Florence, Montepulciano, Amalfi Coast, Rome - Need Advice
 

My husband and I are heading to Italy the first part of October. Our flights are booked in and out of Rome, and we have a loose itinerary, and some B&Bs booked, but (they are still within a cancellation window, so we're flexible.) This is our first trip to Italy, and while it's tempting to try and cram everything in to one trip, I know it's not realistic. We want our main focus to the be the Amalfi Coast, so we've scheduled most of our time there. We are relatively laid back travellers - we prefer things that are a bit off the beaten path. So my question is two-fold. I'd love opinions from experienced Italy travelers on whether this itinerary is doable, and I also have specific questions about the best way to get from one place to another.
And if you'd like to add your favorite must-see sights or restaurants for these locations, I'll take those as well!

Day 1 - Arrive at FCO - 9:15 am. We were thinking of immediately going from FCO to Roma Termini and taking the train directly to Florence, arriving in Florence in the afternoon.
Day 2 - Spend the day in Florence
Day 3 - Rent a car and drive to Montepulciano. We have reservations at an agriturismo outside of town.
Day 4 - Montepulciano/countryside
Day 5 - Drive to Amalfi Coast. We have reservations at a little inn in Praiano.
Day 6 - Day trip to Capri?
Day 7 - Switch hotels to a B&B in Positano; spend the day exploring - maybe hiking the Walk of the Gods
Day 8 - More exploring - open to suggestions
Day 9 - Drive to Rome - stop in Pompeii; stay in Rome
Day 10 - Rome sightseeing
Day 11 - Depart FCO 11:30am

Are we going too many places, or is the above doable?
If we rent a car in Florence to head out to the countryside, is there anything I need to know or be aware of? I'm hearing horror stories about renting cars within the ZTL, and automatically getting tickets.
Is then driving from Montepulciano to the Amalfi Coast the best way to get there? Will we need the car once we're there, or will it be more of a nuisance? (It's worth noting that we've driven in Spain and in Greece, so we're not total strangers to winding roads and tiny alleys.)

Thanks for any advice you have!

"Are we going too many places, or is the above doable?"

It's "doable" in a time sense but not IMO in an enjoyment sense. And you're certainly not going to have much time for getting "off the beaten path" (whatever that means to you when referring to some of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe).

Personally, I would skip Florence and Montepulciano, and I wouldn't rent a car for the rest. The sights of Florence and Tuscany could easily fill 8 days (which is what you have outside of arrival and departure days).

But there are other reasons why I'd suggest dropping this part of your plan:

If Day 2 is a Sunday or Monday, you probably would not be able to see all of Florence's treasures because many things are not open every Sunday and/or Monday. But check your sightseeing plans, because even on another day of the week you may find it difficult/impossible in a single day to see/do all that you hope.

Although driving Florence-Montepulciano on slower, more interesting secondary roads would take a bit less than 3 hours, even the fastest route Montepulciano-Praiano is well over 6 hours (not including lunch or comfort stops). That doesn't leave much time for interesting things or detours along the way.

With only 4 nights on the Amalfi Coast, I wouldn't switch hotels... with the exception of perhaps one night on Capri.

Limiting sightseeing in Rome to one day would be a form of torture to me. Your interests may vary, but IMO Rome is one of the most interesting cities on the planet.

Sorry, correction, you have NINE days outside of arrival and departure days...

Just so you know, there is nothing in your itinerary that is "off the beaten path." In the first part of October, everywhere you go will be sharing space with a lot of tourists.

You are spending gso little time in Rome & Florence, it is not clear what you would consider 'doable". What specifically do you want to see in these cities/

Looks to me like the more fun trip for you would be to land at Rome airport & take a train to Naples, then get a taxi to Positano. Stay there for a couple of days and then take a train to Orvieto. Spend the night there, rent a car the next day, then go driving around the area of Montepulciano. Drop off the car in Orvieto (or Chiusi), take the train to Rome. Fly home.

Jean - thanks for the tip about museums being closed on Monday - I honestly hadn't even thought of that, and sure enough, Day 2 would be a Monday.

Florence wasn't initially in our plans, actually. But so many people that I've talked to recently have declared Florence as their favorite city in Italy, that we felt like we needed to find a way to add it in. But it doesn't look like that will work logistically, and then it does take the pressure off to rush from one place to another. (And we'll just have to plan another trip to make it to that part of the country!)

Massimop - thanks for the recommendation of Orvieto. That wasn't even on our radar, but as I'm doing an initial search, it looks like a great destination for us - I'm going to keep looking into it.

I think we can split the trip in two - 4.5 days in Tuscany (with an Orvieto stop), and 5 days in Positano. (Rome is really not a priority for us - it was just the best options for flights for us, so we figured we'd squeeze in whatever sightseeing we can while we're there, but won't plan around it.)

Any specific recommendations for your favorite stops in the Montepulciano area, or in the Amalfi Coast?

So, you arrive on a Sunday. Your only rental pickup options that day are FCO and the main train station (Termini), but driving more than an hour or so after an overnight flight isn't a great idea. FCO to Orvieto is 2+ hours, and onward to Montepulciano is another 1+ hours. You could train from FCO to Orvieto (about 2.5 hours), spend the night and rent a car the next morning (Hertz only, AFAIK).

I would keep the car only for Tuscany, return it at Orvieto, train to Naples and book a driver to get me from Naples Centrale to the AC hotel. It would still take 5-6 hours to get from Montepulciano to the AC, so one of your AC days is impacted.

Yes, your initial plan is busy but certainly not impossible I think.

I would not split your stay on the Amalfi Coast and I'd probably choose Positano over Praiano because it's easier to catch ferries from there. I too would not hire a car for the Amalfi Coast. Unless you want to explore the countryside near Montepulciano then you don't need a car there either. There is a bus from Montepulciano to Chuisi then train to Sorrento then bus/ferry to Positano. Or as others have suggested a chauffeur drive for the last bit. We travelled this in reverse by public transport and it took the best part of the day.

Rome is our best access into Italy: the last few trips we've had only one or two nights in Rome and it's surprising how much you can see if you're prepared to walk your feet off (with frequent cafe stops of course!). It's the sort of city which rewards as little or as much time as you have.

Most people enjoy having their own car in Montepulciano & that area, but just the opposite for the Amalfi coast.

There is a slightly higher chance of getting perfect weather on the Amalfi coast if you go there first, rather than second. Even though it is always nice to have sunny autumn days in Tuscany instead of rain, it is easier to enjoy Tuscany on a rainy day than it is to enjoy the Amalfi coast on a rainy day.

However, it really is impossible to predict. You could go to the Amalfi first and get rain. It happens. So up to you, and if in the end you'd just rather go to Tuscany first for your own reasons, then go to Tuscany first. But recommend following the suggestion to take the trains from the airport to Orvieto, get some sleep & rent the car the next morning.

You do not need a car for any of that and I have easily vistied all sans car but yes if you want to explore much of Tuscany for a few days a car is best.

But return car in say Chiusi or Orvieto and take trains to Naples or Salerno for Amalfi where cars are a bad idea - clogged coastal roads and ferries between Amalfi towns are faster and there are always also buses on the slow-going roads.

But Capri, Pompeii easy by train -luggage storage at entrance by Pompeii-Scavi train station right at entrance to ruins.

For lots on Italian trains check www.trenitalia.com and italotreno.com - two competing rail companies sharing same tracks and serving Naples-Rome-Florence. Book early for sweet discounted tickets but limited in number. For more info Italian trains - www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

1st trip to Italy I'd spend at least one more day in Rome. Need two full days to see Vatican one day and city center and one day for Colosseum and Forum area.

To add another layer to this, you could fly into FCO and have a private driver pick you up and take you to Positano. It's pricey, but so worth it, and our driver stopped along the way for some beautiful photos of the coast. Base in Positano and bus or ferry to other towns. (Keeping in mind ferry schedules and rough seas could mess up plans!) I stayed in Positano three nights then took the ferry to Capri for one night, then caught a ferry to Naples for a train ride up to Rome. Stayed in Rome the rest of my time. You can easily train to Orvieto from Rome for a day trip without need for a car. OR you could train from Naples to Florence for a couple days and spend your final night in Rome. Sounds like you aren't too pressed to see Rome this trip so just stay there your last night to be closer to the airport but still giving you a taste of Rome.

I tend to plan some pretty ambitious stuff, but your original plan is not even something I would do. Figure what you want to see most and work around that.

Less can indeed be more!

I'm hearing horror stories about renting cars within the ZTL, and automatically getting tickets.>

Simply rent a car pick-up outside ZTL zones - as many are. And learn the symbols for ZTL zones in cities. Otherwise yeh you may get a ticket in the mail long after you return home.

Mind if I tag along on this one? What is the weather usually like in those areas in the beginning of October? I mean in general, weather is unpredictable, especially this year. Tuscany and Rome saw floods last week.

Weather?

Use this site for monthly averages for any locality:

http://www.holiday-weather.com/siena/averages/october/

Looks OK for Siena - not much rain not too cold nor too hot.