After Florence

34 days until I leave for Rome.

Here's what I'm thinking of doing for the 3 days off I have after Florence:
Hop on a train to Venice (about 3 hours, or perhaps take the night train to save even more time).
Spend one or two days in Venice, visiting the usual hotspots plus Murano and Burano (my two favorite Venetian islands).
On the way back to Rome (About 7 hours), stop by in Padua for about half a day (supposedly the intellectual hub of Italy).
Come back to Rome exhausted, but satisfied.


OR

From Florence, go back to Rome, and keep going to Naples (about 4 hours) to get a feel for Southern Italy.
Spend 2 days in Naples, eating Naopolitan pizza (which I heard is very good), visting Mt. Vesuvius and Pompei.
Head back to Rome (about 2 hours)


Right now I'm leaning more towards the Naples route, mostly because there is less travel time, Venice is a swarming hive of tourists which I'd like to avoid, and I'd really like to get a taste for Southern Italy. Plus, I feel like the trip to Naples would be less hectic.