I'm heading to Italy with a friend in late September/early October and would really appreciate any suggestions/comments on the best order to see our "must sees". We arrive and depart from Rome (FF so no chance we can do an open jaw ticket) and will be in Italy for 17 nights/18 days

Here's what we'd really like to see and how much time we'd like to be in each location (we've already been to several places, ie Florence and Rome):

Amalfi Coast (3 nights)
Rome (3 nights)
Tuscany (5 nights)
Umbria (3 nights)
CT (3 nights)

We would like to find one town to serve as a base for Tuscany and explore the region, and same for Umbria. We intend to rent a car for this part of the trip, and would be open to driving to other parts (AC and CT) if it made sense over a train. any suggestions would be great - thanks!

Hi Freesia,

From your proposed itinerary, I assume this is a first trip to Italy. It also looks like you much prefer scenery and countryside to cities and art.

All your destinations are wonderful. The only thing I would change is take at least 1 day from Tuscany and add it to Rome. Just too, too much to see and do in Rome, plus you have plenty of countryside time with all your other days planned.

I go by train to the Amalfic Coast and pick up the car after Rome in Orvieto. 1 hr out of Rome via train and very easy. Rental office will be closed Sunday and maybe part of Sat or Mon too.

I've used Montalcino as a base for southern Tuscany and Spello as a base for Umbria. I really loved both.

More later.

It sort of depends on what part of Tuscany you want to see.

But were it me, I might:

Rome
Amalfi -- pick up car when leaving
Umbria
Tuscany
Cinque Terre
Rome-FCO

I would probably cut one night from Cinque Terre to break up the trip down the coast back to Roma, staying someplace like Castiglione delle Pescia or Massa Marittima if it's nice weather, and Tarquinia if it isn't.

Since you've defined all your destinations as "must sees" I won't try to persuade you to less, but I would want a "bail out" plan in case of lousy weather in the Amalfi and le Cinque Terre.

For Amalfi, I might stay in Sorrento rather than perch on the difficult to reach coast, so I could do Pompeii, Naples and Ischia if it rained.

For le Cinque Terre, if I saw rain the forecast, I'd cancel my hotel reservations keep touring Tuscany, or work my way down toward Rome exploring Lazio.

Sorry! That's Castiglione della Pescaia

We've both been to Ialy on prior visits, including Rome, but we would like to see the highlights again there (Vatican, Colliseum, Borghese). We'd like a blend of city/countryside, some museums but lots of great food and wine too!

We're not sure the best order to see these locations. Is it best to head to CT right away as it may be colder if we leave CT to the end in mid-October? Where does it make sense to have a rental car besides Tuscany/Umbria? Should we drive to CT or take the train (and AC as well).

My initial thoughts were stay in Rome when we arrive
- take the train to AC
- rent a car in Salerno and drive to Tuscany/Umbria
- drop car off at La Spezia and do CT
- train back to Rome

My concern with this is the Salerno-Tuscany drive is quite long (I think!) and the CT-Rome train would also take several hours.

Call me crazy, but I would start north and end in Rome.

Arrive FCO--get car---to Umbria-3
Drive to CT---3
Drive to Tuscany base--5
Drive to Sorrento--drop car--3
Train to Rome from Naples-3

Tweek the nites as you would but this saves you time and distance.

I was going to suggest what Bob did. Even though you're flying into Rome, continue on to your first destination right away. Since you would have to be back in Rome the night before your flight home, that way you can spend all your nights in Rome together at the end and save a hotel change.

Bob's general itinerary isn't crazy, although the Italian Riviera, like the French Riviera, often has better weather than other parts of Italy later into the autumn. But it's a crap shoot.

Only you know if you want to press on beyond Roma after your transatlantic flight. I never drive after a transatlantic flight. That said, hotels won't let you in until noon or later, so you might as well go to Orvieto by train, spending the night, and picking up a car there.

I would still want a "bail out" plan for both le Cinque Terre and Amalfi.

Thank you for your replies! I'm thinking Amalfi may be just a little too much to get, and perhaps we'll add a day to each area/city, or considering travelling around the area north of Florence (Parma, etc). I'm sure we'll be back in Italy in the future, so could spend more to in AC and the area then.