Suggestions on where to go in Italy..

Kim - It all depends on what your interests are, how much time (and money) you have and when you want to go. For that many people, renting a villa makes a lot of sense. You might search on previous posts here and also at Lonely Planet.

A great place to research rental houses and apartments is SlowTrav.com. They have all kinds of information, listings and reviews.

Thanks!! we would most likely have about 12 days or so..we would probably rent a car but just for day trips..many of us like to go to museums etc..we usually split up and then come together at night..I was thinking like the Amalfi coast or Tuscany..I don't really think I want to do Rome..but maybe

Check out www.agriturismo.it for places to stay. I think it was recommended on one or Rick's shows or in one of his books, although I can't remember right now. It has listings of villas and non-city lodgings for all areas of Italy.

Kim
Check out www.theparkercompany.com and ask for their book - Undiscovered Italy from Cottages to Castles. 800 - 280 - 2811. The book is divided by areas of Italy and has pictures and how many people each property holds. I am hoping to do one their villas on a future trip. They have a variety of prices. A friend stayed in Lucca last summer and just rented 3 apartments for a group your size. It is probably cheaper then the book I am telling you about, but I love looking and fantazing about staying at one of the parker properites in a few years.
Have fun planning. My friends loved Lucca and said it was a good central location for walking and hoping trains around the area.

Kim, We had a group of 9 and rented through rentvillas.com. They have great customer service via phone or email. When checking out rental companies find out what comes with the rental, i.e., maid service, welcoming dinner, towels, etc. We had two cars for daytrips and used walkie-talkies with a 2 mile radius to easily contact each other (as we'd often go different directions and meet up later) and it worked out great. For this stay we chose the Tuscany area near Umbria as we wanted to cover both. Get a good map of the area and pinpoint the places you really want to see and then find a spot in the middle, if possible. happy travels.

we just got back from amalfi area (summerinitaly.com)
you will love it. we stayed in priano, less touristy, we really got to know the locals, great seafood, beaches... you can take day trips to capri, pompeii

I agree with Ronda, above. We adored the Sorrento and Amalfi and Capri areas last May. Simply stunning. Boat trip to Capri and Blue Grotto, and afternoon at Marina Piccola (Bagni di Gioia) were all memorable. Strolling in Sorrento at night, tasting the best Granita on the planet from the Lemon Man vendor, and dinner at Il Buco were definite highlights. Then, in Positano: lunch to go from the Delikatessen, dinner at La Cambuso, moonlit strolls on the beach. We loved exploring Villa de Cimbrone high up in Ravello. Pompeii was wonderful as well. All of these far surpassed our hectic, noisy, hot experiences in Rome.