Eight effin' pages and nobody has recommended the Amalfi Coast? Granted, October isn't the best month to go to the coast, but the views are great and it is off the beaten path, but gives you a nice Italy experience. Beats going in June or August when it is 95 degrees and crowded.
If you only have ten days, you'd stretch to spend a good amount of time in Rome (at least three days), Amalfi / Capri / Naples / Pompei (at least three days), and have some left over. Probably too tight to do justice to Tuscany or Florence.