Itinerary Check Please!!

Some will probably tell you that it's "too rushed" but I think it is definitely realistically accomplishable. It's probably going to be difficult to see much of the countryside/wineries in Tuscany without a vehicle or a tour. Day trips to Siena and Pisa are both very feasible via public transportation, though.

Busy trip, but you will be seeing a lot of the beauty that Italy has to offer. I don't know what I would tell you to cut.... I like to see a lot on my trips, so this is an itinerary I could live with. If you are lucky enough to return you can spend time in the places you love and get more in depth. First time to Europe.. you will love it.
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Day trip in Tuscany... you can easily take the train to Siena or a little bus tour that will take you to a few villages and on a wine tasting. Probably worth it, or rent a car for a day. Or.... if you prefer the countryside you could have a car, stay in a village in Tuscany and take a train/bus into Florence for a day (that would actually be my choice, but might be too much hassle for you)
that is the only place you would benefit by having a car.

Sorry, for me it's too rushed. You basically have 10 days with at least 7 different cities to see.

You have one full day in Venice. That's really not enough time to see the city. Your first day is eaten up by travel. By the time you check into the hotel it will be around 6ish so you won't get a lot of touring done that day.

Your day 6 is crazy. You will only have a few hours in Pompeii before catching the train to your hotel. Pompeii is huge. One full day is not enough to see the ruins let alone a few hours.

What I would suggest is 3 nights each in Venice and Florence and 4 nights in Rome. This will give you time to visit the cities and see what they have to offer. In Florence it will give you time to see Florence and take a day trip to Pisa or Siena. In Rome you'll be able to see more than just St. Peters and the ruins. These cities have so much to offer it's just a shame to short change them like this. Save the Amalfi coast for your next trip when you can dedicate the time to see it properly. It will be there so there' no need to do it as a drive by.

Donna

You'll get a sampler platter of Italy, if that satisfies you for this trip, great - you can start planning future trips from your experiences this time.

Think your trip is planned well enough to give you a good taste of Italy. Pace is a little fast, but you should do fine.
If you want to "drink wine and see the countryside", try one of these tours.

http://www.winetourintuscany.com/

http://www.tuscan-wine-tours.com/super_chianti_wine_tour.htm

Have a great trip.

Hi Kristina! This itinerary sounds perfect! My first trip to Italy was similar... I too stayed in Venice only 2 nights. I felt that it was plenty of time. You could take the bus to Siena (train doesn't drop you right in the city center). I really loved Siena! Theres a really fun bicycle tour in Tuscany including wine tasting, olive oil tasting, touring a beautiful castle and lunch that I highly recommend. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187895-d668057-Reviews-Tuscany_Bike_Tours-Florence_Tuscany.html. You could take a day trip to Bologna from Florence (only 30 min train ride) OR Lucca from Florence (1 hour 15min). And definitely take a ferry to Capri from Sorrento!!

Sounds good to me. Actually one day is enough to tour the Amalfi Coast. You could use one of the two full days for a boat excursion to Capri.
You probably have more than one hour for Naples if you leave early from Florence. The Pompeii ruins are open until 7:30pm in summer (last entry at 6pm) and 4 hours are more than enough to see most of it.
There is a baggage store at the Naples station (while you visit the city) and one also at Pompeii excavations (while you visit the ruins).
Since you time is limited in Rome visit the piazze of Centro Storico at night around dinner time (or after). The Trevi fountain, piazza Navona, Piazza di Spagna (Spanish steps) are just as pretty at night. Devote the day time to museums and sights that close at a certain time in the early evening.

Your plan sounds good to me. Try to fit in a visit to the National Archaeology Museum in Naples, maybe on your way to Rome. Rick Steve's guidebooks have detailed instructions for getting to the museum from the train station by metro. There are lockers at the museum. The museum has a wonderful collection of the mosaics, frescoes, etc., that were recovered during the Pompeii excavations.

Pisa wouldn't be high on my list. Siena is great. You can easily visit the Uffizi and the Academia and more in one day in Florence. You could use one more of your days there to take a tour of the Tuscan wine country.

You may get even more tips if you tell us what month you are going and the days of the week (it can matter).

Thanks SO much everyone!! I'm arriving in Venice on Wednesday June 11th, so W and Th will be in Venice, Fri - Sun will be in Florence/Tuscany, Mon will be the crazy Naples/Pompeii day, T and W will be Amalfi, and Th - Sat Rome.

I will definitely do Capri on one of the Amalfi days! Didn't realize I'd have time, that's exciting! I've heard museum hours can be limited on Sundays (and Mondays) in Florence, so thought I might need to do Tuscany on Sunday if I need Fri and Sat for Ufizzi and Accademia...but if I could do them both in one day and not be rushed, that would be ideal as it would allow for more time touring Tuscany. I'll look into the wine and bike tours, thanks for the links everyone! I really appreciate the help.

The biggest concern I have is that Mon in Naples/Pompeii...are the lockers at the train station in Naples and by the ruins in Pompeii safe? I really don't want to cart our giant backpacks around all day as that will be exhausting, but I'm scared of theft. That would be awful.

I doubt there are lockers in Naples. Most train stations have attended baggage checks. We have used them a few times (Florence, Bolzano) and our luggage has always been safe. Just watch the hours they are open so your bags aren't locked up when you need to retrieve them.

You can easily see the Uffizi and Accademia in one day - the Accademia is fairly small.

You will want to reserve tickets for the Academia and the Uffizi in advance. Plan to arrive at the Uffizi ahead of time to collect your tickets. It's only a 10-15 minute walk from one to the other, though it could take a lot longer depending on whether you can NOT look at everything on the way. As Zoe said, the Academia won't take a lot of time - I'd guess 2 hours at most. I think I would plan to start at the Uffizi when it opens, and get a late afternoon reservation for the Academia. It is usually much less crowded late in the day, unlike the Uffizi. After the Uffizi, you'll have lots of time to visit other nearby attractions, some of which are the Bargello Museum (sculpture), the Duomo, the Baptistry, the Piazza della Signoria with wonderful sculptures.

My only comment concerns day 6. Meals in Italy are rarely as quick as Americans might think. You would need to get from the station to the restaurant, wait for service and food preparation, and eat. Naples is not a beautiful place to walk around; and as for seeing the Arch. Museum, is it open on that day? Even if it is, I don't think you'd have time for it. I would pick up picnic food to eat on the train and just transfer to the Circumvesuviana for Pompeii, skipping Naples. By the way, you might consider Herculanium (Ercolano), also on the Circumvesuviana route, as an alternative to Pompeii. Same story; buried by Vesuvius. However, it's smaller; and has been left in situ. It might be better on that rather rushed day.

There is attended baggage check at Pompeii (downstairs in the train station). I believe it was 4 euro per bag and it was very safe. I would strongly recommend checking your bag as it would not be pleasant to lug it around the ruins. I also wished that we had gotten a guided tour for the ruins because I think it would have been more meaningful with some background information.

According to the official website the Archaeology Museum in Naples is open from 9.00 - 19.30 every day except Tuesday. It's about 20-30 minutes from the train station and they have lockers where you can store your backpacks while you visit. You could do it on your way to Pompeii or on your way to Rome.

I used Rick Steves's audio guides all over Italy and enjoyed them all - especially Pompeii. They are interesting and cover the highlights. You can download them for free from iTunes. Be sure to print out the accompanying maps. There are several for Venice, Florence, Rome, too. There are places to get light meals both outside and inside Pompeii. It's going to be hot, so be sure to drink lots of water. In Pompeii don't bother to take the long walk to the amphitheatre, but instead go to the Casa dei Misteri. It's a wow. Then have a nice, long, relaxing dinner in Sorrento, afterward stop in one or two of the shops to taste the limoncello and other liqueurs.

Thank you so so much everyone. Based on everyone's collective feedback, I'm going to tweak my itinerary slightly but feel confident that I have good one now, so I appreciate you guys greatly!! So excited. :)

I have several specific questions, but I'll start new topics for those. Thanks again!