Just wondering if itinery looks ok-not too overbooked. Thanks for any comments. Also in Sorrento we are staying at mama camillas-has anyone stayed there?

day 1: Fly from Milan to Naples; train to Sorrento; hotel; relax at beach
day 2: early bus to Amalfi coast-visit positano, Amalfi, beach
day 3: boat ride to Capri for day
day 4: train to Pompeii; train to Rome by early evening
day 5: visit sites
day 6: visit sites; catch train to Venice
day 7: Venice sites
day 8: Venice
day 9: planr leaves early afternoon

IMHO this is massively overbooked. In so few days I would just do Rome. Or perhaps land in Milan for Florence and then out of Venice.

Unless you've been these places before and seen the major sights you've given yourself practically no time for touring - and none for just relaxing and enjoying the trip.

By the way - the beaches on the Amalfi coast are for the most part pebbles or rocks - not sand. Not really a place I would go for beaches at all - we stuck with the hotel pool.

My reaction isn't quite as strong as nytraveler, but I also think your itinerary is too ambitious. You're trying to cover a lot of miles in slightly over 8 days, and all those miles means time lost from fun and too much time in transit.

I would suggest you spend your time in a smaller geographic area split between two places and perhaps a single night in either the arrival or departure city if that makes things easier.

As nytraveler mentioned, the beaches in the Sorrento/Amalfi Coast area are pebbles and the available space is small. There are other, more comfortable beaches in Italy that would be better for relaxing in the sun.

And what time of year is your trip? There may be other comments on your itinerary depending on the time of year you're going.

My trip is August 1-9, 2006. I am leaving July 13 for Israel for 2 weeks and then to Budapest for 3 days.

I have wondered if I was trying to do too much, especially in the Amalfi area, going somewhere every day and having to get up early to catch a bus, train, boat. It just looks so beautiful there.

I considered Cinque Terre (since I love to hike and it looks beautiful) instead but keep hearing the crowds are too much. I am going with my 20 year old daughter. I have been learning more about Florence and have wondered it this would be better than Rome-smaller and not so hot?

Now we are down to last minute. It is hard to decide on changes. I will be staying with family in Israel so can still revise some bookings from there. Any other suggestions would be helpful..Thanks.

Firenze is smaller with no fewer crowds than Rome. And it is hotter and more humid!!! So I'd skip it.

I don't think you're overbooked so much as not realizing that two days isn't enough to penetrate Roma, so my suggestion is that you skip it entirely and go directly to Venice. Flying from Napoli would be the biggest time saver.

I don't know how interested you are in Pompeii, but it is best when it is paired with a visit to the archeological ruins in Napoli, which might be able to include (it's half a day and the museum will hold your luggage) if you eliminate Rome.

The Amalfi coast and Cinque Terre are equal in terms of crowds, but I think the Amalfi is more beautiful and absorbs the crowds better.

PS: You can hike in the Amalfi and if you do, you absolutely lose the crowds, which is not true in Cinque Terre.

Thank you for your posts. I am surprised to hear Florence is hotter than Rome since it is more North. I'm still unsure of what to do. Any more thoughts are appreciated.

Why are you going to Italy? What do you MOST want to get out of your trip? Natural beauty? Art? History? Food and wine? Fun and a relaxing vacation? Your first post says "we". How many people are traveling and what are their interests and ages?