Italy in September (first time!)

You should complete your profile so that we know which country and airport will you be flying from so that we can best advise you on your flight options.
Do you live in North America? Australia? Europe? Asia? Africa? And what is the International airport closest to your home?

For your type of trip I would suggest to fly to an airport in Northern Italy like Milan (MXP or LIN) or Venice (VCE), if the Alpine lakes are in your plans, or Florence (FLR) or Pisa (PSA) if Tuscany is your northernmost destination.
Then for your return trip, you should fly out of either Rome (FCO) or Naples (NAP).

The lakes and Venice (if Venice is in your plans) would be your northernmost destination. Lake Como and Lake Maggiore are closest to Milan. Lake Garda is closest to Venice.
Amalfi Coast is your southernmost destination and is closest to Naples airport, which however may have limited flight options depending on where you fly from.
Rome is 200 km north of Naples (70 min by train) and has more flight options.
Tuscany is 250 km north of Rome half way between Rome and Venice/Lakes.

In terms of nights allocations I suggest the following minimums:
Lake Como (or any other): 2-3 nights
Venice: 3 nights
Tuscany: 4 nights, incl Florence
Rome: 3 nights
Amalfi Coast area: 3-4 nights

The city you depart from should be your last destination. So if you fly back home from Rome, you should visit Rome last.

Thank you, Roberto!!
I live in Los Angeles and would fly out of LAX.

Hmmm....wondering if I should leave Lake Como out of the plans. I really appreciate your input!

Fly into Naples.. Curreri Viaggi bus to Sorrento. Though not technically the AC, it offers the best transportation options.

4 nites Sorrento.

Circumvesuvian to Naples.
Train to Florence.

3-4 nites Florence.

Train. Florence-Rome

4 nites Rome.

Fly out of Rome.

Count nights, not days. 4 nites= 3 days. Remember you loose a day on your flight to Europe.

If you have an extra 2 days, add where you wish. Not enough time to add Como.

For train tickets look at Trenitalia.com. Use Italian names for cities.

Naples - Napoli centrale. Florence - Firenze SMN
Rome - Roma termini.

Anita,

If you're planning to travel this September, you'll need to get cracking and get some bookings made! Does your 12-14 days include flight days? You'll arrive in Italy the day after you depart your home airport, and if you're like many of us you'll be jet lagged for the first few days so won't be up to full "touring speed".

As this is your first trip to Italy, I would highly recommend picking up a copy of the RS Italy guidebook, as there's an enormous amount of information there that will help your trip go smoothly. If this is also your first trip to Europe, it would be a good idea to browse Europe Through The Back Door as that provides good information on how to travel well in Europe.

For an Itinerary, my suggestion is along the same lines as what Roberto suggested. In mid-to-late September, it would probably be a good idea to start in the north as the weather will be a bit warmer, and work south from there.

There are many possibilities, and you could consider something like this.....

• Flight inbound Milan
• Arrive MXP, train to Varenna (Lake Como) - 2 nights (Varenna is a perfect place to get over jet lag, and get used to being "in" Italy - it will provide a more gentle introduction than starting in a large city).
• Train to Florence - 5 nights (use Florence as a home base to explore Tuscany or perhaps even a day trip to the Cinque Terre - Siena is a good day trip or you could even stay there for a night or two on the way to Rome).
• Train to Rome - 5 nights (again use Rome as a home base, with day trips to Ovieto which is easy, or even to Naples or Sorrento).
• Flight outbound from Rome

This arrangement minimizes changing of locations and hotels, which have a cost in both time and money, and should allow you to have a good introductory trip to Italy. As Rick says, "assume you will return". I'd suggest leaving the Amalfi Coast and the south for another visit, when you'll have more time to explore it properly.

As this is your first trip to Italy, there are some potentially expensive "caveats" to be aware of when using trains and other public transit in Italy. If you need more information, post another note here.

If you want the Amalfi Coast, go there, not Sorrento, which is a bus ride away. I like Praiano or Minori.

Will you have a car for any part of your trip? Be careful of ZTLs, lane restrictions, etc.