Spring 2022 - Just starting out

One of your stays should be a romantic hotel or agriturismo someplace. To really enjoy Italy, I think a smaller town or city stay needs to be part of any itinerary, instead of only the big three.

Check our Relais Ortaglia, right outside of Montepulciano. Beautiful setting, and close to many other places to keep you busy. Or just relax poolside looking at the vineyards, go for a walk in the vineyards. We’ve stayed there twice.

You might have a little warmer weather in May, but could rain either month.

Either late (after Easter) April or May are good, but May will have warmer temps if you visit either CT or the AC. But water temps will still be cold. For 10 days, I'd certainly stick with Rome and one or 2 places in Tuscany, with a few day trips thrown in. Any good guidebook on Italy will show you the possibilities. In Tuscany the obvious targets would be Florence, Siena, and Lucca.

If you can stretch to 2 weeks, then either CT or the AC could be added. My choice would be Sorrento because of the very easy access to transportation to day tripping around the area. But if you are flying home from Rome, you'd need to either return there the night before your flight, or, preferably, leave the Rome portion of your visit til the end.

I believe ferries run between the months of Apr and Oct in the Amalfi Coast. I went to the Cinque Terre in the middle of Mar and that ferry was operating. You don’t need as much time in the Cinque Terre as you do in the Amalfi Coast unless you hike.
If you go to the Amalfi Coast, consider flying into Florence and out of Naples or vice versa. If you go to the Cinque Terre, try to fly in and out of Rome and Genoa or Milan. If you have ten days go to Tuscany and Rome only.
If you’re hiking in the Cinque Terre add an extra day per hike since they aren’t easy. If you don’t hike then you can visit the five towns by ferry in a day so two nights there is doable. Monterosso will be more convenient to reach if arriving by train from Genoa or Milan so sleep there.
From the Cinque Terre take a train to Florence (3h 30m) that requires a transfer. There are trains that take 3h but involve two transfers and since you’re hauling luggage it might be easier with fewer connections, especially if the station has stairs.
In Florence you want to see the Uffizi Gallery and you want to buy your tickets two months out. Afterwards walk over to Accademia to see David. I would spend two nights in Florence.
The next day take a direct bus to Siena and visit Il Campo square and the duomo in the old town. Sleep in the old town for two nights and the next day take a direct train to Montepulciano (1h 15) for the day. When you get to Montepulciano's train station, you’ll need to take a taxi to the center.
Rent a car before leaving Siena and drive to San Gimignano (1h 30m) and browse through the town before moving on to Volterra (45-minutes) and sleep there two nights.
From Volterra drive to the Chiusi – Chianciano Termi railway station (2h 30m) and drop off your car. I believe the correct address for the car rental location is Via Oslavia, 67, Chiusi Scalo SI, Italy. You can then take a direct train to Rome (2h).
In Rome you want to see the Colosseum at night via a taxi. You also want to visit the Capitoline Museums and the Pantheon. The following day go to Vatican City via metro and visit St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican Museum. You want a minimum of three nights in Rome. I also recommend sleeping in the Trastevere neighborhood.
To get to the Amalfi Coast take a direct train from Roma Termini station to Salerno (1h 45m). Hop on a ferry to get to the Amalfi Coast town you want to sleep in.

If you have only 10 days then AC is not feasible given "Places that are a must for us would be Tuscany and Rome." , unless you want to devote a lot of time to being 'en-route' vs. 'being there'.

Even with 14 days I would suggest CT over AC to simplify your travel logistics and minimize travel time.

If your plans have you flying in/out of Rome, put all you Rome days at the end.

Happy travels

It’s your honeymoon! Find a wonderful place in the Tuscan countryside to spend at least four-five days (Terre di Nano is my fave). Add a couple days in Florence and a few in rome. Two nights in CT (we loved it!) is fine but don’t rush the previous. Amalfi Coast is fantastic but I think you would need to give up/add some days to make it worthwhile.

Congratulations on your marriage and upcoming honeymoon! I hope you convince him to go for 2 weeks...he won't be disappointed!

Rome is a must for a first visit and so is Tuscany. If you are looking for the perfect place for your husband to drink wine and eat meat, I agree with the other comments and suggest Montepulciano. Montepulciano is surrounded by countless wineries and incredible restaurants. It is the perfect homebase town to do just those things! In addition, you can take easy day visits to Siena and Florence if you like. If have done just that during my many visits.

If you need any suggestions for accommodations or restaurants in Rome or Montepulciano, just let me know and I would be happy to share. I wish you both the best honeymoon! -Norm

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on your marriage!
Italy will be a truly memorable honeymoon- good choice!

It is important to know how many NIGHTs you will actually have in Italy. Count your trip in NIGHTs not days.
When you say 10 days- is that 9 NIGHts in Italy or 10?
If at all possible add the extra nights- 14 days/week is how many nights? 13 nights? 14, 15?

Anyway
If you only have 9 or 10 nights- stick with Rome and Tuscany.
I’d split the time almost evenly and limit your lodging moves to 2 or 3. Moving locations takes time, figure half a day for each change.
2 night stays are really only 1.5 days of usable time. Avoid that on such a short trip.
Go as late in April as you can or early May.

Rome needs a minimum of 3 nights- 4 or 5 can easily be filled so don’t shortchange Rome.

Tuscany- I’d give Florence 3 nights then do a few nights in a Tuscany countryside location. Montepulciano is beautiful, quite romantic and really good for wine tasting in town. (Be careful drinking and driving- IOW- don't do it)
You’d want a car for Montepulciano- are you willing to rent a car and drive?

Something like this- assuming 10 nights
Fly into Rome- (likely your best flight option- no direct flights to Florence)
Take train right to Florence on arrival-

Florence 3 nights- your first day here is a bit of a wash- jet lag, etc so this gives you 2 full days
(All major museums will need pre booked entries- avoid Monday as so many things are closed)

Get car as you leave Florence- drive to Montepulciano- 3 nights- lots of lovely villages nearby for day trips

Drop car Chiusi, train to Rome or drive to Rome drop car there
Rome 4 nights
Fly home from Rome

If you can add 4 nights- I'd say go ahead and go south- Sorrento is lovely, some really romantic places to stay in town and so many easy day trips.
Drop car in Chiusi take train to Naples/Sorrento
Sorrento 4 nights with day trips to Pompeii, Capri, Amalfi
then return to Rome to end your trip there.

Congratulations! What a lovely place to celebrate your new life together. You have received a lot of valuable help here and I hope it’s a fabulous trip. ❤️
Ntagg35, I would be interested in your accommodation suggestions for Montepulciano and Rome please.

Hello kathyw. - below are my accommodation suggestions for Rome and Montepulciano. Feel free to let me know if you need any more information!

Rome:
Hotel Albergo del Senato (https://www.albergodelsenato.it/) - This is a wonderful hotel just next to the Pantheon. It is centrally located and very easy to walk to the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum and Forum, Spanish Steps, etc. You can also walk to the Vatican, but it is a bit further. On a nice day, it's worth wandering through the streets to get there!

Montepulciano:
Fonte Martino Guest House & Estate (https://www.fontemartino.com/) - This is my favorite B&B to stay at when I visit. It's just about 5 minutes or so outside of town in the countryside with incredible views of Montepulciano. The owners (David and Toby) are wonderful, very welcoming and both are from the US. This is an undiscovered gem!
Charming Homes (https://www.charminghomemontepulciano.com/en/) - These are great apartments if you are looking for something inside the old town of Montepulciano. I would suggest Alberto 57, which is a spacious apartment just off the main shopping street. The owner (Alberto) speaks English and is very kind.

I hope this was helpful! -Norm