I'm in the initial sketches/planning phase for a 2 week Italy trip and wanted to check on a few logistical questions. Apologies for my ignorance ahead of time. 2 adult travelers in OK shape.

1.) Is 4 days enough to get a good view of the major sites in Rome? What sort of things need to be reserved ahead of time - Colosseum tickets? Vatican Museum? Any other major things requiring reservations?

2.) Is 4 or 5 days enough to see the major sites in Sicily? Are the distances in Sicily if traveling by car such that you need to stay at different cities or can you have one central base and drive out in day trips to Palermo, Catania, etc? If you had to stay at multiple cities in a 4-5 stay, how would you split up Palermo, Catania, Siracusa, Messina, etc.

3.) If alotting 4 days for Rome and 4-5 for Sicily leaves us with 5 days for the rest of southern Italy, is it even feasible to do Apulia/Bari/Otranto or stick to the Campania/Calabria side and focus on Naples/Pompei and Capri/Amalfi? Would the Calabria side fill out 5 days what with driving down from Rome to Sicily?

4.) Finally, is driving crazy? I keep hearing it's insane. I just drove around Turkey for 2 weeks and it was manageable, so I wonder if southern Italy is comparable or a lot worse than Aegean/Mediterranean Turkey? It just seems that southern Italy would be harder to get around by train and bus to see these smaller sites. Is parking reasonable or highly restrictive with aggressive ticketing/towing?

In case useful, here are some trip reports for our travels in Southern Italy:

Palermo, Sicily

Siracusa (Ortigia), Sicily

Scilla, Calabria

Lecce, Puglia

How much time total do you have for this trip? That is days on the ground, excluding your flight arrival and departure days. Also, when is the trip?

How are you flying? Roundtrip? Or multi-city, such as into Rome and home from...?

To me, based upon what you have described, you are planning too much for the time you have. You have at least 4-5+ weeks worth of travel that you are packing into about 2 weeks...

Think of you itinerary in terms of nights, not days. 5 nights in a place will net you 4 full days sightseeing. Figuring time in transit, no matter how you plan on traveling, sucks up a lot of time. Including checking in/out of lodging, getting lost, etc.

For Rome, if your four days meaning 5 nights, or might it include an arrival day? If so, 4 days minimum would be needed to see the major sites and arrive. But I'd want at least one more full day. It is recommended to pre-book major attractions such as Vatican Museums, Colosseum, Villa Borghese if that is an interest.

I have not yet been to Sicily but judging by my interests I'd want to see as much of it as I can. And 4 or 5 full days (that is 5 or 6 nights) would only allow you maybe one city. Seems like an awful lot of work to get to for such a short stint. Especially since you listed all of the major points of Sicily.

If you only have 5 full days remaining for the remainder of southern Italy, you only have time to do ONE area. That is either Puglia OR Calabria OR Campania. EDIT: and those five remaining days might be incredibly rushed.

Driving: it depends really on your itinerary. A car is unnecessary in cities such as Rome. But might be beneficial if you plan to go in-land, say parts of Puglia. It would be a PITA for most of Campania (Amalfi Coast, Naples, etc.). Parking can be a pain. The closer you get to city centers, you may have a ZTL to contend with. To me, having a car just to sit in a parking lot somewhere is an unnecessary expense. But it all depends on what you intend to do. Public transport via train or bus is widely available in Italy.

Re: Sicily. No, 4 or 5 days is not enough and you can't explore it from a single base or even two. Just the highlights take 2.5 or 3 weeks.

A good guidebook -- perhaps the Rough Guide -- would serve you very well.

OK, I had struggled to set something up that covered southern Italy (without Sicily) over x2 weeks, there was just too much to see and too little time given just how much Rome and Naples would take up.

I have whittled it down to basically x5 nights in Rome, x4 nights in Naples area and x4 nights in the Capri/Amalfi coast area. Does that seem like a good pace or too slow? It did seem that Naples and area had a lot to offer in terms of ruins/churches and Amalfi coast seemed to have quite a number of towns worth taking time to see.

If we get bored, any good day trips into the interior from these areas? Montecassino Abbey? Paestum ruins?

Also, is Ischia worth seeing? - it seems you would need at least a day to do so, just like Capri...

Finally, are Airbnb a good idea in these locations or a terrible idea and should go with hotels? The prices are quite different and my needs are not fancy amenities but a good bed and clean place and a place to safely park the car in Naples/Amalfi area.

When is this trip?

Recommendations for say, Amalfi and Ischia absolutely depend on the "when."

As a general baseline, your night allotment for each is good. But without knowing your interests or what you plan on seeing/doing in each location it is hard to recommend further (such as Paestum).

Edited: your preference for lodging is that, your preference. I hate the Air BnB model so I do not use it. And personally prefer hotels. As a single woman, I prefer the visibility. But if one is cheaper than the other and suits you, your decision for your preference is just that.

With the itinerary as you have planned, a car would be an unnecessary factor. Depending on when you are going, having one on the Amalfi Coast would be a nuisance unless you plan to stay in Salerno or Sorrento - which is not on the Amalfi Coast.. Finding parking can be impossible in most of the Amalfi villages. Not to mention, a car wouls be unnecessary in Naples and Rome itself.

When are you going?

You have no time for Sicily on this trip.

Trip is last x2 weeks of September. Interests are scenic vistas, food, churches, castles, history, etc. I hope late September is not too late for Amalfi coast - I find that hard to believe but obviously could have weather patterns that make travel difficult I would guess.

I've dropped it and focused on Rome, Naples, Amalfi coast.

Last x2 weeks of September.

Just to clarify I'm doing a car and can't see how without it we'd be able to explore the different places on Amalfi coast unless public transportation is so incredibly good, but again it restricts flexibility.

I plan to stay in Sorrento.

Is it impossible to find temporary street parking in Amalfi for a fee or in a parking lot (even paid?). I can't believe there is no paid parking in the area. Should we be doing ferries instead?

It is not recommended to drive in Amalfi - the villages are extremely small, parking limited, with a lot of traffic. September - even the last two weeks - is still very much high season. Use ferries to get around. Having a car in this area will mean you will LOSE "flexibility."

Just do a search of the many trip reports and planning threads of this forum, Trip Advisor, even Reddit if you need confirmation. You do not need a car for what you are wanting to see and do and especially along the Coast.

Do you already have your lodging? You're leaving planning to Amalfi VERY late and even Sorrento (which is on the Bay of Naples, not Amalfi Coast) may have limited availability.

Edit: I asked the "when" in case you were planning on visiting the Amalfi Coast in November - which is when things begin to shut down for the season. September is doable - but will still be very crowded in Sorrento and the Coast. It was not necessarily to do with weather - but we cannot read your mind which is why we ask those details to advise. Now, if you were going in November - driving actually might be plausible, for instance.

I agree!

There are ferries and buses and, for that matter, taxis.

Question: what sites do I need to reserve ahead of time to ensure not crazy lines and not missing out? I heard the Vatican museums, Villa Borghese, Sistine Chapel? Anything else in Rome? Anything in Naples that needs to be reserved ahead of time?

Generally speaking, all of the sites you listed recommend advance bookings. BTW, Sistine Chapel is part of the Vatican Museums. St. Peter's is separate and does not require advanced ticketing (it is free) but it is recommended to get there early because of the security line - it opens at 7am IIRC.

If they are of interest, I would add Colosseum and Pantheon to your list. As well as Chapel Sanservo (Naples). My first trip to Naples will be in October after you, and it is not necessarily required to have advanced tickets to Pompeii, Herculaneum, or the Archeological Museum (as I have read and been advised).

Keep in mind that the tickets went on sale for most sites about a month ago - you may have trouble getting advanced bookings given you're 2-3 weeks out from your trip plans.

With only four days you're already in the pick and choose zone. You mention churches. Rome is the city that the tenth "best" church would be world famous in any other city.

When is this? Next year or this September? If it's next month you're already likely in trouble booking some things. I just did a quick glance at the Vatican museums for mid September and they are already sold out.

Thank you for the heads up. It's this September. I'm seeing some tours booked out but others (more expensive) still open. Is there a main website to buy just entry without a tour? I see Viator, TripAdvisor, Vatican Tickets, etc. Any tour you would recommend if I have to pay for the pricier stuff just to get in (as it seems may end up being the case)

Just managed to book a tour of the museum and chapel, it's 40 euro per person rather than the 20 for basic entry but good time and worked with my itinerary. Weren't any other real options available.

Do I need to book tickets for Pantheon, the basilicas like Maria Maggiore and St. John Lateran? My understanding is that there are no tickets for St. Peter's Basilica itself but closed Wednesdays.

I'd suggest the official websites. The third parties at best are scalping tickets.

St P's Basilica, there are bits you cannot get to unless on a tour.