Help me build a 10-12 night itinerary. Please!

We had a great stay on Ischia for 6 nights one year ago. So many lovely things to see and do there. We also stayed in Minori on the Amalfi Coast for 6 nights. Small town with a good dock, so we were able to day trip to the big (crazy crowded) other AC towns. Those smaller and less chaotic locations were perfect for us.
We flew into Rome and out of Naples.

Thank you, janejtay. Minori looks so beautiful and the Path of Lemons is right up my alley. Do you think 3 nights on Ischia and 3 in Minori would suffice? I will definitely get out on the water somehow and def do the thermal spas. I feel like no car would be needed for this portion of the trip, correct?

A lot depends on the day trips you wish to do, if any (Pompeii, Naples?). I’d lean toward four-night stays since you want to hike, relax. Three full days is always better than two! Are you interested in any time in Naples? Unless your flight is afternoon, you will want to stay at least your last night there.
No car needed (actually undesirable in this area).

I won't do Pompeii, but will do Naples. I think I've decided to stick to round trip through Naples, since it's new territory to me. I might go directly to Ischia upon morning arrival (on a Sunday) and recover there. I agree that adding a 4th night makes sense. Thank you. Any ideas on where to head after Minori? Some place inland. 3 or 4 nights.

If I were doing this trip, I think I would do Ischia first, then Paestum and finish in Naples. I think you could easily do all of that with public transportation.

We liked Orsini B and B very much in Naples. I know you said you were looking at apartments, but it is in a lovely location in Naples, the St Lucia area, feels like a bit of a retreat from the busy city, but easy enough to walk in to the Spanish quarter etc.

Lisa - how many nights should be spent in Naples? I'd like to walk, eat pizza and get a feel for what makes Naples different from Italy's other larger cities. Three nights if I'm doing it at the end of my visit?

Paestum looks amazing, but I recently visited Greece and I'd love to find a town away from the coast that might offer something different.

Ischia-Minori-Naples seems perfect to me with 10-12 days. You get island, coastal village, and city.

I agree with valadelphia. 4 nights each in Minori and Ischia would be better than 3. We ended our 3 week trip last year with 4 nights in Naples. Stayed in a sweet hotel near the old town. Easy walk to the archeological museum and was much quieter than the busier parts.
We definitely enjoyed the Path of Lemons from Minori to Māori. And on Ischia we stayed at the end of the island in view of the castle. Less crowded, easy to catch a bus to other parts of the island/boat piers.

I do not want to overthink! I may do exactly that...Ischia, Minori and Naples. With a possible day trip to the palace in Caserta from Naples. Thanks for all the help!

We were in Caserta for 4 nights the middle of last month. The palace and grounds are definitely worth the good part of day. A couple of school groups and a handful of small tour groups, but it felt like we had most of it to ourselves. You can easily find a lunch spot nearby and it’s less than a 3 minute walk from the train station.

Very few Americans in Caserta and we enjoyed our time there. On a side note, some of the interior shots in “Conclave” were filmed at the palace. Look for the double staircase with the two lions.