I would stick to one region and explore it thoroughly and then go back to Italy. The “all Italy in 10 days” trips are not really exposing you to Italy, part of which is a slower pace of life. We go to Italy frequently, and this is what we try to do (it helps that we all speak Italian). You could easily spend 10 days in and around Venice, take the train to Turin, Trieste, and Milan, etc. Or do Rome, take the train to Florence and Napoli.

OP, for a first time trip, yes visit the big ones: Rome and Venice, and I agree that you can spend less time in Florence and add Cinque Terre, and perhaps another location in Tuscany. The earlier you can go, the better as far as weather and crowds. I’d buy a ‘best of Italy’ travel guide and quickly check whether your “must do’s” are still available from that. Lots of great cooking classes and Cinque Terre hiking is wonderful - they require reservations now and would have to check on that as well!

Sorrento is cute and I love Rome. Agree on skipping Florence. Venice is nice when there are less people.

Venice, Florence, Bologna, Dolomites, Lake Garda.

Anywhere south of that in the summer is too hot.

Stay 4 days in Rome and 5-6 days in Tuscan countryside. From the latter, you can do daytrips to Florence, San Gimignano, Sienna etc, maybe also Viareggio or similar if you want to do a day on the beach.

Where are you going OP?

I've been to Italy a handful of times. with the kids, I would say Rome is a must. Venice is a place I am fine seeing once. I love florence, but that has more to do with museums and the small city size. you can do cinque terre from there (I have twice) but DO NOT miss the last train out.
Last time I went my kids were younger (elementary) but they loved Rome, we did some Tuscany too and then Sicily since we have friends there. You really cannot go wrong. You may also enjoy the Amalfi coast from Rome but it gets very busy for peak season but you have some great outdoor options that way

You can spend ten days in Rome along and still not see everything. Leave time for long lunches and shopping. Also if you can, it’s worth doing maybe one or two big cities and seeing some of the smaller towns—bologna, sienna, Verona, for instance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorrento was kind of a let down for me, but that might have just been because we went there after Positano, which is just so pretty. Based on that, I'd go with the Amalfi coast over Sorrento.

OP here - I appreciate this and guess I am confused as I thought I could use Sorrento as a cute base town for visiting various Amalfi Coast towns (and Pompeii), versus hopping to a different hotel/lodging a few times over a few days. I think I read there is a ferry from Sorrento to Positano and Capri. What do you think of that idea?

We used Sorrento as a base town. It’s not as charming a Positano, but definitely an easier choice if you want to explore and a better choice for teens. Positano is incredibly charming, but tiny and your kids are likely to get bored there after half a day (mine did). It’s also a farther trek to Pompeii, which was one of the highlights for my teens. Definitely do a day trip to Capri. We liked Capri more than any of the towns on the Amalfi Coast (but it would not be convenient for exploring).

Also, I think you’re smart to skip Florence. I’ve been many times and didn’t really fall in love with it until my 40s. I have one teen who loved the Renaissance art, but I think he’s an anomaly (and even he didn’t want to spend more than a hour viewing it). Other than the art, he didn’t particularly love Florence nor did my other teen.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sorrento was kind of a let down for me, but that might have just been because we went there after Positano, which is just so pretty. Based on that, I'd go with the Amalfi coast over Sorrento.

OP here - I appreciate this and guess I am confused as I thought I could use Sorrento as a cute base town for visiting various Amalfi Coast towns (and Pompeii), versus hopping to a different hotel/lodging a few times over a few days. I think I read there is a ferry from Sorrento to Positano and Capri. What do you think of that idea?

DP but we are also going this summer with teens, first time in Italy. This is what we’re doing-using Sorrento as a base for the Amalfi Coast, visiting Pompei from there too. Then heading up to Rome, Florence and Venice. But our trip is 2 weeks.

Anonymous wrote:Sorrento was kind of a let down for me, but that might have just been because we went there after Positano, which is just so pretty. Based on that, I'd go with the Amalfi coast over Sorrento.

OP here - I appreciate this and guess I am confused as I thought I could use Sorrento as a cute base town for visiting various Amalfi Coast towns (and Pompeii), versus hopping to a different hotel/lodging a few times over a few days. I think I read there is a ferry from Sorrento to Positano and Capri. What do you think of that idea?

Sorrento was kind of a let down for me, but that might have just been because we went there after Positano, which is just so pretty. Based on that, I'd go with the Amalfi coast over Sorrento.

Anonymous wrote:OP here and thanks for all of the good recs. I’ve read up on much of them and am now leaning toward something like described above (limiting to 2 locations, Rome and another spot), except I’m leaning to Almalfi (maybe Sorrento) instead of Ligurian towns, the reasons being that Amalfi area is closer to Rome, we could easily visit Pompeii from that area, and there looks to be a good amount of hiking and water sports. We will be going early June so hopefully won’t hit the huge summer crowds. I’m also considering just Rome and either Florence or Venice, although I suspect my kids will not find Florence so interesting. Thanks again for the advice!

My kids liked Venice a lot better than Florence. We took a rowing class from "Venice on Board" that was great.

Florence is peak art/museums/churches.

OP here and thanks for all of the good recs. I’ve read up on much of them and am now leaning toward something like described above (limiting to 2 locations, Rome and another spot), except I’m leaning to Almalfi (maybe Sorrento) instead of Ligurian towns, the reasons being that Amalfi area is closer to Rome, we could easily visit Pompeii from that area, and there looks to be a good amount of hiking and water sports. We will be going early June so hopefully won’t hit the huge summer crowds. I’m also considering just Rome and either Florence or Venice, although I suspect my kids will not find Florence so interesting. Thanks again for the advice!

OP, this is what you tell us about your family:

"As a family we travel well together and like history, nature, good food and taking our time vs rushing from thing to thing. No one but me enjoys art. Son enjoys some physical activity in our trips (hiking, bicycling, etc). Daughter enjoys creative activity (I’m picturing a family cooking class)."

With this in mind, for a 10-day trip, I'd suggest starting in Rome where you can hit the major tourist/historical sites and do a day trip or even an overnight trip to Pompeii (train is a couple of hours each way). Enjoy good food and look for a family cooking class. I'd recommend a minimum of 4 days; maybe 5, especially if you do a Pompeii trip and a cooking class. For the rest of your time, focus on nature, hiking and biking. As other posters have suggested, the coast from Genoa to Ventimiglia would be a good place to explore at a more leisurely pace. Again, keep in mind that you'll have several hours of travel time from Rome to that area and then you'll have a shorter trip to Milan to fly home. For expert help on your itinerary, I can recommend Guido at Bethesda Travel Center. He is knowledgeable and will help you structure a trip suited to your interests and preferences.