Rome to Amalfi coast

In order of your bullets:

1. Four nights in Rome would be ideal. Any less and you'd be shortchanging the Eternal City. If you fly back home from Rome, leave Rome for last. Go to Sorrento first the day you land.

2. Yes. Although Sorrento is not on the Amalfi Coast, however for those without a car, it's a convenient base, because buses going to the Amalfi Coast (Positano, Amalfi) depart from Sorrento. Sorrento also has regular boat service to Capri and train service (Circumvesuviana) connecting to Pompei, Ercolano, and Naples.

3. Pompeii, Ercolano, Procida, Ischia, Vesuvius, Naples, Ravello, etc. From Sorrento you can visit all without having to move hotels. I recommend 4 nights at the very minimum to have a good basic coverage (including Pompeii). If you can stay longer, the better. You could spend two weeks in the area and not run out of things to do.

4. By SITA Bus. However a boat from Positano to Salerno would be a nice panoramic view too. Maybe go by bus in one direction and return by boat. During peak season the boats connect Sorrento to Positano and Amalfi.

5. Naples is beautiful, but it's a very busy city. Unless you live in NYC, it might overwhelm you. You can actually visit it from Sorrento on a day trip, so that you don't have to stay overnight. The Circumvesuviana train takes only just over an hour from Sorrento to Naples Central station.

With 13 nights on the ground at your disposal, you could spend 4 in Rome (the last 4), 5 in Sorrento, and 4 even somewhere else (Florence/Tuscany?)
If you add Florence to the equation, go there first upon landing.
Rome arrive
-High speed Train from Rome to Florence (90 min) directly from the airport. Stay 4 nights and visit Tuscany (a bit) from Florence.
-High speed Train from Florence to Naples (under 3 hours from Florence). Private car from Naples station to Sorrento
-Sorrento stay. 5 nights there.
-Car to Rome or Car to Naples and train to Rome.
Stay in Rome for your last 4 nights.
come home
Moreover:

To go from Rome to Sorrento cheaper options would be:
1. Marozzi Bus from Roma Tiburtina station to Sorrento.
2. High Speed train to Naples (about 40 euro pp). Then from Naples Central station you can take a Circumvesuviana train (a commuter) for 4 euro, or, if you want more luxury, a private car from Naples to Sorrento (about 80 euro).

Taking a private car all the way from Rome to Sorrento will cost you easily more than 250-300 euro. However if you go straight upon landing and it's at least 2 of you, it would still be money well spent. After a long flight from North America, a driver that picks you up and takes you straight to your hotel in Sorrento is a nice treat. It's your honeymoon after all.

And congratulations.

Dear Roberto, thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I really appreciate your advice. I think beginning the trip on the coast and then going to Rome would be a great idea.

Do you think it would be worth it to spend a night in positano and Capri?

I studied in Rome for a summer so i have a feel for the pace of the city and what to expect. But with then Amalfi coast I'm not so sure how to plan out the day.

What cities would you recommend in Tuscany? We were thinking of possibly doing the island of santorini then going to Italy.

We would be flying out of Los Angeles

Thank you again :)

I guess you know how hot it will be in July, so if relaxing is on the bill I would definitely spend on Capri or the Amalfi coast instead of trekking back and forth from Sorrento.The ferry rides add up, as does the time getting to them, waiting on line, and the travel time as well, so staying a couple of nights in beautiful places might not be a bad idea. Are you flying into and out of Rome? I would take a fast train immediately to Naples then the ferry to Capri and relax for 2-3 nights ( budget stays can be found in Anacapri). Then ferry directly over to Positano, decide what town you want to stay in... and see Amalfi, Ravello etc. Ferry back to Naples see archeological sites ( I perfer Herculaneum as it is more compact and a lot of detail is preserved.) I could not imagine going to Pompeii in July. I recommend seeing the archelogical museum in Naples. Fast train to Rome is 1.5 hrs. I think Florence, Rome, Sorrento, Capri and Amalfi coast towns is way too much even in 14 days when the idea is to relax...but if seeing as much as possible is your goal..go for it! :)

2 weeks! Lucky! I guess I'd do a different itenarary.

1. Fly into Venice...3 nights....then fast train to Rome.
2. Rome - 5 nights,( do a day trip to a small town), then fast train to Salerno, catch the ferry to Positano.
3. Positano - 3 nights (visit Amalfi Town, Ravello...but overnight in Positano)..ferry to Capri
4. Capri 2 night...then over to Naples.
5. Naples 1 night then Home from there. You can visit Herculaneum the last day.

I'd end the honeymoon relaxing on the Coast.

The town of Ravello while on the Amalfi Coast is a must see. A SITA bus runs from the town of Amalfi up to the town of Ravello and both towns can be explored on the same day quite easily.

If you have 2 weeks, 4 nights in Rome to start makes sense to me ; would say the same for 10 days as well; 4 in Rome works well, there is much to see and in July it will be HOT and crowded so think you will enjoy it more if you are not to rushed to see everything in an abbreviated number of days

Capri: If you can work in a plan without much luggage to stay overnight I do think that would be different and quite enjoyable. 90% of folks are taking the ferry over and back so when they all leave (the ferries depart before the sun sets in the summer) you will have the place mostly to yourselves and the next morning as well. Capri is beautiful. It is also a terrible place to have to lug luggage around though so I don't think it makes sense for all especially since a single overnight stay can be a bit of a hassle checking in/out.

Positano: I think it is either best to base in Positano or Sorrento ; or split your time between the 2.
I would not overnight in either one. Personally we stayed in both, highly prefer Positano but worked well to split the visit we visited Pompeii and Capri from Sorrento and then visited all of the Amalfi Coast towns from Positano.
You could do the same from one base but this made things easier.
If choosing one base, most select Sorrento as logistically it works better. When we return we will stay in Positano and skip Sorrento ; though I would plan a couple of nights in Capri this time.

We skipped Naples except for flying out of the airport. Some love it, others hate it. Seemed like something we could skip and not regret it so was the decision we made. I think if you are into history it will have appeal and plenty of sites to occupy your time, if you want things to be picturesque and relaxing it is probably not the ideal place.

Dear lulu, livefromnewyork, Mreynolds,

Thank you for your help! I really appreciate it. You've given me a lot to consider...
I have a tendency to get carsick , and I'm wondering if I choose sorrento as my base will i have to take the narrow and winding road everyday to visit other cities on the coast? Thank you again :)

Hi, I get motion sickness too. I take larger ferries when possible, the kind that take on cars....and I have a "patch" that I wear behind my ear...ask your doctor...I have tried the pressure bands but they don't always work. I was okay on the bus from Positano to Sorrento ( then I took train to Naples in off season). Being up high works better for me than the back of a car.
Enjoy!

Yes, if you base in Sorrento you will have to do those high and windy roads....which I absolutely loathe. I mean really hate it. That's always a game changer for me. The ferry from Salerno to Positano takes 90 minutes and is so lovely and gorgeous to see the Amalfi coast from the Sea. The coast between Sorrento and Positano is pretty, but you don't see quaint towns and villages along the way, basically just cliffs. If for some reason the ferry isn't running from Salerno, you can take the bus, then you will hug the mountainside instead of the cliff. It was a highlight of our trip.