Italy Itinerary check - 15 Days in Naples, Florence, and Rome in September

Wow, that's a lot of big cities for a honeymoon or just in general. I have flown from California, landed in Rome and trained to Naples. It's doable but hardly any fun after a long flight. There are express trains from FCO to Naples, which may help. I would not do Naples, Rome and Florence on the same trip. Orvieto-Sorrento-Rome for me is perfect. Hill town, Ocean, and the Rome the center of the Universe. Have a wonderful wedding and honeymoon, J

For someone who's never been to Italy, let alone to Europe, I would absolutely not recommend starting a trip in Naples!!! It's as easy, arguably even easier to go to Florence instead. There are even a couple trains a day from the the airport straight to Florence, so you might get lucky. Then consider dropping the Cinque Terre. The CT may be very crowded with day-trippers and not very pleasant or relaxing - and the beaches are tiny and most are pebbly. It's also several more hours of transit time to and from the CT. While the views are charming, the villages - not so much. You can add a day or two to Florence and take day trips to really interesting hill towns in Tuscany. Or you could consider a couple relaxing nights on Ischia from Naples.

Based on seven trips to Italy/20+ years of travel, having had a honeymoon, and being a history buff, I would make the following changes:

Arrive Rome, train to Naples (Or, there is also a direct bus from the airport, negating the need to negotiate train stations in a jet lagged state), enjoy Naples (it IS a fascinating city, yes it is chaotic and such, but this is not in any way any reason to avoid it--plenty of tourists go there and enjoy it).
Next go to Amalfi Coast, where you can relax and enjoy coastal scenery/hiking/food with much less travel time wasted as Cinque Terre would. One day in CT would not be enough for me because the travel time to get there and away is substantial.
Go to Rome to finish.

Allot the days according to your interests. Two or three days in Naples, up to five on the coast, and five in Rome would be a nice pace for a honeymoon, with plenty to do to fill your days. You could still squeeze in a brief trip to Florence or even a day trip, but this would be a much less frenetic pace, as your current plan is far too much traveling in my opinion. You can always come back for an anniversary trip.
congrats and best wishes for a successful trip!

Wow, Naples for a first trip to Europe, first trip to Italy, AND on your arrival day? That's A LOT.

I just flew into FCO a few weeks ago, and upon arrival, went straight to Florence. We did have a connection in Rome Termini, because I wasn't sure how long customs would take us, but it was easy to find a cafe in Termini to wait for our fast train to Florence. It was very easy and I think Florence is a much better introduction to Italy/Europe than heading straight to Naples. Honestly, I think you have too little time everywhere. I would completely cut Naples, and allocate those nights to your other cities.

Florence --> CT --> Rome would give you a nice mix of sightseeing and downtime. I'm wondering if a daytrip to Siena from Florence would satisfy the "medieval looking castle" request, while also cutting down on the number of times you need to pack up and change overnight locations.

If you plan your trip to be more relaxing, then you won't need to go to special places to relax or have days in which you plan to relax. It is definitely not relaxing or fun to change locations so many times and to wrestle with a strange (although excellent) system of public transportation with luggage, all in a foreign language. Imagine taking all the hours spent in transit and checking in and out of accommodations, adding them up, and spending them enjoying a city or town instead.

I suggest no more than three locations, either Rome and north (say, Florence and Siena with a day trip from Rome to Ostia Antica or Orvieto) or Rome and south. Naples is great, so I would not discourage anybody from Naples, but be sure your apartment or hotel has air conditioning, and visit Pompeii as early in the morning as you can (it is likely to be brutally hot and sunny by mid-day).

There are medieval castles you can reach by train from Florence, such as Castello dell'Imperatore in Prato.

You probably should eliminate either Naples or Cinque Terre. I actually think it’s awesome that you are starting with Naples, however. It was the first place that I ever went in Europe as well. If you decide to keep Naples, I would add a day or two and either day trip to Capri or the Amalfi Coast. I know everyone loves going to Pompeii, but you can see ancient ruins in Rome. You can also see the artifacts at the Archeological Museum in Naples. It’s really up to you as a lifetime is not enough to see everything. For me though, moving around too much can be the most stressful part of travel.

It seems that people are assuming that you and your intended have never been to Europe before, while you stated that you hadn’t been out of North America together which to me means something different. Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about the language barrier because there isn’t much of one. Most everyone speaks English especially younger people, especially in the cities. I agree with the person who suggested that you focus on Naples, Amalfi coast, and Rome. Considering your interest in ancient history, you will enjoy the ancient sites in and around Naples. You can find a beautiful place to relax on the Amalfi coast, and then see more ancient sites in Rome to end your trip.

Is it too little time in Cinque terre? It sounds like a nice place to stay and relax for a bit.

Think again. CT, even in September can be overcrowded. Visit the Amalfi coast instead.

Personally, I think you'd have a much nicer trip by doing either Rome and north or Rome and south, but not both on the same trip. Move less, relax more.

Have either of you been to Italy before?

Florence would be an easier entry to Italy than Naples.
Since you want to visit Naples and Pompeii it makes more sense to add Amalfi Coast locations than CT. You already traveled that far south, 1.5 days is not enough time in CT. Both CT and AC will be crowded but AC allows you room to move. Lots of great hiking, relaxing, views, etc, on AC.

There is a direct train from FCO to Florence 1:53 (I think)- you might be able to make that.

Fly to Rome- go right to Florence
Florence 3 nights.
Train to Salerno- 1 or 2 nights, visit Paestum- Greek temples are fabulous
Ferry to Amalfi (town) 3 nights- visit Positano, Ravello.
Ferry to Naples 3 nights- visit Pompeii, Archeological museum, etc
Train to Rome 4 nights

I consider 4 nights in Rome the bare minimum.

Is landing in Rome and racing directly to Naples a bad idea

No. You are arriving early enough in the day to get there without undue strain.

I would like to have another day to relax. It sounds like that's best done in Florence as it is more Americanized (?)

How does being "Americanized" make it more relaxing? What do you mean by "Americanized"?

If you are looking for a more 'relaxed' pace, you probably have one too many locations. You have 2 days ( Naples to Florence and CT to Rome) that are mostly 'travel' days.

Yours is not the killer pace some have proposed over a 2 week span, but it is a bit stretched to be called 'relaxed'. It is a quality of life ( travel) issue that is subjective and in the end, only you can choose which trade-offs work for you.

Why not fly into Florence, and out of Rome? (or even out of Naples).

As it is you are doing quite a bit of backtracking. You could eliminate some of that transit time by taking a more linear path

Thanks for the discussion everyone. This has been very helpful. I agree that the original plan is a bit fast pace with a lot of transit with check-in and check-out time wasted. Playing with the schedule a bit, it seems like cutting one destination will save a whole day of "overhead time".

Also to address some comments: we likely want the trip to be more sight-seeing focused for us as opposed to the "traditional" honeymoon style vacation, but we don't want to do the amazing race either. Also, one of us has been to Europe a long time ago and the other has not been outside North America. Neither of us have visited Italy.

We're now thinking of cutting out Cinque Terre in favour more time at the Naples area. Specifically, maybe we can stay at Sorrento, and visit Pompeii, Naples, and Almalfi Coast (this would replace CT) as day trips. We can also go to Florence first to avoid a lengthy travel/race to Sorrento on day 1. So the updated schedule would be:

• Day 1: Arrival at Rome at 12PM then go to Florence
• Day 2-5: Florence
• Day 6: Florence -> Sorrento
• Day 7-9: Sorrento (Naples archeological museum, Pompeii, Amalfi Coast)
• Day 10: Sorrento -> Rome
• Day 11-14: Rome
• Day 15: Fly out of Rome

Unfortunately this route still has a triangle in it, as we have to fly to and from Rome (the only available destination without a huge layover for the flight). We found it difficult to cut out either Naples or Florence because of the history aspect as well as everything we've heard about both locations.

The questions now would be:

• Is there a significant difference between staying in Sorrento vs Naples? It seems like Sorrento is a bit more "centralized" from the point of interest, but we're not sure about the transit options are.
• Does this updated schedule seem better?

Thanks all again.

Does this updated schedule seem better?

Yes.

As I am reading your new plan it looks like this:

Florence 5 nights
Sorrento 4 nights
Rome 5 nights

A 4 night stay is 3.5 days for sightseeing.
Your arrival day in Sorrento will be mostly spent getting there, checking in, getting oriented

Unless you are planning a few day trips you may have a few too many nights in Florence.
Sorrento area could use another night.
1 day for Amalfi coast towns, 1 day for Pompeii, 1 day for Naples, 1 day to relax in Sorrento.

I’d suggest Florence 4, Sorrento 5, Rome 5

We enjoyed Sorrento very much, it’s a “just wander around” kind of place, nothing important in town to see or do but good restaurants, great views and fun shopping.
It is the transportation hub for the area, so you’d get around a bit quicker/easier than if you stayed in Naples.
If you are looking for a bit of relaxation then stay in Sorrento. You’ve already got busy cities- Florence and Rome.

Lots of info here on how to get around while in Sorrento (bus, ferry, local train)
https://www.sorrentoinsider.com

Take a look at the Mondo Guides shared tours. We found them very affordable and really fun.
https://www.sharedtours.com

There is also lots of advice/info here on forum about Sorrento and AC. It's a pretty common topic. Do some searches and see what you find.
Once you settle on a plan- do ask for help with specific details.

Christine has given you some good advice. One suggestion I have is to stay in Salerno instead of Sorrento.

1. You can take fast trains from Florence and back to Rome, so a lot less travel time and eliminates the hassles of transferring in Naples.
2. Salerno has a large sandy beach that is just a few minutes' walk from the historic center, which is a 10-15 minute walk to the buses and ferries to the Amalfi Coast. It has a well-preserved historic center worth exploring. There's not much to see and do in Sorrento, which is a much newer city that was built as a resort town.
   
3. You can take a Trenitalia train to Pompeii and to Naples for day trips, and not be dependent on the Circumvesuviana which is slower and often delayed.

I say eliminate CT and add more time to Rome or the Naples area (Sorrento, Capri and Amalfi Coast).

The new plan is fantastic, very much improved!
I agree you need at least four full days to see all you want to see in the Naples/AC region: one day for Pompeii, one day for Naples, one day for the Amalfi Coast (hiking or just mooching around the villages), one "wild card" day (you could visit Capri or another island, see more of Naples/Herculaneum, or see Greek temples at Paestum {easiest from Salerno or its immediate vicinity}).
Do read up on Naples, Salerno, and Sorrento to get a better sense of their differences and all of the transport logistics. You have train, commuter train, ferry, and bus, and you need to be aware of the pros and cons. The Lonely Planet Guide to Southern Italy covers the area. My favorite area is the villages just to the west of Salerno--they still give you a scenic village experience, but they are not so far that day trips are onerous.

Yes, your new schedule is much better. Now your challenge will be to not overbook your days. There's a balance between seeing all the sites you'd love to visit and building in some time to just relax or take advantage of an unexpected opportunity. I suggest you plan in at least half a day in Florence and Rome to just knock around. Some of our most memorable experiences were completely unplanned and unexpected.

No matter what, you are in for a treat, especially the one who has not traveled abroad before. Have a wonderful time and report back!

Just wondering: When will the trip happen? The advice and recommendations might change based on time of year.

Skipping CT is good advice, in my opinion. I've been to the Naples/Amalfi coast area and enjoyed it, but I'd point out that Naples is a bit "gritty" and not a location I'd suggest for first-timers to Italy. If sight-seeing and history are your priorities, I'd suggest some of the smaller cities in the vicinity of Rome and Florence. Most are easily reached by public transit.

So your new itinerary is better and probably fine but I agree with the comment from Christine about taking a day from Florence. I know this isn't on your itinerary, or maybe even radar, but on your arrival day I'd head to Orvieto instead of Florence. It would be about half way between Rome and Florence and so would be a little shorter transit on your first day. You'll be tired. Also, based on your itinerary you will have some good city time and seaside time but Orvieto would give you a smaller hilltop vibe which would be different from your other stops, and it has a beautiful Cathedral. It also might be a good place to take it easy for a day as you deal with jet lag. Plus you could catch an early train to Florence after a day at Orvieto and the "transit" time will be so short and easy that you'll still have a good chunk of that day to do things in Florence. If you really wanted you could leave Orvieto in the evening of your second day to give you three full days in Florence.

• Day 1: Land in Rome and transit to Orvieto
• Day 2: Orvieto (transit either this evening or next morning)
• Day 3-5: Florence
• Day 6: Transit to Sorrento
• Day 7-9: Sorrento
• Day 10: Transit to Rome
• Day 11-14: Rome
• Day 15: Fly home

On the castle question I'd recommend squeezing in a visit to the Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome. With all Rome's blockbuster sites this can get overlooked. I'm not claiming it's a hidden gem or something awesome that people miss for some weird reason, like the Bargello, but if you want to check out a castle it's pretty great. Lots of history too, from it's beginning as the tomb of Hadrian to the medieval and Renaissance times when popes would hide out here for security in times of trouble evidenced by the long raised walkway stretching from the Vatican to the Castle.

Anyway, this may or may not be valuable to you. Just what I'd probably do. Have a fun time!!

That's a great suggestion bradweber!
We just spent 2 nights in Orvieto (after landing in Rome on our way to Florence).
It's a beautiful town, easy to get to, gorgeous cathedral, really nice ceramics and many other things to see/do.

I'd actually suggest 2 nights rather than 1 but OP would have to take nights from somewhere to make that work.

Orvieto 2

Florence- 3 nights can work if one day is not jet lag and they don't need to visit every single art museum ;) and coming from Orvieto you are easily there before noon.
It was super crowded when we were just there- been before but I wished we hadn't given it 4 nights.

Sorrento 4- can work if they combine Pompeii and Naples same day- can be done- long day and make sure it's not a Tuesday when the Archeological museum is closed.

Rome 4 or 5- never enough time for Rome!