Itinerary help: 14 days in Italy next summer w/tween girls

You have 14 nights here and it takes one night to get to Italy from Seattle. Does that mess up your plan?

Do teen things, swim in the Lugurian Sea (Monterosso al Mare), experience the nightlife in Rome (Piazza Navona, or somewhere with younger crowd),

I would find a way to spend more time in Venice, an unforgettable place, even for teen girls.

Flights back to the US depart from Europe in the morning. Since reaching the Venice airport (airport code: VCE) from the historical center of Venice is cumbersome, long and expensive, since you need a water boat (the city center is in the middle of a lagoon while the airport is in the mainland) I suggest you reverse your itinerary and fly into VCE and return from Rome (FCO).

Montepulciano is good only if you rent a car. Without one, it's not that easy to get to.
I also think that you are putting a lot of stuff in 14 nights. Venice could be better with an extra night, so that you can visit the islands (Murano and Burano).

If you don't have a car, I would do:
Fly to VCE
Venice: 2-3 nights
Florence: 4-5 nights (day trips to Tuscan town(s) of your choice)
Cinque Terre: 2-3 nights
Roma: 4 nights (day trip to Orvieto)
Fly out of FCO.

If you rent a car, I would do:
Fly to VCE
Venice: 2-3 nights
Cinque Terre: 2-3 nights
Rent a car in La Spezia, near Cinque Terre. Drive to Tuscany.
Tuscany in a countryside or small village location, with the car: 4-5 nights. Visit Florence from that location.
Visit Orvieto on your way to Rome.
Return the car upon arrival in Rome
Roma: 3 nights (without car)
Fly out of FCO.

Allocate the number of nights up or down so that the total is 14. Consider that 2 nights in a city it's just one full day (plus of few hours on the day of arrival).

You might consider reversing your path. Some folks with experience arranging flights to the US from Venice have reported that departure times tend to be miserably early and require expensive transportation to the airport. Maybe check that out now to see whether you'd be OK with the Venice departure times.

In addition, it could be argued that Venice is a much more relaxing place to recover from jetlag than Rome. Just wandering around Venice (off the direct path between Rialto and San Marco) is sightseeing at its finest, and that's something you can do even when fuzzy-brained. If you should decide to reverse the trip, I urge you to spend 3 nights in Venice rather than just 2.

The latest reports from Cinque Terre indicate that it is very, very overrun during peak season. I haven't been there in about 30 years, but if going today I don't think I'd plan 3 nights there in the summer. One day to see it, yes, then I'd be looking for walking/hiking opportunities elsewhere in Liguria.

Find more time for Venice. The safest city in the world, and you girls can just let rip.

Keep in mind that Italy can and usually is miserably hot in the summer. Be sure to book rooms with A/C.

Are the girls willing to do some light research on the possible destinations and help choose? They might find some sights they want to see in a particular place. Maybe everyone could choose 1 city?

We are doing a very similar trip, a 12 and 14 year old, but for three weeks.

I am also struggling a bit to make sure that it is fun for the kids, I am sure seeing museums and churches will drive them crazy. Do you have some great ideas how to break the trip up with a mixture of fun and downtime? If so, would love to hear your ideas.

We are doing Venice-Florence-Lucca-Rome-Amalfi Coast during those 3 weeks.

Whatever you do, consider that teenagers may find museums and churches boring. Having a guide who puts those work of art or ruins in a historical context, may make those sights more interesting and engaging.

Also museums should be seen like restaurants. You don't have to see everything on display the same way that you don't have to eat everything listed in a restaurant menu. Just be selective and view only the things that are most important to you. I never spend more than 1 or 2 hours in a museum, no matter how huge.

Any of the cities you are visiting present plenty of entertaining opportunities for teenagers. A boat ride in Venice, a market, a visit at a park, climbing to the top of a bell tower, or just walking around cities surrounded by beautiful ancient architecture will be rewarding for every age group. And if everything fails, there is always a gelato within walking distance.

Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions! We will definitely look into possibly reversing our trip to start in Venice - that's a huge tip.

By all means, start in Venice. Others have reported that they took a gondola-rowing lesson that was great fun for all . . . and cheaper than a gondola ride.

Do be advised that you are likely to encounter huge crowds of daytrippers in the CT. This is a phenomenon of the last 2-4 years. The most efficient way to travel is to go there between Florence and Rome, because of the direct trains to Rome. Sadly Orvieto is in the opposite direction and you'll have some backtracking to get there, but it's definitely worth it

If you are in Italy in July, major sales, especially on clothing. Your girls might enjoy a shopping afternoon.

The island of Torcello in Venezia is beautiful, and a short vaporetto ride from Burano.