Which itinerary with teen & tween

I would do Venice, Florence, Cinque Terre, and Rome. Skip Lake Como and Amalfi. Fly into Venice and out of Rome.

Have you asked the kids what they would like to see? Give them books and/or videos to watch (youtube). They will enjoy it more if they help choose.

Thanks- just wondering why Cinque Terre over amalfi? (Positano)

Cinque Terre is easier to get to when visiting Florence and Venice. The Amalfi Coast is pushing 200 miles south of Rome--down by itself.

I agree with the suggestion to get input from your kids and consider the suggestion to Venice, Florence, Rome. Although I didn't take them to Italy, on other European trips my teens enjoyed sites that felt really different from the US--Venice with the canals, Rome with the Roman ruins, the overall feeling of Rome, and Pompeii would be most likely to appeal to them, but yours might have different preferences.

We traveled all over Europe with teens and tweens. We did just what we would have done without kids, focused on the historical, cultural and art venues. All the kids now are in their 40s and love travel and that early travel laid the foundation for a greater understanding of history, culture and art.

I remember some of the things that the kids really loved: Sistine Chapel (they didn't want to leave); going through the Roman Coliseum; gondola ride in Venice; the Eiffel Tower; going up the Zugspitze in Garmisch, Germany; Pompeii.

One thing, kids do have a limit for going through museums. Still, sometimes museums are just worth it anyway, however try to go for just the most important.

I recommend Venice, Florence and Rome.

You listed six possible places and you really can't go wrong with any of them. But with two weeks I would probably limit it to 4 places. And definitely not both Riveria and Amalfi Coast. But even though moving hotels takes time some times it makes sense. Venice is a must see - it might not even be there when they are older so take them now. But in July it will be jammed and expensive so a couple of days is really enough. Venice the city is the main attraction, don't feel you have to wait hours on line to see the Doges Palace, etc. I would start the trip in Venice, it's a great place to just wander, get over jet lag, be awed by it all. But if your flight gets in in the morning of the first day then just do two nights.

Instead of Lake Como, consider Lake Garda. It's a bit less crowded and 'sort of' on the way from Venice. The top half of the lake is the best. Take the train to Desenzano and get a ferry north to Malcesine and stay there for three nights. In addition to the fijord like lake, there is even a gondola from right in the center of the village to an Alpine like mountain with great views and short easy hikes.

Then train to Florence. Then to Rome. If you really want to include the Amalfi coast I would go there from Florence and do Rome at the end. Fly into Venice and out of Rome. But I would advise to skip the Amalfi coast for this trip. That would give you three to five days in each of Florence and Rome, enough for some day trips if you want. All those train trips are short (under 3 hours) and go city center to city center. Stay somewhere in the vicinity of the train stations. Do your train trips mid day so you can spend a few hours sightseeing, stop by the hotel and pick up your bags, have a picnic lunch on the train, and arrive at the next destination about check in time for the next hotel. You don't really loose much sightseeing time that way.

Here's my photos of all those places - https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/f739967755

Which is better?!

Purely subjective, based on what you want to see/do.

Trip 1 gives you more scenery and water front time. Not really going to find 'beaches' like Florida.

Trip 2 gives you more 'history, etc.'.

Both trips cover about the same end to end distance, so how you arrange your flights would/could make one more manageable than the other

Another thing, beaches in Europe. Believe me, if you make a point to go to a beach, you will be disappointed (unless you go to the Greek Islands).
Beaches in Europe, especially in the Med are not so great, especially compared to Florida and the Caribbean.

Thanks, I get that re: the beaches. I have done trips to the French an Italian Rivieras in the past, so we know what we are dealing with.

When we took our kids to Italy, they were also teenage and tween-age. They loved both Rome and Venice (we didn't make it to Florence). In Rome, in addition to the Coliseum and Sistine chapel, they enjoyed the capucchin monk crypt, Ostia Antica (a short train ride outside of Rome), Castel San'Angelo and just walking around. My son loved navigating the buses and metro. While Venice has fewer attractions (IMO) for the younger set, it is such a unique and interesting city, it's a work of art unto itself. We often rode around on the vaporetti and made the trip to Murano.

Depending on your interest in art, you may want to skip Florence and opt to stay in a villa or small Umbrian or Tuscan town -- with a pool -- on your way from Rome to Venice.

Sounds like a fantastic trip!

DD