One week in Italy, mid April. Is this itinerary logical?

Most would probably recommend going to Florence on arrival, then putting all your Rome time together (and avoiding possible complication getting to the airport). Otherwise, looks fine to me based on what we have to go on.
Do note you need to get on booking asap--like yesterday!

Day 8 - train to Rome, fly home — not sure the schedule works to do this in one day

That's like pulling the pin on a grenade and counting to 10 to see how long it takes to go BOOM

As noted above, go directly to Florence on arrival and do all the Rome days at the end.

Decide what you want to see/do in each city and allocate you days accordingly

Millions of additional folks are going to Rome for the Jubilee this year, and your going around Easter? Yikes! What's second choice? You seem to have a great opportunity for an adventure. Safe travels!

I'd fly right to Florence from the US.

Or better yet, pick another place entirely. It's kind of late to be booking for April if you care about price, and even then.....who knows???

One week in Italy flying into / out of Rome: land then train to Orvieto for 3 nights, train back to Rome for the rest. Two big cities in one trip is one too many for me. All the charm of Italy is in the small towns. A very short amount of time so as little movement as possible is preferable to me. See Florence on another trip. J

Rome at Easter, especially on a Jubilee year: a great choice if you are a Catholic making a pilgrimage. Otherwise, you are in for mega crowds everywhere. And good luck getting accommodations at your preferred rates if you aren't already booked.

If Italy is preferred, for only a week, skip Rome entirely. Fly into Florence and spend your time there and doing day trips around Tuscany.

Better yet, pick one of the other countries on your top 10 list.

Not the wrong “anything!” Next trip to Europe plan to see the places on your list you didn’t have time to visit on this trip!

Thanks for the input. Maybe Italy at Easter in a Jubilee year, planning only a month in andvance, isn’t the best idea. But I’m feeling drawn to Italy for some reason.

Do note you need to get on booking asap--like yesterday!

What booking in particular do I need to get on? Are you talking about specific attractions in Rome or Florence or general booking of airfare, train and hotel?

Definitely airfare and hotel. In fact, I recommend you check on hotels first to make sure you can find one near your price point before even buying the plane tickets. Train can probably wait until you get there, except for the fast train between Rome and Florence. I’d book most attractions in Rome in advance, but especially the Vatican Museum, Colosseum, and Borghese Museum.

Thanks. Based on advice from all of you, am now considering going the week after Easter week and starting in Florence.

Can we expect that crowds will reduce after Easter week?

I have found crowds heavy both the week before and after Easter. Vendors have told me the second week after Easter is much saner. But you still have the Jubilee in Rome, and likely spillover into Florence. Good luck!

Thanks. Reassessing going to Rome and Florence at this time because of that.

Any suggestions for an alternative location for a week between April 8 and 30, in Italy or elsewhere? I can go anywhere unless it’s super expensive or requires a visa I can’t get.

Why not Sicily? Much to see and do. Friends visited in late March last year and can’t stop raving about the beautiful landscape, interesting cities, sleepy small towns, gorgeous beaches, delicious food, and friendly locals.