Opinions on my Itinerary

Your itinerary is perfect. It's good you give yourself 4 days in Florence then you can venture of to the small towns in tuscany.

I can guarantee that you'll wish you had more time! You hit some great places. I do think that Cinque Terre for 2 nights is sufficient. Take the boat from town to town for the best views; have lots of seafood for dinner; talk from town to town (if you are interested in that sort of thing); and, they do have great local wines.

I'm wondering about your time in Venice and Florence. My personal preference would be to switch them. Venice, for me, is not a museum you look at but rather an work of art that you walk around in. Besides the main attractions (San Marco, Frari, Rialto etc.) there are experiences you won't find anywhere else. Late at night, take the vaporetto up and down the Grand Canal. Take the vaporetto (#1) over to the Lido and back (you don't need to spend much time there - you can just get right back on the boat) for a bit of relaxation and some beautiful views of Venice. Go dancing on Piazza San Marco. Sorry, once I start on Venice it's hard for me to stop - I spend about a week there every year (this will be year 15). Florence has some amazing museums (if you are into museums), especially the newly re-opened Duomo museum. It's also a great place to take day trips to Siena or Lucca.

Rome for 4 nights? Hey, it's all the time you have left so go for it! Remember, for each of these places: you can go back!!!! Think of this trip as taking a break after the appetizer - you still have lots of courses to be served. What I do like in your itinerary is that you've included the Cinque Terre. At least you'll be seeing something that is beyond the "3 biggies." In April I should think you'll not be overcrowded with tourists there.

Whatever, enjoy your trip! Enjoy the planning too! Maybe rent an apartment (I use vrbo.com) in Rome (anywhere in the Centro Storico)? Splurge in Venice (you don't really have much of a choice - Venice is expensive). I always stay at Hotel Ala, which is half way between San Marco and the Accademia Bridge. I like apartments in Florence too. Have a wonderful trip and start planning your return on the plane ride home!

I, too, think that you itinerary is perfect. Those 4 nights in Florence give you a day to take a Day Tour with Roberto, or the bus to Siena, or rent a car for a day to go to Montepulciano and environs, or take a one-day tour with Walkabout Florence that takes you to Siena, San Gigmignano, a winery, and Pisa. I've done all of those; any one would be a great day! And as per your earlier posting: Once you've decided on specific cities/days, you may want to go ahead and purchase your train tickets (trenitalia.com) which will be at a much lower cost than if you wait to purchase once you are there. And it is REALLY time to go ahead and book your hotels or b&bs.

I generally like your itinerary and I think your nights per city is spot on.

You are visiting Cinque Terre before Easter, and there's a possibility some shops and restaurants won't yet be open for the season. Plus there could be a greater likelihood of rain. But it could also be spectacular, because it won't be nearly as crowded as it gets later in the season, and if the weather is good, you'll love it there.

But you are also heading to the Cinque Terre and not allowing yourself much time there. It's about 3 hours by train from Florence and 4 to 5 hours from CT to Rome. That leaves you only about a day or maybe 1 1/2 days there. Personally, I think your time would be better spent adding it to the other three cities, or if you want a break that's more relaxing and less filled with museums, a small town or an agriturismo between Florence and Rome.

Jolene, your itinerary looks great to me. You've crafted one that's much saner than a lot of others from first-timers that we see here: well done! 👍

One caution? If your trip is THIS April, you're going to want to put the giddyup on nailing down your accommodations in the C.T. You're early enough in the season that it might not be a squeeze but that region has become so popular that it tends to book up fast and early.

I also think you have a very nice itinerary. The only thing I'd suggest is that if possible book Cinque Terre accommodation that can be canceled up to 3 or 4 days (or less) before your stay. Then check the weather forecasts and if the two days you have scheduled there are for rain, cancel the Cinque Terre and extend either Florence or Rome (at that time of year it's likely you'll be able to add a couple nights to your reservations). Going to the CT in the rain will be no fun and you'll have wasted time that would be much more pleasant in either Florence or Rome (or a day trip from either of them - Siena or Orvieto are two of my favorites). The last two years that I was in Italy in late March I ended up rearranging things due to rain rather than being on a lake or the coast in lousy weather. Both times it was pretty easy to do and didn't end up costing me anything extra.

Your itinerary is perfect and so is the sequence (assuming you travel by train).
As mentioned above the weather in early April is iffy. If you run into a rainy spell, your two nights at the Cinque Terre might seem like two nights too many. But what can you do? You have to take chances in life.
With 3 nights in Venice I think there is also the opportunity to see Murano, Burano, and possibly the Abbey in Torcello (those are three famous island towns in the lagoon). All, especially Burano, will give you a chance to see how Venice must have looked like before mass tourism.

I like your itinerary. One other mention, if doing day trips from Florence, don't forget Lucca. It can be done the same day as Pisa.