Need recommendations on my Itinerary

Congratulations! Despite your youth, you seem to have more sense than many who come to this site. You have focused on the biggies, and haven't succumbed to the temptation to try to cover too much. (Of course, you'll return. You have most of your life ahead of you. Sigh.) The day trips can always be abandoned, if the main place is more compelling. Your time in Venice is really short; but if you do the islands of the Venetian lagoon, do consider adding Torcello. It's totally different, not at all commercial. There's a very old church (11th c.?) with spectacular mosaics.

Buon viaggio, and don't forget to eat lots of gelato.

Looks great.
The only problem might be having the time for a pizza dinner in Naples.
Of course the Pizza a taglio (pizza by the slice-grab and go) at one of the pizza bars are always open, but the real pizzerie (where you actually sit down) are probably open only for lunch (generally 12-3p) and for dinner (7pm to very late night). They generally close in between lunch and dinner.

The last hi-speed train back to Rome leaves from Naples at 7:30pm. Although there is a much slower Regional train departing at 8:48pm (but it takes over 2.5 hrs instead of 70 min).

At Pompeii the archaeological site opens at 8:30am and the last entry is at 6:00pm (closure is at 7:30pm).

For a real pizzeria you could go to Naples with a super early train and visit Naples first. Get a pizza for an early lunch then go to Pompeii by 2pm. Visit Pompeii excavations from 2pm to 6:00 pm, then make your way back to Naples to catch the last high speed Freccia Rossa departing at 7:30 pm to Rome. Allow 1 hour just in case from Pompeii to Naples on the Circumvesuviana (commuter) train. You'll be back in Rome before 9pm, just in time for dinner in the Eternal City.

Looks like a good plan to me as well. It's good to allow some time for flexibility and also time to just sit at a sidewalk cafe or wherever to soak up the atmosphere -- and it seems like you've accounted for that. As far as advice, Italy is wonderful, but the risk of getting pick-pocketed or scammed is pretty high. You really do need to keep your money and other valuables tucked away in a money belt under your clothing. Then you can relax and enjoy your vacation. Some more advice -- reserve your hotels/B&Bs as soon as possible! Use booking.com if you want to get something booked now, with the option to cancel later if you can find and book something else that's better.

Although when traveling one should take reasonable cautions, however the affirmation that the probability of being pick pocketed in Italy is high is totally false and misleading. Over 35 million foreign tourists visit Italy every year and you can bet that only an insignificant fraction gets pick pocketed. Actually most pick pockets' victims are certainly the locals since the vast majority of pick pocket incidents happen in crowded buses and subways, which are not used as much by tourists who generally prefer to be on foot or travel by taxi. The possibility of being pocketed on a high speed train are even smaller since they aren't crowded at all and everybody has a seat.

Hi,
Venice will be two nights. I'd consider dropping one of the ex Florence day trip, Add this day to Venice.
regards

I agree that Torcello is wonderful place, and it's close to Burano. I always get the vaporetto pass (buy it at the train station so you can use it right away, remember to scan it for each ride).

And I agree with Roberto. I've been traveling to Italy for over forty years (I started young), only once have I been a crime victim, and that was about thirty years ago.

Hi all

Thank you for your valuable feedback, you guys are awesome with your replies. I chose the biggies because this is my first ever trip to Europe and I certainly do not want to just scratch the surface for places like Florence and Rome as I also have a keen interest in history.

Do you guys feel that any part of the itinerary is too fast or too slow? Am I spending too much time at any place or to o less time ? Since this is my first time, I lack the experience needed to judge my own itinerary :-).

As far as things like pickpocketing go, I think I will be able to manage that. I am from India and I am used to travelling daily amidst a lot of crowd in our Metros and buses. So our natural instincts teach us to keep our belongings safe :-P

Thank you
Abhinav

I think your itinerary is terrific, well paced and well chosen destinations.

You noted "leave for . . . . as early as possible" If your intent is to maximize your sightseeing time, consider taking evening trains (and have picnic dinners on them) and relax after a busy day. My experience has been that trains from Venice to Florence to Rome are not scenic for the most part, so you aren't missing anything except a nice (and $$$) restaurant dinner. With a morning train, you'll have to go to your hotel first to drop off your luggage. You also miss any potential morning rush hour traffic in Rome. And you don't miss breakfast at your hotel, if it's provided.

In any event, plan to leave lots of time to get to the Venice train station. Although Venice is small, getting around is really slow. You may have a long walk from your hotel to vaporetto (water bus) station, and it's a long, slow ride (though a scenic one, day or night).

Roberto and Zoe, about the pick-pocketing... I'm certainly not trying to discourage anyone from going to Italy, I'm simply saying to play it safe and smart. I've traveled all over Europe, as well as parts of Asia. Maybe I was just unlucky, but I encountered more pick-pocket activity in one visit to Rome than I have anywhere else. Getting onto a subway car, it suddenly got very crowded and I immediately felt someone's hands exploring my pockets (which had nothing in them). Meanwhile my friend's pockets also got explored and he lost a change purse that had only a few euro coins. And in the line-up for the Vatican museum, the gypsy women with shawls were clearly weaving through the crowd trying to steal something, while some tour guides warned their group about them. And I also saw someone unzipping and trying to reach into someone's backpack from behind, until the person felt it and turned around. And, I was given the wrong amount of change a couple of times... maybe just a mistake, maybe not. So.... enjoy Italy, but be safe and smart, and keep your cash and valuables in a money belt.