Italy Help

Taty, how many nights will you sleep in IT? What airport are you flying out of?
There’s a direct train from Fiumicino Aeroporto (Fiumicino is the name of ROMs airport train station) to Naples departing ROM at 9:38a and arriving at Naples central station at 11:33a: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html. You can walk to the basement at Napoli Centrale and hop on the Circumvesuviana train (https://www.sorrentoinsider.com/en/naples-to-sorrento-train-schedule) to the end of line (Sorrento) and sleep there. The name of the Circumvesuviana stop where you would board this commuter train at Napoli Centrale is Napoli Garibaldi.
The reason I suggest traveling to the Amalfi Coast upon arrival is because ferry service ends in Oct. You want to see the coast from both land and sea.

Fly in out Rome. 10 days.

Welcome to the forum Taty!

Is that 10 NIGHTS? Usually to get 10 days you need to be IN Italy for 11 nights. Just checking because the number of nights matters.

Rome, Florence and Amalfi Coast are all top destinations and will be crowded- even at end of October. There is hardly a shoulder season anymore. San Gimignano and Siena are also the top 2 hill towns visited by all the tour groups, bus trips etc. They will both be crowded.
If you want to avoid crowds as much as you can then spending time in quiet parts of Tuscany would be my choice.
Pienza, Montepulciano- the Val D'Orcia region.

Assuming 10 nights- which equals 9 full days of sightseeing.
Land in Rome- take train to Florence - there is a direct fast train FCO to Firenze SM Novella at 1:53.
If that time doesn't work then Leonardo Express to Termini and catch the next fast train to Firenze SM Novella

Spend 3 nights in Florence. That gives you 2 full days for sightseeing- as long as one of the days is not a Monday you can see a lot. As you might remember Florence is very compact and walkable.
Pick up car as you leave Florence- lots of advice on that here- just ask. (All drivers must have an IDP)

Spend 3-4 nights somewhere in Tuscany- our favorites are Pienza and Montepulciano- just make sure your lodging has easy to access parking.

Then drive to Rome to drop off your car- can dor at either airport or in the city at Termini or Tiburtina station.
Or drop at Chiusi- (Avis/Budget) just. a short drive from Pienza or Montepulciano and take train into Rome
Rome 3-4 nights.

This way you don't have a split stay in Rome and it's one less hotel change.

You will need to prebook all the major venues in both Florence and Rome.

Are you sleeping in IT for ten nights too? Does ten days include arrival day and departure day?

If the Amalfi Coast is your choice over Florence/Tuscany then Mary Pat's advice ot head there first is solid. The ferries make everything a bit easier so get there before they stop running.

If all you want then is Rome and AC area I might split like this:
Arrive Rome- take fast direct train to Salerno. Stay in Salerno and visit Amalfi, Positano by ferry, Ravello by ferry and bus.
Paestum by train.
Stay in Salerno 4 nights which gives you 3 full days for sightseeing. It's not touristy at all, inexpensive lodging, lovely water front, good transportation hub. (Do a search here- lots of us forum members are Salerno fans)
Then I would move to Sorrento for just 2 nights. Enjoy Sorrento that first 1/2 day then visit Pompeii the next (if that is on your list- other option is Capri)
Then to Rome for final 4 nights

Hi everyone
Thanks so much for all the helpful advice.

I will stay in Italy for 11 days / 10 nights. My flight arrives 1:20 pm on a Saturday. I know it is bad for Florence as everything is closed on Monday, the first Sunday of the month, and most entries are free. :( I will have to be smart on my choices there.

At the moment, I made a reservation for five nights in Florence and 5 in Rome. Of course, this will change. If I decide on Tuscany, it will change to 3 nights in Florence and two on the road to Rome or just do day trips from Florence as Cinque Terre.

If I decide to change to AC I don't have any plans yet. As I have been in Florence, I would like to check the AC; however, I heard it is more of a beach area with many hills. We have no intention of sitting at the beach so I don't know what else to do there.

As you can see ... I'm lost :(

I’m assuming your husband is keen on Florence? If not, as you’ve been there twice, maybe try Siena or Lucca for your Tuscany time. If everything is crowded and closed on Sun-Mon in Florence, why not?

I’d just leave Amalfi out of the equation. It really deserves a few nights at the barest minimum. Ideally, the region calls for its own trip. There’s tons to see, and it’s neither cheap nor easy to get around in. Lots of crowds, which you can kind of navigate around, but it takes time you won’t have.

awrzesinski - if I decide to Florence I might have to change my days and visit outside cities on Sunday/monday. if so, the plans to drive to Rome won't work..

A little bit confused about your dates

Which Date do you arrive?
Which Date do you leave?

I would not call the AC a “ beach” location at all
The few beaches are tiny and pebbly not sandy

Just to clarify
A 10 night stay does not give you 11 days
It gives you 9 days
Counting your trip in NIGHTS gives you a better picture of how your itinerary flows

Christine - arrive on the 10/5 and leave on the 10/15

i have decided for Florence. Have one more question: it is worth a day trip to Cinque Terre? How anyone did?

Personally, I do not think it's worth a day trip to CT, have a look at Siena, easy to reach, gorgeous cathedral. There are many other nearby hill towns, just suggesting one. OR go to Bologna and take a food tour? I think it's about an hour by train.

Christine - arrive on the 10/5 and leave on the 10/15 - So most on the Forum would consider this a 9-day trip because I for one like to not count arrival day, when we're exhausted and departure day is, well departure! Maybe you get an evening stroll in on arrival, maybe a morning wander on departure day, but that's about it! Enjoy it sounds great!

Agreed, skip AC, it really deserves a few days.

The Cinque Terre is not a day trip from Florence. It takes more than 3h one-way and involves at least one transfer. Both the Cinque Terre and the Amalfi Coast are outliers and with ten nights focus on Tuscany and Rome.
Sat. Oct 5 - if you land in Rome at 1:20p, chances are you will not make the 1:53p direct train to Florence. Sleep in Florence.
Sun. Oct 6 - buy tickets for the Uffizi Gallery two months out to guarantee reservations. Afterwards visit Accademia. Sleep in Florence.
Mon. Oct 7 – explore Florence on foot. Sleep in Florence.
Tue. Oct 8 – rent a car and drive to Volterra (1h 30m). When you’re done drive to Siena (1h 30m). Sleep in Siena.
Note: Before leaving home read all you can about ZTL zone laws. A few seconds in a bus lane is costly. Florence is notorious for ZTL zones so make sure you don’t pull over on the side of the road in case you are in a ZTL zone.
Wed. Oct 9 – drive through Val d’Orcia: https://lovefromtuscany.com/scenic-drives-in-tuscany/ to Montepulciano. This is Tuscany’s most scenic drive. You’ll see rolling hills adorned with well-maintained Tuscan farmhouses. Don’t get too early of a start in case there’s fog. Sleep in Siena.
Thu. Oct 10 – sight-see in Siena. Sleep in Siena.
Fri. Oct 11 – take a direct bus from Siena to Rome (3h). Sleep in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood. If not, sleep at Hotel Smeraldo.
Sat. Oct 12 – get lost in Rome. Sleep in Rome.
Sun. Oct 13 – get lost in Rome. Sleep in Rome.
Mon. Oct 14 – visit Vatican City. Sleep in Rome.

@Mary Pat - thanks for the ideas. I'm trying to avoid staying Sunday/Monday in Florence as Sunday museums are free, and on Monday, most are closed. I assume
by the posts CT will make the days very busy. I will concentrate on Tuscany.

I think I will do below
5- Rome to Florence - sleep Florence
6 - drive to the Chianti route - visit Castello di Brolio - sleep in Siena
7 - day in Sienna - drive back to Florence or sleep in Siena
8 / 9 - Florence
10 - Florence to Rome - take late train
11 /15 = rome

I wouldn’t feel comfortable driving upon landing after an overnight flight. YMMV. Maybe you are not even on an overnight flight?

If you pick up car from FCO the drive would not be that difficult.
I’d suggest going just as far as Orvieto and spend a night (or even 2) there
It’s a beautiful Umbrian hilltown, not much further than an hour from FCO.
Lots to see there.
(I would actually consider driving from FCO to Orvieto on arrival myself)

The drive from Orvieto to Siena will take you thru the most iconic views in Tuscany - the Val D’Orcia

Latest plan

5- Rome to Florence - sleep Florence

6 - drive to the Chianti route - visit Castello di Brolio - sleep in
Siena

7 - day in Sienna - drive back to Florence or sleep in Siena

8 / 9 - Florence

10 - Florence to Rome - take late train 11 /15 = rome

These are great changes! Always good to think through travel with those of us who've done many of the same journeys, sounds like you're pretty set. If you're staying at same place in Florence, you should be able to leave a bag there, it's nice to travel with less. Hey if you want to see the Ufizzi or Academia, be sure to get advance tickets.

Watch out for all the rules driving in Italy, read up here on Sienna ZTL's here - https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/ztls-and-cameras. I would consider spending 2 nights in Sienna, gives you some time to wander in the early morning when you will have the place mostly to yourselves without day trippers.

So that leaves you 4 full days in Rome, anything specific you'd like to do? This recent TR was very good. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/rome-trip-report-may-2024. If you want my fav recommendations, many of which are not for a new comer but you might like some of the info on restaurants, our absolute favorite under visited museum Palazzo Massimo, an E-Bike tour to the Aurelian Walls, consider an underground aquaduct visit, and views out overlooking the Forum here. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/rome-was-jammed-over-ny-but-still-fun

@Sandacisco - thanks for the tips. I've been in Rome 2x already and looking for to do something different this time.

I need recommendations on where to sleep in Siena and where to rent a car in Florence.

There are many many posts here about renting cars in Florence
A search will bring them up

Here is one with helpful info on driving in/out of Florence and avoiding ZTLs. Read thru whole thread

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/dropping-rental-car-off-in-florence

We always book thru AutoEurope.com

thanks Christine. Now that I have my itinerary I will start to book attractions and restaurants.