10-Day Italy Itinerary: Tuscany, Rome and the Amalfi Coast (7 and 14-Day Options)
We spent a week in the Tuscan countryside and four nights on the Amalfi Coast, and we have been to Rome and Cinque Terre too. Here it is as one route: fly into Rome, take the train north and base in the Tuscan countryside instead of Florence, then finish on the Amalfi Coast and fly home from Naples. A week covers Rome and the coast, ten days adds Tuscany, and two weeks adds Cinque Terre. Switch the length below and the plan rebuilds itself.
Rome → Positano → NaplesRome → Chianti → Positano → NaplesRome → Cinque Terre → Chianti → Positano → Naples
day by day
The Italy itinerary
Rome2 nights2 nights3 nights · fly in here
DayLand in Rome and walk the center
Rome (FCO) has the most nonstop flights from the US. Take the Leonardo Express train or a taxi into town (about 30 to 45 minutes), drop your bags and walk: the Pantheon (€5 entry), the Trevi Fountain (€2 to get close to the basin since 2026, free to see from the square) and Piazza Navona are minutes apart. Book timed tickets for the Colosseum and the Vatican Museums before you fly; both sell out.
DayAncient Rome and the Vatican
The Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill in the morning: the standard €18 ticket covers all three, and the Full Experience ticket (about €24) adds the arena floor and underground, which sell out as soon as they are released about 30 days ahead. Then the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s in the afternoon, also booked ahead. Cover shoulders and knees for St. Peter’s.
DayA slower Rome day
Lunch and a wander in Trastevere, then sunset from the Pincio terrace above Piazza del Popolo.
Cinque Terre2 nights · five cliffside villages
DayTrain north to Cinque Terre
About four hours by train from Rome to La Spezia, then the local train to the villages. Five of them, Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, cling to the cliffs, linked by a train every 15 to 30 minutes. Base in one (Monterosso has the biggest beach, Vernazza the classic harbor view) and skip the car: there is almost nowhere to park.
DayWalk between the villages
Hike the Sentiero Azzurro from Monterosso to Vernazza and on to Corniglia (about 2 hours each leg, with steep stairs); the Corniglia to Manarola section has been closed for years. Then ride the train to Riomaggiore for the Via dell’Amore, the cliffside lovers’ lane that reopened in 2024: it is one-way toward Manarola and needs a timed reservation. A Cinque Terre Card covers trains and trails, from about €17 to €35 a day depending on the date.
Tuscany3 nights4 nights · a Chianti farmhouse
DayTrain to Florence, then base in the countryside
High-speed trains run from Rome to Florence in about an hour and a half. Pick up a rental car at Florence airport or another office outside the historic center, and head for the hills. Most Tuscany trips are sold as a day trip from Florence; we did the opposite, with a week in a Chianti Airbnb: a whole house and yard for just over $100 a night, about the price of a small one-bedroom in the city.
DayTrain to Florence, then base in the countryside
About two and a half hours by train from Cinque Terre. Pick up a rental car at Florence airport or another office outside the historic center, and head for the hills: we spent a week in a Chianti Airbnb, a whole house and yard for just over $100 a night, about the price of a small one-bedroom in the city.
DayThe best $250 we spent in Tuscany
A full day at Tenuta Torciano, a family winery in San Gimignano. Pierluigi, a 13th-generation winemaker, greeted us himself. We toured the vineyard and olive groves, hunted truffles with their dogs, picked and stomped grapes (it was harvest), then sat down to a 12-wine tasting lunch under a chandelier. Fin is celiac, and to her surprise the whole tasting menu came gluten-free, lasagna included.
DayDay trip to Florence
It was shockingly easy to drive in. Park in the blue spaces marked for out-of-town visitors, not the white ones, and never drive into the historic center: its ZTL cameras mail fines of about €80 to €335 to your rental company weeks later. Or take the train and skip parking altogether. Book the Uffizi and the Duomo climb ahead. Fin had the biggest gluten-free pizza she has ever seen, within sight of the Duomo.
DayA slow Tuscan day
Nothing booked: walk the walls and towers of San Gimignano (park in the paid lots outside the gates; the center is closed to visitor cars), or drive the Chiantigiana road through Greve and Panzano, then watch the sunset over the vineyards from your own terrace.
Amalfi Coast4 nights4 nights4 nights · fly home from Naples
DayTrain to Naples, then down to Positano
High-speed trains reach Naples from Rome in about an hour and ten minutes, then it is about 90 minutes to Positano by private transfer, or a ferry in season. We spent four nights in Positano in late September, and the timing was perfect: the summer crowds were gone and the weather was still warm.
DayTrain south to Naples, then down to Positano
Drop the car in Florence; direct high-speed trains reach Naples in about three hours. From there it is about 90 minutes to Positano by private transfer, or a ferry in season. We spent four nights in Positano in late September, and the timing was perfect: the summer crowds were gone and the weather was still warm.
DayDrive the coast in a 1966 Fiat 500
We rented a 17-horsepower 1966 Fiat 500 in Sorrento and drove through Positano to Amalfi and up to Ravello: hairpin turns, 100-foot drops, buses squeezing past, and honks and waves the whole way. It is challenging and not for everybody; we love to drive, which is why it was on our bucket list. Most people take the bus or the ferry, and a scooter is the easiest way to drive it yourself.
DayHop the towns by water taxi
Water taxis and ferries link Positano, Amalfi and the other towns, and skip the road entirely. For lunch, use our rule from everywhere: pick the busy restaurant. Ours, on the drive, was a line worth waiting in for marinated anchovies and a seafood risotto.
DayA slow day on the coast
Leave one day with nothing planned: the beach in Positano, a limoncello, and a long dinner looking down at the water. Or take the ferry to Capri.
DayFly home from Naples
Naples airport is about 90 minutes from Positano by transfer. Most US flights connect through a European hub.
- Tuscany. If you can stretch to 10 days, add three nights in a Chianti farmhouse.
- Cinque Terre.
- An extra day in Rome.
- Two nights in Cinque Terre on the way north.
- A slow day in Tuscany.
before you go
Watch the whole trip
Itinerary sorted? Watch us drive the Amalfi Coast in a 17-horsepower 1966 Fiat 500, with Pepper riding along.
the route
Route and getting-around tips
The whole route in one Google Maps link. Book an open-jaw ticket, into Rome and home from Naples, so you never backtrack to the start. Rome to Florence is about 1.5 hours by train, and Florence to Naples about 3.
more italy
Worth adding with more time
Not on this route, but easy to bolt on if you have extra days.
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Where to stay
pack for italy
What we packed
Walking shoes for cobblestones and stairs, layers for cool fall evenings, and one nice outfit for the long dinners, in one carry-on each. Our gear is from Tripped, our own travel brand.
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Every stop on video
good to know
Italy trip questions
How many days do you need in Italy?
A week covers Rome and the Amalfi Coast. Ten days adds three nights in Tuscany. Two weeks adds Cinque Terre and a slower day in Rome and Tuscany.
Which airports should you fly into for this Italy route?
From the US, fly into Rome (FCO), which has the most nonstop flights, and home from Naples (NAP) on an open-jaw ticket, which often costs about the same as a round trip. Trains handle everything in between.
Should you stay in Florence or the Tuscan countryside?
We based ourselves in the Chianti countryside for a week and day-tripped into Florence. Our farmhouse Airbnb cost just over $100 a night, about the price of a small one-bedroom in the city.
Do you need a car in Italy?
In Tuscany, yes. In Rome and on the Amalfi Coast, no: use trains, buses, ferries and water taxis. In Florence, park in the blue visitor spaces or take the train in.
When is the best time to visit Italy?
Late September to October. We drove the Amalfi Coast in late September without the summer crowds, and Tuscany was in the middle of the grape harvest.
Is Tenuta Torciano worth it?
For us it was the best $250 we spent in Tuscany: a vineyard tour, truffle hunting with dogs, grape picking and stomping, and a 12-wine tasting lunch with a gluten-free option.
Is Italy easy for gluten-free travelers?
Fin is celiac and found it easy: gluten-free bread and lasagna at the winery, and real gluten-free pizza in Florence.
keep planning
More for your Italy trip
Budget, when to go and every video we filmed in Italy.
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