please help-first timers!

in Roma we stayed near the Piazza Berberini. It is very near a metro stop and in between Spanish steps, Trevi and Piazza Navona In Florence, we stayed At Hotel Calziouli great Location. But it is true Florence is such an easy walking city.
The itineries recommended by Laurel is reeally good

Hi Dave. Do you arrive on the 15th or the 16th? Usually you arrive the day after departure, so I will assume that. You are wise to keep your destinations to 3 - Rome, Florence and the Amalfi Coast. Here's how I would do it given a 2:00PM arrival. (If you arrived earlier in the day I'd suggest going right to Florence as it is a relatively short trip by train, but with a 2:00PM arrival, you would not get to Florence until almost 1800, assuming your flight is on time, and I think you'd just be exhausted. And if your flight is late, it gets ugly. Sorrento is a long trip to take from Rome when you have just landed.) 15th - flight from US 16th - arrive Rome; check in, shower, take a walk, dinner, go to bed and be on local time by AM 17th - Rome 18th - Rome 19th - Rome or Florence depending on interests 20th - Florence 21st - Florence 22nd -Sorrento or Positano 23rd - Sorrento or Positano 24th - Sorrento or Positano 25th - Rome - you can be in Rome by Noon this day and have a 1/2 day to see sights you missed the first few days.
26th - depart (with the late departure you have another 1/2 day to tour)

Part 2 Pick either Sorrento or Positano, depending on what you want to see/do. If Pompeii and Naples are important, stay in Sorrento, If you want to do beach and hike, then Positano. You can easily daytrip to Positano from Sorrento. You should read Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door if you have not already done so. Also pick up, and read his Italy Guidebook. Then read them again :-) Come up with a list of what interests you, what is open when, etc. Sunday is not a big problem. For example, the Borghese is open at 0900 Tue-Sun, but the Vatican Museums are closed. You can always walk around and see many of the great monuments, day or night. Rick Steves' Italy book has a great list of what is open and when to help you plan. Where to stay in Rome: historic center, near Piazza Navona or Campo dei Fiori. You can walk almost everywhere in 20-30 minutes from there, as well as get to busses, tram to Trastevere, electric mini-bus. Metro is 20 minute walk. Come back with more questions and have fun planning!

Please get a copy of Rick's Italy guide book. To offer you some advice about your trip. You might want to start in Rome since that is where you are arriving. There is so much to see in Rome and I don't know what your priorities are. Obviously you don't want to miss the Sistine Chapel and the Colloseum. We stayed in a b&b called At Your Place. Highly rated on Trip Advisor. It was a five-ten minute walk to the Vatican and right around the corner from a bus stop. I would give Rome at least three days. After Rome, you can take the high speed train to Naples and transer to Sorrento. Make your base in Sorrento. From there you can visit Positano, Amalfi and, of course, Capri and Pompeii. I would also give Sorrento four days. I would think going to the Sorrento from Rome would be the most convenient. Factoring in Florence: You can then take the train from Naples to Florence and spend three days there. We stayed in the Santa Croce area. Florence is a very walkable city. We rented apartments in both Sorrento and Florence through vrbo.com. Since your flight is not until six pm, you can take an early train back to Rome to make your flight. I'm sure others on this board will offer more suggestions. I would make hotel or aparment reservations as soon as possible.

Thank you so much for your reply, I was thinking Rome first then Florence would be the best route as well. We will certainly pick up those book you mentioned. In your opinion would you go to Sorrento, Positano, or skip the coast and see some areas between Rome and Florence? I guess we are going for a mix of sighteseeing( Rome) but also in great need of some less intense and tiring and more romantic and relaxing stuff.

Camille, Thank you for your suggestions. We are just so excited having gotten some supersaver tickets with ff miles. Thank you for the hotel area and b&b recomendation!

Whether you go to the coast or skip it in favor of seeing Tuscany is up to you and what you want your trip to look like. If you plan to spend time in Tuscany I recommend you get a car for that time. For example, you could train to Orvieto and pick up a car there. Stay at an agriturismo (I recommend Agriturismo Marciano - check them out on Trip Advisor) for a few days, then drive to Florence. Return your car when you get there, as you don't want to drive IN Florence. You could then train back to Rome. Whatever you choose, you can't go wrong. After all...you will be in Italia!!

Dave:
Camille has an interesting idea about making Florence last, traveling into Rome that last day to catch your flight at 1800. That will mkae a long travel day even longer, though, so think carefully about that. Your desire to mix cities with relaxation makes perfect sense, and Sorrento or Positano might be a great middle-of-your-trip respite. Reading the recommended books will help you decide. Act soon! You need to be making reservations ASAP.

I am partial to Positano. It's centrally located in the Amalfi coast. You can take a ferry to Capri one day, then a ferry to Amalfi the next and the bus back to really appreciate the scenery. You won't get these views in Sorrento. If you want to save time have a driver pick you up and return you to the Naples train station. More expensive but well worth the money. We did it this way in 2009 and are returning to Positano this year the same way. The driver we used is Sergio Rianna at info@taxi5positano.com We now rent small apartments. Much cheaper than hotels and you can eat in if you want.
Have a great time, stay longer next time!