Italy-first time suggestions

Remember less is more. Wouldn't you rather enjoy a few places than spending half of your time on a train travelling from place to place? If it were me,(and this is only my opinion) i would do Rome at least 3 days (lots and lots to see) then train up to Orvieto for a day then do a few days in Florence and Tuscany. Whatever you do have fun and don't rush because you will want to spend time enjoying Italy and not rushing off to jump on a train for the next destination
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My first thought when I read your post was, gee too bad you already bought your tickets. What you want to do is a lot easier if you are flying open jaw. Arriving in Naples and leaving from Florence for instance.

I would start with the Amalfi coast and go straight there as soon as you arrive in Rome. I would also fork over the added expense of a cab from the airport to Termini Station (you don't want to wait around for the "express" train to arrive and/or depart). Furthermore, scratch staying in Positano, at least the first night, Stay in Sorrento. From Termini Station take a train to Naples and then hop on the circumvesuviana train to Naples. Do the Amalfi thing and then go to Florence/Siena/Tuscany. Finally end your trip in Rome.

May 25 - Arrive, go to Sorrento

May 26 - Amalfi Coast

May 27 - Amalfi Coast

May 28 - travel to Florence, spend night

May 29 - If not interested in museums then go to Siena otherwise stay one more day in Florence

May 30 - Siena

May 31 - Travel to rome

June 1 - Rome

June 2 - Rome

June 3 - Depart.

To answer your question are you trying to do too much? in my opinion yes. You are going to feel very rushed and not have much time to settle down. As soon as you feel settled it will be time to move on to the next town. Rome alone needs 4 days to experience all the major sites. This plan only gives you two full day in Rome. My advice is to pick two places and then you have an excuse to come back again.

Two places with 9 days? No, there is so much to see within a short distance and your agenda doesn't sound too ambitious. It sounds good to get away from Rome right away since you'll end up there at the end. My only suggestion is to limit Siena and spend some extra time in Florence, even if you aren't the museum type. Also try for at least 2 full days in Rome. Good luck!

Cara

I agree with Scott, I would go straight to Sorrento and stay there, rather than Positano.

Scott wrote: take a train to Naples and then hop on the circumvesuviana train to Naples

He meant to say, take the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento.

Sorrento is a fantastic place (my favorite place in Italy) and perfect base to go to Positano, Pompeii, etc.
Positano is more difficult to get to and less practical as a base.

Our first trip to Italy we only had 48 hrs in Rome and it was plenty for a "taste". Went again for 4 days and didn't enjoy it more than the first trip, even though we had more time.

If you arrive on 5/25 and leave on 6/3, you only have 8 full days. That's not much time at all, and as others have said, you have to allow travel time between places. I would pick 2 places, with Sorrento being my #1 choice.

But if you insist on doing all 3, I'd spend 3 full days in Sorrento (taking a ferry to Positano one day), 1 full day in Rome, and 2 full days in Siena (for what it's worth, we didn't care for Siena). The other 2 days are travel days.

Thanks for the correction Susan. I also concur with Susan on liking Sorrento more than Siena. Siena is great, especially at night, but Sorrento is also one of my favorite places in Italy.

As for picking two places if you were into Museums and checking out the amazing art in Florence I would encourage you to do Rome and Florence with day trips out of both those places. However, since it sounds like spending time in museums is not at the top of your list then I would concur with Susan's suggestion of Rome and Amalfi Coast. Rome and further down the Amalfi Coast will give you a chance to see a lot of ancient rome and even ancient greek ruins in Paestum.

As many others suggested...I would limit your time in Rome (especially at the outset)...and lenthen your time in your one or two other areas. I used to live in Florence, and from there, it is a wonderful day trip to rent bikes and literally bike out of the city for a day. You'll see the landscape in a much more intimate way...eating at local restaurants and butchers shops that are not normally frequented by the masses of tourists. You can easily stay in the city or rent a home for a few days to take in the countryside... My own personal preference...I strongly prefer the feel of Florence over Rome. Florence and the surrounding Tuscany allows you more access to the scenery, people and food of an area. Cinque Terra is a fabulously close spot for adventure! I'd fly in and out of Rome...and sprinkle your time between Tuscany and Amalfi, as these seem to be where you are most drawn anyway. With all the beauty Italy has to offer, Rome is just too much of a dirty city for me

Fran,

What you're contemplating is not IMPOSSIBLE, but I don't think it's SENSIBLE. You'll spend more time traveling if you try to do the amalfi coast in addition to the north. Why not just focus on Siena/Florence etc.?? You can always do the Amalfi coast on a future trip.

Fran,

Given the very short time frame of your trip and the fact this is your first trip to Italy, I have somewhat different suggestions.

The Itinerary you posted is much too ambitious for the time you have available (IMHO, of course). You're going to be spending valuable touring time getting back and forth to to the locations you mentioned. The fact that you have to return to Rome for your flight home (rather than using open jaw flights) is also a factor.

With such a short trip, I'd suggest focusing on either Rome & Tuscany OR Rome & the Amalfi coast. In the same circumstances, I'd probably consider something like this:

May 25: arrive Rome (I'd suggest at least a day here to get over jet lag)

May 26: Rome - touring

May 27: Train to Siena (one change in Chiusi will probably be required - travel time about 3H:08M). Take a Taxi from the station to town.

May 28: Siena - touring

May 29: Siena - possible day trip to nearby sights in Tuscany

May 30: Bus to Florence - partial day touring in Florence

May 31: Florence - possibly visit the Uffizi and/or Accademia

Jun. 1: Train to Orvieto (there's a train from Florence Rifredi to Orvieto with a travel time of 2H:01M, departing at 10:10, second class fare 17.50€). Tour Duomo, St. Patrick's Well or other local sights.

Jun. 2: Train to Rome (travel time of about 1H:26M) - touring

Jun. 3: Flight home (take the Leonardo Express from Roma Termini to the FCO - trip is about 35M and the fare is 11€ per person - DON'T forget to validate your ticket in the yellow machine!).

Although this doesn't cover some of the places you wanted to see, as Rick says "assume you will return".

One question - are you using the Italy 2010 Guidebook to plan your sightseeing? I usually pack my copy along, as it's a valuable travel resource.

Happy travels!

Fran

Don't mean to alarm you but you are going to Italy at the beginning of high season - I would make a point of booking rooms as soon as possible.

Also I would ask yourself is it a relax trip or Museum and city trip. If the latter then head to Siena and Florence. If not then the Amalfi Coast is a beautiful experience. No museums in Sorrento, Positano or Amalfi, Capri- you could go to Pompeii and I would suggest using a guide that are at the gates to the sight.

We are heading to Italy again (3rd time) but are staying north as we have another couple with us who have never been and of course they want to see some of the history.

If heading south leave from Airport to Sorrento 4 nights. Ferry to Capri,1 day Bus Amalfi (sit on right side of bus)1 day(take ferry back). If you have time this day take the local bus up to Ravello.
Pompeii one day.

Then train to Rome 4 nights.

Thanks you for all your very helpful suggestions we will consider them all. Much appreciated! Fran

Hi Fran,

If you send me your email I will send you my notes from our trip, including where to stay, transportation, etc. I have about 10 days my first trip and 11 my second, and saw a lot. If planned efficiently (ie prepurchased museum tickets / appointments, Roma pass, location of accommodations, etc) you can see a lot without a lot of wasted traveling time or "waiting in line" time.

In Rome, I highly recommend Vatican appointment, Roma Pass (allows you to get on/off buses and trains anytime, personal assistance, a great map, and 2 free museum entrances), and taking an airport shuttle. The one we took barely cost more than the train and was faster door to door service.

For a first trip, I think Rome and Florence are must do's. Florence is a great base to go for day trips to Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa, and Cinque Terre.

I didn't do Venice the first time but did the second. If you can afford 2 days Venice is beautiful.

I recommend B&B's vs. hotels. Much more "local" feel, better locations for less or equal money and conveniences like kitchen and laundry.