Hi,
My son is getting married in Arezzo in early June 2023. We will spend a few days in Florence leading up to the wedding. After that we would love to explore Italy. Looking for suggestions for around 10 days of travel after the wedding. Interested in the Amalfi coast at some point. Appreciate any words of wisdom.
Thank you!
I would add other Southern locations to the Amalfi Coast since you want to go there. Look at Naples and Sorrento. Puglia is a possibility too.
Or save the Amalfi Coast for another trip and spend all your time to visit Rome, Florence and Venice.
While in Arezzo, visit Cortona too, about 20 miles south.
Is this your first trip to Italy?
If so I agree with Suki
Visit Venice and Rome in addition to your time in Florence
Save Amalfi for another trip
Your dilemma is going to be choosing what works in the limited time you have. First, the most obvious...
You want to explore Italy. Does that include Venice? Rome?
For most folks, a first visit to Italy must include these blockbusters (and that's a perfectly reasonable choice). After that, everything else is negotiable, but there's not much left to haggle over: If you have 10 days to play with, and you want to include Rome and Venice, that's going to leave you with very little time left for anything else (including the Amalfi coast). So, before getting deep into other options, there's the two elephants in the room...
You need a minimum of four nights in Florence and that includes a day trip to Siena by direct bus (1h 15m). Reserve tickets for the Uffizi Galley two-months out to guarantee a reservation.
From Florence’s SM Novella station take a direct train to Arezzo (1h 15m): https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html.
I wouldn’t day trip from Arezzo to Cortona because I don’t see direct trains on the return.
From Arezzo take a direct train to Rome’s Termini station (2h 45m). You need a minimum of four nights in Rome and that includes a day trip to Vatican City. Rome makes a perfect place to fly home from. Can you fly into Florence? If not, there is a direct train from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport departing at 1:53p but most flights from the US arrive in the morning meaning you have to change trains in Rome.
I doubt if you have time to go to the Amalfi Coast which is further south. Stick to places that are close and don’t waste your time spending a day trying to get somewhere. Train travel in IT isn’t that scenic since they route through run down areas as in the US. If you see something that catches your eye i.e., a village perched upon a hill the view is fleeting.
Thank you everyone for your suggestions. Very helpful!
