Italy Itinerary Suggestions

It got choppy when all of sudden mentioning Cinque Terre. Stick with what you have. Cinque Terre ain't gonna disappear anytime soon, save for another trip; Google Naples to Amalfi and that will give you an idea on how to get there. You are eventually gonna to have to buy transport to these anyhow so you should get an idea on how.

Logistically, CT would be much better than Amalfi. Which is 'better' is purely subjective. ( Is apple pie 'better' than chocolate ice cream?)

Why do you propose to stay in Rome on 4-9?

If you do choose Amalfi, do all your Rome days in one bunch and go directly to Florence from Amailfi.

Do you have the flights booked? What time are you planning for the Venice departure. For an early AM departure the choices for getting to VCE are limited and spendy.

I don't think one is better than the other when comparing CT and the Amalfi coast. When you say near Amalfi, have you looked at transportation options? Did you mean the town of Amalfi, or one of the towns on the Amalfi coast, like Positano or Salerno? Have a look at Rome2rio for your transportation options from Naples (train/bus/ferry), but use trenitalia to nail down train times.

Either way, I don't think it makes sense to overnight again in Rome on the way to Florence. Add that day to any of your other cities, and train straight from AC to Florence.

Just reading that made me feel a bit tired! Given that you must transfer between destinations five times, you'd better be fit and bursting with energy (unlike me). I would perhaps consider missing Amalfi and adding those days to Florence, not just because it 'frees things up' a bit, or because Florence is so beautiful, but because you'll be bang in the middle of some of the most beautiful Italian countryside. Lucca is also worth a visit, easily reachable by car if you don't mind hiring.

We recently did Milan - Bellagio - Lucca - Rome but we took rather longer to do it - including a whole week in a gorgeous little house among the Tuscan olive groves above the town, from where we visited Pisa and Florence as well as Lucca.

Maybe it's just me, but after a week or so in big towns and cities, I start to look for an exit. Even a couple of days doing stuff at a slower pace usually recharges my batteries, ready to rejoin the throng.

You will love it all, I'm sure, but I can't recommend Rome enough. It's always nice to visit iconic locations and Rome is right up there on that measure, especially if you have any interest in history.

One tip: if you plan to visit the Vatican City/St Peter's Basilica, get there real early. We did, queued for just fifteen minutes to get in and, after an hour or so in the Basilica and having climbed up the dome to look down on St Peter's Square, the queue had lengthened so much it went completely around the square one and a half times - waiting time now three or four hours!

Thank you all! I agree ! After re-thinking it, we are going to either cut out Amalfi altogether or go to Florence from Amalfi.

You can get to Lucca from Florence very easily by train. It takes as little as 79 minutes. Travel time by bus is very similar.

Skip the Amalfi Coast. you need more time in Rome and/or Florence. There is so much to see in both places.

With 11 nights, stick with Rome, Florence, and Venice, adding in day trips such as Lucca or Siena and the Laguna Islands (Venice) for a change of scene. 4 nights Rome, 4 Florence, 3 Venice. Much less choppy.

Laurel's suggestion makes a lot of very good sense. Personally I'd take one night from Florence and add it to Venice, but that's just my love of Venice showing. You'll get a very good sampling of Italy without it becoming a big blur of train stations. The Amalfi Coast is just in the wrong direction for your limited time, and that will only add to the time "lost" just moving from place to place.