Travel Advice for Rome, Florence, and Amalfi Coast Trip

Hi, Giangilberto from Milan, I'll take question 3, transport is what I know best, my advice is to absolutely avoid using a car for Rome, Florence, and Naples, they are very well connected by train Frecciarossa or Italo which get you there in no time (Florence to Rome takes about an hour and a half, and Rome to Naples is just over an hour). You can check all the details and book tickets directly on their official websites:
https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html
https://www.italotreno.com/en
It is best to avoid driving, as these cities are full of ZTLs (restricted traffic zones) and you could easily get fined. They are all cities that are perfect for exploring on foot at a leisurely pace, I recommend wearing comfortable walking shoes, especially in Rome, where the historic center is paved with cobblestones.
The situation is different for the Amalfi and Sorrento coasts, but even there, the advice is to avoid using a car,the roads are narrow and winding, clinging to steep cliffs overlooking the sea, and there may also be traffic restrictions. In my opinion, the best option is to take the train to Salerno and then catch a ferry.
The ferries are definitely running in may, but I’m not sure if they are in April as well, it’s better to check it before you leave.
For example, the situation is different for Pompeii, you can get there via the Circumvesuviana a train line operated by EAV rather than Trenitalia. Check their official website and book your tickets there:
https://www.eavsrl.it/
Last but not least, in Italy, public transport strikes are not announced months in advance, but usually just a few weeks beforehand. My best advice is to check whether any strikes are scheduled during your trip; do this a week before you leave by visiting the Ministry's official website:
https://scioperi.mit.gov.it/mit2/public/scioperi

Welcome!

With just 10-12 days you barely have time for Rome Florence and AC
If you want to see venice then drop the AC
You will need to be in your departure city night before flight home so be sure to account for that
If RT Rome is your best option
fly in to Rome and head right to Florence for at least 4 nights (which is really just 3.5 days including a jet lag day but allows for a day trip)
Then train all the way to AC
Naples or Sorrento probably your best base-4 nights here because it will take most of the day to get here
Then train back to Rome for at least 4 nights
Fly home

If you can fly into Florence, out of Naples you won’t waste so much time traveling

You don’t want or need a car in any of your locations-all best done by train
Easter is March 28 next year so either of your time choices are fine
May will be more crowded but even early April will be busy as well
Everything will be open

You will need timed entries booked for all major site-use only the official sites

The time of year is fine. My preference would be first half of April because there will be fewer tourists. Look at The Weather Channel for each of your destinations, then check "monthly" and "2027" to get average temperatures for the time you plan to travel.

Rely on public transportation. Look at the Trenitalia English language website to learn travel times and costs. Florence is walkable. The main tourist destinations in Rome are a bit spread out so familiarize yourself with the bus and subway systems. For three people, a cab may be a faster, cost-effective way to move around the city. Use Maps on your smart phone to navigate. The Amalfi Coast includes multiple possible destinations which are spread out. I would NOT suggest trying to drive there. Bus and train transportation could take you to almost any destination on the Amalfi Coast, but it can become a bit slow and cumbersome.

If you have 12 days, two of those are spent on planes. Travel between cities and changing hotels will use up more precious time. I'd suggest limiting your itinerary to Rome and Florence. There are a number of excellent day trips outside these 2 cities that you might consider, such as Tivoli, Ostia Antica, or Orvieto.

Keep asking questions as you develop your itinerary.

I'm going to suggest sticking to the big three: flying into Venice, then Florence, then into Rome. Moving about by train works for these three destinations. Flying into Venice (or Milan) is easier than flying out of Venice.

The AC is very different than the influencers' photos. The AC eats time and patience, as the transportation infrastructure has been so sadly neglected, so moving about in congestion is slow. The public transportation modes also aren't as efficient or user-friendly as northern Italy. The AC needs a time commitment, minimum of four-five days, as just getting into the area, and back out is more than a half day challenge each . If this is a priority, I'd recommend only one other destination. Try to max out your days, if at all possible, minimum of twelve days in country?
The best base would be Salerno, as it has the only high speed rail transportation. Getting to Sorrento involves regional trains, which operate more like a NYC subway: crowded, hot, delays, SRO many times.

Stay away from the week before and week after Easter, and the week before/after May 1, which is also a major holiday in Italy.

Have a great family trip. Enjoy!

Welcome to the forum silentpoet91.
You have an ambitious schedule if you want to see all three of your first choices. Adding Venice to that gives you no time to see it.

Which is most important to you? Amalfi Coadt or Venice? Italy is bigger than you imagine (think California, elongated with lots to see).

I’d recommend either Rome and north OR Rome and south. Know you will return to Italy to see the other. If north, fly into Venice, train to Florence, train to Rome, fly home from Rome. If south, fly into Rome, train to Naples, train to Salarno, bus or ferry to A/C, reverse direction to fly home from with Naples or Rome.

Count nights, not days, for each city. You have approximately four nights each or 3 days. Adjust how long you want to stay in each city but remember that jet lag wipes you out for most of your first day. You lose at least half a day each time you change locations. You need to be in the city you are departing from the night before your flight.

Buon Viaggio!

1. May will likely have warmer weather and less chance of rain, but there will also be more tourists. If the Amalfi Coast and the Path of Gods is part of your itinerary, then I'd rather be there in May, so that you can also enjoy swimming in the crystal clear (albeit still a bit cool) sea waters and are more likely to be able to walk the Path. In case of red or orange weather alert by the Department of Civil Protection, the Path will be closed, and that is more likely in April than late May. Shops, hotels, museums, and other tourist sights will be fully open in both periods. Nothing shuts down at the locations you intend to go.

2. The ideal allocation of 11 nights is 3 in Florence, 4 on the Amalfi Coast, 4 in Rome (in this order, since you will likely fly back from Rome). No time for Venice unless you cut the Amalfi Coast or increase your vacation days. Venice also deserves 3 nights.

3. See above no. 2. Venice is worth a visit more than Milan, in my opinion.

4. Trains and buses and occasional taxicabs for transfers from airports/stations to hotel and viceversa, since you will be encumbered by luggage when you first arrive or depart.

5. Logistically Sorrento would be my first choice, since you plan to see Pompeii as well. Some also like to stay in Salerno.

6. Florence and Rome, both have Opera houses which have live performances. The Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, a yearly event at the Opera house in Florence, has many performances from the end of April to the end of June. Near Sorrento the city of Naples has the famous San Carlo Theater (Teatro San Carlo), the oldest Opera House in the world. There might be other smaller concerts and events at other venues, including churches. You just have to check online for the dates you are interested.

7. You can find the best restaurants online. I use TripAdvisor, TheFork, and also GoogleMaps for that purpose. TripAdvisor is the most used by Italians. TheFork is the one with fewer fake reviews because I think you can post a review only if you have actually been there. To see what people suggested in this forum, you can use the search box above specifying the location you are interested in (for example "Restaurants Rome"), lots of previous posts will come up.

8. With only a couple of days per city at your disposal, if you stick to the 5 to 10 main attractions of each city (you can google those online), you won't have time to run into places that are not worth seeing. Some people consider the visit to the Blue Grotto in the island of Capri an expensive tourist trap, but I greatly enjoyed it. So to each his own.