Hi all, I'm planning about 3 weeks in Italy for next may and was thinking about doing: 6 nights Rome (my 2nd trip there but I want to take it slowly and have time for a day trip or two), 6 nights Naples/Amalfi coast (1 night naples probably since that's where I'd take an early train to Lecce), 2 nights Lecce, then a 5 day/6 night tour of Puglia that I have already booked. I'd be willing to cut off a day from rome and/or Amalfi if there is something else I should be seeing on the way? Or maybe it is a good idea to set up for that long in say, Sorrento, so that I can take a variety of excursions along the coast, do Pompeii and maybe Paestum, one of the Islands, etc. Alternatively would it be better to do, say, 3 nights in Sorrento and 2 in another town on the coast? It looks like another option for getting to Lecce would be a slightly longer train ride from Salerno (in which case I would say 4 nights in Sorrento and day trip to Naples once)... Looking for any suggestions/opinion/advice anyone has. It's my first time going to this part of Italy so I'm having some trouble with where to start. I have read Rick's materials but would love input from fellow Italy-lovers. Thanks so much in advance :)
Posted by
New York, NY
319 posts
Debra,
I haven't yet been to S Italy, but I recommend that you minimize the number of moves you need to make. I'd set up in Sorrento for as long as possible and make all your day trips from there. You can get to the Islands, Amalfi Coast, Pompeii, and Naples from there.
I could spend the rest of my life in Rome, but I might think about shortening it by a day or so. Look at what day trips you want to take from Rome and make sure there's nothing better you'll be ruling out elsewhere.
Posted by
Tinton Falls, NJ
792 posts
I recommend Orvietto, which sounds like a great (and easy) day trip from Rome. I plan to do it myself when we go to Rome next July (for five nights). I personally don't like to move around too much, but rather be able to really get to know a place. So we doing a pretty leisurely three week trip to Italy next July (5 nights Rome, 7 nights Positano, 3 nights Cinque Terre, 8 nights Venice). I love being able to settle into a place and enjoy it without having to rush around to see it all.
Posted by
Lima, Perú
126 posts
I guess the choice is personal, but when we go back to the Amalfi Coast (someday soon, I hope!), we'll stay in Positano again. From Rome, we took the train to Salerno, then a ferry to Positano. From there, it was easy to visit Pompeii, Amalfi, and Sorrento. These last 2 towns are really lovely, but we definitely preferred Positano because of its position on the hill and the spectacular views of the rugged coastline.
Also, I would highly recommend a day-trip to the Island of Capri and a 1/2 day visit to Ravello (longer if you catch a sunset concert), the highest town in the Amalfi Coast with some unbelievable views and great Roman history. For us, it made much more sense to relax in one place on the coast, and do side-trips from there, especially after our Rome visit, which was amazing -and- exhausting. I would definitely recommend 4-5 nights on the Amalfi coast.
Whatever you decide at the end, I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time. Can't wait to get back to Southern Italy!!
Posted by
OP
Los Angeles, CA, USA
1003 posts
Thank you all for your opinions, I really appreciate it!!
Kerry, one of the reasons I am planning 6 additional days in Rome is to be able to take a daytrip to Orvieto. Michael, I also want to take a cooking class, so that eats up two days right there. That's why I'm hesitant, on top of the fact that the first day or so will be not so productive due to jet lag.
I don't really mind moving around if the distances are short. I did a bit of a hectic Italy trip this time last year and it was fine to travel an hour and re-settle. It's long train and plane rides that wore me down on my first trip to Europe. short distances on a train to a new hotel don't much bother me. My concern is that basing just in Sorrento would be tough to visit the southern part of the Amalfi coast in depth. It sounds like a bit of a long ordeal to see Paestum, which i'd love to see if possible as I've never seen Greek ruins before. I might just split it up into 6 nights Rome, 3 nights Sorrento, 2 nights Salerno or one of those towns, and then 2 nights Naples (Yes I know a lot of people here don't recommend that). It's a lot of moving around but I think it might actually help me maximize my sight-seeing time.
G.Maria, thank you so much for the tip on Ravello, I will keep that in mind!
Clearly I have a lot to think about here. I am definitely going to do more research and consider everything before i start booking B&Bs.
Thanks again for giving me so much to think about!