Trip to Florence, Cinque Terra, Tuscany, Amalfi Coast in 2 weeks

The Amalfi Coast is further away from everything else. Many people would do either the Italian Riviera (e.g. Cinque Terre) or the Amalfi Coast but not both on one trip, unless it was a longer trip. There is plenty to see in northern Italy to fill more than two weeks.

Still, if you really wanted to do what you suggest, it would probably make more sense to fly into or out of Naples or Rome and perhaps Florence at the other end, on an "open jaw" ticket, to save you the time backtracking all the way to or from Florence. But I guess it depends what the flight options are for you - they are different for everyone.

I don't know why Rome and Venice aren't on your list - maybe you've been to them before?

Expect the Cinque Terre (which I loved and have been to more than once) to be a zoo in June, FYI. Mobs of people trying to hike the trails. There is more to the beautiful Riviera than just the Cinque Terre, and must of the rest of it is much less crowded than the Cinque Terre is.

Thank you so much for your response. As I have been doing some research, it does seem that we should just focus on Tuscany, Florence, and Cinque Terra. Yes, we have both been to Rome. I have been to Venice, but my husband has not. I need to discuss with him whether he would want to go there too. We want to see beautiful scenery, but we do not want to be very rushed. You mentioned that there might be more beautiful places to see than Cinque Terra, especially due to the crowds. If you had 10-14 days and wanted to be in the area surrounding Florence, as well as spending some time in Florence, what would you suggest. I am grateful for your input.

Cindy, I have not actually spent much time in the little towns of Tuscany or the countryside - only in Florence (and a day trip to the little town of Fiesole nearby) plus Siena, a delightful town. You don't need a car to enjoy those places - easy to get to by train or bus. But I understand that if you want to explore the little Tuscan towns, a car really helps. You wouldn't want one for the rest of the places on the itinerary in northern Italy, in my opinion. Others can advise you about rural Tuscany or just search the forum - it's a popular part of an Italian vacation.

I've been to the Italian Riviera a number of times. Besides the Cinque Terre, to the north is the Portofino peninsula, which includes some lovely towns like Rapallo, Santa Margherita Ligure, Portofino (which has a reputation as a ritzy town - nice to visit but I would stay elsewhere), and Camogli. A few years ago, I spent three nights in Camogli, which is an adorable little Italian seaside town. It may start to get busy by June (I was there in May when it was still sleepy), but it will surely be much less crowded than anywhere in the Cinque Terre - which, again, I love, but I'm not sure I'd ever want to endure the big crowds there in the summer.

Some people like the city of Genoa, which is easy to get to by train from the riviera towns, which are all well connected by regular train service. I wasn't a big fan of Genoa - all depends on your preferences - but it might be worth a day trip at least. The trains are so easy in this part of Italy.

Last year, in addition to returning to the riviera, I spent a few days north of Genoa in Turin, another really nice town and not as firmly on the Italian tourist path as Florence or Venice or the Cinque Terre. Turin was Italy's original capital, briefly, before Rome, and was an important city in Piedmont, the capital of the Duchy of Savoy, but after Rome became Italy's capital Turin became less important...but it feels like a huge, important capital with big palaces and squares. It has an appealing cafe culture. There's also an (improbable) Egyptian museum in Turin that's worth checking out. It's an impressive city.

I'm not sure you have time to fit it in, depending on what else you want to see. But it's well worth a visit, something at least slightly different from the typical Italian vacation. You could fly into/out of Milan and train to Turin easily from there, then head south down to the riviera, then over the Florence and rural Tuscany from there. (Or do it in the opposite order.)

I don't think Turin is covered in Rick's Italy book. (Another reason it gets fewer tourists than average.) There are some good YouTube videos that help you explore it - go search for a few to get a flavor for it.

There are a lot of choices, really. Up to you what you want to do and see!