How does this 10 day Italy itinerary look?

You might see if you can fly out of Naples

When is this trip? I'm asking because the Positano ferries are more impacted by weather than other areas, and if they're not running, you're locked in.
Flying into either Milan or Venice works well, and it's better to fly into Venice than out of it.
Of course, more days in each area would be optimal, but I think for ten days, you have a workable itinerary. Safe travels!

@Pat thank you, September 2024 is the goal, this is just drafting where we would like to go. Ferries should still be running, correct?

Too much moving around. By your own itinerary, half of your 10 days are travel days. If you’re all “done with major sightseeing” then why are you even headed to Venice or Florence for a day? If anything, this is when you need to dig in a little deeper. Focus in on something. You’re going on a Tuscan wine tour? Great, broaden out from there, spend the bulk on your time in Tuscany. Skip Florence, see Siena, Lucca and/or the smaller towns. Last time out you saw Italy, this time experience Italy.

I don’t need to tell you that Positano is a massive outlier here that is taking up a lot of time and money on a private transfer just to pull it off. (Squeezing Pompeii in en route is past aggressive.) If you’re interested in the Amalfi Coast then go there for the full 10 days. You will not regret it, you almost require it. It’s already half your trip, just go for it. Alternatively, if you just want some coast time then Cinque Terre is at least closer to the rest of your itinerary.

In my opinion, the whole itinerary needs a hard reboot. Where’s the rest of the group on this? Are you going to Venice because someone loves Venice, and Florence because someone loves Florence? They say “a camel is a horse designed by committee” and that’s what this sort of feels like. It’s desperate for a true priority.

I spent 3 nights in Naples. I saw Pompeii as a day trip from there. (It was a solo trip, I was 34 at the time). From the hostel I stayed at I was able to walk to a subway station, take a subway train to another station, from there I bought round trip tickets for a circumvesuviana train to the sight and back. Naples also has an archaeology museum that I saw that nicely compliments the Pompeii site. I saw the art museum too - I would have been as happy if I had skipped it, it was mainly catholic themed paintings, paintings of Jesus, and some modern works. The bus to take me back from near the art museum seemed take too long and I saw lose or stray dogs that were too close for comfort. But for sure the archaeology museum was worth it.

Seeing Pompeii as a stop on the way to Positano could work but then if you were going to see the archaeology museum as a day trip from Positano it would be at least a 1 hour and 37 minute car ride or a 2 hours and 26 minutes with buses and a little walking.

Your Day 6 does seem to be very crowded. All that travel and then you want to fit in a "stop" at Pompeii? Pompeii deserves a several hour guided tour, at least.

@awrzesinski thank you for the feedback!

1st. We're not "done" sightseeing, I just wanted to point out that we have seen major sights and don't need time to see large 1st trip tickets items such as the Vatican.

1. My husband and I have never been to Venice and my sister would like to go back, which is why it was added. The problem is there are so many things we want to see in this country. I will say we are fast paced and my last trip My husband and I went to Rome, Florence, Pisa (on the way), Chinque terre, and even naples for the night to avoid covid (march 2020) all in 11 days.

I really love Florence. We did a wine tour last time and it was our very favorite day. All 4 are down for this destination. I believe the food is amazing and We love the city. spending the time just in Tuscany sounds like a great idea and I will think on it!

1. Amalfi coast.... we added this because it’s the Amalfi Coast and feel we need to do it once. We actually took days away to add Venice. It does feel rushed, but we really prioritize other destinations over spending half/a whole trip there. I feel like we are city/food people rather than beachy but it’s the Amalfi Coast!

The quick stops in Venice and Florence would not be my choice, but I think you have justified them well for your trip, and there are fast trains in between.
Day 6 gives me pause though--it can still be hot in September and Pompeii is scorching. It's just a long day, as you'll presumably need to stop for lunch.
With food stated as important, you could consider staying in Cetara--that's what I did and it was not difficult to visit Pompeii from there, as it is near the mainland end of the peninsula. There are a couple great restaurants there and it's known for colatura, which is sort of like Roman fish sauce (simplified explanation).

The ferries are still running in Sept., it's just the dock at Positano seems to be easily damaged by storms, and if any bad weather comes in, the ferries in the area will be canceled.
We were just there in May, and spoke to folks who were " boxed" in because the ferries weren't running on a rainy day, so they couldn't go anywhere. The dock had just been recently repaired, then it was knocked out again for a short time due to the recent storms. Good luck!

Hi there & welcome to the Forum! (PS, Many others commented in a similar vein as I was typing, does look like you've designed this for your priorities but I think we're agreed Day 6 from Venice via Pompeii to AC needs a re-think.)

Definitely look at a 'multi city' trip, where you fly into Venice for example & out of Naples via Rome, as this will save you a day traveling back to Rome & an overnight stay.

Day 2-3 - You only have one full day in Venice. Many on the Forum would suggest longer. And Venice isn't a quick train stop away, you need to get into & out of Venice proper, we took the ferry.

Day 6- Florence 🚂 Naples 🚙 private transfer to Positano w Pompeii stop - THIS is a very long day! Look at the train schedule, and driving from Naples to Positano, via Pompeii which in September will still be very warm in the afternoon, would be a drag. OK, about Positano, it looks amazing from the water, but it is extremely hilly, expensive & crowded. We stayed 3x in the town of Amalfi because it has a nice little walkable downtown and is easier to navigate. Or many people on the Forum skip getting into & out of this area just to spend the night & take a fast train from Rome (in your case from Venice) to Salerno. Spend 2 nights here & take a ferry UP the coast to Positano & back, relax & see all these lovely towns from the water, where they are viewed best.

I would suggest doing Pompeii at end of your trip to AC, you can hire a private driver from your hotel via Pompeii to Naples, where you'd want to spend the night if flight is early the next day back to USA. (If you stay in Salerno, I'm sure you can take a train closer to Pompeii & meet your driver there.) And frankly unless you hate museums, a visit to the Archeological Museum in Naples would really deepen your experience of Pompeii! And the food in Naples is wonderful!

Day 7- Positano (day trip possible, capri etc) - I would skip Capri for a day trip unless you're very keen. It will be jammed. suggest day trip by ferry up to Positano, back via Amalfi, lots of nice UPHILL hikes near Amalfi, and then there's the fantastic little town of Ravello, with the Villa Cimbrone & MEGA views out over the Med, accessible via bus. I've been to AC, Capri, Sorrento & this is by far my favorite spot in the area.

OR if you absolutely must stay on the AC, you could add a stop over in Ravello en route to Pompeii & Naples.
Hope some of that's helpful!

Given your priorities, I think the first half of your trip are fine. But I have my doubts about the second half. Travelling from Florence to anywhere on the AC could take at least 6 hours. Trying to shoehorn in a sightseeing stop at Pompeii in the afternoon isn't really realistic IMO. And Positano isn't exactly a transportation hub to see the surrounding areas.

You might want to consider staying in Sorrento. Both Capri and Pompeii (plus the Archeological museum in Naples), as well as the AC villages can all be done as separate day trips from there.

hey hey blr travel
you have received lots of info about your trip. to me it is too much moving around from place to place from the northern part to southern part in a short amount of time. but that's your perogative.
just take into consideration when arriving to new city, check in to hotel/apt is between 3-4pm and check out is 10-11am. ask if they have luggage hold until check in or early check in. you do not want to be pushing and pulling luggage over steps & stairs on bridges, cobblestones, uneven pavement.
how real is jet lag flying in from east coast? it's very REAL and you can feel "loopy" next day, been there done that and it's no fun.
where is your hotel in venice? you will have to find transportation from "VCE" airport, with different ways possible.
are you taking the train from positano to rome on day 9, spend night and fly out the next day? look at trenitalia.com or italotren.it for times/days/length of train ride and book early for better deals.
my own thought, if you've been to florence take one day from there and add to venice. switch day four for free day and day five for tuscan wine tour. lots to think about with much to do and not enough time, you don't want any stress.
aloha