we are taking the family to italy for the first time this june and i have many questions! we are still working out the itinerary but so far we arrive in venice for two nights then on to florence for four nights, then either positano, sorrento or amalfi, for three nights, then rome for three nights. to start my questions: 1. should we stay in amalfi, positano or sorrento? 2. which area in rome? 3. which area in florence? we are a family of myself, my husband, my son (22), son (17, daughter 12). My family enjoys being able to walk everywhere and stay in the center of things. Thanks in advance

Sounds like a wonderful trip you are planning. In Rome I would recommend the area near the Pantheon or the Piazza Navona. We were there last March (at the time daughter 12 and son 9) and stayed at the Albergo Cesari (www.albergocesari.it) in their quad room. It is an excellent location right near the Pantheon. We walked almost everywhere, except for an early morning tour to the Vatican at 8am. It was a great smaller hotel and we will be returning there this June.

Florence is a lot smaller so you can stay most places and still be walking distance to everywhere. We stayed at the Tourist House Ghiberti (www.touristhouseghiberti.com) which is centrally located near the Duomo.

In Venice we stayed at the Locanda Orseolo (www.locandaorseolo.com) and the whole experience was divine! It is located in a little courtyard off of St. Mark's Square so it is well located but not noisy at all. One side is on the Orseolo Canal other side opens up to the courtyard.
Matteo, Barbara, Francesco, et.al are the perfect hosts, the breakfasts are awesome and you will love everything about this charming boutique hotel.

We have not been to the Amalfi Coast, so can't help you there.

My only recommendation at this point is with 12 nights you may want to consider eliminating one destination (I know it is so hard to decide!!), but imho 3 nights in Rome is just not enough, especially if your family loves cities.

Here is the link to our trip report. http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34599242. Our kids were a bit younger than yours, but you still may get some ideas

I agree with everything in the post above; the Albergo Cesari is a great choice. In Venice, the Hotel Campiello is another excellent family-run hotel (www.hotelcampiello.it) you and your family may enjoy if you can't get the Orseolo.
I prefer to stay in Sorrento as a home base on the Amalfi Coast; transportation and any excursions you might want to take by water, rail, bus or car(Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, Pompeii, Ravello, Capri etc)are most easily available from there. Plus, there's lots of energy in that town, day and night. This summer, my nephew and niece (aged 19 and 20) had a great time meeting friends at the Piazza Tasso in the evening. You'll have lots of hotels to choose from; look for someplace advertising quiet, because the middle of town is a heavy traffic zone, with lots of Vespa traffic.
This is a busy itinerary; I hope you will have enough time to soak in the magic of Venice!

Hi S,

You might want to consider Venice-Florence-Rome-Amalfi Coast, and fly home from Naples.

These threads should help you:

Ira’s Trip Report (Italy)
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34451044

Ira’s Italy Photos
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34552733

Helpful Information: Italy 2
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34568596

You may have taken some time to browse through this forum and its' many trips reports by visitors to Italy .... ran a search on first-timers and came up with this one that may offer you assistance with your plans >>>
- First time in Italy - Trip report part 1 - http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34608234

Another excellent source of info for Italy trip planning is 'Slow Travel' >>> www.slowtrav.com/italy

Our family of 4 did the big three of Rome, Venice, Florence last March. My recommendation would be to take one night away from Florence and stay an additional night in Venice or Rome. Depending on when you arrive in Venice, it sounds like you will only have 1 day there. It would be much easier to see the major sights with 2 days. Florence is a small city and even with a 1/2 day trip to Pisa (and I do think your kids would enjoy that), 3 days is enough time to enjoy the city on a first visit. Oh, and I also strongly recommend the Locanda Orseolo in Venice.