How to Spend 10 Days In Rome, the Amalfi Coast & Sorrento
- Updated: 07/09/2024
- Janice
For a recent spring break trip, we decided to go to Italy. That was the easy part. The hard part was figuring out where to spend the ten days we had to travel. My husband and I knew we wanted to go back to Rome. Both of our young teens were studying Italian at school. And they had never been. We wanted them to experience the city.
Though, we did not know where else in Italy to visit. My husband and I had already been to Florence, Pisa, and Venice. And we wanted to go somewhere new.
To figure it out, I dug into the research. I read guidebooks, looked up itinerary recommendations, and consulted professionals on the best places to go in Italy for our late March and early April trip.
The winners were the Amalfi Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage coastline, and the Sorrentine Peninsula. Together, they would be a perfect springtime accompaniment to visiting Rome.
And though we got unlucky with the weather—due to a storm system sitting over much of southern Europe—during our Amalfi Coast and Sorrento portion of our trip, I would plan an early spring trip here again in a heartbeat. Especially given the weather before and after our arrival was gorgeous. View our itinerary that is ideal for families with teens, or older children, below.
Table Of Contents
Our 10-Day Italy Itinerary at a Glance
Here is a high-level look at how we spent our 10 days in Italy.
To keep things manageable, I broke up our ten-day itinerary information into three separate blog posts.
- 10-day Italy Trip Itinerary. This article (which you are currently reading) sticks to just the facts, containing straightforward bullet-pointed highlights and brief descriptions of what we did each day. Quickly scan it to get ideas for your own trip.
- 4-Day Rome Itinerary. Along with recapping the highlights, this blog post shares focused overviews, maps, pretty pictures, lodging tours, and anecdotes from each day.
- 5-Day Amalfi Coast & Sorrento Peninsula Itinerary. Like the Rome Itinerary, this post shares the fun stuff—maps, beautiful photos, videos, and side stories.
To view more detail and to get ideas for your trip, jump to the sections below.
Our Rome Itinerary: Days 1 to 4
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Rome Day 1: Arrival in Rome & Explore
- Arrival in Rome via a connecting flight through Zurich
- Transport and check-in to Navona Gallery Suites
- A mini-neighborhood tour
- A walk to nearby Piazza Navona
- Late lunch: Pizza and take-away tiramisus
- Dinner: Ristorante Virginiae for Roman specialties, spaghetti carbonara, and cacio e pepe
We arrived in Rome in the late afternoon. Once settled in our 2-bedroom, 2-bath apartment, we spent our time snacking, exploring, and eating again, before finally giving in to sleep after our transatlantic flight.
To view more detail for day one, including maps, additional photos, and video, check out the article “How to Spend Four Days in Rome for Families with Teens.”
Rome Day 2: Colosseum, the Roman Forum, & Trevi Fountain
- Colosseum and Forum Tour with an Archaeologist, a small group tour with RomaEat
- Wander the neighborhood and walk to Trevi Fountain
- Breakfast: (included with lodging) cappuccinos, cornettos, omelets, and juice at nearby Enoteca Il Piccolo
- Lunch: salad, pizza, and beer near the Forum at La Taverna Madonna dei Monti
- Dinner: forgettable piazza restaurant on our way back from the Trevi Fountain
I chose our first full day in Rome to visit its most impressive and iconic historical sites. Our kids already knew some Ancient Roman history. And they were happy to learn more on our excellent mid-morning guided tour of the Colosseum and the Forum.
To view more detail for day two, including maps, additional photos, and video, check out the article “How to Spend Four Days in Rome for Families with Teens.”
Rome Day 3: E-Biking the Appian Way & the Spanish Steps
- E-Bike the Appian Way, a small group tour with Red Bicycle
- Explore the Tiber River and Castel Sant’Angelo areas
- Apertivo at nearby Antica Trattoria della Pace
- Walk to the Spanish Steps
- Breakfast: (included with lodging) return to Enoteca Il Piccolo
- Lunch: sandwiches bought from market vendors at Sant’Egeria Spring while on our bike tour
- Dinner: delicious pasta, appetizers, and desserts from Poldo e Gianna Osteria
Day three fell on a Sunday and the Rome Marathon. Since we planned to visit the Vatican on this trip, which is closed on Sundays, and we knew getting around would be a challenge due to the marathon, we opted to leave the city and join a small group tour to bike the Appian Way.
This activity was one of my favorites of the trip.It included several different historical, pastoral, and cultural experiences I would not have found on my own over just a few hours. Plus—my kids loved riding the e-bikes for being less effort and being more fun.
To view more detail for day three, including maps, additional photos, and video, check out the article “How to Spend Four Days in Rome for Families with Teens.”
Rome Day 4: The Vatican & the Pantheon
- Tour of the Vatican Museums & the Sistine Chapel, a small group tour
- Visit St. Peter’s Square
- Relax in Piazza Navona with pizza, wine, and gelato
- Shop for clothes for the guys at Dan John and handbags
- Visit the Pantheon
- Breakfast: (included with lodging) take-away coffees and cornettos from nearby Est Artigiani del Gusto
- Lunch: forgettable take-away items from the Vatican Museum Cafe
- Dinner: good pastas, pizzas, bruschettas, and excellent sides—especially the Sicilian broccoli, at Fattoincasa by Hostelaria La Danesina
Waking early, we walked to the Vatican to join for an early small group tour. Although it was not the favorite Italy experience of my kids, it was an important site we did not want to miss.
And fortunately, we had another good tour guide who used stories, prepared materials, and a focused route to help our family get the most out of our morning visit. After the Vatican visit, we filled the afternoon with snacks, shopping, and a visit to the Pantheon.
To view more detail for day four, including maps, additional photos, and video, check out the article “How to Spend Four Days in Rome for Families with Teens.”
Our Amalfi Coast Itinerary: Days 5 to 7
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Amalfi Coast Day 5: Train to Naples & on to Positano
- Check out from Navona Gallery Suites in Rome
- Taxi to Roma Termini train station
- Frecciarossa (high-speed) train to Naples, pre-purchased on ItaliaRail
- Pickup and transfer with Gianluca, owner of Amalfi Driver Service, to Positano
- Check in to our stunning 2.5-bedroom, 2-bath, with a terrace, Mamma Mia rental
- Explore Positano
- Breakfast: (included with lodging) return to Enoteca Il Piccolo in Rome
- Lunch: Seaside pizza and wine at Le Tre Sorelle in Positano
- Dinner: Excellent gnocchi with seafood and eggplant, and fish in lemon sauce, with a view, at Ristorante Bruno
Today we traveled from Rome to Positano via the Frecciarossa (high-speed) train to Naples. Except for a 30–40-minute departure delay, our day was one of those magical and flawless travel days.
The weather was ideal—clear and warm. We loved our driver, Gianluca, who was waiting to greet us at the Naples train station. And Positano, at the end of March, before the summer crowds descend on the town, and on a gorgeous sunny day, with its pastel-stacked charm framed by the glittering Tyrrhenian Sea, will take your breath away with its beauty.
I rarely want to repeat a day, even the good ones, as I prefer “now” or “what’s next.” Though this day—I would do a do-over.
To view more detail for day five, including maps, additional photos, and video, check out the article “How to Spend Five Days in the Amalfi Coast & Sorrento.”
Amalfi Coast Day 6: Walking the Path of the Lemons from Minori to Maiori
- Accidental private guided tour of Minori and Villa Romana
- Accidental private guided walk along the Path of the Lemons (or the Lemon Trail) from Minori to Maiori
- Aperitivo with friends
- Breakfast: take away pastries from Collina bakery
- Lunch: great pasta, pizzas, and beers at Mario e Maria, a family restaurant in Maiori
- Snack: Epically good sweets at Pasticceria Sal De Riso in Minori
- Dinner: Excellent, though high-priced—the stuffed gnocchi was a favorite—at Ristorante Adamo ed Eva
The poor weather that dashed our plans to join a group hike on the famed Path of the Gods today felt like getting handed a lemon. So, it was with some irony we decided with our guide—we had been the only ones to book the hike this day—to walk the less exposed Path of the Lemons from the town of Minori to Mairoi as an alternative activity.
However, like all seasoned travelers who have seen their fair share of bad weather while on trips, we took our rain-related disappointment in stride, and made some excellent lemonade.
From exploring an ancient roman villa in Minori to enjoying the sweeping vistas along our walk, followed by outstanding desserts at Pasticceria Sal De Riso, we had a great day.
To view more detail for day six, including maps, additional photos, and video, check out the article “How to Spend Five Days in the Amalfi Coast & Sorrento.”
Amalfi Coast Day 7: Amalfi, Ravello & La Tagliata
- Private driver tour of the towns of Amalfi & Ravello with Amalfi Driver Service
- Canceled (due to rain): 30-minute family photo session with Andrea Gallucci
- Breakfast: take-away pastries from Collina bakery, yogurt and fruit from the Delicatessen, in Positano
- Lunch: light lunch at Bar Della Valle and dessert at Andrea Pansa in the town of Amalfi
- Dinner: Prix fixe with friends in Positano at La Tagliata
Today, although the wet weather continued, we kept to our plan to explore the towns of Amalfi and Ravello with our driver, Gianluca. While in Amalfi, we ducked into Andrea Pansa, another excellent pasticceria, for a sweet snack—a great activity for any rainy day.
And because the rain brought fog, we did not get the good views we hoped to see from Ravello, higher up and shrouded in mist. However, we did get peaceful photos of piazzas typically packed with tourists, eerily empty, slick with rain, and concealed in fog.
To view more detail for day seven, including maps, additional photos, and video, check out the article “How to Spend Five Days in the Amalfi Coast & Sorrento.”
The Sorrentine Peninsula: Days 8 to 10
Sorrento Day 8: La Masseria Farm & Sorrento
- Check out from Mamma Mia
- Transfer with Gianluca (Amalfi Driver Service) to La Masseria Farm
- Tour and lunch at La Masseria Farm
- Transfer with Gianluca to Sorrento
- Check in to Cuore di Sorrento Suites
- Explore Sorrento (more rain!)
- Breakfast: take-away pastries from Collina bakery, yogurt and fruit from the Delicatessen, in Positano
- Lunch: a multi-course farm-to-table meal at La Masseria
- Dinner: good pizzas and pasta at nearby and relaxed Trattoria Da Gigino
Leaving Positano and the Amalfi Coast behind, we made our way west toward the tip of the Sorento peninsula to spend a few hours visiting La Masseria Farm. While there, we learned about their lemon groves and enjoyed an olive oil tasting and a true farm-to-table meal of homemade pasta, lemon tiramisu, limoncello, and more.
After lunch, we made our way to Sorrento to explore the town and enjoy the final stop of our trip.
To view more detail for day eight, including maps, additional photos, and video, check out the article “How to Spend Five Days in the Amalfi Coast & Sorrento.”
Sorrento Day 9: Pompeii & Sorrento
- Take the Circumvesuviana train from Sorrento to the Pompeii Scavi station
- Join the “Skip the Line and Visit Pompeii with an Archaeologist” small group tour
- Return on Circumvesuviana train to Sorrento
- Explore and shop in Sorrento
- Breakfast: pastries, toasts, cereals, and yogurts stocked in our rental
- Lunch: sandwiches made with bread, meat, and cheeses in our rental
- Dinner: average to okay pasta at overrated Ristorante Fuoro in Sorrento
From Sorrento, we took the local Circumvesuviana train to Pompeii to meet our small group tour and our excellent guide, Lello. Lello had a knack for expertly walking backward while asking questions like, “Do you want to see something even better?” Yes, Lello—we do.
Despite the terrible weather we had that day (e.g., rain, hail, thunderstorms, and cold temperatures), it was one of my family’s favorite Italy experiences. And that had to do with Lello.
He is an animated storyteller who can hold fast the attention of any group—including one with kids and teens. Throughout the tour, Lello shared facts, pointed out easy-to-miss details, and told anecdotes that kept everyone captivated.
To view more detail for day nine, including maps, additional photos, and video, check out the article “How to Spend Five Days in the Amalfi Coast & Sorrento.”
Sorrento Day 10: Airport & Flight Home
- Transfer to Naples International Airport (NAP) with Gianluca of Amalfi Driver Service
- Flight back to Chicago via Zurich
- Breakfast: pastries, coffees, and juices at the airport
Sadly, like so many good things—our wonderful Italy trip came to an end. We left Sorrento in the early morning with Gianluca and headed to the Naples International Airport to begin our return journey home.
To view more detail for day ten, including maps and additional photos, check out the article “How to Spend Five Days in the Amalfi Coast & Sorrento.”
Italy Trip Planning Resources
To plan this trip, I used several resources. My top recommended ones are below:
Rick Steves Rome. This is the comprehensive guidebook for Rome. Rick provides detailed tour notes for all major sites and suggested routes for neighborhood walking tours.
With this book, you have more than enough information to explore the city independently and opt out of hiring guides, allowing you to save money and go at your own pace.
Rick Steves Snapshot Naples & the Amalfi Coast. Use this guide in conjunction with other resources. It is not Rick’s most thorough work and surprisingly leaves out sections of the coast—for example, no mention of the towns of Minori or Maori. However, I still found reading it valuable to help shape my time in the area.
In addition, I recommend checking out the highly rated Moon and Lonely Planet guidebooks for Amalfi.
Eating Rome. I adored this book, loaned to me by my good friend and food writer, Emily Paster at West of the Loop, for its love affair overview of Italian food, the amusing anecdotes, and a connoisseur’s guide to Rome eateries.
Plus, you will find recipes at the end of each chapter, perfect to cook during that post-trip period when feeling nostalgic for all your favorite vacation foods.
Booking.com. Due to its generous cancellation policies and payment schedule, discounts (often 10% off), and easy-to-use interface, Booking.com has lately become my preferred resource for reserving properties—from rentals to hotels—particularly for Europe
Use it to search for Rome, Positano, and Sorrento places to stay just right for your trip, especially if the accommodations I recommend (and have stayed in) are unavailable.
Pinterest and blog articles. To complement guidebooks, I use Pinterest to search for and save itinerary ideas about what to do in my trip destinations. Find my Pinterest account here. Or check out my Rome, Amalfi Coast, and Sorrento pinboards to see my saved articles.
The Man in Seat 61. I have mentioned this resource-rich website covering international train travel in a previous article. For Italy train travel, go here to learn where to buy tickets, which class to select, and what to expect while on your ride.
Italy Travel Planning Facebook Group. If you are planning a trip to Italy and do not have a Facebook account, you should get one if only to join this group with 80,000+ members. The group is a gold mine of information.
Find itinerary ideas, lodging recommendations, where to eat, what to do, suggestions to avoid petty thefts—and much more. I discovered my favorite driver, Gianluca, from Amalfi Driver Service through a recommendation on this group.
Related Reading
If you are traveling to Italy, or Europe in the spring, check out these related articles to help you get the information you need to plan your best trip.
Or take a look at my “Rome and the Amalfi Coast: The Best Books to Read Before a Trip” booklist below to get a pre-trip reading list, including my preferred guidebook, Rick Steves’ Rome.
Additional Trip Planning Resources
To further help you with travel planning, I share my go-to resources for every trip below.
Google Flights. My first research stop for affordable flights for every trip. Learn why here.
Google Hotels. Use its “Where to stay” button to discover the best neighborhoods to base your visit.
Booking.com. For hotel and rental bookings, I appreciate its flexible cancellation, candid user reviews, discounts, loyalty program, and easy-to-use interface.
Viator, Get Your Guide, & Airbnb Experiences. Quickly find and book highly-rated tours and activities on these sites.
Google Travel Things to Do & Google Maps. Find more things to do in your destination on Google Travel, then record where you want to visit on a custom Google Maps list.
AllTrails. Love to hike? Me too. I religiously use AllTrails to discover hiking and biking trails and download its offline maps to manage my hikes.
Guide Along. 5-star self-guided audio tours that are GPS-compatible for US road trips and national parks. We loved the Glacier National Park tour.
Insure My Trip. I never travel internationally without trip insurance. Learn why here. My preferred place to shop and compare policies is InsureMyTrip.com.
Plus, check out the 15 travel apps I use on trips, my preferred guidebooks, and my free customizable travel itinerary template, downloadable in four file formats.
About the author: Janice Moskoff is a travel writer and blogger who loves hiking, exploring the world, and reading. She writes to inspire travel-loving families, adult friends, and couples on her blog, Gather and Go Travel. After attending the University of Michigan undergraduate business school and following a career in retail strategy and event management, she returned to focus on her first love—travel. Read her bio, learn how she became a blogger, and discover how to work with her. Sign up for her monthly Discovery Newsletter for travel recs and how-to’s. Or follow her on social media (@gatherandgotravel).
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Welcome to Gather and Go Travel, a blog inspiring families, adult friends, and couples to explore US and international destinations and to get outdoors. I am Janice, a world traveler to 50+ countries, a travel writer/blogger, and a book lover. Learn more about me, read our story, and how to work with me. Get my latest updates, how-tos, and trip ideas in my monthly Discovery Newsletter.
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4 Responses
Hi Holly, thanks for asking. It depends what time of year you are going? If spring, I’d head south, as you are likely to have better warmer/weather. If summer, either trip could be great, though the Rome/Florence/Venice trip would be wonderful, it could be too much city time for your outdoorsy group unless you spend more time exploring the CT (Cinque Terre, right?) area. Especially if your group likes to hike, going south could also give you a chance to hike on the Path of the Gods trail which would give you stunning views. Your group can research how to do this on your own (taking the bus or booking a taxi), join a guided group hike, or if there are enough of you, hire a private hiking guide/driver. Plus on a trip to the south, you could take boat rides along the coast or to nearby islands, like Capri or Ischia. Also, the amazing coastal views on Amalfi and from Sorrento makes it easier to not feel hemmed in as much on a trip here vs. the north. Hope this helps!
Which do you think a group of nature lovers would like better? All of the group likes history, museums, statues, and architecture. However, the guys will only be able to handle a few days. Do you recommend Rome/Florence/CT/Venice or Rome/Sorrento/Amalfi? We were thinking about heading South but have been back and forth for weeks….Hellllppp
Hi Ellen, instead of Sorrento – Naples – Rome on the way home, we did travel from Sorrento to the Naples airport (leaving early to avoid getting caught in traffic), however, our connecting flight took us to Zurich, then back to Chicago. We did not head back to Rome. We were flying on United and found the most affordable fares connecting through in Zurich both ways (inbound, we flew Chicago – Zurich – Rome). We had no delays on our way back and the connection was smooth. We even checked bags and had no issues. I hope this helps, thank you, and have a great trip!
We are using your wonderful itinerary to plan an end-of-May/early June trip with our 16 and 19 yr old kiddos. I’m curious as to whether you had any difficulties/delays/issues going from Sorrento-Naples-Rome for your flight home? We are also from the Chicago-area (Naperville). Thank you for your help!