Italy Itinerary 15 days

Looks well planned out.
2 Venice, 5 Florence, 5 Sorrento, 3 Rome- is that right?

I would split the Colosseum and Vatican tours and do on separate days - both are exhausting.

Happy anniversary!

I highly recommend that you get advance tickets to see Michelangelo's “ David”at the L’Accademia. Our teens absolutely loved that experience. and it ranks as one of my favorite travel experiences. I have been several times. The copy outside is not a substitute at all. I would place it ahead of Uffizi and Duomo climb in priority. It doesn’t take a lot of time.

Looks like this is pretty well all planned out. Not the trip I would have planned but I’ve done these sorts of trips before and that is why. Too much time spent in transit, not enough enjoying where you are. But I’ve probably got 25 years on you so that alters my perspective. I agree with splitting the Vatican/Coliseum day. You are not accounting for the heat which will be withering. Also, that Wednesday in CT-I think you’ll be pretty worn out after a day of frolicking. Taking a train to Pisa for a picture IMHO simply not worth it.

I feel like you've got too much transportation/traveling going on and not enough time in Rome. Could you skip the Sorrento stuff and add that time to Rome? You could go to Ostia Antica instead of Pompeii.

Thanks for the feedback ( and the anniversary wishes!)

Yes, we are 2 nights Venice, 5 nights Florence, 5 nights Sorrento and 3 nights Rome. 2 day trips from Florence, Sorrento used as base for Capri, Pompeii and Positano.

Our Coliseum tour is first thing in the morning so our plan is to finish that and then back to the hotel for showers and rest for a few hours before the Vatican museum tour in the evening.

Venice - book the SI tour as soon as possible and get the first tour of the day. It's incredibly hot for much of the tour - under the roof. Take fans and water. Instead of a gondola ride, book a rowing lesson.

Pisa - I agree, simply not worth the time for a photo op.

Sorrento - there's really not much of anything to explore. It's a good base for seeing the surrounding sights because it's central. You can see it all in the evenings after your day trips. Consider a day trip to Naples - RS city walk + the archaeology museum (it's a wow). Or another day seeing the Amalfi Coast, most of it is very scenic and most of it is east of Positano all the way to Salerno. If you want a lazy day, maybe ferries to Salerno and spend 1/2 day at its large sandy beach. Salerno has a medieval center and some interesting sights.

Rome - I would definitely see the colosseum/forum and Vatican/St Peter's on separate days.

Nice job. Not a lot of time in Rome, but you are spending two 5-night segments where you can relax a bit and maybe not feel like you have to be going dawn-to-dusk. That is a good thing! By the time you get to Sorrento that Sunday where you plan to explore the town may be just what you need: some unscheduled time. Time to do laundry, sleep in, hang out. In August in Italy one must take one’s time especially from noon-5 pm in the intense heat.

If you want something cool to do at night in Rome, check out http://www.viaggioneifori.it/en/. Also, in August Castel Sant’Angelo is usually open at night with special tours and concerts. I cannot find this year’s info on the web just yet, but watch the Wanted in Rome website for info. Might want to subscribe to their updates.

Thank you for the advice and information!

Our SI tour is first thing in the morning, or very close to it so we will be out of there early. We have looked at Row Venice multiple times, just haven't pulled the trigger yet to book. We are a little wary of finding our way to the meeting point and back if we do the evening row.

For our time in Sorrento, our place has a pool, so other then our Capri day our plan is to do morning outings and then back to relax and cool down. We are going to try to get to the Baths of Giovanna for a swim too.

Thanks for the info on the Forum of Augustus show, that looks like something the teenagers would enjoy!

The evening row begins at sunset so you'll arrive in daylight. I looked at the details on the website and it does sound a little daunting, but it's not really. Just use the bridge as your arrival point with a map app. Maybe print out google walking directions at home as well. There are some excellent, not expensive restaurants in the area, so consider eating dinner after the row.

As an alternative, take a daytime lesson and ride the vaporetto at night to enjoy the Grand Canal when it's quiet.