Italy Itinerary Help!
 

Hi all!

My husband and I are planning a trip to Italy this July for our 2 year anniversary and need help with the last few days of our trip! We are flying roundtrip in and out of Rome. This is what we have booked places for so far..

Day 1: Arrive in Rome and relax
Day 2: Rome
Day 3: Rome
Day 4: Rome and head to Florence
Day 5: Florence
Day 6: Florence
Day 7: Florence and head to Capri
Day 8: Capri
Day 9: Capri and head to Positano
Day 10: Positano
Day 11: Explore Ravello and Almafi
Day 12: Positano to......
Day 13:
Day 14:
Day 15:
Day 16: Spend the night in Rome and fly out the next morning

Can you help us come up with plans for days 13, 14, 15? I am thinking Sorrento for maybe a couple days, Pompeii, Naples??

Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated!

Day 13: Rome
Day 14: Rome
Day 15: Rome
Day 16: Rome
Move Florence to Day 1-4.
Why?
Unless you are arriving in Rome in the evening, all Rome at the end avoids splitting Rome stay. You save both time and money by re-purposing time you would have spent waiting for your room to be available to "relax" into travel time you would have to take later anyway. This is one of the few times it is all gain without giving up anything if your Rome arrival is earlier than mid afternoon.
Sorrento is a good base for Pompeii. If you bother going to Napoli, stay in Napoli rather than coming back to Sorrento. It takes little more than hour one way from Sorrento to Napoli. Within the time it takes you to make a round trip from Sorrento to Napoli and back, you could have checked-into a hotel in Napoli.
Pompeii is hot even outside July. There is no shade.
You can also add days on the Tuscany side.
If you are arriving Rome very early, you can even fill days 1-4 by going to Venice, then to Florence. You will be crushed by the tourists pretty much anywhere you go on your list.

I'd agree with Greg. We did the same thing both in Rome and Palermo. We flew (30 hours) Melbourne, Abu Dhabi, Rome, Palermo and then took a bus to Trapani. I would not break up a stay in a city unless it was one that I definitely had to travel out of again.

My plan for Naples was a week there. I cant see how anyone can do a day trip and really experience it.

I am in Rome now and it is just packed with people.

Rasputin1, can you give me some info on your one week in Naples. I have 10 days of which 3 will be in Rome so 7 days Amalfi/ Napes region.

I read your blogs looks like you travel a lot.. as do we. (we are form india)

I would increase your time in Rome. 3 full days (4 nights) is rally a minimum to see even the most basic sights. And if you do a day trip outside (Orvieto? Ostia Antica?) then it becomes 5 nights.

If I were you I would go straight from the airport to Firenze (there are some direct trains) and spend several days there, then head to Naples/AC and finally end the trip in Rome so you are where you need to be to catch your flight home.

Agree with everyone else about going straight to Florence when you get there. I did this last year; the timing worked out for us to take one of the direct trains to Florence from Fiumicino, and it was very easy - we got to Florence I think around 1pm and were able to check into our b&b immediately. It especially makes sense to do this since the rest of your trip sounds like it will be south of Rome - no need to backtrack so much in the middle of your itinerary.

I'd give more time to Rome than to Florence.

Never been to Venice - a city for lovers - maybe head up there for the last days and fly back from Venice?

Trains - www.trenitalia.com is the official site of the Italian Railways - booking early can yield deep discounted tickets - for lots on European train check www.seat61.com- great info on discounted train fares; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Florence to Capri - take train to Naples and taxi or bus to the ferry docks for Capri ships - there are some ferries between Capri and Positano in season too I think -otherwise ferry to Sorrento and take the world-famous Amalfi Coast buses or private driver.

I'd give more time to Rome than to Florence.>

Yes indeed as Rome's major sights are not only spread out over a much larger area than in rather compact Florence but key ones can take much of a day - the Vatican and the Colosseum/Forum for example.

Thank you all for your feedback! Super helpful! I've already booked a place in Rome and Florence....but wondering if I could negotiate the dates a bit to make this work!