[jyl]

Sorry, I didn't read the original post carefully enough. You said you've already decided on which cities.

Rome and Florence are very interesting, vital cities. I didn't find Pompei that interesting, and it is a total tourist trap. Could you skip Pompei and visit, say, Venice?

I don't like organized tours. I'd do some reading and assess your own interests, then go on your own tour, because you can pursue your own interests instead of being led around to see the standard sights. If you're into flea markets or antiques stores or Porsche clubs, you can find the local ones instead of being dragged to the Coliseum, etc.

You could fly into Rome, train to Florence, train to Venice, fly out of Venice. Internet makes it easy to find interesting little hotels on your own, and see what they look like/read travelers' reviews. Just travel light (not so much luggage space on trains).

Do you like detective novels? I've been reading Donna Leon's books, with detective Guido Brunetti, set in Venice.

Also there are some travel shows on cable (Travel Channel) that are fun to watch.

Guidebooks - I like Eyewitness Guides because lots of pictures, maps, diagrams, etc.