Is it too late to book a trip to Italy for June 26-July 13?

Book it. There's plenty of time.

Try it. It is never too late.

Aight, I think you guys have convinced me.
Any recommendations you guys have? I have been all over Europe but Italy has always been a dream trip and it has been a little overwhelming to try and make the most of it.

We are both big foodies so that will be a central focus of our trip. As of now my thoughts were:

Rome:
- guided tour for Vatican, Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s. (Any recommendations here?)
-cooking class/food tour
-check out coliseum, pantheon
(Any off the path sites we must see or places we must eat?)

Florence
-food tour
-eat
-I don’t really know what to do here other than eat food and visit some of the smaller towns outside the city?

Almafi coast
-would positano be a good place to stay?
-we wanted to get a nicer place to stay and just relax for the last few days. We may try to make day trips to adjacent towns but we would like to stay in an area that is at least less packed than some of the more touristy areas. Our plan is to eat as much food as possible and go with the flow
(Any must see things in this area?)

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Florence

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Is home to some or the greatest art works in the world. Even if you aren't into art it's a must see.

Rome is easily doable by yourself, without a tour. I'm not Christian, so certain things are lost on me, but :shrug:.

Coliseum will disappoint you after being at Tiger Stadium. It's so small it's jarring. The dig of more ancient Rome in between the Coliseum and the Forum? is neat. Get the photo op at Trevi Fountain, and get out. Walking along the river at night is nice.

There's a great view from (I'm pretty sure) Parco Gianicolense of most of Rome. IIRC, it was to celebrate bringing the five states together into one country (Italy, obv.) There are snack stands up there, and beer/wine vendors, but it's a very calming view.

There are a couple of good craft beer bars off the beaten path within walking distance of the Coliseum. I stayed near Rome Termini at a Mercure 75 yards from the Coliseum, and it was cheap (for being "downtown") and convenient.

You can take a quick trip from Rome Termini to Nettuno for a half day trip. There is a stunning American WWII Cemetery there, but there is also a coastal town you can screw around in that isn't overrun with British tourists.

Warning about at least Roman (dinner) food culture... It can take a long arse time. I've never spent nearly four hours at dinner (with about 20 work colleagues) in a restaurant before Rome. Dinner takes a long time with Romans; there were logistical cues that clearly indicated that the restaurant repeatedly had dinner parties of 10+ people on the reg. It's like a crawfish boil but sitting at a table with a bunch of people yelling

I would suggest you NOT drive in Rome proper. Rent a car when you get outside the city, but Roman drivers are the pro aggressive drivers I have aspired to be my entire life. A scooter driver will cut you off, flip you the bird, and fark with your car as they speed by you.

Don't ignore Italian coffee culture. It's the equivalent of pubs for Irish/English, but it happens six/seven times a day. It's so serious that my old company used to subsidize espresso for the employees.

For "food tours" I'd generally suggest getting away from anything you've mentioned (in Rome at least.) That means just walk down a back road in the city, and ask them what they specialize in, then eat it. Pick the view and ambiance first, then asked to be served what the waiters love.

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Coliseum will disappoint you after being at Tiger Stadium.

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You make some very good posts here but this take is so terrible that it really needed to be pointed out.

We just returned from Italy. Spent 3 nights in each Venice, Florence, and Rome. Rome was our favorite. Wish we had spend more time in Rome.

If you are looking for hotels the Ai Reali in Venice was very nice, staff was wonderful, great location, and the free breakfast was delicious. The Artemide in Rome was also very nice, wonderful staff, great location, and fabulous free breakfast. We also ate lunch one day and night meals in the restaurant. All meals were delicious.

On Sundays at noon in Rome, the Pope gives a message to the audience from his apartment window. This was a once in a lifetime experience. Tours of St Peter's Basilica are also given by an American seminarian on certain days at 2:15. If this is something you are interested in google for more information.

We also enjoyed the full experience tour of the Coliseum which also included the Roman Forum and Palatine.

Hope you enjoy your trip as much as we did.

In Rome we stayed in an AirBnB in Trastavere.

Book the Pristine Sistine tour for the Vatican. You will be able to get into the chapel with only 25 or so people. A few hours later it will be shoulder to shoulder. It may be too late but contact the Uficio Scavi and try to get the Scavi tour under St. Peter’s Chapel on the same afternoon when your Vatican tour ends.

Book a Colosseum/Forum/Palatine tour. Tours are the best way to see the most in a short amount of time. Opt for small groups and get the early tours. After the morning tour go eat Carbonara and Tiramisu at Osteria de Fortunata.

For the tours- Walks of Italy has the Pristine Sistine and you can book the Colosseum tour with them as well.

One of my favorite moments in Rome was watching the sunset from a terrace near the Knights of Malta keyhole, then waking at dusk through the Circus Maximus and then on to the river. Surrounded by history at every turn.

But everyone that hasn't been living under a cinder block knows about the slave pens and the myriad chambers built to house animals, flood the coliseum to stage naval battles in an area smaller than a soccer pitch but.... Yeah, fascinating to look at the ruins of it for more than 15m while being sold selfie sticks nonstop.

The wife and I just booked a 2 month trip to Italy May 22nd - July 27th. Literally booked our flights 3 weeks ago we are still booking airbnb's, there's plenty still out there. The flights may be a little steep, but the accomodations are still there and very reasonable. They will of course be a little more expensive in the places you mentioned. If you are on a budget, I would definitely look at going off of the beaten path, much cheaper than the tourist meccas that you mentioned. Not hating on them, just the facts, they're still beautiful as well.