We are a group of 10 persons ( 2 couples in early forties and 6 youngsters aged 10 to 22). We are planning for a vacation in Italy and Istanbul in May 14. Our schedule is on these lines:
Fly into Naples
03 nights Amalfi coast (Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi)
02 nights Tuscany and villages incl day trip to Florence or vice versa.
02 nights Rome
02 nights Venice
02 nights Lake Como
Fly out from Milan to Istanbul
02 nights Cappadocia - Hot air ballooning and staying in Cave hotels
03 nights Istanbul
Fly home from Istanbul

Need inputs on feasibility of the above tentative itinerary, travel mode within Italy, stay options (would prefer apartments)
We are very much open for better options.
Youngsters want some adventure activity to be added. Need ideas on it.
Expenditure would be moderate on a scale of luxury, moderate and budget.

We are not first time travellors to Europe.
Thanks

You must not understand travel time and logistics.
You need to cut these destinations in half. This plan is next to impossible for a couple and is folly for a group of ten unless you hire a private jet. I would start over and plan on a max of 5 destinations in 17 days in Europe.

Stick to three locations: Rome, Venice, Istanbul and do day trips from Rome (Tarquinia, Orvieto, Tivoli). Maybe add Florence between Rome and Venice.

With a group of ten, Giritli in Istanbul should be fun (but it is expensive).

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...-Istanbul.html

Pick turkey or Italy. You are trying to do WAY too much. I was in Rome and Amalfi coast with my daughter when she was 12 and we had a great time. Took her to Turkey when she was 19 and it was also great. With ten people you can organize a trip in Turkey that includes time on gulet which is perfect for this age range.

Decide which country and pose the question and you will get lots of planning help.

Turkey is much more "different" than Italy and that may be appealing to this age group. After my Turkey trip, my best friends did similar trip with age range you are discussing. They organized thru a Turkish company and had trip of a lifetime. Between the gulet and Cappadocia, much more "adventure" in turkey.

If you choose italy, figure out if you want to emphasize cities or countryside. In this amount of time you can visit venice, go by train to Florence, pick up car to explore Tuscany, end in Rome. Or concentrate further south and include Pompeii and Sorrento/Capri. For this age group I would recommend an Italian itinerary that included Cinque Terre and leave out another area. Check out trip reports that include Cinque Terre along with other Italian areas.
Maybe rent a villa in Tuscany or Liguria for a week?

If you are set on both countries, you really have to limit your choices.
Hope this helps.

P.s Lake Como is not a kid friendly destination. IMHO you can strike that off your list until the kids are grown and you travel without them.

I cannot imagine this trip being enjoyable for ANYONE. I find it very easy to imagine that every one of you would find this trip miserable. You will spend so much time in transit and checking into/out of hotels and trying to find transportation and trying to find each other after bathroom breaks that you will have almost no time to actually see any of the locations that you plan to visit.
You MAY be able to visit half of your proposed destinations in the time you have for this trip, but I wouldn't swear to it!

I agree that your itinerary is nearly impossible, especially for a group of your size. Remember, every time you change cities, you lose a 1/2 day (pack, check out of hotel, get to train station, train trip, get from train station to hotel, check in, luggage to room/freshen up, then it is time for lunch). So 2 nights = 1.5 days.

I would suggest:

Fly into Naples:
3 nights in Positano (visiting Capri and Amalfi/Ravello as day trips via ferry)
5 nights in Rome, with a day trip to Florence (easy via fast train).
3 nights in Venice.
Fly Venice to Turkey - or skip Turkey entirely and then you have time to see Tuscany.