Amalfi Coast best direction to visit the area

We spent 9 nites in the area, started in Sorrento but you could very easily start in Salerno

Sorrento-4 nights visited Pompeii, Capri, Naples is option
Amalfi/Ravello-3 nights visited Positano
Salerno- 2 nights visited Paestum

What time of year and where to next( flight home from?)

We will be visiting the area the first weeks of April. Then heading to Florence from Amalfi.

Would you have made changes your itinerary after you visited the area?

Where are you departing? What month?
Other than the ferries ending in late October or weather reasons, or for departure logistics, there is no reason to choose one direction or the other. I'd split the time roughly between the Amalfi Coast, an island, and Naples, but I would stop near Paestum first since you have the time. The Cilento coast is very lovely and much less crowded.

I would add 2 nights in Naples
We had planned to day trip but it was pouring rain so we skipped
Next time!

You have many good options to choose from.

In April 2022, we used Salerno as a base for the Amalfi Coast. The owner of our B&B, Francesco, drove us to Paestum to hook up with a private guide for Paestum, as well as a visit to the Vannulo Mozzarella/Water Buffalo Farm for a tour with a private guide available through the Vannulo. I have to say I did not expect to enjoy Vannulo as much as I did. We also visited some Operation Avalanche sites in and around Salerno and Paestum - but these would only interest WW2 buffs.

Francesco also drove us from Salerno to Ravello, where we explored Villa Cimbrone on our own. Then, Francesco dropped us off at the harbor in Amalfi, where we had chartered a boat to take us from Amalfi to Positano, and back to Salerno. Altogether, this was a great to experience the Amalfi Coast.

Salerno itself is a lovely town. The Apostle Matthew is entombed in the Salerno Duomo.

We stayed in Pompei, primarily because we wanted to see Pompeii, Herculaneum, Oplontis, and Stabiae. It just didn't make sense to commute there from somewhere else. We ended up taking a day trip to Naples from Pompei to see the Archeology Museum.

you might reach out to ferry companies like Bluestar out of Positano and see when they start their season. they never know for sure but they have to have something penciled in.

Early April is usually a good time of your for that area, and when I've gone.

It's not ideal to be departing from Amalfi, but you can work on a multi-seat trip via rail from Salerno-Naples. Amalfi is where the SITA busses from Sorrento and from Salerno both terminate. Some people prefer ferries.

After arriving in Salerno/Paestum I plan to pick a 2 locations to see the sights. Is there a consensus on a location? Also, please tell me if used a tour group to see the area or just explored on your own? Estimated prophet I see you were fortunate to have a personal guide from you B&B.

It really depends on which places you want to see, as some have disadvantages when it comes to day trips. So, are you interested in Naples, islands, Pompeii, anything else? Another thing to consider is how long you want your day trips to be.

susancoles - The owner of our B&B in Salerno was in fact amazing, but not technically a guide. He liaised with local guides with the necessary expertise at multiple sites.

The guides we used for "Vesuvius" sites were provided by Askos Tours. I highly recommend them. I would have to ask the B&B owner for the name of our Paestum guide, who was equally outstanding.

https://www.askostours.com/

Easter Sunday is April 9. Expect lots of crowds around then. On the other hand, Hotels and restaurants that close for the winter will likely all be open and, weather permitting, ferries will be operating.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-for-7-nights-itinerary-help