Nine day trip to Rome in Feb. Is Amalfi coast doable or no?

Yes it is feasible. Stay 4 nights in Rome then take the train to Naples in 1 hour and then transfer to the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento in another hour and stay 3 nights; or take the train Rome to Salerno and pick a city to stay 3 nights along the coast maybe Ravenna accessible by bus from Salerno. Then go back to Rome for the last two nights. The ferries are not running in that time of year

Just a word or two of caution...

Is it physically possible to do it? Sure. Is it the best use of your time? Only you can answer that. Would you "do it justice" (which is what you asked)? I don't think so.

Start by being honest about how much actual, usable time you will have in Italy. You say this is an "11 day break" which yields you "9 days" in Italy. Does it really? You're coming from, I assume, Saskatchewan. Count your days carefully - and do not count the day you arrive in Italy, nor the day you depart, no matter what time your flights are. Is that really 9 days, or maybe 8?

In any case, you will spend the better part of a day each time you move from Rome to your Amalfi Coast base (Salerno or Sorrento), and back, so subtract two days for that. You'll wind up with 6 or 7 full days at most to spend between Rome and the AC. You say your friend hasn't been to Italy before. Unless you plan to essentially skip sightseeing in Rome, I assume you will split your time between the two locations, which means you are going to have a very short time in each (3 or so days in each). I wouldn't recommend a trip like that, but others might be OK with it. If you are both OK with essentially blowing off Rome, then yeah, you could have about 6 days on the AC. Not what I'd choose to do (in February) but...it's your trip.

Note: It's about 150 miles to Naples and maybe another 50 miles down to the Amalfi Coast from there. It's sure possible though with fast train service from Naples.

You might also consider that in Feb in the AC towns, there will be places that are closed because it's outside tourist season. Could be cold (ok, definitely not as cold as a Saskatchewan. winter, but still..,) and/or rainy. With short daylight hours. The ferries won't be running on the AC

Instead of the AC, you might just head to Sorrento for 2-3 days, doing day trips to Naples (Archeological museum) and Pompeii. (Maybe even a day trip to Capri if the weather is nice). Return to Rome the night before your flight.

AC in Feb may not be best use of time, given vagaries of weather at that time of year.

For time of year and available time I would suggest starting with 2-3 nights in Florence and finish in Rome. Allocate your days between the 2 dependent on what your interests are.

I thought all the replies are thoughtful, and David of Seattle's post is worth reading at least twice; and then thinking about what kind of traveler you are.

There's an important difference between "Well, yes, it's possible" and "But is it the best use of my precious vacation time?" And only you can ultimately answer that question.

Some travelers want to see as much as possible, even if they don't have as much time as they'd ideally like at each place. Other travelers want to "savor" or fully experience an experience, and would rather not try a certain itinerary if it's going to be too rushed, tiring, or frantic.

So maybe there's no right or wrong answer, it depends on what kind of traveler and person you and your companion are.

The easiest way to do this trip is to fly into Naples, and out of Rome. You may see a $75-100 difference in price flying R/T Rome, but it will save you a valuable commodity on this short trip...time, with a disjointed hotel room the day before you fly out and the price of a train ticket

4 nites Sorrento, 3 1/2 days. 5 nites Rome 4 1/2
days. Here's what it would look like.

Day 1. Fly.

Day 2. Arrive Naples this bus to Sorrento.
1hr10m. €10

http://curreriviaggi.it/autolinee/images/AUTOLINEE_CURRERI.pdf

Day. 3. Sorrento.

Day. 4 Sorrento.

Day 5. Sorrento.

Day 6. Sorrento-Naples 1hr10m. €3,60.

Napoli Centrale-Roma Termini. 1hr10m €24,90.

Day. 7. Rome.

Day. 8. Rome

Day 9. Rome.

Day 10. Rome.

Day. 11. Fly.

Another thing to consider is the weather. Average temps are between 60-42. Chance of rain possible.

If you do have lousy weather, both cities Naples/Rome have plenty of indoor sites, the Amalfi Coast has some fabulous outdoor sites but is somewhat lacking on indoor ones. Other than a few small museums and churches.
If you have outdoor sites in mind, pick sunny days.

It's your choice, but definitely possible.

We did this in February of last year--6 nights in Rome, then 5 nights in Sorrento. We flew into Rome and out of Naples.

Notes--first, the Amalfi Coast in February is still buttoned up pretty good for the winter. However, played right that's not the worst thing. Sorrento for the most part is open, with a vibrant restaurant scene, and it's a great hub to travel by bus or train to Naples, Pompei, Ercolano, Positano. Amalfi-town is a little farther, Capri is a crapshoot depending on the weather, and Salerno & Paestum are a logistical challenge from Sorrento.

That being said, it's really a wonderful time (if the weather is decent) to view the spectacular scenery of the A.C. without the crowds.

Enjoy your planning!

In terms of time planning / logistics, etc... you are staying long enough to make it doable YES
BUT for February I am not sure it makes the most sense.

I would look at somewhere else for a few days to combine with Rome.

If you decide to do it, you could fly into Rome and then fly out of Naples when you book your air tickets.

Thank you so much everyone! you've given me much to think about. I appreciate your time and effort.

My wife and I did a February trip to Venice, Florence, Rome, and Sorrento in 2013 (17 days total, with 5 full days in Rome & 4 full days in Sorrento), so I thought I'd offer you my perspective. First off, it is totally do-able, but I would recommend staying in Rome first to settle in and let the jet lag wear off. A key factor in your decision of heading to AC is going to be how much you want to see and do in Rome. I felt like 5 days in Rome was enough to see all the major sites (Forum/Coliseum, Vatican, RS' Rome Walk, Villa Borghese, even made it to a Lazio/Napoli soccer match at Stadio Olimpico one night), but we were already adjusted to the time zone by the time we arrrived. Also, we flew open jaw into Venice and out of Naples, so that helped a bit. Rome was great in February, as the crowds at most of the popular tourist sites are manageable.

Sorrento is not too hard to get to from Rome, and is a short enough trip that you can make it without losing half the day in transit. we took a morning train to Naples (1 hr.), then the Circumvesuviana (regional train) from Naples to Sorrento (1 hr.). Stayed in a B&B in Sorrento (Gocce di Limone) that was only a block or two from the train station, which was key for our itinerary. As others have said, a LOT of shops & restaurants are closed that time of year, especially in Positano, Amalfi, and Capri, where I'd say ~75% of the restaurants/cafes were shuttered. Sorrento wasn't as bad - there were still a few restaurants that were closed - but plenty enough choices that we ate at a different restaurant each night and never wanted for selection. The big plus - again - is the lack of crowds, which is even more noticeable in AC/Capri than in Rome.

Based out of Sorrento, we were able to see most of the sites we had planned on. We used the Circumvesuviana for day trips to Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Naples; the ferry to Capri, and the local bus to Positano & Amalfi. Our itinerary was as follows:

Day 1: Arrive in Sorrento; Circumvesuviana to Pompeii (AM) and Herculaneum (PM). Pompeii is ~30 min. via train, and Herculaneum is only ~20min. from Pompei. We actually enjoyed Herculaneum more than Pompeii, as the ruins are slightly more intact and there were more in situ frescoes.

Day 2: Public bus to Positano & Amalfi (lunch at Il Tari in Amalfi, one of the few places open - I remember having a great seafood pasta there).

Day 3: Circumvesuviano to Naples, Archaeological Museum & Spaccanapoli walk, lunch at Gino Sorbillo (bucket list pizza!); PM: regional train to Paestum. The museum is a must if you plan on hitting Pompeii and/or Herculaneum, as it gives you much more insight into the pre-disaster splendor of those towns. Paestum is pretty cool if you are into Greek temples/ruins, but is out of the way. In retrospect, I would've just spent the entire day in Naples, exploring the neighborhoods a bit more and maybe even catching dinner there.

Day 4: Ferry from Sorrento to Capri. Despite much of Capri businesses being shuttered, we were able to have a cappuccino in the main piazza, then take a really nice hike from the main town to the Arco Naturale, then down the coast a ways and back to town. Wish we could have stayed longer and done some of the other hikes around the island.

Weather was cold, but not freezing (I'd say mid-40's/mid-50's in Rome, and a little warmer down south, reaching into maybe the low-60's on one or two days. We lucked out with the rain for this part of our trip, I remember lots of sunny days.

A couple of extra tips:

1.) Consider purchasing a Roma Pass and Campania Artecard if you are planning on hitting a lot of museums & historic sites, as it will save you $$$.

2.) Make sure to try the puntarelle (chickory) and carcioffi alla Giudda (fried Jewish-style artichokes) when in Rome, since both are in season and you'll see them on lots of restaurant menus, particularly in the Jewish Quarter.