Both doing research and writing. I'm setting a novel there. I'll visit both Pompeii and Herculaneum. Orvieto looks amazing and I'm definitely putting that on my list. No Venice. Honestly, except for Rome, none of the other large cities are appealing to me. So crowded and expensive. I'll have already spent a week in Lisbon and Paris and, adding Rome into the mix, I'm going to want something a little more laidback. I'm considering just spending the entire month in Sicily and calling it a day, except for having to go to Pompeii and wanting to see a little bit of Italian life in the middle of the country.

There are so many wonderful places in Italy.
I can certainly see wanting something different after Lisbon, Paris and Rome.

Personally, I think of Bologna as a city, certainly not a small town, since it is a population of a bit under 400,00, a little larger than Florence, though it could still be an interesting place to see Italian city life in that part of the country. It is large enough to easily absorb tourists as smaller places that get the same number of tourists may not. There are smaller towns like Ferrera, to which you could do day trips.
https://www.lolaakinmade.com/europe/...bologna-italy/

OTOH, beautiful, very small towns/cities like Lucca, Siena and Pisa are super busy during the day, but empty at night and you have the city to yourselves. Lucca and Siena are especially lovely. Two small towns I also really like are Vicenza, (between Verona and Venice) and Pordenone, (north of Venice), but they might be boring unless you are going out every day.

I was in Sicily for only a few days, but loved it. Don’t miss Agrigento.

I also love chaotic, busy, noisy, Naples, though it is definitely a big city. It is vibrant and beautiful with the warmest people I have met anywhere. Talk about Italian life! It is in full force here! People still bring baskets of fruits and vegetables up to their apartments through windows with ropes. Naples has had my heart from my first visit.

Since Rome seems to be for certain, why not do Rome for six days and the Amalfi Coast for another six days, the rest in Sicily. Fly or take an overnight ferry from Naples to Sicily.

Good luck in your decisions. All choices are good.

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...icily-1708079/

A trip report that might be useful.

One Month In Italy
 

Sorrento is a beautiful city and a great spot to anchor your trip, given that you are mostly interested in Southern Italy.

This is the most comprehensive trip report with great photos. It could be very helpful in making your decisions.

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...1708079/page8/

Oh yes, the archeological museum in Naples is incredible. And Orvieto is, imo, a don't miss from Rome. Looking forward to hearing all about your trip.

ps...have you searched on Fodor as part of your research? Scads of trip reports.
Also, as Sass writes above, ferry schedules will be different out of season, but life is still going on, just double check times.

I'm going to go look at the trip reports now. I didn't even know those were out there so I'm excited to dive in. The archeological museum seems right up my alley. Thanks so much!

Trip reports take so much time and effort, but are appreciated because they are inspirational and the information is invaluable in planning. I can’t tell you how many places I have included on a trip because someone wrote about them in a trip report. I have even sat in a place in Dubrovnik and toasted a fellow Fodorite who had written rave reviews of the spot. One of my favorite places in Provence was mentioned by another Fodorite, who lives in France. My favorite hotel I have ever stayed in was described in glowing terms in a trip report on Turkey.
Some trip reports have detailed information. Some have incredible photos. Others are detailed itineraries by people who travel extensively in one country.
Sometimes, people meet up for drinks or dinner, etc. with another Fodorite who is traveling to the same place. That is a wonderful experience.

What Sassafrass wrote again! In addition to doing a separate Fodor's search, when you are posting just tap on other posters' names and you'll be taken to their profiles; scroll down to their trip reports.

On my kindle, above the Europe heading is 'Home/Destination' and 'See Trip reports' is on the right. Enjoy.

Care to share about your writing???

I write historical fiction. My fourth releases this winter and when I pitched a dual timeline set in Pompeii my editor was all over it. :) I developed a bit of an obsession with ancient roman history in high school and have dreamed of seeing Pompeii/Herculaneum for decades. We're leaving in July for a family gap year and my husband and I made sure to include Italy on our list. We'll likely return in the spring. I want to get dual citizenship (jure sanguinis).

This is an amazing resource. I'm thrilled to have discovered it and so, so grateful to everyone who has taken the time to post.

I've arranged for two weeks in Modica. Not sure where else we'll be headed next, but the last week we'll go to Solerno (from where I'll go to Pompeii/Herculaneum.) After that is Rome! I just need to decide where to spend that third week of October. I'd like to stay in the south but I'm not sure I want to go to Palermo. I'd like something smaller. Any suggestions?

Being a published author congrats, kimincincy! I am happily jealous that you qualify for duel citizenship in Bella Italia.

We never got to Modico so I can't contribute. Did you look at Catania and Siracusa?It wa a long train trip from Siracusa to Sorrento but doable.

You can always go back and do a proper search, but not even looking back you can see several trip reports on the first pages of the Europe Forum. The have a little airplane icon on the upper left at the beginning of the post. I see Whitehall’s post on Sicily, two on Scotland and England, one on France and One on Portugal, all on the first page. After awhile you will get to know some posters who have traveled someplace and remember their reports for reference. Stu Dudley is famous for his itineraries, which he kindly sends to people who request them. Every country seems to have one or more experts. The more I have used these trip reports, the better my trips have become.
Another site that might interest you is Paestum on the Amalfi Coast. It is an archeological site of Greek rather than Roman temples.
https://ecobnb.com/blog/2018/05/paestum-italy/