I was all set: Fly into Naples. Driver takes us directly to Ravello for 4 days, (day trips to Capri, Positano and Pompeii from there) then train to Rome for 5 days. Explore Rome, couple of day trips from there, maybe Assisi? Fly out of Rome. Sounds good, right?
Now, as is my custom, I'm going all wobbly, second guessing my decisions. I'm sold on the Amalfi and Rome leg but I am now thinking that flying into Venice, spending 2 days there, then taking a train to the coast for 3 days, then going to Rome for 4 would be better. I found good flights to do it either way.

Which one would you pick? I'd hate to miss Venice, even if it's just a glimpse. I bet a train from Venice to the Amalfi Coast would be beautiful, if there is a train to the coast. More research required to figure that out of course, but what would you do? Oh God, what is wrong with me?

Stick with your original plan,it's a very good one.Go back again soon to see Venice and more of Italy!

Thanks Diva, I appreciate the reassurance. Part of my problem is that I worry that we won't ever get back there.

Stick with your original plan, but drop Assisi. You are underestimating how much time it takes to move around in Italy. Ravello is a marvelous perch on the Amalfi coast, but it is not easy to travel to other places from there. Likewise, Assisi is a long train trip from Roma, and the Assisi train station is somewhat removed from the main sites. You will find with only 5 days in Roma you will not run out of things to see, especially frescoes.

I understand the urge to see as much as possible when you don't know when you will return, but there is always the danger in Italy that you wind up seeing nothing if you choose too many destinations because you spend too much time in motion and cutting short your enjoyment of places because you need to catch a train.

By the way, the train from Venice to Naples/Sorrento is not beautiful, and there are no trains on the Amalfi coast itself.

Enjoy your trip!

I totally agree to stick with your original plan. And it will be hard to do daytrips from Ravello, but you can bus down to Amalfi and go places by boat. Pompeii will eat an entire day, and I wouldn't do it.

Instead, when you are in Rome, visit Ostia Antica. Another more convenient day trip from Rome would be Orvieto. That's quite enough, because your time will fly in both locations.

I so appreciate the imput. I didn't realize that Ravello was hard to get in and out of. Instead of 4 days in Ravello, would 2 there and 2 days in Positano make sense?

I think your trip sounds great! We daytripped to Assisi on one of our Rome trips. It was heavenly! We didn't really plan in advance to go. After the intensity of Rome for several days of hectic touring, we just needed a break from it. The train does end up right outside of town, but there's a small, clean shuttle bus that took us right to the heart of Assisi. Having taught for many years in a school that celebrated the Feast of St. Francis by having all its students bring their pets for blessings, and singing "All Things Bright and Beautiful" for decades, I thoroughly enjoyed the day. Anyway, I think you have a fantastic plan.

I think you should either pick Ravello or pick Positano, but don't split your time between them.

There is a real difference in feeling between the two towns.

Ravello is extremely quiet, and it has only a few restaurants. It is a very small town, with only one "shopping street" (which is filled with ceramic shops and a few super-elegant artisinal product stores (like soap, candles, honey) etc. There are large villa gardens to stroll around, but unless the Wagner festival is going on, Ravello is really for dreaming the day away with nothing to do.

Positano is also quiet and relaxing, but it has dozens of restuarants and places to catch the ferry. You can go to the beach. There is a more of a party atmosphere and tons of shopping in (almost) all price ranges. It is a true tourist town, rather than a beautiful hideaway.

I think the most exciting place in the whole area in Pompeii, so I wouldn't encourage you to skip it.

Hi 3M,

>I worry that we won't ever get back there.<

Of course you will.

I also suggest staying in Positano (we very much liked Le Sirene in Praiano, about 6km from Positano) over Ravello. Definitely do not split your stay.

Nothing is wrong with you. I have the same problem; I decide on something, and then keep questioning it because everything sounds so beautiful, I want to do it all!

I cannot offer any specific advice on the Amalfi Coast because I have not been there yet. However, I think your original plan of Amalfi Coast and Rome is terrific. It will allow you a nice pace. I think throwing Venice into the mix will make it all too complicated for 9 days--you won't see much and will spend a lot of time traveling. Save Venice for your next trip when you can spend more time there.