Amalfi Coast - Convenience vs Atmosphere

As I understand it, you can only get to Procida from Naples, but I am certainly no expert and would verify that.
In May you can get to Ischia from Sorrento, so that may make the decision for you.

If the island trip is less of a factor, then I would sort them thusly:
Rule out Agerola, too inconvenient. In Amalfi, it could be loud--that would not be my favorite place to stay and I would keep looking at Atrani because you are so close to Amalfi for ferries. Some would rule out Ravello, but it is just a bus ride (or walk if you are hearty) down to Amalfi.

One option might be to hire a driver to transport you to Sorrento for the hydrofoil to Ischia.

You have some competing interests that make it hard to choose. Path of the Gods would dictate something on the AC side versus Sorrento, but a day trip to Ischia is pretty much only doable from Sorrento (I think.) Capri is actually easier to get to. I’m not a fan of PotG, if you’re deciding between one or the other know that there are varying opinions.

Agerola is too remote, I think you sense that.

Amalfi is a good location, with tons of easy connections via ferry and bus. If you can get a ferry to Ischia it’s here. However, right next to Duomo is probably going to be noisy. I didn’t love the town itself all that much, and it might wear on you.

Ravello is beautiful and might be a good fit for you. It requires some extra effort to get around to other places, but it’s large enough to be regularly serviced by bus.

I stayed in Atrani and just loved it. It’s a much quieter and authentic feeling place. Still plenty of locals enjoying their evenings on the square, and an abundance of good restaurants. It’s a short walk to Amalfi (along the coast road, which can be a wild experience at first) so you have easy access to all that transportation. Kind of the best of both worlds.

One big question would be how difficult would it be to get to
Procida/Ischia from Amalfi?

Ferries are not operating at all between Amalfi and Procida or Amalfi and Ischia so you'd have to travel to another town to catch one which does.

Schedules will be for 2019 but you can mess around with the site to see which locations the boats serve and how many runs they make per day.

https://www.naplesbayferry.com/en/t/amalfi/ischia

There is definitely a ferry (hydrofoil) that travels between Sorrento and Procida/Ischia. It leaves Sorrento at 9:10AM, so the question would be whether we could get from Amalfi to Sorrento before that time.

So far the consensus is that Agerola is too remote and would be difficult to get around without a car and Amalfi is too busy and loud and I definitely don't want that.

So, my list is trimmed to three.

It also sounds that if we decide that Procida/Ischia is too important to miss then we should stay in Sorrento, otherwise, Ravello or Atrani would be better.

My wife likes to walk; that is why I included the Path Of The Gods. I will have to do more research on that. It may require too much time for us to do that walk. I am hearing that there are paths between the villages and that may be enough walking. After all, we will still have another 8 days of our trip left after we leave AC.

Thanks for your input!

I think that's the gist, but be sure to verify that ferry. I could not find anything to Procida, only Ischia, unless you are talking about connecting in Ischia.
I think it is just too gorgeous of an area to not have a good view from your room, that's part of the point to me anyway!
There are many many paths, Path of the Gods gets all the buzz, but there are plenty of others. I do think hiking in the area is one of the highlights though.
I am loathe to suggest a day trip to Capri (just because day trips = crowds) but you can go direct from the AC to Capri, so there is that option.

Consider doing this.

Day 1. Arrive Naples, Alibus or taxi to Molo Beverello,
Ferry to Procida. Spend the night.

Day 2. Ferry back to Naples, car driver to Pompeii, visit site, driver to Amalfi Coast lodging.

I prefer Atrani. There are some nice walks from this area. Second pick would be Ravello, probably the best views, but only if I had more time. It's a 1/2 hour bus ride each way to reach Amalfi town with links to the ferry.

Day 3&4 visit towns along the Amalfi Coast.

Day 5. Ferry to Salerno to catch a train to your next location.

From the transportation standpoint I would go with Amalfi---considering where you want to go. Definitely agree with the others. A room with a view is a must. Hiking is wonderful. I did the Path of Gods but only because I had to pick one. We have stayed in both Ravello and Positano on 2 separate trips. There is not a bad view on the Amalfi coast.

Thank you Val,

I can see that the ferry to Ischia from Sorrento stops at Procida along the way. The problem is that this ferry leaves at 9:10 and therefore, there is no way to get to Sorrento that early without taking a taxi or some other hired car.

As for views, I am finding that the places with great views are either far up the hill or very expensive. Expensive as in out of my price range. I don't think I can do that for four nights, which is why I love Gerri's suggestion. I can splurge for 2 nights, so maybe the best thing would be:

Two nights Sorrento: First day, check out Sorrento, second day trip to Procida

and then,

Two nights in Atrani or Ravello.

Thanks for all of the advice! My itinerary is really starting to come together!