Seeking advise on a 10-Day Itinerary to Italy (June/July 2023 travel dates)

in my opinion, for beaches you are better off going to Florida or other places near home...

Welcome to the forum Shekar. Does the 10 days include flight days? That leaves you only 8 days on the ground. Every time you change cities, you loose most of a day.

Have you travelled a lot or is this a new adventure for your family?

If you’re flying into Rome (FCO), I’d choose either Rome/Venice or Rome/Naples. Since I love Venice that will always be my chose. You don’t have time to do and see it all.

First thing to do is use a guide book and the internet to help narrow down what you want to see. Then write out an itinerary, allowing for travel time, meals, breaks, soaking up the cities.

After that, come back so we can help you narrow with your itinerary. One trick I used for my trip this year was to lay out my itinerary in my phone’s calendar. It helped see timing so I didn’t over schedule, which is easy to do when you have limited time and want to accommodate everyone’s wish list.

I've not been to this beach in the summer, but Ostia has nice beaches (probably not like in Florida or the Caribbean.) You can easily reach Ostia by the regional train from the San Paolo station in Rome. We have taken the train twice to Ostia Antica, the wonderful ruins that are better than Pompeii, IMHO. They don't have the backstory of the volcanic eruption but are wonderful to walk through. You could visit the ruins in the morning, hop back on the same train and get off in Ostia to enjoy the afternoon at the beach.

I stayed in Ostia in December at the Fly Deco Hotel, so we saw the beaches, but December isn't beach weather in Europe.

I've seen most of the sites in Rome, having been there several times. Get Rick Steves' guide book from the library to access his itinerary recommendations, although I think they are also on this site.

Here is what I would try to do (assuming you love ancient history)

A day at the Vatican (we did it ourselves with the help of Rick's free audio apps.

A day at Coloseum and Forum area

A day at Galleria Borghese and the Etruscan Museum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, etc.

A Day in the countryside to spend half a day at the Catacombs, Appian Way, Aqueducts and the other at the National Museum of Rome and the Baths of Diocletian near Termini. This could be two days.

Half Day in Ostia Antica and then the beaches of Ostia

Travel to Naples or Venice. Not an expert on Venice.

In Naples, visit Pompeii

I wasn't overly impressed with the Naples Archaeology museum (maybe I've seen too many wonderful ancient objects.) A tour of Naples, maybe?

Keep in mind that it will be hot and crowded with long lines, so perhaps you need to add another day in Rome to see the above.

Welcome to the Forum!!!

most people leave Naples for a follow-up visit. Especially in June and July it will be hot, and too crowded to visit the Amalfi Coast or Pompeii (no shade whatsoever).

The general used route for first timers is Venice, Florence, Rome.

With only 10 (or even 12) days that will likely be plenty.

Don't forget that counting days not nights can be confusing as it is tempting to count a travel day as days in both places when in fact it is often travel after breakfast and arrival in the afternoon, with settling in and getting your bearings it often means a short walk in the afternoon, dinner and bed, so not really day there either.

Do your 10/12 days include departure from home day, arrival day, or departure to home day? If so, you shouldn't really count them. Departure from home day doesn't count because you will still be in the air. Arrival day doesn't count because of probable jetlag (with 4 of you, it is likely that some or all of you will suffer, holding back everybody), arriving from the airport after the arrival airport experience, and getting into the hotel. Departure for home day doesn't count because you will be focussed on final packing, getting to the airport 3 hours early, and all that.

So how many actual nights will you have on the ground in Italy? Be aware that 3 nights somewhere only gets you 2 days of sightseeing, 2 nights gets only one day of sightseeing.

I would stay 4 nights in Rome (if you can handle the heat and crowds- try and go in early June) and then take the train to Florence for 2-3 nights and then go to Venice for the last 3-4 nights. You can visit Lido Beach while you are there.

Wow! this forum is amazing...with so many enthusiastic replies in such a short time. To answer some of the questions posed, planning 10 full days in Italy (excluding travel days). Yes i/we are experienced international travelers (since the 80s). It appears Rome, Venice and Naples may be the itinerary...4+3+3 nights? Just need to figure our which beach/coastal areas to hit....the amalfi coast? Can extend stay by a day or two if needed to accommodate this. Just seeking a different beach scenery as we have been to Florida beaches countless times.

PS - i do love ancient history and culture esp. hailing originally from another ancient civilization/culture (India) except more ancient than Rome by atleast several thousand years :) :)

We did a similar trip earlier this year, with our college graduate daughter (22) and college sophomore son (20). We had 14 nights in Italy and everyone said they would have preferred to have spent more time in fewer places. We live an hour from the beach on the northern gulf coast, and while we went to the beach in Italy (south of Amalfi) and it is lovely, the beaches near home are our preference. It is understandable if this is a "must see" from someone, but keep in mind it will be completely different from what you see in Florida. Also, if you are not staying at the beach, you may be spending precious time getting there.

You are likely looking for specifics, but based on our experience, this will be more general.

Go ahead and plan for 12 days. I am not sure anyone has ever wished they had spent less time on vacation, especially in Italy.
Have everyone write down at least one "must see" and two to three really "want to see." You probably need to limit this to things in or near the cities you are willing to visit. Then start planning around that.
We were in Italy in late May early June, and it was HOT when we left. Strongly recommend that you include air con in your hotel searches.
We did NOT do the Amalfi Coast, but we did see it from our car traveling south of Naples and it was lovely. It was also VERY crowded. If I have my geographic terms correct, the Italian Riviera is in the North and adjacent to France - I would save this for another trip as it is too much of an outlier.
Keep in mind Republic Day on June 2nd - it is similar to our 4th of July. Everyone is going to the coast and it will impact tourist sites like the Coliseum.
In terms of travel, a travel day realistically is not a touring day. By the time you pack and check out of your hotel, get to the train station, travel, check into your new hotel, the day is mostly consumed. Use the time after you check in your new hotel to stroll the area - do not lock yourself into a tour somewhere.
Look at flying open jaw (or multi-city on your flight search) and fly into Rome and out of Venice (or vice versa). It may cost more, but factor in the loss of a vacation day to travel back to the departure city and the additional cost of getting there (4 train tickets) it may be more cost effective to fly open jaw.

Does ten days equal eleven nights in IT?
There are nonstop flights between ATL and Venice / Rome. If flying from Venice to ATL make sure it’s a late morning flight to avoid a hefty water taxi ride to the airport. It’s much cheaper to take the bus from Piazzale Roma to Marco Polo airport that begins service at 4:35AM on bus 5. I also suggest checking airfare in both directions to see if it’s cheaper to fly into Venice and out of Rome or vice versa.
You need a minimum of three nights in Venice and if you add a day at Lido Beach make it four nights. From Venice there’s a direct train to Naples (Napoli Centrale station 5h 30m) and a direct train from Napoli Centrale to Rome (Roma Termini station 1h 15m). If you fly into Rome there’s a direct train from the airport to Napoli Centrale departing at 9:38AM (2h).

Shekar - you are going to get lots of wonderful advice here from people who maybe can't remember their first trip to Italy. I'm one of those! I start planning my next trip while on the plane coming back home - and I continue planning until I'm back on the plane. Flying to Rome from Atlanta should be fairly easy and will get you in early enough to get to your first location. I usually either head north to Venice or south to Sorrento. Either is not a bad trip and the Freccia (fast) trains are relaxing enough. Getting from Naples to Sorrento is not wonderful by train but the boat ride is a great way to start your vacation - the views are great, the sea air and gentle rocking of the boat is relaxing. Notice I recommend Sorrento, not Naples. It's much easier (easier, not necessarily easy) to get to Capri, the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. And Sorrento is a wonderful town for walking, shopping, eating and (my favorite) watching the most spectacular sunsets! I plan my day there with sunset at the top of the list. Going in the other direction, to Venice, is very easy and the train should get you there in time to get to your hotel, take a shower, catch a quick nap and realize that you're in a completely different era. Rome then becomes the final destination which makes it easier to get to the airport (kicking and screaming all the way, I suspect). Now, my suggestion on planning. Maybe the 4 of you can each research based on individual interests. And also discuss (over a big pasta dinner?) your common interests. This helps with planning the number of days in each city and it builds the excitement, which is a good thing. First trip to Italy? I bet it won't be the last for you, your children, and your children's children. Let us know how it's going! Oh, yes, it will be very hot and very humid - but hey, Georgia can be very hot and very humid. I'd chose Italy.

My first suggestion is to fly into Venice and out of Rome.
Venice is a better place to get over jet lag. It is much more compact than Florence and Rome.
Also, since there isn't car traffic it is less hectic and rushed. Buy a vaporetto (water bus) pass for each person that will cover the number of days you will be there. Then you can train to Florence or Rome. Flights out of Rome may have more choices to connect in Europe to get to Atlanta if there are no nonstop flights.

When you are in either Florence or Rome you don't have to go to all of the sites together. If some of you have different interests, you can split up for 1/2 day or so and have a meeting place.

The Rick Steves Italian language book is Very Handy. Italian to English and English to Italian with pronunciations. Small enough for a pocket so you can carry it around. My husband and I used it at home at dinner time to quiz each other every night for 6 months before our first trip to Italy.

We used the French one before going there.

1. Read the Forum here about pickpockets and scams
2. When using an ATM to get money get it in Euros
3. Pack Light!
4. Have a Great Trip and come back to the Forum if more questions pop up

As wonderful as it is to fly direct from Atlanta, it may be significantly less expensive to fly from JFK.

Thank you all for your wonderful (free) advise. Based on the input i have received below is what i am settling on:

Start in Venice (3 nights), Florence (3 nights), Rome (4 nights) and end in Sorrento (2-3 nights)
Fly into Venice (from ATL) and fly out of Naples (back to ATL) via Paris CDG. Checking the various permutation/combination of air fares (even flying out of JFK) the price diff is only about ~ $ 1,000 for the 4 of us, which is not a bid deal given this is a once in a lifetime experience for our family and the convenience it offers. Plan to depart ~ June 26th for a total ~ 12-13 night stay in Italy...Inshallah!
Will return back to this forum to keep you posted on what i finally decide and my travel experience in Italy.

Welcome Shekar!

That’s a nice plan and the entire trip is easily done by train.
My advice would be to try hard to give Sorrento 3 nights ( 4 would be better)
It takes a good half day to get there from Rome so 2 nights only gives you one full day- not enough time to see the Amalfi coast or Capri
Could stop at Pompeii on your way

Also make sure your flight out of Naples leaves later morning , if it’s very early in am you’ll need to spend your last night in Naples.

If flights are a problem could always go to Sorrento from Florence then back to Rome and end with your 4 nights there- chances of a direct flight from Rome are definitely better

Personally, I would drop either Florence or the Amalfi coast. Both of these areas are perfect for a 10 nite trip. Combining Florence and Tuscany or Umbria. Amalfi and the Campania area or the Cilento.

Two possibilities…for 13 nites.

Venice (4N) - Peschiera del Garda (2N) beaches-Florence (3N) - Rome (4N).

Venice(4N) - Rome (4N) - Salerno ferry-Amalfi (4N) -Naples(1N) pre flight.
Sorrento is not on the Amalfi coast, access via Salerno is much easier than Sorrento.

Travel times for both is comparable.
Look at Amalfi, Atrani or Cetara for lodging.

Use both Trenitalia.com or Italo Treno for trains. Travelmar. com for ferry’s. If you elect to stay in Sorrento travel info can be found on Sorrento insider.

Hi Shekar, great advice from all above.
I'll simply toss this out--a suggestion to pare down your itinerary to a very tight edit. You will be visiting there for the first time; it'll be high season; there will be crowds; and heat; and mosquitoes; and language issues...
The potential for things to go south will rise with each change of base. Italy is a great place to try to slow down a bit.
Honestly, if it were my friends or family seeking advice, there is no way that I'd recommend all three cities on the same 10 day trip. I know I know your daughter wants beaches. I get it. But that'd shortchange both Rome plus Venice.

Venice is simply too special to underestimate. Rome too, of course. Both will have significant crowds in June/July, but that'll be true pretty much all over this country.
Venice's beach is called The Lido. My Italian-born friends rate it as 'really not too bad'.
Btw, there is a rarefied attraction that might appeal to you just outside Rome, in a little town called Latina. The attraction is 'Ninfa Gardens' and one must sign up ahead of time for a tour---you can't just show up nor visit it on your own. Always nice to include something off the beaten path on one's itinerary.
Finally, you may find our Venice TR to be of some use: 'The Return of the Son of Isabel's Italy'. It is easily found on Google by 'zebec Fodors' plus the above title. I am 'zebec' over on Fodors.

I am done. The end.

Again, thanks so much all!. This forum is absolutely fabulous. Y'all seem to be some serious vacationers :). In order to make our first time trip to Italy to go as smooth as possible and given the packed schedule covering 4 different cities/regions over a 2 week period, i likely plan to hire a reliable and proven travel agency to book all our hotels and in country transportation (less headaches, little time). Will do the attractions and other tours and such on our own as we like it that way giving us more freedom and flexibility. Again many thanks and Cheers!.

Shekar
JMO. But you’ll do better booking hotels and trains yourself
Most US travel agents know very little about Italy
Most everyone here-if not all of us- book our own trips.
Booking.com is trustworthy and used by many here
Travel agents sell packages and tend to only promote companies they get a commission from
Not always the best

We can point you to great hotels we have patronized and give instructions and info on booking trains.

RS guide books have lots of recommendations and invaluable info on logistics for getting places, touring sites, where to eat, etc

It’s not difficult at all

Hello ChristineH: OK you have convinced me. Yes thank you i would very much welcome your suggestions on hotels from your past experience: Interested in hotels in the following cities: Venice, Florence, Rome and Sorrento. Prefer hotels that are close to attractions/public transportation as we don't plan to rent a car at this time. Once i take care of the hotels then i can handle the air train/travel within Italy. Thank you much in advance of you help.
PS - yes some of the travel agents we have spoken to are charging an arm and a leg for mediocre accommodations.

I'll try to come back later with hotels we have stayed at and enjoyed.

Meanwhile do some searches here on this forum and you'll find a lot of suggestions- mine included.

Go to Booking.com- use the filters- how many rooms?, AC-YES!, bkft? location, price range.
Read the reviews and you can search the reviews- they are only posted by people who have actually stayed at that property.
Once you find something you like, do a search here for that hotel, or simply come here and ask for opinions- we have plenty.

Here's a few threads to get you started:
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/venice-hotel-082b5824-7fd9-46b0-8e64-a97e9d9e7bf6

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/sorrento-hotels-3517ca1a-cd2b-4f13-9197-5ca786727363

https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=6m&filter=Travel+Forum&query=Florence+hotel&utf8=✓

Traveling with adult children is much different than as a couple. We have found it to be more family friendly to rent apartments, with much more room & lower cost, rather than separate small European hotel rooms.
Here’s an example of what you might find in Venice. From Booking.com.

https://www.booking.com/Share-DaN4L9m

You should be able to find these in all the cities you’re visiting.

FYI there are no “beaches” in Sorrento. The only reasonable facsimile of sandy beaches would be in Atrani and Maiori which are easily able to reach by ferry from Amalfi.

Thank you Christine and Gerri. Excellent advise by Gerri re accommodations in Europe traveling with adult children and the 'beach'. Yes plan to check out AirBNB for accommodations in Europe as we have better luck/experience.

Shekar - I told you that you would be getting lots of excellent advice and ideas on this site! I've used it successfully for 17 trips to Italy in the last 20 years (damn COVID!) and have never been steered wrong. A couple of my own thoughts: apartments in your cities of choice are an excellent way to go. They frequently offer AC, laundry, kitchen and more space than a hotel room. I always use VRBO. I like to pay by credit card that is only charged when I take possession of the apartment. Another advantage is food. I know you're on vacation but being able to cook with the amazing fresh vegetables and fruits you'll find at the markets (indoor and outdoor) is not just a money saver, it is also a real revelation especially if you aren't used to farm fresh, sea fresh foods. That said, I love Hotel Ala in Venice. It's right in between the Accademia and San Marco and a 30 second walk from the Giglio vaporetto stop. Beautiful rooms, tremendous breakfast buffet, relaxing rooftop terrace and not overly expensive. In Sorrento, if you get there, I really enjoy Hotel il Nido (ilnido.it) but it is above the city (they have regular and plentiful shuttle service to the center of the city). It also has my favorite restaurant in Sorrento. In Venice, even for a few days, I suggest getting the Venezia Unica card for transportation and museum/church entrance (veneziaunica.it). You'll save a lot of euro and use the vaporetto system happily. Someone suggested flying into Venice and out of Rome. Not a bad idea but don't even think of doing it the other way! Talk about ruining a vacation!
Travel agent? You'll have much more fun doing the hotel and train searches yourself! RS and trip advisor and hotels.com all have plenty of verified reviews. Book directly with the hotel to get the best price and the room type that you want. Trains are the way to go in Italy. If you want to nail down your schedule, you can get nicely discounted tickets in advance at trenitalia.com.

Hope you are enjoying all the advice and the planning!

I completely agree with Robert about the Hotel Ala in Venice. Lovely people, a dispenser with lovely floral flavoured water in the lobby, great location, great breakfast. One time there I was on the lowest floor with a little window just above gondola height and had really good memories of enjoying the gondolas passing by. Excellent convenience to the vaporetto, and if you decide (I wouldn't) to use Alilaguna from the airport it stops at the same vaporetto dock.

Another vote for Hotel Ala. We’ve stayed there every visit to Venice and in the future will as well. No reason to look anywhere else!
It is perfectly located on a quiet campo just steps from San Marco, super easy to get to- less than a minute from the SM Giglio vaporetto stop - no bridges or steps.
https://www.hotelala.it/en/

An apartment/airbnb can be a good choice but for us I only consider apartments for stays longer than 4 nights.
The drawback is that the usual check in time for apartments/airbnbs is late in the day with nowhere to hold you luggage on arrival. Your flight in to Venice will land in the am so it is nice to be able to drop your bags at a hotel- they will hold your bags before check in time. (You do not want to be dragging luggage around Venice) It's also nice to have that helpful front desk on your entry to Italy.
We also like hotels for the bfkt. We like a hearty bkft with protein, which is not easy to find in Italy, nor do we care to spend valuable time hunting it down. Get up- eat at your hotel then hit the sights.

If you go the apartment route you might keep that check in time in mind- ask for early check in/luggage storage or even book extra night at start. Be sure the beds are all actually “real” beds- not futons or sofa beds.
2 hotel rooms gives you 2 bathrooms as well, can be a real time saver on such a short stay.

My recommendation for Sorrento is Grand Hotel de la Ville- a beautiful hotel with fantastic views and gorgeous rooms, best bkft we’ve ever had, easy flat walk to train to center of town.
https://www.delavillesorrento.com

thanks all. Seems like there are a lot of Ala Hotel fans here on this forum. As an FYI...for the dates i am considering it is working out to be to $ 1500+ for just 3 nights (need to book 2 rooms for 4 adults). Plus i dont like the idea of our adult kids staying in a whole another diff room...defeats the whole purpose of traveling together as a family. I am able to find absolutely spectacular and spacious 2/3/4 bedroom air bnbs in great locations in Venice for a far lower price...in the $ 400 - $ 700 range for this same period and excellent reviews (recognize and the understand the check in timings restrictions...usually most owners provide some flexibility here in my exp).

Seems many in this forum tend to use more of Booking.com and stay in hotels.....may be worth for your all to try air bnb as well...it is a great app, great customer service and great ease of use....booking.com seem way too cluttered and clumsy for my taste.

Robert, Wilmington, DE, USA and Christine H - Great advise and feedback. Thank you much!! Ya'll should be asking Rick Steeves to pay you for this service :)

Shekar - thanks for the compliment. WOW! Prices have gone way up at Hotel Ala since I was last there 2 1/2 years ago and I had a spectacular upgraded room! Hmmm, may have to rethink apartments in Venice. :)

Plenty of folks here use airbnb. I just prefer not to- would rather give my dollars to the local tourism industry. Airbnb has done a lot of damage to the local housing industry and the local tourism industry.
I have heard of both good and bad experiences with airbnb- the last was my sister this past fall- it was really really bad- and it was a "Super Host". I don't like dealing with all the extra fees, odd cancellation policies and deposits/prepayment.
I never pay in advance and never book any hotel that doesn't offer a full cancellation up til at least 48 hours or so.

Plenty of folks here use Booking.com as well. Some just for researching/narrowing down choices then booking on the actual website.
I have used Booking.com for so long I have found that I actually get better discounts with my Genius Level than I can with the hotel. I like having all my bookings in 1 place.
Booking.com also has many apartment listings with easier cancellation policies, etc.

To each his own.

No matter where you choose to lay your heads be sure you have Air Condtioning!

For our stay in Italy, we used either booking.com or booked direct with a Rick Steves recommended hotel. In Venice, we booked with booking.com and stayed at Prince apartments. We would stay there again. It is a 5-10 minute walk from the Arsenale vaporetto stop. It has air con and an elevator if needed; as well as a washer/dryer.— I would do any dirty laundry before you leave just for the convenience. On the air con, it was only in the front 2 rooms (master bedroom and living / dining area with a pull out sofa that my daughter was quite comfortable on) but if you keep the doors open, they kept the entire apartment very comfortable and cool. My son slept in the back bedroom which had a fan and with the doors open he was fine. We were there in June.

I've never traveled to Europe with more than one other person--and am usually solo--but would worry about having only one bathroom if sharing with three others.

Hi! acraven has a good point: sharing a bathroom might challenge the plumbing, especially the hot water!

For an apartment in Venice, we like the locally-owned company Venice Red House. They are very easy to work with and have an excellent cancellation policy ( free cancellation up to 15 days in advance; some fees apply after that). They have apartments all over Venice at various price points. They have always met us at the vaporetto and walked us to the apartment for check-in; I assume that is still the practice.

You probably want a 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartment.

When we retired 10 years ago, the first thing we did was head to Venice for the whole month of October. We loved this apartment with a rooftop terrace(altana):

https://veniceredhouse.com/apartments-in-venice/the-lions-house-apartment-lion-4/

It became our ritual each evening to go up to the altana for the 6pm ringing of the church bells all around the city. And we could wave good-bye to the departing criise ships which towered above the buildings as they passed down the Giudecca Canal. Now, thankfully, the big cruise ships cannot use that route and have to,dock elsewhere, across the lagoon on the mainland near Marghera, or at another port.

The location is excellent—-. close to Rialto Bridge and the famous market, which we would visit each morning to buy produce and perhaps seafood for our dinner. There is a nice path to the San Marco area that stays off the crowded streets used by tour groups, and it easy to get to the north side of Venice for the vaporetto to Murano or other island. But that apartment has only two beds, both large ones. Just downstairs in the same building is a similar apartment with twin beds in the second bedroom, which might be better for your family. No access to the altana, though.

https://veniceredhouse.com/apartments-in-venice/the-lions-house-apartment-lion-3/

Either of these would be around €900 for three nights at the end of June. And the same company has others, in different locations and at lower prices ( especially if you can manage with only 1bathroom instead of 2).

With your daughter’s interest in beaches, you might like to stay on the Lido:

https://veniceredhouse.com/apartments-in-venice/calmo-3-sx-apartment/

But that would mean riding the vaporetto back to Venice each day for your tourism activities. And she may be disappointed in the quality of the beaches in Italy.

Shekar

I like your itinerary. We have done Venice-Florence-Rome for 3-2-5 nights plus a 7 day cruise which included one day visit of Sorrento (we loved it). In retrospect, we wished that we had allocated one night from Rome to Florence, so your 3-3-4 nights would be great for those 3 cities.

You may wish to consider a Venice-Florence-Sorrento-Rome sequence. The fast train and transfer from Florence to Naples/Sorrento is less than 4.5 hours in total. If you only have 2 or 3 nights in Sorrento, I can see that part of the trip to be very rushed and not very relaxing. While you are there, it will be tempting to do "must-sees" like Positano, Capri, Pompeii, Naples which will require trains or a ferry. Personally, I would prefer to end the vacation on a high note in Rome (with the longest stay, all of its major highlights concentrated within the city within easy walking or metro rides and at least a chance to relax) and with probably better (cheaper?) return flight options.

I would suggest staying close to the train stations, so you do not have to lug your bags too far or need to pay for a taxi or metro (or vaporetto in Venice). With 4 adults plus luggage, you may need 2 cabs. With 4 people and 3-4 night stays, an AirBnB or similar (which have cleaning and booking fees) may end up cheaper than two hotel rooms. If you still want some hotel suggestions, we stayed at Hotel Olimpia in Venice (2 minute walk from airport bus stop and about 10 minutes over Constitution Bridge to San Lucia train station), Hotel Albani in Florence (on quiet street a block from Santa Novella train station) and Hotel IQ Roma (less than 10 minute walk from Termini train station). All are close to major stops for metro, bus or vaporetto or are within walking distance of major attractions. Being close to public transport makes it easy for you to get to attractions, do day trips and to return home each day. All three had fantastic breakfast buffets included (at least when we were there). We did not stay in Sorrento. Use google maps, booking.com or Expedia to do your hotel research and comparisons, but whenever possible, try to book direct with the hotel. If you sign up for the hotel membership, you can sometimes get membership discounts, free breakfasts or upgrades. I find I get great personal service when I send a short polite email a day or two before arrival especially if I expect to arrive very early or late. Otherwise all you are is a booking.com confirmation number.

Good luck.

funpig, Thank you for your detailed reply. We have settled on Venice-Florence-Rome-Sorrento (4,3,4,3 nights) starting mid/late June. will fly back from Naples as the cost diff between Rome and Naples is not too much. Plus we wish to end the tour relaxing in Sorrento last 3 nights. Will be all air bnb. While fancy hotels may be nicer we are there mainly for sights/tours of the towns we are visiting and not so much for plush hotel stays or hearty hotel breakfasts which in my view are a big waste of moneys...the money we save we can put to good use elsewhere during this trip. Plus if we are off the beaten path on air bnb that is probably all the more fun...because what is the point of traveling if you are restricting yourselves to the beaten (tourist) paths and being way too cozy/comfortable.....a little bit of adventure, discovery, serendipity (and even some mild misfortune) can make these trips memorable and interesting...isn't that the whole point of traveling and exploring new people and places. Happy travels all.