AS Craig says above...depends on your interests.
If you are interested in Renaissance Art and Romanesque architecture,Florence is probably the best city in the world for that.
If that doesn't interest you at all,then it is just one city among many....
Just got back from our trip. We ended up doing 3 days in Rome, 3 in Naples, 2 in Florence and 3 in Venice. From there we flew to London and spent a couple days there. We did an Amalfi coast tour as well as a day at Capri. We ended up cutting out Gardaland. For us, that timeline worked absolutely perfect.
We felt we got enough time to check out the highlights of each city and get a feel for it's vibe. By the time we were sick of the bustle of Rome we were ready to head to Naples and tour the underground, see Capri, Pompeii and The Amalfi coast. When we got tired of ruins we were able to go check out Florence and the stunning views. Then off to Venice to escape to somewhere with no vehicles, wander the fish markets and get a wrap stolen out of my hands by a rouge bird in St. Marks Square.
For anyone that can adventure for more then 4 hours a day, do not tie yourself down to just a couple cities. Most of us have limited budgets so we may not get to go to Italy 7 times a year--for some of us it's once in a lifetime trip. For lots of people it's a never in a lifetime trip. I say in the limited time we have visit as many places as possible!
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