorite of Positano, Amalfi and Ravello.

I did a trip in 2019 for almost those exact dates! April 26-May 10th :)

In a two-ish week trip I don't go more than 4 places, but I made some visits longer and shorter depending on what there was to do. We flew into Rome and immediately went to Salerno for 5 nights, took a train to Verona for half a day and continued onto Lago di Garda in the evening for 2 nights, Firenze for 4 nights and then ended in Roma for 4 nights. I bet you could do 4-5 nights on the Amalfi/Sorrento Coast (be sure to analyze what you REALLY wanna do and where it would be easiest to get to from), then go up to Tuscany and do Florence/Agriturismo for a total of 6 nights (manage your day trips vs time in Florence to decide how many nights in the countryside vs city), and 4 nights in Roma before leaving. The folks who have gone into more detail have some great ideas!