Need advise for a 10 day trip to Italy

1. Too much for me, but we are all different. I would definitely not bother with Venice for a night--you will likely find it overwhelming and dislike it. When the balance of your time is on a train, you have too much! Look at the travel time for Cinque Terre as well--it is more time consuming to get to that it appears.
2. Depends on which places you wish to visit. Tuscany is packed with attractions so it really warrants a good sit-down with a guide book to select and prioritize. But you have picked the places most doable with public transport.
3. Again, it depends -- a tour for what exactly? It is easy to travel independently, but if you have a special interest or a need for a driver for wine tasting, then that may warrant a guide.

I think you're trying to cram too many places into too little time, and your experience may suffer for it.

Only 2 nights in Rome when you won't even get to your hotel until mid afternoon on the first day? You won't see much in that amount of time. It deserves at least a couple more days.

I agree that you might as well scratch Venice off the list if you're only staying one night. It's about 6 hours from CT to Venice, so most of that day is a waste.

If you eliminate either Venice or CT from the itinerary, you won't be so rushed. And since your flight arrives so late, you could maximize your time by hopping on a train for either Florence or Venice right after landing. The day is already a bust for sightseeing anyway. Return to Rome several days before your flight home.

As for Tuscany, I agree with the PP. Too many variables at play to offer recommendations. You need to decide what you want to see and do first, before we can be of much help.

Isazzaro,

My husband and I will be flying into Rome on September 16, 2019 and flying out on September 26. We Arrive in Rome after lunch on the 17th

It looks like you have 9 nights on the ground, and that translates to 8 full days to explore and experience Italy.

Since this is your first visit, I’d suggest taking the train to Florence on your day of arrival, spend 4 nights (3 full days) there, then spend the next 4 nights in Rome.

If you want to visit a hill town, you could visit Siena, via bus, from Florence, or visit Orvieto en- route to Rome.

Enjoy your trip!

We plan on taking a midnight train back to Rome on the 26th<<

I would advise against this. You want to be in ROME or near the airport the night before your flight. Strikes and delays are not unheard of, are you willing to take the chance of missing your departure flight?

I'd also skip Venice- and we love Venice- but 1 night will not do it justice, as someone above said you'll probably end up hating it. Venice takes time to savor.

You only have a day and a half for Rome- and your first day is jet lag day. I don't see how you can visit "the major sites"- you can probably visit ONE major site and see some of the historical center. That's about it.

You have 9 NIGHTS
Since you are flying in/out of Rome it makes sense to head to Florence on arrival-
Florence 3 nights- then 2 in CT (Or skip CT and spend in Tuscany)
Then return to Rome for your last 4 nights.

I see 9 nights
Arrive noon 9/17
Leave 9/26

Post says they arrive in Rome on 17th after lunch

It's 9 nights because they plan a late departure from Venice to Rome on the 26th [not midnight because the last train us at 7:25PM].

If Venice is in the plan they need to take the direct train from FCO upon arrival at 3:08PM. Three nights [2 full days] are recommended.

We don't know if the OP checked on multi-city tickets, into Venice and out of Rome. I did this the other day on www.skyscanner.com for a similar length trip from JFK. The multi-city option for two was $44 more; saving an additional €130 in train fares plus transportation to and from the airports.

I don't mean to be argumentative and hopefully the OP will clarify but this is what the post says:

My husband and I will be flying into Rome on September 16, 2019 and flying out on September 26. We Arrive in Rome after lunch on the 17th and will be spending two nights to visit the major sites. Then we would like to visit the Tuscany area for a few nights, Spend a couple nights in Cinque Terre and finally one night in Venice. We plan on taking a midnight train back to Rome on the 26th<<

I read this as
9/16 Fly to Rome
9/17 Arrive in Rome after lunch -- Night 1
9/18 Rome- Night 2
9/19-9/24 few nights CT, few nights Tuscany Nights 3-8
9/25 Venice- Night 9 take train to Rome late pm on this day- arrive Rome whatever time- they will need a hotel here- OP is referring to a midnight train on "9/26" which doesn't exist and IS flying out of Rome on 9/26- I assume in the am
9/26 Fly home from Rome

Equals 9 nights in Italy. Flights according to the post are on 9/16- arrival 9/17, departure on 9/26.

Thank you all for your input, I truly appreciate your insight. Please let me clarify some things to help give a better understanding for all those offering advise.
1. We are arriving in Rome on 9/17 at 12:40pm
2 We are leaving from Rome on 9/26 at 6:40 am
3. We will have 9 nights and 8.5 days
4. We would like to visit Rome, the Tuscany area and Cinque Terre
5. As I suspected, trying to fit Venice in this trip will be too much, so we will wait until our next visit.
6. To get the best experience of the wine country and rural Tuscany, would it be better to stay in Florence or Siena and take day trips?
7. The type of tours we are possibly interested in are tours of Tuscany area and a food/wine tour
6. Based on some of the posts, it seems it would be best upon our arrival to:
*take a train on 9/17 to Cinque Terre. Spend 2 nights, 9/17-9/19
*take train to Tuscany (either Florence or Siena). Spend 4 nights, 9/19-9/23.
*take train and finish the trip in Rome. Spend 3 nights, 9/23-9/26.

Again, thank you for your time and input. You are definitely helping me get a grasp on planning this trip!

Also, I have read that Cinque Terre is extremely "touristy". We were planning on staying in Vernazza. Do you have other suggestions of places to stay that might be similar or is this a "must see" destination?

"*take a train on 9/17 to Cinque Terre. Spend 2 nights, 9/17-9/19"

FCO to Vernazza the first train you could catch would be at 2:53 taking 5:40 with two changes. I suggest you take the direct train to Florence at 3:08. Trains here:

https://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en

https://www.italotreno.it/en

We are leaving from Rome on 9/26 at 6:40 am<<

Where are you flying to?
It matters. I'm guessing it's an intra-europe flight You will need to be at airport by 5ish if so.
You need to be staying in Rome or near FCO last night 9/25.

I think I'd go to Florence first- quicker and easier than to CT on that arrival day.
Florence 3 or 4 nights (do day trip to Siena or hill town of choice if 4 nights here)
Tuscany is really best seen with a rental car, but you said no car. Figure out your transpo - bus/train, etc.
Then 2 nights CT
End in Rome 3 or 4 nights.

You might want to choose between Tuscany and Cinque Terre. Be sure to take travel time between locations into account, 9 nights is not a lot. 3 locations better than 4 in my view.

Too much, way too much.

Eliminate CT and perhaps Venice. Go with two places, Rome and Florence.

I agree---definitely too much. On the arrival day take a train directly to Florence. Use that as a base for day trips to Tuscany. Whether or not you get a tour guide in Tuscany depends on your level of comfort. We splurged on a driver so we could really relax and enjoy the sights. When you are there for so few days that's important.
Then go to Rome for the remainder of your trip.
Since this is your first trip to Italy you will want to savor the time not spend it all traveling.

Enjoy!

I did the exact same length of trip 2 years ago in Italy. However, flew in and out of Milan and did Lake Como, Florence, Siena and Cinque Terre region.

I do think you have enough time to do CT, Florence/Tuscany, and Rome (seeing that you've already made the good decision to cut Venice out!). Since you want a taste of historical sites/rural this is a good mix. You just need to go in with the mindset that you will not see everything on your trip, which many people don't see it all even if they are in one place for the whole time! CT can be touristy, but from my experience September didn't seem too busy as I'd imagine the prime summer months to be. As for Tuscany region, we stayed 3 nights in Florence and then 1 night in Siena, if you have the ability to break up where you stay in this area it might be nice. Otherwise, I'd have your base be in Florence and then take a day trip to the hill area.

Hope this helps!

Another vote for too much, even eliminating Venice. I seem to read between lines that Florence/Tuscany is pretty important to you so I'd give that one at least 5 nights if you want more than 2 day trips + adequate time for Florence itself. Give Rome the last 4 nights. A sample itinerary for both keeping or scrapping the CT:

9/17: Arrive Rome. Train directly to Florence; will not count as a sightseeing day!
9/18: Florence - 1 day is little time in which to cover highlights of this city/ 1 additional day would be better
9/19: Florence - day trip to Siena or Lucca
9/20: Florence>CT (or another day for Florence itself)
9/21: CT (or another day trip from Florence)
9/22:CT> Rome (or Florence to Rome)
9/23:Rome
9/24: Rome
9/25: Rome
9/26: Fly home from Rome

Arrival day is usually sort of lost to dealing with airport arrival process, transport, jet lag and acclimation so, other than a walkabout outside, most of us do not count that one as a sightseeing day. As there is enough time on the 16th to do so, I'd use the time to get transport to Florence out of the way. If you can catch it, there is a 15:08 train from Fiumicino directly to Florence; takes 2 hours/14 minutes. Otherwise, take the express train to Rome, from which there are trains directly to Florence.

C.T.: At this late date, you may be staying in any of the 5 villages that still has an open room to suit; it books up far in advance of the season. Is it 'touristy'? Depends on your definition of the word. It is if having to deal with a lot of other tourists (you'll be two of those too). Staying in the region versus day-tripping it does make a difference as you'd get to enjoy the early and later hours before the hordes arrive and after the depart. That said, these 1-2 nights could better be used for Florence/Tuscany if that region is more important to you.

I'll also agree with all the others that you'll definitely want to end your trip in Rome if that's your departure point.

EDITED itinerary from 10 nights to 9.

Based on some of the posts, it seems it would be best upon our
arrival to:
*take a train on 9/17 to Cinque Terre. Spend 2 nights, 9/17-9/19
*take train to Tuscany (either Florence or Siena). Spend 4 nights, 9/19-9/23.
*take train and finish the trip in Rome. Spend 3 nights, 9/23-9/26.

I think this is much improved. It is still a bit rushed for many of us regulars I imagine, but it is not nearly as problematic as the first plan, and it's your trip! (Plus hopefully, like most of us, you will be back again and again). I find time has a way of slowing down on vacation, and with this plan you are not "wasting" as much time in transit.

Also, I have read that Cinque Terre is extremely "touristy". We were
planning on staying in Vernazza. Do you have other suggestions of
places to stay that might be similar or is this a "must see"
destination?

I am one of the people who often urge alternatives to Cinque Terre because I don't feel the small villages can handle the crowds, and I prefer to enjoy nature without so many people. The alternative view--one I agree with--is that by staying overnight, you can enjoy the villages in the mornings and evenings without day trippers. This requires that you hike during the day, or take a day trip--but I cannot conceive why anyone would go to Cinque Terre if not interested in hiking. There are plenty of other pretty Riviera towns, and there are some lovely coastal places in southern Tuscany as well, but Cinque Terre is particularly accessible without a car and not all of the others are.
If you feel the pull of Cinque Terre, go with knowledge and strategies to avoid the crowds. If you want to visit somewhere less crowded, Camogli and Santa Margarita Ligure are alternatives on the train line. There are some other options that take slightly more effort. You could also add those two nights to your existing stops and I do not think you would regret it.

Assuming you decide to limit your destinations to Florence, Cinque Terre and Rome, allow me to add a few thoughts. I agree that you should go directly to Florence, but I suggest spending 4 nights. I only suggest this because of the number of Tuscan days trips you want to take. Visit Siena one day and take a wine tour another day. Devote the rest of the time to exploring Florence. On Saturday morning travel to Cinque Terre for 2 nights, stopping to visit Lucca on the way. In Cinque Terre, I now prefer Monterosso to Vernazza. On Monday morning take the direct 8:16am Freccia train from La Spezia Centrale to Roma Termini that gets you to Rome around noon. Many major sights in Rome will be closed on Monday, so you might as well make it your travel day. Although 2.5 days in Rome is a short amount of time, I think it's a good option based on the specific interests you've expressed. For your early morning flight from FCO, either pre-book a private transfer or sometime the prior day ask your hotel to arrange a taxi ride to the airport.

Note: Kathy's suggested itinerary has an extra day. OP leaves on 09/16 and arrives at FCO on 09/17.

If going to CT, take the train from Firenze Campo di Marte at 7:28 gets you to Monterosso at 9:47 changing in La Spezia:

https://oraritreniitalia.com/orari-treno-regionale-21182

Good timing with no cruise ships for a couple of days. You would absolutely not want to detour through Lucca, which is out of the way; a nice day trip in itself.

I considered that Lucca is somewhat of a detour in drafting my advice. My logic is that on such a short vacation one can only take so many day trips from Florence without short-changing Florence. The stop in Lucca is a way to add that destination, but at the sacrifice of some time in Cinque Terre. If OP prefers to maximize their time in Cinque Terre, I suggest they either eliminate Lucca or replace one of the other day trips from Florence with Lucca and then take the direct early Freccia train to La Spezia.

Kathy- OP has 9 nights. Arrives in Rome on 9/17

1. We are arriving in Rome on 9/17 at 12:40pm 2 We are leaving from Rome on 9/26 at 6:40 am
2. We will have 9 nights and 8.5 days<<

Kathy- OP has 9 nights. Arrives in Rome on 9/17

O for the love of Mike...I am evidently blind as a bat. Thanks for setting me straight, Christine!
I've edited my previous post to reflect 9 versus 10 nights. 🙄

Lol their was a lot of confusion on this thread over how many nights
I had to read/ reread a few times til I got it right as well

Your proposed itinerary is terrific, as always