Itinerary - are we spending too long in some places??

Looks fine to me. Rick caters to Americans with very short annual vacations. I'm retired and wouldn't consider the sort of short stays he sketches out in his books--too much time spent in transit and not enough time spent actually sightseeing.

Four nights is actually rather short for Rome and Barcelona.

I would think that 4 nights in CT is 2 nights too many.

I have not been to CT, but I would add 1 night each to Rome and Florence and do some day trips-Siena and from Florence, Orvieto from Rome.

Sounds like a nice trip. We did three days in Cinque Terre in Manarolo which allowed for a complete hike of the park and a leisurely visit to all five towns. It was hot (mid-summer) and the gelateria in Vernazza was a godsend. I understand Positano is beautiful but hollywoody and touristy and so would probably only do two days there. That opens up three days; I'd add one to Roma and two to Napoli for excursions (Pompeii and Herculaneum). Ciao!

Positano is not the best base for the Amalfi Coast area. You’ll see what I mean if you search this site for comments about it, especially regarding transportation. Amalfi town would be much better, or even Sorrento. Also, Positano’s beach isn’t terribly attractive.
Since you are going to one scenic coastal area, I suggest you delete the CT from your itinerary. and replace it with some days in the Tuscan countryside. Great scenery, food and wine. Many of the towns have history going back to the Etruscans.

I’d skip CT and add 2 nights to Rome
Agree about Positano/not the best base
Might add those other 2 to Amalfi area and split time between Sorrento and Positano or preferably Amalfi town

I would cut 1 N at the Cinque Terre and add it somewhere else.

Without knowing what you want to see and do in each place, it is hard to really evaluate. Some would say why spend as much time in CT (tiny villages) as in major cities, but there is nothing wrong with some downtime and nature.
The pace of a tour is always very quick--you have allotted a reasonable amount of time, but if you want to share specifics you can tailor it further.
You especially need to flesh out the Positano bit. Any interest in Pompeii? Then add a day to Naples and see it from there or en route. If you just wanted to chill and do more hiking, then nothing wrong with three full days there considering the time it takes to get there.

I would probably choose Venice 4N, Florence 3N, Cinque Terre 3N, Rome 4N, Sorrento 3N Positano 2N, Naples 1N. The Amalfi Coast covers a large area. From Sorrento you can easily see Capri and Pompeii and get to Positano. From Positano you can take the ferry to Amalfi and Ravello. Cinque Terre is easily enjoyed in 3N. Since you are not big art lovers, Florence would be good with 3N. You have chosen a wonderful variety of places for your trip. I think you will love it!

Some great suggestions so far on this thread. I'd trim one night from each of your 4 night stops and add the Dolomites between Venice and Florence. Our trip to Alpe di Siusi (by way of Verona) last July was unforgettable - hiking, scenery, food...all amazing.

If you don’t hike no need to stay in the Cinque Terre for four nights unless you're taking day trips.

Unless you're using Florence as a base for other exploration, if you're not into religion or art, you might want to tailor your time there to accommodate just what you want to see. Maybe the Uffizi, Accademia and Duomo is a one-and-done day for you. Maybe there's a better place to base for the activities you like. With my California/Hawaii standards, the beach at Monterosso CT wasn't the place I'd spend an entire day. We're going to the Amalfi Coast this time and I'll see how I feel about those beaches. I like the idea of ferrying places. For us, I structure a few days in a coastal Airbnb as a way to reset and refresh (and do laundry) between city visits. For our upcoming trip, I've used a 4-nights in each place model and we'll see how that works. We all travel differently and I hope you can build the trip you love.

In October of last year I did a similar itinerary for Florence, CT, Varenna, and Venice. We spent 4 nights in Vernazza, which was one night too long, especially because bad weather set in. 4 nights in Florence was nice, and because you mentioned wine there are some nice wine tours from Florence. I agree that 4 nights in Positano is too long. It’s beautiful, but small and very touristy. Much better to use Sorrento as a base for 4 nights. You can easily take a bus to Positano.

@ Morning Mewesy.

The allocation of time should work out well. You have selected the tourist hotspots. If you would like to tell me where you live and where in Oz you normally vacation and what you do there, I may be able to share some of the places and activities I have enjoyed.

On churches and art. Until Garibaldi united Italy by military conquest, each state fought for dominance. Goal was to make their man Pope. The church, and arts was one of the symbols of commercial and military conquest. Italy is the Renaissance. Renaissance is art and religion combined. Not a fan of how the history of Catholicism developed, but I have come to appreciate the effort of punters/artisan who contributed to the construction of the churches and public buildings in the major cities and minor towns. They deserve credit whatever their motives. I would hope you come to appreciate the significance of architectural development through churches and progression of art from medieval, renaissance through to 21st century genre.

On beaches. If Bondi or Scarborough is your beach, then you will need to lower your expectations in the areas you are planning for.

Regards Ron

We are from the Gold Coast with amazing beaches. I’m not expecting amazing beaches. But hope to spend a day or 2 on a lounger enjoying the sun and water and Beach restaurants and hospitality. We love scenery, nature, history, architecture and adventure. We didn’t want to finish our trip exhausted so a little bit of downtime will be great. Want to do some cooking classes, cycle tours and plan to do day trips to surrounding towns.

Thank you for all your advice and opinions.