That is 5 hotel changes--not a good idea.

oh boy....should i cut out sorrento? i just thought it would be easier to get to pompeii from there. whats the best way to fit in a day trip to pompeii?

You could go from Rome to Naples, drop the bags at the hotel, take the train to Pompeii, and spend that night in Naples. Next day you could move on down the coast. That's how I did it but there's obviously more than one way to skin this cat! lol

Arrive Rome..
Go straight to Positano.
Relax. drink Limoncello.
Spend 4-5 days. Take day trips.

Go to Rome for 4-5 days.

Make things simple.

Hi DT - An alternative might be to visit Pompeii en route from Rome to Capri.

There is a luggage store at the entrance to Pompeii. After visiting Pompeii you can continue to Capri via Sorrento.

Steve

We easily did Pompeii as a day trip from Positano.

Absolutely stay on Capri!!
Capri is SO different after dark, and so romantic! It was the best part of our trip to the AC.

With that said, I would stay in Rome, Capri and Positano. Cut out Sorrento.
That is only 3 hotels for the whole trip, which isn't bad for 10 days.

I think Positano is a "nicer" and more romantic place to stay than Sorrento and is situated pretty centrally on the AC. While there for 5 days hubbie & I took daytrips to Amalfi, Sorrento and Pompeii.

Pompeii is really not a bad daytrip from Positano, (leave early!).
And I would personally rather have a longer trip to Pompeii, than stay the whole time in Sorrento.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!!!
I have one more itinerary draft. I would arrive in Rome early morning and get on the first train to Florence. Spend 2 nights in Florence. Leave for Positano in the morning and spend 3 nights there. The 4th morning in Positano, we'd go to Pompeii for the day and then head to Rome for our last 4 nights. Please send any/all thoughts....
Day 1 Florence
Day 2 Florence
Day 3 Positano
Day 4 Positano - day trip to Amalfi/Ravello
Day 5 Positano - day trip to Capri
Day 6 Day trip to Pompeii - Rome
Day 7 Rome
Day 8 Rome
Day 9 Rome
Day 10 depart Rome to US

Absolutely do NOT give Florence and Venice only one day each. I'd rather see you skip them altogether. I'd omit either Venice/Florence OR Positano, et al.

hi caroltis - i changed the itinerary...the new one is in the post above yours...any thoughts on the revised schedule?

We went to Italy two years ago and did the following:

4 nights Venice
3 nights Florence
4 nights Rome
4 nights Sorrento with side trips to Capri and Positano
Home from Naples

I would skip Venice rather than do only devote a day to it. Venice is beautiful. You will not want to leave.

If you only have nine days I would just do Rome and the Amalfi Coast. Rome is an amazing place. You could easily spend a week there alone. You need at least a day for the Vatican and then another day for the Forum and then at least another day or two for the rest of it.

Leave Florence and Tuscany for another time.

AC is incredibly lovely. I adored Capri and Sorrento. Words almost fail to describe how lovely the waters are there. You can do a day trip to Pompeii from Sorrento more easily than you can from Positano. Don't stint them unless you have to.

FYI, the Naples airport is just fine. You may to consider flying out of it. We were able to get there in about an hour and a half from Sorrento via buses and trains.

Anastacia's totally right - you can't see it all, and if you spread yourself too thin you won't be able to enjoy it as you should. I did Rome and Amalfi Coast on one trip in 2005, and then did Tuscany and a little bit more of Rome in 2007.

On my first outing I left a few days unplanned, and kept myself open to see how I felt when I was there. I struck up a conversation with an American on the train who is a regular visitor to the area, he offered some suggestions and that's how I ended up in Sorrento.

You don't have to fully commit every moment of your trip in advance. If you give yourself a little space to be spontaneous, that's when you make your own discoveries and havd your own adventure.

so you think 2 days florence, 4 days amalfi coast and 3 days rome is too much for one trip?

Originally you were planning to spend only one day in Florence, which tells me that there is not a lot there that you've been dreaming of seeing all your life. Now you've upped to two, and I don't understand why.

Spend 4 relaxed days in rome and 4 on the amalfi, and return to rome to fly home. If you are bored one day in Rome, take the 90 minute train ride to Firenze, see a few things and have lunch, by some salami and wine to eat on the train back. If you are bored two days in Rome, take an hour ride to Orvieto (and by some salami and wine to eat on the train back). Or an hour bus ride to Tivoli gardens.

i never considered florence before...but friends have been telling me the food is great there =) so now i want to go....u think it's feasible?

I don't know why your friends think the food in Firenze is great. I think many other places in Italy and even in Tuscany have better food because they cater to far fewer tourists. Personally, I'm not such a big fan of Tuscan food (too meaty, cheesy) and would rather eat Roman food any day, and likewise the food of Campania (Amalfi). And of course there are restaurants in Rome where you can eat Tuscan food.

Girarrosto Fiorentino
Address: Via Sicilia 46 (near the Vatican)

Tullio (near the spanish steps)
Address:
26 Via San Nicola da Tolentino, Rome, 00187
* Phone: +39 06 474 5560
* Fax: +39 6 481 8564
* Email: [email protected]
* Website: http://www.tullioristorante.it/

RISTORANTE TERRA DI SIENA
Addres Piazza Pasquino, 77
(this one is near the piazza Navona, pretty much just behind the church of Sant' Agnese in Agone)

But if it is certainly feasible to take a 90 minute train ride to Firenze (florence) from Rome and have a lunch and see the beautiful cathedral and walk around a bit. You don't have go to museums to see a great many beautiful things in Firenze.

And you don't have to go to Firenze to eat Fiorentino food.

Actually, if you want to go to Tullio, it's just off the Piazza Barberini. It's a pricey menu, but it is cheaper than two round-trip fast train tix to Firenze.

And here is the website for Girarrosto Fiorentino, with a map

http://www.girarrostofiorentino.it/

and Terra di Siena -- but remember this is a slightly different cuisine from Florentine food. It's Sienese Tuscan"

http://www.ristoranteterradisiena.com/

so it's not worth going straight to florence for 2 nights to shop and eat?
i think what peopl ehave suggested on this thread is 4 nights in positano and 5 nights in rome. do u agree?

You have 9 nights - take Florence out of your itinerary. Fly into Rome and have a driver take you directly to Positano. Spend 4 nights there and do daytrips to surrounding towns. Ferry over to Capri for one night, then ferry to Naples to pick up the train to Rome for your last 4 nights. This is exactly what my husband and I did in September and it worked out very well.

Keep an open itinerary and allow for time to just relax and do nothing! You will feel too rushed if you try to move around all the time just to say you saw a bunch of places. Believe me, I understand the desire to fit in as many cities as you can, but your memories will be of moving around, not enjoying yourself!

One more thing - if you are traveling THIS May, you need to finalize your itinerary and start booking your hotels! A lot of good places book up in advance. :)